Animal Anti-Cruelty League – Durban & Pietermaritzburg
Professional photography by Barry Bowditch Photography
Some rescue stories change one life; this one changed three at once. Chess and Echo arrived at Animal Anti-Cruelty League – Durban & Pietermaritzburg in May, two bright-eyed brothers, rescued as tiny kittens and cared for by a foster before coming to us. It did not take long for their personalities to announce themselves.
Chess, confident and curious, had a signature habit: launching onto a leg, climbing up, and settling on a shoulder. Echo took a gentler approach, preferring playful pouncing and contended cuddles. Together, they were irresistible. A few months later, a little orange spark joined the mix. Caramel (soon to be known as Rory) had been found alone at a business premises. The moment that he met Chess and Echo, it was clear that he had found his tribe. The three kittens bonded beautifully, as though they had always been brothers.
As they grew, we faced a difficult reality. Chess and Echo were diagnosed with juvenile periodontitis, requiring multiple vet visits and monitoring. Finding a home for a bonded pair can already be challenging; finding one for two kittens with a medical condition felt like hoping for a miracle. We prepared ourselves for a long wait. And then Tash Zachariades and Ross van Wyk walked through the door.
The boys made their usual impression: Chess climbed onto a shoulder, Echo leaned softly into a welcoming hand, and Rory offered his tummy. But what made this moment special was how Tash and Ross responded. They did not simply fall for the kittens; they asked questions about the boys’ health, their care, and their future. And then, they made their decision. They were not choosing one. Or even two. They were choosing all three. From that day, they became the most devoted parents. They drove to every vet appointment, they visited the kittens on their lunch breaks.
Their commitment was unwavering, long before the boys even set foot in their forever home.
Saying goodbye to Chess, Echo, and Rory was bittersweet for all of us. They had spent months growing up in our care – climbing our legs, curling up in our arms, chasing each other across the room, and claiming every heart along the way. We loved them as we love all our animals: Fully, fiercely, and without reservation. But letting them go was easy in one way: we knew exactly where they were going. To a home overflowing with love, patience, laughter, and the promise of a lifetime of safety. Today, the boys are settled, cherished, and thriving. A perfect reminder of why we do what we do.
To Tash and Ross: Thank you. Thank you for opening your hearts so widely, for embracing the challenges as readily as the cuddles, and for choosing not one life to change, but three. Families like yours make the world a better place for animals who ask for so little and give so much in return.
Our Treasured Trio
Written by Natasha Zachariades
We came to the Animal Anti-Cruelty League Durban & PMB after a cat that lived across the road from us adopted us for 6 months and we fell in love with him. When we moved from Umhlanga to Ballito and had to say goodbye to him, we knew that we wanted to get a cat of our own. I grew up with 13 pets (8 cats & 5 dogs) and both my boyfriend, Ross, and I had a little kitty-shaped hole in our lives, so the decision was so easy.
Before getting in touch with Amy Gooden at AACL, we decided we wanted to adopt 2 cats since we both work full time and wanted them to have each other for snuggles and playtime during the day. Amy sent us so many pictures of the various bonded pairs that they had at AACL and I instantly fell in love with Chess & Echo. Although we were a bit hesitant due to the juvenile periodontitis that both boys had; we weren’t sure if we were up for the challenge. But off we went and we met them all.
The minute we walked through the doors Chess climbed straight up my leg and curled around my shoulders like a little scarf, where he sat, content and purring, while I went around and met all the other kitties. Echo was following along behind me, weaving in and out of my legs - it was safe to say that I didn’t choose the boys, but they had chosen me. I was instantly in love.
Meanwhile, Ross, who is much more reserved than me about falling in love at first sight (typical man), was sitting on the floor with Rory (then Caramel) in front of him. Rory was lying on his back, legs open and purring so loudly from the tummy rubs he was getting that we could hear him from the other side of the room.
We met the rest of the cats but ultimately it came down to choosing 2. Chess and Echo had obviously already stolen my heart. Their teeth issues suddenly didn’t feel like a challenge that was too big for us. Instead, I felt an instant, unconditional love for them both. AND... Rory had made his mark on Ross, whose heart had softened in the span of 20 minutes. So with very little deliberation and a lot of positive reinforcement from Amy, we adopted all 3 and wow has it just completely transformed our lives.
We now have toy mice covering the floors of our house, rugs that are used as brake pads for midnight zoomies, tiny paw prints all over our TV from the bird show that we leave on for them, and camera rolls full of pictures and videos of the boys simply existing.
Over the past month the boys have come to life in their new home. Ross walks around the house singing made up songs to them about how amazing they are. Our little lion pack. They’ve bonded with us both in their own unique ways and have of course, remained bonded with each other. We can’t imagine life without them and it makes us so happy to know that they’ll be a part of the next 20 years of our lives.
Adopting a cat - or 3 - is the most rewarding experience. Knowing that we will love these boys with our whole entire hearts for the rest of their lives is a feeling like no other. I will ALWAYS advocate for adoption - especially after seeing all the special little dogs and cats at AACL
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