By Buziwe Nocuze
- Nomsa Ntonganto from Philippi spends over R730 a month on her dogs and cat, cooking mielie meal and chicken gizzards when dog food runs out.
- The SPCA says it will never turn an animal away and will collect pets from owners who can no longer cope. WhatsApp 021 700 4140.
Nomsa Ntonganto does not just buy dog food. When the bag runs out before month end, she cooks. Mielie meal and chicken gizzards, dished up for eight dogs in her Philippi home.
She has been doing that while working, raising two daughters, one in crèche and one in primary school, sending money to support her son who lives with his grandmother, and helping that grandmother because the old woman lives alone and needs someone.
Now she is calling the SPCA.
“I am not only buying groceries for my family but also for my dogs and cat,” Ntonganto said.
“The price for groceries and dog food has increased.”
Every month she spends R540 or more on dog food, R110 on cat food and R80 on dog shampoo. That is R730 before the mealie meal and gizzards. She has eight dogs and a cat, all of them fed, washed and sleeping inside on clean blankets.
She does not want to sell them. A neighbour suggested it, but Ntonganto said no. She has seen what happens to dogs sold to the wrong person.
“I get hurt when I see people treating dogs badly,” she said.
“They need love and not to be fed rotten food.”
She wants the SPCA to take four of the six puppies and leave her with four dogs. She knows she cannot keep all of them. She also knows she will not hand them to someone who does not care.
Belinda Abraham, communications manager for the Cape of Good Hope SPCA, said they understand why people in townships take in animals, and they will not judge anyone who reaches out.
“We will never turn any animal away, and we will collect the animal if necessary,” Abraham said.
“Our message to struggling pet owners is simple: reach out to us early.”
To surrender a pet or ask for help, send a WhatsApp message to 021 700 4140. Donations towards fuel costs are welcome but not required.
Pictured above: Nomsa Ntonganto’s dogs at her home in Philippi, Cape Town. She is asking the SPCA to take four of her six puppies as rising food costs make it impossible to keep them all.
Image source: Nomsa Ntonganto
