Written by Steffi Bergmann, Luna Cat Rescue
Professional photography by Nat Gold ZA
When we first collected Rocky (now Shadow) from our partner, Mdzananda Animal Clinic, he was skin and bones but full of love. All he wanted was to be held and kissed and crawl onto our laps. He weighed only 2.3kg, and we estimated he was between 12 and 16 years old. We were sure he was in end-stage renal failure. Our vets could hardly believe it when his kidney enzyme test came back normal! However, his red blood cell count was dangerously low, and he was severely anaemic. They suspected this meant he had some form of cancer.
At Luna Cat Rescue, we always have space for one or two palliative care cases. We believe that every cat we take on deserves a chance – especially the old, battered cats who have lived tough lives out on the streets. Many of them have never had a warm bed, regular meals or a roof over their heads, and if we can give them that, even for a short period, we do it. We never let them suffer, though, and we monitor them closely with the help of our vets to ensure quality of life.
Since Rocky was such an old boy, we decided to give him the best food, love, and care for whatever time he had with us. Whether it was days or weeks, we weren’t sure. But then, much to our amazement, his health improved remarkably in his foster home, and he kept getting better and better. When we rechecked his bloods six weeks later, he was no longer anaemic, and he was steadily gaining weight – he’s at 3.8 kg now! This also meant that he was strong and stable enough to have his teeth sorted out – two had to be extracted, and the rest needed cleaning. Once that was done, our vet gave him the all-clear and agreed that we could put him up for adoption.
When we first took Rocky in, he was meant to go to a different foster family. Sadly, they’d recently lost a cat to kidney failure and, understandably, didn’t think they were up to fostering Rocky. Thandi was lined up to take another foster cat that day, so I called her to see whether she’d consider doing a swap. I explained what to expect and told her that this boy would most likely break her heart because he was so full of love, even though he was so broken. After a brief silence on the other end of the line, she said yes – and the rest is history!
I’ll let his former foster, now forever human, Thandi, tell that part of the story.
Steffi is the co-founder of Luna Cat Rescue (https://www.happytailsmagazine.co.za/news-articles/luna-cat-rescue/), a non-profit cat rescue organisation based in Cape Town. Luna partners with Mdzananda Animal Clinic and Animal Rescue Organisation to rehabilitate and rehome their cats and kittens.
All Luna fosterlings are placed in volunteers’ homes in Cape Town.
Me and my Shadow
Written by Thandi Garrett
Shadow came to me at the perfect time in my life. My mom had just retired and moved into her little cottage at the end of 2022, along with all our birds, because she didn’t want to split up the flock. I was living in my apartment all by myself and was feeling quite lonely.
I’ve always loved animals and have been really drawn to animal care. Throughout my childhood, I helped family friends care for foster kittens and puppies, which included bottle feeding and kangaroo care. I thought that now that I was living alone, it would be the perfect time to foster kittens myself. I immediately jumped onto Luna Cat Rescue’s Instagram page and filled out the foster application form. Steffi phoned me back the same day, and it went from there.
I wasn’t expecting to foster Rocky until I heard his story and that he really needed some love and care and to be in a home environment because he wasn’t expected to live very long. My heart went out to him, and I said, “Of course”, right away. When I saw him for the first time, I was quite taken aback – I’d never seen such a skinny cat. He looked so neglected and sick. He was in really, really bad shape. Despite the fact that he was so weak and so sick, all he wanted was love and affection, and even though he was nervous at first, he crawled into my lap.
Having an adult cat in my home was a new experience for me, but I was given a lot of guidance, which I really appreciated. It’s easy to love a friendly little kitten who wants to play and sleep all the time and has that beautiful kitten smell, but with an adult cat, you don’t know what their life was like before. Building a bond and forming a relationship takes time, but it also makes the whole journey extremely special. I’d definitely recommend fostering adult cats – they need so much love, more than I ever realised.
With Rocky, it started out as a long-term, palliative care foster placement. I knew it would be difficult when he eventually passed away. But then he just kept getting better, and his personality came out more and more. He even started playing again! As he became stronger and more feisty, I knew that he was going to be put up for adoption, and I thought, “Absolutely not – this is not happening. He’s not going anywhere!”
Also, I think my family and friends would have been horrified had I told them he was going to be adopted by someone else!
These days, I’m woken every morning with the sweetest but most persistent meows from Shadow, letting me know it’s time for breakfast. Once he’s eaten, he follows me around everywhere, which is how he got his name – he is, quite literally, my shadow. He loves a game of chase – he’ll chase his own tail or even nothing at all. In the evening, while I’m cooking supper, he’ll stand patiently and wait for little treats.
Coming home from work at the end of the day brings me immense joy because of the furry companion waiting for me. Dealing with depression has its challenges, but knowing that this loving four-legged creature holds a special place in my heart gives me the motivation to embrace life fully. Shadow has, without a doubt, had a profoundly positive impact on my mental well-being, and I’m deeply grateful that we found each other when we did.
