Joy has dedicated her life to caring for cats in need, now it’s her that needs the helping hand, and her community is rallying!
South Africa (13 August 2025) – For more than 40 years, 83-year-old Joy Hawksley-Hill has been the quiet, steady heart behind Persian Cat Rescue Johannesburg. She’s bottle-fed abandoned kittens, nursed sick strays back to health, and found homes for countless forgotten cats. She’s done it without fanfare, without asking for a cent, and always at her own expense.
To Joy, rescue work has never been a job, it’s a promise. A promise she’s kept every single day for over four decades, even when it meant spending her savings on vet bills and food for the cats in her care. But now, for the first time, it’s Joy who needs rescuing.
On the afternoon of 9 August, Joy’s heart began racing irregularly. She was rushed to the hospital, where she waited nearly seven hours to see a doctor. After a brief check, she was told she was fine and sent home. She insisted she wasn’t, but with no beds available, the only option offered was a stretcher in a crowded ward without specialist care. Knowing her condition was serious, Joy made the difficult decision to return home, but her health continued to decline.
On 12 August, she was rushed to Linksfield Clinic, where she is now in the ICU, receiving urgent cardiovascular care. While her loved ones are deeply relieved she’s in capable hands, the reality is that private hospital care comes with overwhelming costs, and Joy does not have medical aid. Every cent she has ever had has gone to her rescue cats.
Joy’s world has always been small but full of love. She has only one sister, Fay, who lives in Cape Town. Her only other “family” are the people who have come to love her through her rescue work.
“I met Joy in 2020 when I adopted my first cats from her, and over time she became like a grandmother to me and my dad like a son to her. Natalie, who also helps with the rescue’s social media, is like a daughter to Joy as well. Fay flew up to Johannesburg to be with her and is sitting at her side in the hospital today.” – Tayla Galvin
Tayla Galvin, who calls herself Joy’s “granddaughter,” has launched a BackaBuddy campaign to help cover Joy’s medical bills. Any funds raised beyond her treatment costs will go toward paying the cats’ vet bills, buying their food, and supporting other rescues in need.
Joy has given her life to saving animals. Now it’s our turn to help save hers. You can donate via her BackaBuddy page here.
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