Raising men: DARG animal adoption centre Cape Town

On Saturday we went to DARG with the intention of adopting a cat. They are situated in Hout Bay and please note that they receive NO government funding and are reliant on donations and adoptions from the public. So Benjamin was WONDERFUL with the cats. He was in his element. Even Noah was asking which one we were taking home. We hung out in one of the Cat Gardens just getting a feel for the kitties, and which one might suit our household best. The ones that ran away when they saw the kids were obviously not suited.

We really enjoyed Logan. He is a special, big guy. Incredibly friendly and talkative. We decided on getting a fully grown cat. We're not really 'kitten' people and to be honest -we want an animal that is pretty lazy and laid back. If you've met my boys, then you'll know why. We ultimately decided on a large grey and white, really fluffy cat. We decided right there and then that we wanted to take that one home. There was another ginger one that was infatuated with Benjamin and followed him everywhere. Bless. I was so impressed with how good and gentle the kids were with the cats. That sort of thing makes me prouder than good table manners. Sincerely.

We were there for a quite a while when Graeme's hand turned blood red and swollen where a kitty had accidentally scratched him. Noah's eyes went red and he was itching something terrible. I tried to ignore it, all "No man you guys will be fine, you'll become immune, no really I've heard that's true... Let's just get the cat...". G was so sweet about it. He was all "OK, we can try... *scratch scratch..." but man my boys were in a state. We decided to head home and do some research. Give it a think-over, see how long the reaction took to subside etc. Well, Graeme and Noah both had to shower / bath to get the cat off of them as the itching would just not stop. Little still asked where our cat is, and I couldn't exactly tell him that his ouchie was because of the cat, or that it was somehow his fault that we couldn't get one. I kept saying that we'll go back later, that the kitties are sleeping now, see?

I could never have a cat growing up as we always had dogs. Staffies. At one point we had four of them. Now Graeme and Noah are allergic. Maybe one day when I am old and crazy and alone, I'll have my cat. Anyway, I am sure that Chicken is relieved.

DARG is such a wonderful place. They're having an adoptathon soon, PLEASE check out their facebook page and see where you can help out? They really need volunteers and dog-walkers. There are so many beautiful animals there that need nice houses. If you’d like to volunteer, you can call DARG on 021 790-0383/2050.