Online petition helps save grannies' cat

Mr Cat, the furry feline companion of two elderly KwaZulu-Natal Midlands grannies, is safe.

The cat caused a stir when trustees at the retirement eco-estate Amber Valley, near Pietermaritzburg, asked Mr Cat's owner Penny Reid, 62, and her mother Sylvia, 88, to get rid of their pet in November last year because he was a “nuisance”. They were given until last week to get rid of their pet.

In a desperate bid to keep Mr Cat, Penny’s daughter-in-law, Cheryl van Dyk, who lives in the UK, started an on-line petition, “Help Gran keep her cat”. The petition attracted almost 30,000 signatories and offers from strangers to adopt the feline.

Despite  international and local attempts to save the pet, the estate management were adamant that the owners couldn't keep Mr Cat on the property.

Shirley Benney, chairman of the Amber Valley board of trustees, said Penny had asked them to give her an extension to their deadline to respond in writing, her commitment to keep the cat within her unit on the property.

"She has put up screens on the windows and doors. I have inspected them and they are fine. We now need a commitment in writing that she will keep the cat inside," said Benney.

Penny said she sent a letter of commitment to the board of trustees via her lawyer on Friday.

"The screens have been up for a long time. It was only now that someone came around to see them. I had to make some upgrades because what was there was deteriorating a bit.

"Mr Cat is our soulmate. You can't just take another soul away because he is irritating just a couple of people. I have had support from a number of people in the community. It is a relief that Mr Cat is with us. He is part of our life, especially for my mother. I'm not there all the time so she has his company, which is better than a lot of human company," said Penny.