Written by Steffi Bergmann, Luna Cat Rescue
Professional photography by Jackie Wernberg Photography
Liam (now Lennie) came to us via our partner, Mdzananda Animal Clinic in Khayelitsha. After a horrific start to life, some good luck finally came his way when a member of the community rescued him from brutal circumstances and took him to Mdzananda. This was only the start of the journey back to full health, though, and we’re glad we could be part of his rehabilitation and eventual rehoming in the most ideal forever home for this brave little kitten.
Burnt and bitten
Lennie arrived in our care as a two-month-old little tabby boy with terrible burn wounds from having boiling water thrown at him. If that wasn’t enough, he’d also been attacked by dogs and had nasty bite wounds from that too. We placed him with one of our most experienced foster humans to continue his treatment and care for his wounds. Amazingly, he was already the most affectionate little guy and had no fear of the resident dog.
After two weeks of intensive care, we needed to move him to another foster home because he’d outgrown the space and needed human and animal friends. His second foster family have also done great work rehabilitating kittens physically and behaviourally for us. Lennie settled in immediately and made friends with the resident cat (including stealing his toys) and humans.
He loved the attention, space, and entertainment, and was very good about the daily treatment for his burn and bite wounds.
Ready for a forever home
There was a chance that he’d need eye surgery towards the end of last year, to repair an eyelid affected by scar tissue on his forehead so that it would be able to blink closed adequately. But Lennie recovered so well that in the end he didn’t need the surgery and it was clear that he was ready to be adopted by the right home.
This is where Nina came in. As well as being a longstanding friend of Luna Cat Rescue, she’s the managing director of the Underdog Project, which works with vulnerable youth and dogs in Cape Town. She’s also a serial adopter of cats and dogs that have had the toughest times. When Nina heard Lennie’s story, his adoption was basically a done deal.
You can see from the pictures how well Lennie has healed from his injuries, and also how perfectly he fits in with his new family.
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.
Nina Greyling, Lennie’s owner, shares...
As an animal lover who’s active in the welfare space, I see a lot of animals needing homes on my social media feeds. My hubby, Brendan, is used to hearing: “Aaaah, just LOOK at this one, isn’t he amazing?” or something similar. But when I saw Lennie I was quiet... because I just knew straight away he was our baby. I don’t know how or why, but I just knew. Looking back, this is how all of our animal family became Greylings…
I was so sure that I didn’t tell Brendan straight away. I first contacted Luna, but they didn’t respond instantly (i.e. in three minutes), so, in a bit of a panic, I sent Laura and Steffi private messages to ensure they knew Lennie was our guy! Once I got confirmation that he was still up for adoption, I showed Brendan, who also went very quiet when he saw him but couldn’t look away... because he also just knew. His first words were: “Well, should we go meet him then?” – and the rest is history!
When we brought Lennie home, he made himself comfy very quickly. Introductions to the rest of the animals went relatively fast. Within a week he was integrated into the household, but still indoors, dying to go into our secure garden to explore. Well, since that was allowed, he’s shown his real inner tiger! This boy is an explorer and adventurer. He’s up every tree, in every bush, and loves napping high up on the pergola under some wisteria leaves.
His favourite move is the air-pounce attack, which the others – dogs included – tolerate, but about which they roll their eyes. He’s really shaken up the household and brought out the kitten in our old ginger boy, Oliver. But his biggest fan is our youngest dog, Roux. She loves a game, and for her Lennie is THE BEST! Our blind boy, Klaus, is also warming to him, although at first it was a bit surprising as Lennie would pounce out of nowhere and poor Klaus couldn’t see him coming. Lennie is smart, though, and picked up quickly there’s something special about Klaus and now he doesn’t surprise him (as much).
At night time it’s serious cuddle time, and like a switch, the loud purr is activated and the biscuit-making begins. He sleeps between us tucked up against Klaus’s bed (yes, Klaus has a bed that he gets tucked into on our bed) and purrs while he sleeps.
It’s hard to believe this boy went through so much when he was so small. He doesn’t have an ounce of victim attitude and approaches life with positivity, bravery, and joy... and a fair amount of cheek. We’re so grateful to everyone who was a stepping stone for our Lennie to find his way to us. The kind community member, the incredible Mdzananda, and of course Luna Cat Rescue, whom I love and adore for the brave, compassionate work that they do. Thanks to you, our boy is home.
