Aunty Cathy uses her green thumbs and sewing skills for good by making doggie beds for animals in underserved communities.
Melkbosstrand, South Africa (03 July 2026) – An octogenarian animal welfare supporter from Melkbos has, for years, been putting her green thumbs and sewing machine to good use, all for the sake of animals who need extra love and support.
Cathy Hartley is a long-time support of The WOW Project – an animal outreach organisation in the Western Cape. A volunteer at WOW, ‘Aunty Cathy’ – as the team calls her – uses her knack for working with plants and fabric to make a difference where it counts.
Aunty Cathy propagates and grows plants to sell to local community members. She then uses the proceeds to buy fabric and repurposes recycled pillows and stuffing to create dog beds, which she donates to the animal welfare organisation.
These dog beds are then used by the WOW team when they distribute dog kennels to underserved communities around Melkbosstrand, through initiatives like Give a Dog a Home.
“We use [the dog beds] when we distribute kennels…they can be wiped down and are a perfect fit!” shares the organisation. “She’s a real gem…thank you!” it added, praising Aunty Cathy for her unending support in their mission to bring ‘pawsitivity’ to as many animals and families as possible.
Aunty Cathy’s clever initiative shows how thinking out of the box can help create real support for organisations that need help.
Whether it’s for a local animal or social welfare charity – using our skills and talents to do good will create ripple effects that eventually make their way back to us. Just as we hope Aunty Cathy’s good deeds will return to her tenfold!
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