Thanks to the extraordinary kindness of an anonymous donor, Cat Angel Refuge’s bakkie is back on the road with five brand-new tyres! A gift that has brought with it reliable wheels to reach animals in need and put an end to slow puncture worries.
Zeerust, South Africa (21 September 2026) – For a while now, the Cat Angel Refuge team has been side-eyeing the worn-out tyres of their bakkie, quietly hoping they would keep them moving and on the road until, by some miracle, the budget allowed for new ones.
Sadly, after holding on for as long as possible, one of the tyres gave out about a week ago while Karen was on her way to fetch a mom dog and her puppies.
“Luckily, a very kind farmer came out to help and lent us his spare tyre. That meant Karen could still reach the mom and her pups, load them up safely, and make it all the way back to the shelter,” the organisation shared.
With their bakkie running on borrowed time and borrowed rubber, the team reached out to the online community, appealing for assistance toward an R11,000 quote they received to replace all five tyres.
“We’ve been getting increasingly worried about these tyres for a few months. They’ve been threatening us! We knew they were nearing the end of their lives, but every time we looked at our funds, there was another animal needing treatment, another vet bill, another bag of food, or another emergency,” shared Cat Angel Refuge.
Fortunately, that miracle they had been quietly hoping for recently came through!
Their tyre saga was miraculously resolved by the generosity of an anonymous donor who had previously adopted from Cat Angel Refuge and knew firsthand the harsh condition of the roads the team has to travel.
“She knows what our daily reality looks like. She has seen the distances. She has seen the farm roads. She has seen the potholes that have their own postal addresses. She has seen what we ask this poor bakkie to do. And after watching the recent ‘TYRE APOCALYPSE’, she decided: ‘Nope. This cannot continue’ and paid for all five new tyres,” the organisation exclaimed in the happiest update.
The kind donor paid to replace not just the one tyre, but all five – bringing a wave of welcome relief, safety on the roads, an end to slow puncture worries, and reliable wheels to reach animals in need.
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It’s a happy ending that has not only made a world of difference to this hardworking animal welfare team, but has warmed all our hearts and reminded us of the amazing goodness alive all around us!
Sources: Cat Angel Refuge
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