Pack a Wagging Winter Shoebox to keep one pet warm this winter

Last weekend it rained cats and dogs! The first heavy winter rain hit the coast of Cape Town with a blast this past weekend. After an extremely dry summer Capetonians rejoiced to see our dam levels rising, our rivers flowing strongly and our earth soaking up the much needed and long awaited rain. In times like these I am always torn. I rejoice for the rain that our country desperately needs, but my heart breaks for the people and animals living without shelter and who need to face the icy cold Cape Town weather. This past Sunday the rain was falling especially hard. If you have ever visited the Mdzananda Animal Clinic in Khayelitsha or the Khayelitsha community you will understand our concern about the rain and cold weather. Many animals in the community live outside and do not have shelter. Many yards are not enclosed allowing pets to roam the streets in the rain. At Mdzananda our hospital and theatre facility is filled with patients suffering from an illness, bone fracture or waiting to be sterilized. We also have many stray animals looking for forever homes living in our small shelter facility. Each pet needs to get daily exercise to help them recover, needs access to fresh air and sunlight and time outside to urinate. With the heavy rain you can imagine what a circus it turned out to be to ensure that all pets had their time outside. Staff members ran up and down to attend to all the pets and by the end of the day they all looked like drowned rats! Apart from our staff being drenched, our pets were cold too. Each pet had to be wrapped in a blanket and each cage covered with two or more blankets to ensure that they stay warm. Our electric heaters were switched on and water bottles heated up.

We know that our supporters and the public want to help, but they do not always know how to do so. This winter we have created an easy way for the public to help us keep the pets of Khayelitsha warm. We are excited to launch our first ever “Wagging Winter Shoebox” campaign. Not everyone has the funds to donate towards looking after a pet, but many people are able to pack a shoebox full of goodies. In this way we have made it as easy as possible for people to get involved.

Donate a Wagging Winter Shoebox

Choose if you would like to pack a shoebox for a puppy, dog, cat or kitten. Fill the box with our desired items and drop it at one of our drop spots.

Puppy Shoebox - Hills A/D tinned food (for recovering pups), Milko Pup (for bottle fed pups), puppy food (soft or hard), washing powder (to wash blankets) and a roll of black bags (for daily disposal of dirty newspaper cage lining)

Dog Shoebox - Soft tinned food, pellet dog food, lead, collar, chewy treat, washing powder (to wash blankets) and a roll of black bags (for daily disposal of dirty newspaper cage lining)

Cat Shoebox - Soft food, pellet cat food, cat litter, catnip treat, washing powder (to wash blankets) and a roll of black bags (for daily disposal of dirty newspaper cage lining)

Kitten Shoebox - Hills A/D tinned food (for recovering kittens), soft food, pellet cat food, cat litter, catnip treat, washing powder (to wash blankets) and a roll of black bags (for daily disposal of dirty newspaper cage lining)

Drop spots: - Mdzananda Animal Clinic, 21297 Govan Mbeki Road, Khayelitsh, - 2A Pavilion Place, 281 Beach Road, Sea point (24h security) - 4 Bay Beach Avenue, Sunset Links, Milnerton (contact Gretha to arrange time 083 450 4563) - Mowbray Veterinary Clinic, 84 Durban Road, Mowbray - Hillside Veterinary Clinic, 14 Bay View Rd, Wynberg - Melody Ridge, Sonstraal Heights, Durbanville (contact Kerry-Lee to arrange time 082 297 6048)

- 13 Welgelee Road, Constantia Hills. Contact Sue on 021 712 7473 / 071 292 8600

- 59 Disa Road, Gordons Bay (contact Valery or Cheryll on 021 856 3554)

If you prefer to sponsor a shoebox instead of packing a box this is also very welcome.

- Puppy Shoebox – R350

- Dog Shoebox – R335

- Cat Shoebox – R200

- Kitten Shoe Box – R300

Bank Details: Mdzananda Animal Clinic, Standard Bank, Account number: 075595710, Branch: Rondebosch, Branch Code: 025009, Use the relevant reference: Pupbox + your name / Dogbox + yourname / Catbox + yourname / Kittenbox + yourname

The pets of Khayelitsha are wagging their tails in thanks for your assistance.