What does it take to care for 107 furkids? A big heart, for a start, and some intense bargain-hunting for toys and cat essentials.
In Gordon’s Bay, Western Cape, Emma King, a dental hygienist by day and devoted cat rescuer by night, has made it her mission to rescue abandoned felines. She is the founder of the Thomas Jackson Foundation, which operates an animal welfare sanctuary that is now home to more than 100 cats.
Despite the numbers, Emma has found creative ways to spoil them with everything from toys to beds.
“I love buying them gifts—maybe too many,” King says. She explains that running the sanctuary is an intense labour of love, with each day starting at 5:30 a.m. to begin the process of feeding, cleaning, and, most importantly, ensuring all the cats get cuddles.
To help cover the costs, she allocates the proceeds from her Philips Zoom teeth whitening service at her practice to the sanctuary.
Emma says she scours various online platforms for the best deals, often turning to sites like Temu to find affordable items for her cats.
“Most items are very reasonably priced, and that’s essential when you’re buying for more than 100 cats,” she shares. Among her favorite finds are a variety of cat beds, large scratching pads, and little cactus cat trees. “I constantly find myself searching for new finds that my furkids would love.”
Her personal search for bargains began after a friend introduced her to Temu. “I started buying a few small items,” she says, adding that most of her purchases have been “absolute winners” and for herself, the dog- and cat-print slip-ons are “the most comfortable shoes ever.”
According to a recent survey, 46% of South African respondents report saving more than half of their shopping budget by using Temu. Emma’s passion for the care and protection of animals is deep-rooted, having grown up around horses, dogs, and cats, and “just about anything else we could save and love”.
While platforms make it easy and fun to spoil our pets, International Cat Day on August 8 serves as an important reminder to ensure we care for them in the right way. Cats thrive with a balanced diet, access to fresh water, a clean litter box, and regular veterinary care that includes vaccination and check-ups. And, of course, lots of love.
