Residents unhappy about La Lucia Mall cat move
Animal lovers are unhappy about the mall's removal of the cat's kennel.
A STRAY cat that has taken up residence at the La Lucia Mall has pitted animal lovers caring for the feline against the centre management, who have said the cat is in danger of being run over. In October last year, Northglen News met with a few residents who care for the cat, known as Ginger. The residents have also started a WhatsApp group and placed a kennel near the library to shelter the feline.
Now a move by the mall management to remove the kennel has caused some consternation among residents. However, the move has been backed up by Cindene Smith, marketing manager at the mall, who said the placement of a kennel on the mall’s premises constituted trespassing.
“The placement of an unauthorised kennel on private property constitutes trespassing and we cannot encourage the community to provide informal housing of cats in general on our premises. Apart from this, the cat is potentially in daily danger of getting run over in the car park.
“Our intention is not to harm the cat in anyway. La Lucia Mall prides itself in being a supporter of organisations such as the SPCA that do exceptional work in caring for homeless animals. We have merely approached the SPCA for advice on how to handle the situation in the best way possible as we cannot have a cat residing on our property,” Smith said.
She added that the mall would be happy to find a home for the cat and were aware that there were posts on the Facebook site, Durban North Neighbours, also trying to find Ginger a home.
