Boxer waited so long until Thomas George Reid found him!

Boxer waited in our kennels for so long and then one day an adorable little boy visited with his Mother, looking to adopt a puppy.

Thomas took one look at Boxer and forgot about the puppies – he was in love with this little tubby min pin who was over 4 years old. After a successful meet and greet with their other dog, Pepper, Boxer was adopted.

Boxer is so loved by Thomas and his family and has also brought a new lease on life to their 8 year old dog, Pepper, who was used to being an only dog. Boxer and Pepper spend hours playing in the garden. Gillian, Thomas‘s mom says that Boxer is already a very much loved family member and they are so thrilled he was waiting to be chosen by Thomas!

Precious little Crystal!

Crystal has gone from being discarded as a small kitten with her siblings to being a doted on and much loved pet.

Mashooda Hoosen had been wanting a white kitten for a while and saw the shared post on Facebook about some of the kittens and cats at our Kloof and Highway SPCA. Crystal, although gorgeous and loving, had not been adopted and was waiting for her forever home. Mashooda visited with her family who were so enamored with Crystal and decided there and then this was the kitten they were waiting for. Crystal was now a lot bigger than when she first arrived and Mashooda could not believe such an adorable kitten had waited for a home.

Crystal is the first pet that the children have had and they are very devoted to ensuring she is well cared for. Mashooda says her co workers now think of her as a crazy cat lover as she never stops talking about her Crystal and the children cannot wait to get home after school to greet their little friend. Mashooda‘s mom is home during the day so Crystal is definitely part of this loving family!

Benson started off his life as a little kitten with his sibling, owned by a young gentleman.

The kitten was named Zena (at this stage he thought it was a female) and the sibling was named Tyson. 

At around one he became very social and started wandering around the neighbourhood. The charismatic cat spent more and more time at a lady called Mandy‘s house. Mandy and her daughter showered him with love and neutered him. Mandy said that in the beginning he was not the cat he is today as he seemed to mistrust and needed time to trust others. This is common in unneutered cats as when they wander people are often cruel to them and they become wary of humans. Mandy took this cat in and named him Brian, he was very loved and content.

Sadly, Mandy‘s personal circumstances changed and she had to leave Brian with a friend and work colleague in September 2021. Brian, who is very much a free spirit and was clearly missing Mandy, escaped on the second night. The friend who was caring for him was frantic and looked all over and put out lost reports on social media, around the neighbourhood and with our Kloof and Highway SPCA. Mandy herself visited the area and drove around for months looking for Brian. The person caring for Brian also suffered the loss of her home during the floods. Brian was brought into the Kloof and Highway SPCA recently as an unwanted stray.

Brian was lost for so long that any lost report made initially would not be current. Fortunately, someone had recalled a Facebook post she had saved on her phone and took the time to go back in the archived lost reports to double check if there was a lost report around that time. Indeed, there was; the social media post, lost report, pictures of the cat matched the cat brought in as a stray all this time later. The markings on the legs were exact. Mandy came in to visit Brian who the Kloof and Highway SPCA staff had named Boi and was in tears as she so wanted to take him home but was unable to as where she was now staying did not allow cats. She put word out all over about Brian needing to be adopted and in the end a friend of the original owner heard about the plight of this cat and decided to go and meet him, with the possibility of adopting him.

Etienne adopted Brian/Boi and named him Benson and had this to say, “I must say Boi stole my heart the moment I looked into those sparkly eyes saying, “please take me home!” To my surprise he settled in immediately with no issues at all, gets on perfectly with the yorkie and seems to love his new home. He lies on my bed most of the day sleeping and in the evenings has a ball running around, playing with his toys or cuddling up for some TLC and heavy purring. He has such a soft friendly nature and is adored by all who have visited him. I am truly grateful for this beautiful fur baby addition to the family and excited for the wonderful times that lie ahead.”

Mandy is so grateful to Etienne for adopting her beloved Brian (now Benson).This is a story of hope which highlights the fact that cats can be so misunderstood and end up lost, striving to survive on the streets, getting into fights whilst trying to establish territory as they have no home, being treated cruelly by most whilst looking to be accepted and shown love and kindness. Sadly, the world is not very kind to cats and they are often misunderstood – there are literally thousands of cats just like Benson who never get their happy ending. The story of Benson is one that encourages the public to firstly neuter or sterilise their cats (from 4 months please) and to microchip them to ensure they are reunited if lost.

So many beautiful tame cats are taken to SPCA’s as strays and never owner claimed. To those who have lost a cat, never stop looking or creating awareness and always check at SPCA’s. Keep your lost report current by resubmitting if your cat is still missing after 3 months as Benson‘s story shows that often cats are brought in months later. Go well, gorgeous Benson!