Toby is a male, & is around 9 months old
Jenny is a female, & is a few months old at mostLast night the main diesel generator which runs the entire farm & our house, broke down. It has recently been overhauled, so this was totally unexpected. As luck would have it, our back-up generator runs on petrol, & the last of the petrol had been used earlier in the day for the lawnmower to mow our lawn. Oops. So we’ve been without power since last night. All is sorted now, thank goodness – which is why I’m a bit late with my blog post today !
I wanted to introduce you to our 2 newest family members – Toby (the grey & white cat) and Jenny (the black kitten). A few month’s ago a friend of mine said that a friend of hers was moving back to Canada at the end of this year, and needed to find a home for her male cat, Toby. As all our cats are females (& some of them do fight a little) I thought that it would be good to have a male in the mix, not to mention the fact that I wanted to give this cat a good home. So, a few month’s ago I went to meet Toby and his owner, & I agreed to take him when they left at the end of the year. (His owner very kindly had him neutered, de wormed & vaccinated before he came to us.)
Between the time I agreed to take Toby and now, his owner had also taken in a little black kitten (female) who needed a home – so she asked if I would consider taking both, as they had become good friends. Well, of course I couldn’t say no ! So that is how we came to welcome Toby and Jenny into our home almost a month ago now.
Another reason I wanted to take Jenny is because I know on the farm she will be safe. Many people here are superstitious about black animals and many of them are used in Africa for witchcraft purposes. (I can count on one hand the number of pure black dogs/cats I’ve seen in 11 years of living here). I don’t speak of Tanzania – because I don’t know for sure – but I do speak for South Africa where it is a known fact that black animals are in high demand for witchcraft and satanic rituals, especially in the Urban areas like Johannesburg. So at least here, I know that Jenny will be safe, yet if she had gone to a home in the city – well, who knows what might have become of her.
Both cats were very thin when we got them. Jenny was being fed a diet of dry adult cat’s pellets which I could see she was battling to chew properly as they were too big for her. She was all skin & bone and so very fragile when I held her. Toby, too, although furry and in otherwise good condition (he had a mild eye infection) was very bony – you could feel his spine as you ran your hand down his back, and his chest bones also stuck out.
Although these 2 cats were in a much better condition than most, all the other animals that I’ve ever taken in here in Tanzania have been skin and bone. I am so sick, sick, sick and tired of seeing animals in this state. Animals living on the brink of starvation. Young puppies with ribs sticking out, rummaging in rubbish dumps or dogs eating rotten carcasses which have been hit by cars and left on the roadside.
If you’re new to my blog, you can read about all the animals I’ve rescued by browsing through the “Pets” section in my categories to the right. You can also read the wonderful rescue story of Mbwenya, (and see her incredible 'transformation' photos !) one of my very first rescue cases here on the farm & who is now the happiest (& most loyal) dog you’ll ever see.
Please, if you have the time, also go to the Animal Rescue Site link (purple one) in my right sidebar and click to feed an animal in a shelter in the US, you can also click on the FreeKibble link to donate food to dogs & cats in need. It’ll cost you nothing but your time, and every single click helps. Thank you !
I wanted to introduce you to our 2 newest family members – Toby (the grey & white cat) and Jenny (the black kitten). A few month’s ago a friend of mine said that a friend of hers was moving back to Canada at the end of this year, and needed to find a home for her male cat, Toby. As all our cats are females (& some of them do fight a little) I thought that it would be good to have a male in the mix, not to mention the fact that I wanted to give this cat a good home. So, a few month’s ago I went to meet Toby and his owner, & I agreed to take him when they left at the end of the year. (His owner very kindly had him neutered, de wormed & vaccinated before he came to us.)
Between the time I agreed to take Toby and now, his owner had also taken in a little black kitten (female) who needed a home – so she asked if I would consider taking both, as they had become good friends. Well, of course I couldn’t say no ! So that is how we came to welcome Toby and Jenny into our home almost a month ago now.
Another reason I wanted to take Jenny is because I know on the farm she will be safe. Many people here are superstitious about black animals and many of them are used in Africa for witchcraft purposes. (I can count on one hand the number of pure black dogs/cats I’ve seen in 11 years of living here). I don’t speak of Tanzania – because I don’t know for sure – but I do speak for South Africa where it is a known fact that black animals are in high demand for witchcraft and satanic rituals, especially in the Urban areas like Johannesburg. So at least here, I know that Jenny will be safe, yet if she had gone to a home in the city – well, who knows what might have become of her.
Both cats were very thin when we got them. Jenny was being fed a diet of dry adult cat’s pellets which I could see she was battling to chew properly as they were too big for her. She was all skin & bone and so very fragile when I held her. Toby, too, although furry and in otherwise good condition (he had a mild eye infection) was very bony – you could feel his spine as you ran your hand down his back, and his chest bones also stuck out.
Although these 2 cats were in a much better condition than most, all the other animals that I’ve ever taken in here in Tanzania have been skin and bone. I am so sick, sick, sick and tired of seeing animals in this state. Animals living on the brink of starvation. Young puppies with ribs sticking out, rummaging in rubbish dumps or dogs eating rotten carcasses which have been hit by cars and left on the roadside.
If you’re new to my blog, you can read about all the animals I’ve rescued by browsing through the “Pets” section in my categories to the right. You can also read the wonderful rescue story of Mbwenya, (and see her incredible 'transformation' photos !) one of my very first rescue cases here on the farm & who is now the happiest (& most loyal) dog you’ll ever see.
Please, if you have the time, also go to the Animal Rescue Site link (purple one) in my right sidebar and click to feed an animal in a shelter in the US, you can also click on the FreeKibble link to donate food to dogs & cats in need. It’ll cost you nothing but your time, and every single click helps. Thank you !
