A Hout Bay woman claims an animal welfare organisation put her cat down and then took the funds raised for his operation.
Ilse Boltman, 29, says she and her two children, aged nine and three, quickly grew to love Mr Miagi, a ginger kitten her boyfriend bought for R1 in June.
She says Mr Miagi was subsequently diagnosed with eyelid agenesis/coloboma, a serious condition which caused him severe pain.
Ilse says funds were raised by Animal Lifeline to cover the operation cost and aftercare.
“The goal was to raise R4500, but they came back to say my cat needed to be put down in July,” she says.
“I feel so angry because Carynne Hooper (the organisation’s director) told me I have four other dogs and a cat, so I will get over it.”
Ilse says she wanted to know what would happen to the funds and was told there are other animals who also need the money.
She was then promised free pet food and veterinary care for her remaining animals, but says: “All they brought me was three small bags of dog food and one bag of cat food, along with a leash for my puppy. When I requested a dog dip, they told me that’s too expensive.”
She now feels “exploited” and believes the surgery could have saved her kitten.
Hooper has denied all allegations of impropriety and says the decision to put Mr Miagi down was in the kitten’s “best interest”.
“We went to three specialists and one was charging R20 000, with no guarantee that the operation would be successful," she says.
“The kitten’s eyelids could not close and he was suffering daily."
She adds the money raised for Mr Miagi is being used to treat other animals.
She says she was also informed that Ilse was selling the pet food.
But Ilse denies this and says her name is being tarnished while all she wants is “justice for Mr Miagi.”