What A Week!!
We were blown away by the response to our photo competition
Over 200 entries!
Some of our judges need just a little more time:
The winners will be poster tomorrow, 15 February 2023
So many happy endings – read about them below...
It has been such joy and privilege to receive so many happy adoption stories this week. My heart is full and humbled at the privilege of being part of these stories as a CatzRus volunteer. - Brenda
Thank you to our adopters for being part of the CatzRus team – we couldn't do this without you. You have the space in your hearts and homes and we have enough cats to fill all the gaps!
We all want to make more happy endings. Here is how every team-member can get involved.
Top 10 ways to help us make more happy endings for the homeless & needy cats and kittens in Pretoria
1. Sterilise a cat – any cat. Simple maths: the more sterilisations, the fewer needy kittens. Be proactive.
2. Adopt responsibly (ensuring that your kitten AND the parent cats are sterilised if at all possible)
3. Foster – we always need more foster homes. It's not about your heart – it's about the kittens.
4. Support our “Spay it Forward” fund. If you don't know a cat that needs to be sterilised, we do!
5. Support our Art Auction. It starts THIS WEEK ON FACEBOOK!
6. Offer to help with the Photo Competition next year! Or with poster-making, video editing, etc
7. Enjoy the happy stories we have enjoyed receiving with the photos this week
and be inspired to make a difference : For the love of cats!
So many Happy Adoption Stories (have your tissues nearby – especially for the last one!)
These are stories received from adopters via email for the 2023 Photo Competition
(Human names removed for privacy – you know who you are, awesome foster moms!)
My kat se naam is Tabitha Dorkas. Sy word Dorkas of Doris genoem. Sy word hierdie jaar 10 jaar oud en is 'n dametjie. Ek het haar 2013 by Glen Veterinary Clinic aangeneem. Catzrus het daar 'n kat shelter gehad. Sy was saam met baba katjies en ek het haar uitgekies. Ek het haar aangeneem 'n maand na my baba katjie, Ryk, se dood, en Dorkas het die leemte in my stukkende hart gevul.
Queenie was found in a drain when she was only a few months old swimming and keeping herself up.
Toby was tiny when he was rescued from a feral situation. He was very weak, dehydrated, cold, and sick. In spite of the poor prognosis, Toby responded well to intense vet care. Since being adopted he’s grown close to service dog, Skye, and the two of them play together daily.
Cloudie and his siblings were found at Gateweay Business Park on Old JHB Road next to China Mall in Centurion. He was very sick with snuffles and only made it through the amazing care of his foster mom, who was soo amazing. I love my Cloudie so much – cannot thank you enough for entrusting him to me.
This is Lil Princess Bunny, we adopted her from her foster mom in September 2013. She arrived one evening and her name was Baby Cat – by the morning we came up with the name Lil Princess bunny, reason being she is missing her right rear paw so she hops like a bunny and also she has a little stump for a tail so it looks like a bunny tail.
Little Drinx was the last of his litter and no one wanted to adopt him because he was shy. But after a few days he made himself welcome and he became the most playful and loving kitten.
Our cute baby Apollo was left next to the busy Rigel Avenue with his brothers and sister. His foster mom helped and took care of the abandoned litter and she placed him with our family
Hi, dit is Cindy. Hulle was gered uit n asblik in Soweto, die rotte het al aan hul begin knaag. Cindy het net n halwe stertjie en omdat haar agterpootjie afgebyt was - moes hul haar been amputeer op 3 maande. Sy was so klein maar so braaf. Die kleintste ou dingetjie maar die grootste vegtersgees. 'n Dag na die operasie staan sy op en begin loop. Het die grootste respek vir haar en haar so baie lief, my baby. Sy word lekker bederf en baie liefde gegee.
Tofu and Kimchi are just over 2 years old. They were found on a farm outside Frankfort in the Free State when they were a few weeks old. Their mother could not be found and did not come looking for her babies. The man who found them knew a super foster mom from Catzrus. I had just moved into a home of my own and knew it needed furbabies to make it complete. I wanted 2 kittens so they could keep each other company on the days I had to work from the office. When I saw their photos being advertised in an adoption group on Facebook I knew I had to have them! I immediately contacted their foster mom. I didn't mind that I had to drive through to Pretoria from Johannesburg, they just had to be mine. Their foster mom did and amazing job looking after and socializing Kimchi and Tofu. They are the friendliest cats in the world. The children in my complex wait for them in the afternoons so they can play with them. Tofu and Kimchi are the best of friends and I'm so glad I could give them a home together.
His fostermom rescued him from her neighbors who kept him in the Wendy house and in their bathroom. Their kids found him at their school. He was severely malnourished and underweight. He had stomach issues and had to be given antibiotics and medications daily for almost a month. Now he is a fat and healthy boy who loves to nap on the couch or cuddle with his brother Helmut.
We adopted Mini (formally Porch) and Eve in January 2021. They were both found in cars, Mini was found with another kittie and Eve was found along with her siblings. We first saw Mini in a Facebook post but when we went to meet him we fell in love with Eve as well and brought them both home.
Patches is the story of a cute free to a good home kitten that becomes unwanted. After giving birth to her first litter of kittens the owner decided he doesn’t want Patches anymore. She was left outside and discarded, soon she fell pregnant again and her owner decided he will be moving and leaving her behind. Very pregnant we stepped in and place her in a shelter, from all the stress Patches gave birth to 3 premature babies. Two died. She was rushed to hospital to do an emergency C section and another tiny premature baby was born. Patches had no milk and emergency care for her surviving kittens started.
Kieriekies and her brother were caught at the epol factory in Pretoria. When he I saw the photo of Yara, my first response was when can I come and get my baby. The foster dad told us that Yara needed a mom and not an owner. And he thought that we would be the perfect parents to this little furr baby. She is such a loving cat.
Rescue story: Gia was saved next to the road in Montana and Daisy was found at a garage in Zambesi
Category one - Gracey and her BEST, BEST friend and the one thing she loves the MOST in the world, her friend the Miniature Schnauzer, Chappie. We got Chappie approx 1 month after Miss Gracey and they have been best friends since day one. This picture was taken right after Chappie was discharged from the hospital, he was born with a liver shunt and was hospitalized quite often.... Miss Gracey missed him a lot during these times! She however nursed him 24/7 when he got home.
She was severely malnourished, diarrhea and snuffels. She was a teeny little kitten abandoned behind a skip at Spar. She does not trust anybody except my son. She occasionally comes to me for a little rub, but for the rest she prefers her own space. She does not go out of the house and hides away if we have guests.
Shes a small 1year old. She gets along with our dogs and loves our other cat, Gizmo! Shes got the biggest 'owl-like' eyes and it can give you a big fright if she sits and stares at you in the dark!!!!
Mango had a rough start to life due to sustaining a facial nerve injury on the left side as a kitten (possibly due to a dog bite). He had to undergo surgery to remove his left eardrum. Although he had a rough start, he is now the sweetest cat. Fred was found with a feral colony of other cats. Although he tried to blend with the other cats, they did not completely accept him. He was very scared at first and with months of trying, he foster mom was able to gain his trust with food. He will still do anything for food and treats.
Nando was found outside a Nando’s restaurant in Pretoria when he was only a few weeks old. He had ringworm all over, but his foster mom took amazing care of him and cleaned him up. He is now a very playful, energetic, and affectionate little boy. He loves exploring outside, playing in his tunnel, going for walks, and snuggling.
Wash is a male silver marble tabby and is two and half years old. We adopted him in September 2020. He was a little older than others he was rescued with but with his foster-mom's kindness and patience, she got him ready for adoption. We were told he was rescued with about 30 other cats from a lady who had passed away and they were all left behind.
Please meet Phoenix, he was adopted last March. We had lost our previous adopted boy in January and wanted to give a loving home to a new baby. He is an absolute joy and brings so much love to our family, we just love him to bits.
Tipsy was rescued from a factory where the factory workers was beating the cats, she was extremely shy towards humans and only trusted cats, with a lot of patience and love she now trust us to love and pet her. Such a soft soul, we just love her to bits.
Benji and Ice were adopted together as they get along very well and are attached to one another. Ice was adopted with his own teddy bear and blanket. He still sucks his teddy bear every now and then to find some extra love and comfort..
After heavy rain, Naruto was found in a water pipe at a school. We are so blessed with him. Here is a picture of him with his favourite blanket he got from his foster mom.
Simi had a rough experience before we got her. She was adopted by another mommy not long before we got to meet her, but this mommy didn't know how to work with a little baby. Simi was left alone most of the day and when she had an oepsie, she was taken back to her foster Mom, and she was told that she is not house trainable.
We met her a mere week after she was taken back, she was the sweetest little kitten, so lovable and playful. Crawled up on my lap within the first half hour and I knew this was my baby. She just turned 5 months old a week ago and we haven't had any oepsies since the day we adopted her!
Abandoned in a reserve. The person who discarded him, gave me one of my biggest gifts EVER!
Kitty is called Alex, he is about 1.5 - 2 years (hard to tell), and is a male :) He was very sick and had his one hind leg removed, but I fell in love with him before I even met him- you guys posted a video and I just knew :) When he was out of the woods, I went to meet him and I loved him even more. A little while later his foster mom brought him over and our adventure began.
Rescue story: She was rescued from the streets when she was new born baby. She was so small and malnourished that the rescuers could not see if she was a dog or a cat. She was so tiny and fragile. Her foster mom had a mommy cat (her name was May) with babies that adopted Jupiter and raised her as her own.
Sushi, male, adopted June 2022 - was dropped off at vet because he was walking in circles (was only a ear infection). Noodles, Female - adopted June 2022 - was dropped off at vet and was squint and grew out of it. They just Love their hoomans and hooman babies, lots of cuddles and even when little sister is sick her noodle makes sure she feels better!
"Annie" now MAYA was found dumped at the generators in Wonderboom somewhere and had trust issues, scared etc. Maya is now the most content kitten, calm, sweet, loving, comfortable in any area of the house with all the family members. She no longer hides under the bed. Plays with all her toys, sleeps wherever the mood takes her. Although she does have her favourite " blankie" that she cuddles and kneeds especially at bedtime.
Quinne (renamed Atari, like the gaming console, because she's always ready to play) We initially wanted a black grown up kitty because they are always pushed aside. But then we heard of little Quinne's misadventures of being found in a factory and almost being drowned! NOT ON MY WATCH! We went to visit her, she was shy and scared. Took her a whole week to come out from under our bed and almost two more to finally trust us. Now she doesn't leave mine or my hubby's side. She sleeps with us. Sits with us when we are cooking, watching TV, even brushing our teeth. She is very active in the early mornings, and only likes rubs on her terms. She's recently become more vocal and let's us know when she wants a snack or to play outside. She's a sassy girl and our whole world.
Our Lil Pixie was adopted August 2020. It was love at first sight. I saw her on FaceBook and knew she had to join our household. We fell head over heels with this little baby girl. She was quite ill and we didn't know if we will ever get her. The vet called her Patrica (the stripper) ... The funniest was when he removed her stitches when she was sterilized and commented - "Now Patricia lost her Nylons" Our beautiful girl is the Queen of this house hold. She is ruling everyone, she rules the hoomans and and our feral cat Coco and our rescue cat Peanut.
She is always full of beans and the most playful angel. She chases everyone and everything. She demands attention most of the time. She added value to our lives. There is never a dull moment with her around. Pixie has the cutest face and look at her whiskers ....adorable.
The grey cat is Monty, he is male and is about 14 years old now. We adopted him from CatsRUs in 2009. He was found in a gutter before making it to CatsRUs.
This is Ozzy, he is a Domestic Medium Hair, Male. I adopted him in 2014 from CatzRus. He is the blood brother of the late Willemien who was one of the resident cats of the Glen Veterinary Clinic.
I would have originally adopted Willemien but when I got to the clinic and saw Ozzy, I think he chose me so I changed my choice. I think if I remember correctly him and his siblings were dumped in a box.
She is 7 years old, born around the 3 September 2015. She was found with a few of her siblings behind a shed, her mom and some siblings were killed by a dog, they were only a few days old still with their eyes closed.
When I saw Catia up for adoption I immediately fell in love with her. She is one of 3 siblings, her and her brother were born without tails and her sister had a very long tail which indicated that they are Manx cats.
She is the most adorable cat ever with no tail. It makes her look even cuter, She is smaller than your average cat and has a personality to match.
Mina was found with her siblings inside a big flower pot, outside someone's house. Her mom was a stray. No one wanted the black kitty, all her siblings had found new owners. I saw her being advertised for 2 weeks and decided I had to take her.
When our sweet Alex was diagnosed with terminal bone cancer in early 2021, we decided to adopt a friend for his brother Merlin. We reached out to CatzRus and received the cutest pics from the foster mom, who was fostering a little brother and sister, about 4 weeks old at the time. We immediately fell in love with Nala, but saw this sweet little boy with her – her brother, Leo. We decided to adopt the pair, and my gosh, how that decision has changed our lives. Our babies are gorgeous, loving, well-adjusted and the most amazing friends, to each other and to Grandpa Merlin the grouch. They’re an absolute joy, who love to play and cuddle, and they melt your heart with love every time you look at them.
Little Ruby, we adopted you from your foster mom in, I think, 2017. We saw photo's on the CatzRus Facebook page of you and your siblings. We decided to adopt your sister Regina but fell in love with you from the moment we saw you. You and your siblings were rescued from a factory in Silverton. You were so scared and had little trust in people. We took you home and it took a long time to gained your trust. But now you love your mom and you mom loves you so much. You are talkative and friendly and the thing you love most is to sleep on you mom's chest. We love you little Ruby. Thank you CatzRus for not giving up on her.
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