Always room for one more animal

LITTERS OF FUN: Some of the many dogs and puppies that Magda Spamer cares for at her home in Sydenham. Picture: EUGENE COETZEE

PE cat and dog lady cares for scores of needy pets

EVERY room in the house is kitted out for animals. One room is for kittens, another for puppies, with each room set up for a specific age range. There are five rooms in total, as well as a cattery, and every room is scattered with food and water bowls and toys and beds – all because one Port Elizabeth woman cannot bear to see any animal without a home.

There are now nearly 70 cats and almost 20 dogs crammed into Magda Spamer’s home.

Spamer, 45, from Sydenham, has had a passion for the welfare of animals since her brother gave her two cats and asked her to look after them when she was 17.

“They lived to be 18 years old – it was then that I developed a bond with animals,” she said.

Choosing the single life after her fiancé died in a shooting accident while working as a reservist, Spamer said she had no regrets and would not change a thing.

“For two years I didn’t want human contact. I preferred the comfort given by animals [and] learnt to stand up for the animals,” she said.

“I chose not to have a husband. As long as the animals are happy, I am happy.”

Spamer inherited her house when her parents died and for the past 15 years has been taking in strays, abandoned or dumped animals.

Recently she revamped the premises to include a fully equipped and enclosed cattery for her resident cats, who share the space with others that have been dumped at her gate or thrown over her wall.

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