Written by Ronett Scholtz
Professional photography by Tania Cholwich
Pippie the tabby cat is a special little lady. To understand how important Pippie is, we’ll start with a bit about my story. My name is Ronett; I’m 21 years old and at the moment I’m studying at Aros (Akademie Reformatoriese Opleiding en Studies) to become a primary school teacher. I was diagnosed with severe depression at the age of 10 and later with severe anxiety and PTSD.
Help needed
I saw a few doctors for medication to help me and the state of my mental health. But still I struggled with all my “problems”. So, after high school, I did a gap year programme in Pretoria and decided what I wanted to do with my life.
I enrolled in Aros and started to study. In the middle of the year, I found a part-time job as an assistant teacher at a school. I thought I was fine and very happy until too late… I began showing signs of my problems coming back tenfold. After finishing my three months of working, I fell into a deep depression and it felt like I wouldn’t make it out in one piece.
Deciding to consult my therapist, she suggested getting an emotional support animal to help with my “fall-outs”. First, I thought of looking for a dog, but the problem at that point was my accommodation. I then talked to my sister about buying a kitten, but she suggested I adopt a cat instead because there are so many homeless cats in need of a good home.
Home wanted
I started looking online for a cat and saw a lot of them needing forever homes. It broke my heart not being able to adopt them all, but I knew the one I’d get would have a forever home! That’s when I came across Harties Feral Cat Rescue’s Facebook page, where I saw Pippie. She seemed like an angel… and I’d soon find out that she was one; but if I’m honest, we had a rocky start!
My grandfather and I went to the lady that Pippie was staying with at that time and I just fell in love with her. She was a bit sceptical about me at first, so I just sat down and waited for her to come to me as I remembered my father’s words that the animal best suited for you will choose you and not the other way around. At that moment she came to me and even sat in my lap.
All of us were overjoyed when she did that. Pippie would join our family.
A helping paw
That day I took her home and it was great for the first few weeks… but then things felt a bit more challenging, and became more and more so every day. At one point, I even contacted the lady from where I’d got her and said that maybe it would be best to get her a new home. The lady was very sad to hear but knew I only wanted the best for Pippie.
But after a while Pippie started to grow on me, and I fell in love with her all over again. Now she helps me every day with my anxiety and depression. It’s like she voices my feelings when I don’t even know what’s wrong in the moment.
She also saved me from harming myself because I couldn’t leave her behind. I really hope that those of you reading our story will know that there is a light in this dark world and that our four-legged friends are there to help us when we’re in need.
About Harties Feral Cat Rescue
HFCR is dedicated to making a difference for the free-roaming felines of the Hartbeespoort area, in Gauteng. They are a volunteer-run, non-profit public-benefit organisation relying on donations, volunteers, and fosters to do their work. Find out more in our article about this excellent organisation helping cats in need in our article: Harties Feral Cat Rescue.
