Learn Hardcore Filipino: May pusa rin kami, at bihira siyang lumabas. - We also have a cat, and she seldom goes out.

bold May bold expresses existence/possession, roughly “have/there is/are.” With bold may bold, the possessed noun usually comes first and the possessor pronoun follows it: bold May pusa kami bold. You can also use bold mayroon/meron bold:

bold Mayroon/meron kaming pusa bold (pronoun comes right after bold mayroon/meron bold with the linker bold -ng bold).
bold Mayroon/meron kami bold is possible when the thing possessed is understood from context. All three are natural: bold May pusa kami bold; bold Mayroon/meron kaming pusa bold.

Why is it bold rin bold and not bold din bold?

Both mean “also/too.” The choice is sound-based:

Use bold rin bold after a vowel sound (and many speakers also use it after an n-sound): bold pusa rin, ako rin bold.
Use bold din bold after a consonant sound: bold bukas din, gatas din bold. Since bold pusa bold ends in a vowel, bold rin bold is the expected form: bold May pusa rin kami bold.

Can bold rin/din bold go in a different place in the first clause?

Natural placements:

bold May pusa rin kami bold (very common)
bold Mayroon/meron din kaming pusa bold (also very common)
bold Kami rin ay may pusa bold (more formal/emphatic) Avoid: bold May pusa kami rin bold (sounds off). With bold may bold, the clitic usually attaches to the first content word in the phrase (here, bold pusa bold). With bold mayroon/meron bold, it can attach to bold mayroon/meron bold: bold Mayroon/meron din… bold.

Why bold kami bold and not bold tayo bold?

bold Kami bold = we/us (excluding the listener). bold Tayo bold = we/us (including the listener).

bold May pusa rin kami bold = We (but not you) also have a cat.
bold May pusa rin tayo bold = We (you and I) also have a cat.

Why isn’t there bold ang bold before bold pusa bold?

With bold may bold, the noun is indefinite (“a cat”), so you don’t use bold ang bold. If you want a definite topic (“the cat”), you’d restructure:

bold Ang pusa namin ay bihirang lumabas bold.
Colloquial: bold Yung pusa namin, bihirang lumabas bold.

What is the bold -ng bold in bold siyang bold?

It’s the linker bold na/-ng bold, which links a predicate to its subject when the predicate isn’t a verb (here, bold bihira bold). Because bold siya bold ends in a vowel, the linker takes the form bold -ng bold and attaches to it: bold siya + -ng → siyang bold. Compare:

bold Ako + -ng aalis → Akong aalis bold.
bold Siya + -ng lumabas → Siyang lumabas bold.

Is bold Bihira siya lumabas bold (without the linker) okay? What about bold Bihirang lumabas siya bold?

Standard/neutral writing prefers the linker: bold Bihira siyang lumabas bold. Many speakers do say bold Bihira siya lumabas bold in casual speech, but the linked form is safer. bold Bihirang lumabas siya bold is also correct: here bold bihira bold takes bold -ng bold and directly modifies the verb phrase bold lumabas bold.

Should it be bold lumalabas bold instead of bold lumabas bold?

For a clear habitual meaning (“rarely goes out”), bold lumalabas bold (imperfective) is the most explicit: bold Bihira siyang lumalabas bold. bold Lumabas bold (perfective) often reads as “rarely went out,” but many speakers also use it with adverbs of frequency for a general/habitual sense. If you want to avoid ambiguity, use bold lumalabas bold.

Does bold siya bold mean “he,” “she,” or “it” here?

bold Siya bold is gender-neutral and typically refers to a person, but it’s also commonly used for pets. So it can correspond to “he/she/it” depending on context. For a less personal “it,” especially with animals you’re not close to, speakers often use the demonstratives bold ito/iyan/iyon bold (“this/that”).

Can I use bold ito bold instead of bold siya bold to refer to the cat?

Yes, if you mean “this (one)” and the cat is contextually “this,” you can say: bold Bihira itong lumabas bold (bold ito + -ng → itong bold). If it’s not “this” but “that,” you’d use bold iyon/iyan bold: bold Bihira iyong/iyang lumabas bold (spelled bold iyon/iyon + -g, iyan/iyang bold).

What’s the difference between bold lumabas bold and bold umalis bold?

bold Lumabas bold = to go out/go outside (specifically to the outside). Example: bold Lumabas ang pusa bold (The cat went outside).
bold Umalis bold = to leave/depart (go away from a place, not necessarily outdoors). Example: bold Umalis ang pusa bold (The cat left/gone away). For pets “going outside,” bold lumabas bold is the natural choice.

Other ways to say “rarely” here?

bold Madalang siyang lumabas bold (synonym of bold bihira bold).
bold Hindi siya madalas lumabas bold (“He/She doesn’t go out often”).
Very common colloquial: bold Bihira lang siyang lumabas bold (bold lang bold softens/limits the statement).

Is the comma before bold at bold necessary?

Optional. You can write either:

bold May pusa rin kami, at bihira siyang lumabas bold.
bold May pusa rin kami at bihira siyang lumabas bold. In everyday writing, many omit the comma.

How would I say it for plural “cats”?

Use bold mga bold to mark plural, and the plural pronoun:

bold May mga pusa rin kami, at bihira silang lumabas bold. If you keep the cat definite: bold Ang mga pusa namin ay bihirang lumabas bold.