Patricia Mahumulo and Nomasemba Mangongofa feed Crowder. (Photo: Lise Cummins)
Nomasemba Mngongofa, 52, is a “cat lady'' in an informal settlement in KwaZulu-Natal, caring for 34 stray cats she has adopted into her “jondolo'' in Bluff, south of Durban. .
Her partner, Keith Marillon, 52, a subsistence fisherman who has lived here for seven years, said residents brought a female cat, Towaraj, into the neighborhood to help deal with a rat problem. He said this is how a herd of cats started.
He estimates there are about 100 unemployed people living in the settlement, who do odd jobs when they can to make ends meet.
But despite the poverty in the community, people are sharing food with the healthy-coated cats, and local animal rights groups have stepped in to collect food and help with sterilizations.
“One of the residents brought in a black and white cat who had a mouse and didn't realize it was a female cat. That was over a year ago. She had adventures and adventures and just persevered. I started to hold on,” Maryon said.
He fishes in the Granters Valley, where he catches salmon, mullet, and a variety of other fish to feed himself, Mangongfa, and their cats.
“If you have a few fish, cut them up and give them all a little bit,” Mayron said.
Today, Mangongofa received a delivery of cat food from a local cat charity, and the cats had already eaten this morning, but as soon as she called a few names and put down the bowl, the cats… They appeared one by one, and then all at once, from the bushes surrounding the village.
There are blacks, blacks, whites, long-haired kittens, fat kittens, and some of the kittens fly around the mangon gofa in search of food, but there are no signs of wild behavior.
She has named the seven cats that sleep in the shed at night (she also has names like Smokey, Brandy, Whiskey, Pinknose, and Champion (a long-haired boy)), and currently they are Several kittens are also looking for shelter.
Mangongofa is not a person who talks much because he takes care of his cats quietly, but he says that he has always been a “cat lover'' rather than a dog person.
Nasrin Mahomedy, a food delivery manager with Feral Cat Rescue and Abandoned Paws, got involved after seeing a Facebook post by Kerwin Marnitz highlighting the plight of cats and communities. She said Feral Cat Rescue raised money to pay for the sterilization.
“I came in every day before work, picked up two or three cats and took them to the vet. After work, I picked them up again and brought them home. I managed to sterilize 17 cats in a few weeks. ,” she said.
Mr Mahomedi said additional funding was needed to complete the neutering program, which includes rabies vaccinations.
Marnitz said Patricia Mahumulo, a domestic worker who lives near the settlement, alerted her to the plight of the cats and the community.
“Nasrin arranged for the cats to be neutered and if it wasn't for her and her sponsors, the cat population would have exploded. She has been the biggest help I've ever had. ” he said.
“But apart from the cats, the community also needs help – donations of food, clothing and other items that people are willing to share,” he says.
Of course, Maryon added, the dream of everyone in this community, especially his cat lady, is to have any job.
