Published by: Ingrid King. Last Updated on: February 7, 2023 by Crystal Uys
You know how much I love stories of life changing cats. When Conscious Cat reader Chantell from Johannesburg, South Africa, told me about her tortie Pixie, I just had to share her story.
Chantell rescued Pixie a little over a year ago, when guests at the game reserve resort she worked at told her that they found a kitten. Chantell went to investigate and discovered the tortoiseshell kitten, who looked to be about three weeks old, all alone in a hole between rocks. The little kitten was terrified and hissed at Chantell. A huge thunderstorm had just come through, and water had already started to rise in the hole. Chantell knew that the kitten would drown if she left her there. She managed to get the frightened little thing out of the hole and took her home with her.
She got up several times throughout the night to bottle feed the kitten, and took her to work the next day so she could keep feeding her on a regular schedule. Pixie, as she named the kitten, went everywhere with Chantel, who had never seen a tortoiseshell cat. “Everyone fell in love with this odd looking kitten,” said Chantell. “I did a little bit of research to find out what type of cat she is. Never in my life have I seen a more beautiful cat!”
A year later, Pixie has settled into her new life. In true tortie fashion, “she seeks adventure during the day like you won’t believe,” says Chantell. She hates dogs but loves to challenge them, and they’ve learned to stay out of her way. She follows Chantell everywhere, to the point where Chantell has taken to calling her her Little Shadow. She likes to start her morning with a sip of Chantell’s coffee, then they’ll play a little while Chantell gets ready to go to work. When Chantell returns, Pixie will always run toward her and greet her. “If she’s in a good mood I will even get a kiss!”
Pixie shares her life with her little brother Peanut, who Chantell took in when a guest at the game reserve phoned the office and reported that the little orange cat had jumped into their car at the gas station. Every time they took the cat out of the car, he jumped right back in. Chantell told him to bring the kitten to the resort. One look at Peanut’s big brown eyes was all it took: Chantell decided to keep him. Pixie and Peanut are inseparable: everywhere Pixie goes Peanut follows.
Chantell didn’t even like cats until she met Pixie. “I guess I just had to meet the right one,” says Chantell. “I believe Pixie will inspire me to do many more good things in the future. Because of her, I started to make it my mission in life to save as many cats as I possiblly can.” Chantell wants to start a cat sanctuary. In the two years she worked at the game reserve, she saved almost 20 kittens between the ages of 2 days and 3 months . All the kittens have found loving homes, and Chantell still gets updates from their new owners.
Chantell no longer works at the resort, but her former coworkers are continuing to rescue kittens. As soon as Chantell gets her sanctuary up and running, she plans to go back to the game reserve to take in the kittens that can be tamed, and get the adult cats spayed and neutered so they don’t overpopulate the resort.
The day Pixie and Chantell met turned out to be a lucky day for the two of them, and for all the future cats Chantell will rescue.
Photos of Pixie and Peanut by Chantell, used with permission
About the author
Ingrid King is an award-winning author, former veterinary hospital manager, and veterinary journalist who is passionate about cats.
