It's a dog's life
2003-03-30 21:29
Madali Chibamu
Pretoria - A dog nursing three kittens has caused havoc in Winterveld outside Pretoria, where residents believe witchcraft has caused the dog to give birth to her feline offspring.
Witnesses say two-year-old Vodi adores her kittens.
Elijah Mhlanga, Vodi's owner said she was "a wild dog", but her behaviour has changed after she disappeared a while ago.
"I was worried when she disappeared. When she came back last Sunday, she was different. She hid from us and stopped barking. She also refused to eat.
"On Monday my grandchildren called me and said Vodi had given birth to kittens.
"I did not believe them. I thought the puppies just looked like kittens to them," he said.
He decided to go and see for himself and was shocked to find Vodi nursing three kittens.
When Vodi saw people staring at her, she tried to hide the kittens under her belly.
One of the neighbours blamed the kittens' birth on witchcraft.
SPCA inspector Meshack Matlou said he had never seen anything like this before.
"We will do some tests and the results will tell us what happened," he said.
- Daily Sun