It’s World Pet Day so, even though the Currency’s team’s cats and dogs are completely overindulged 24/7, today is extra special.
Stats show that almost half of adult South Africans have a pet, but we know that, in particular, a huge number of our readers have furry friends they adore. We also think that at this juncture – between wildfire global madness and local political instability – they offer extra-important solace and love. Emotional support pets are where it’s at!


Then, because we often work from home, the Currency team’s pets are very active parts of the squad. They sit in on interviews, have been known to interrupt a solid moment of writing with a bark, eternally try to snooze on the keyboard and, where Giuletta’s new baby chicks are concerned, have been the background to our team calls for the past few weeks. Their chirps are often far more insightful than anything we have to say.


In the spirit of celebrating these cool cats, canines (and, erm, chicks), we thought we’d intro you to the crowd. From Shirley’s sweet Loki (really) to Neli’s adorable Beaux and Bear, and Ruby’s puuurfect Pip, we have a petting zoo’s worth of absolute charmers in our fold.
Our friends at Woolies are also totally pet-mad (they even had a pet illustrator at their last Christmas showcase) and so when they heard we were planning on celebrating this, they got on board in a flash. In fact, we also received snaps of their PR team’s newest kitten members.


Get involved and win
Relatedly, we’d love you to mail us pics of your beloved creatures (we don’t mind what kind) along with a “Currency” caption to [email protected]. We’ll run some of them online and pick the cutest, with the best caption. And yes, we know it’s a completely subjective thing, but I was once the celebrity judge at a domestic cat competition held by a Sandton junior school, so I feel up to the task.
The competition runs until 5pm on Thursday April 17 2025; the winner will be announced after the Easter weekend.
The winner will receive a fabulous box of Woolies dog goodies – cats will be quite partial to some of the items too – and a Woolies voucher worth R1,000 to spend on the littlest family members!
As Jo’s chihuahuas will tell you – there is nothing, and we mean nothing, more exciting than a Woolies plush toy. The tiny Mexican gals inform us that an owl or Knysna lourie that squeaks is the direct way to a dog or cat’s heart. You heard it here first!


Top image: Giulietta’s Indie, a feral kittie who likes velvet chairs, hunting only the baby rats, and playing chasey-chase. She offers less than no support to her owner, who is always tempted to buy an unloved small cap.
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