Cape Town - A homeless man from Cape Town came to the rescue of kittens that were left to fend for themselves in an abandoned house in Woodstock.
The two kittens were found at a deserted house in Rhodesia Street in Woodstock by Moegamaat Faldie, 42, who stepped in to save them from rats which he believes ate the rest of the litter.
“I saw the rats eating them, and I saw pieces of them laying there the next day, so (I decided) to take the two that were bitten and kept them with me,” Faldie said.
Faldie said the house had been abandoned by a local spaza shop owner, who he had not seen in months. He said he believes that there were between seven or eight kittens at the start, but that just two were left alive.
A Good Samaritan, George Wyngaardt, was so touched by Faldie’s humanity and willingness to help despite his own circumstances that he shared the story on Facebook.
“He is doing his best to nurture them back to health, he shares rations with them, and uses motor oil to remedy their wounds. What a beautiful example of humanity,” Wyngaardt wrote.
He added: “If there are any animals lovers out there that are equipped to assist him, please reach out.”
Wyngaardt explained that he lives in the area, and felt moved to help the man because Faldie has a lot in common with the kittens.
"They both found themselves abandoned by society.
"Faldie, who already has so little, managed to find kindness in his heart to help something that was vulnerable - to share his meals and to shelter them despite the state that they were in,“ he said.
He pointed out that Faldie put himself at risk to help the kittens, regardless of the fact that they were potentially carrying diseases.
"He looked right past that or didn’t even see it...“
After the post was shared, animal-lover Solay Grove stepped in to offer the kittens a new home. Grove recognised that they needed proper care and kitten food, and asked to save them.
Grove, who has three cats of her own, has taken over caring for the kittens after she met them on Tuesday morning.
Cape Argus