Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Kitten saved from drain
Khayelitsha clinic pleads for adoptions
TODAY is International Homeless Animal Day and one feline furball has just used up one of her nine lives.
Kitten Storm was left in a stormwater drain in Khayelitsha to drown but thanks to the concern of two elderly women she will live to hunt mice for another day.
Staff at the Mdzananda Animal Clinic in Khayelitsha answered a distress call from the two women who said they had witnessed a man putting a small animal into a drain. The clinic had closed for the day when the call came through and it was fortuitous for Storm that two of the clinic’s staff members were still on-site.
The women led them to a stormwater drain about 500m from the clinic where they heard a kitten’s soft and desperate cries. “Two scared eyes were peeking through the drain cover. With a lot of pulling and heaving, our staff and a passing member of the community were able to lift the heavy drain cover,” said the general manager at the clinic, Susan Wishart.
“A white cat with black spots was standing knee-deep in drain water, scrabbling desperately to get out. Her eyes showed confusion as if she was asking ‘Why am I here? Can you help me?’” said Wishart who decided at that very moment to name the lucky kitten Storm.
Fund-raising and communications manager Marcelle du Plessis said Storm stayed at the clinic for two weeks. “It was clear that the incident of being put into a drain was only one of many traumatising events in her life. She hardly moved, spent all her time curled tightly into a ball, hardly ate, never purred and simply stared blankly when you greeted her,” said Du Plessis.
The traumatised kitten was taken to a foster home in Constantia where a bed and safe space was created for her inside a cupboard. Du Plessis said Storm did not move from this cupboard space for two weeks but this week her curiosity kicked in and she ventured out to explore her new home. Foster mom Samantha Jones said Storm has a long road ahead before she will be able to trust humans.
“We are confident that she is getting better and better every day with the help of her foster mom. When she is ready we will be able to put her up for adoption and we will find her the perfect home,” said Du Plessis.
International Homeless Animal Day is a day to highlight the plight of abandoned and homeless animals in the world. They are dependent on charities and good people for survival. It is a day to educate people about pet abandonment, feral animals and the benefits of sterilising pets to prevent unwanted animals being born.
The Mdzananda Animal Clinic is an animal hospital but this does not stop people from leaving pets at their doorstep. Unwanted pets are often brought for treatment, never to be collected, or they are handed over or found as strays. These homeless pets are looked after until people adopt them.
“This International Home- less Animal day we would like to encourage people to consider adopting a homeless pet. We would also like to thank people who have adopted shelter pets and those who continue to support our organisation,” said Du Plessis.