Civet Cat in a Cage

I saw a civet cat when I visited Kulaman village weeks ago. It was sad that the animal was caged, but I was glad that I could observe it closely and I could take photos of it to share with the readers of this blog. I’d seen a civet cat before—also caged, in another village—but it was smaller. It was probably young. The one I saw in Kulaman seemed to be an adult, for it was bigger than an average-sized adult cat.

I was excited when the civet cat was pointed to me. I stood near the cage, put a finger against the plastic screen, and made a calling sound with my tongue. In a speed that shocked me, the civet cat put its snout against the screen and blew air against my finger. The air produced a sound. In Hiligaynon, we call such an action pusnga.

I stepped back in surprise, and then laughed at my foolishness. It had escaped me that the civet cat, called milo in Hiligaynon, was a wild creature and would likely remain so despite being exposed to human beings constantly. It didn’t repeat the offensive move though, but that’s of course because I didn’t try again to pet the animal.

One of the most interesting things about civet cats is that they’re a source of very expensive coffee. Civet cats are fond of eating coffee, and when they poop, the beans are still whole. The beans are picked by hand and then ground, and the drink made from them are sold for as high as $50 per cup. The more interesting thing is that no one in Kulaman Plateau has made a business yet out of civet cat poop, despite the fact that civet cats are still plenty and coffee is more than abundant in the area—Sultan Kudarat Province produces 25 percent of the coffee in the country. If I were not dedicated to writing stories, I would consider engaging in coffee poop business.