Windstone Kennels - Windstone Kennels Catastrophic Story: If you love your cat or dog, never board your precious pet Windstone Kennels Please note that the intention of this message is not to attack anyone or a business. I have used Windstone kennels si

Windstone Kennels Catastrophic Story: If you love your cat or dog, never board your precious pet Windstone Kennels Please note that the intention of this message is not to attack anyone or a business. I have used Windstone kennels since 2019 as I sometimes have to go away for work. I prefer to leave my cat, Stubbie, in a place where she can be looked after and is safe. It is also my choice to not have a cat-sitter. I have also always recommended Windstone to others. I did sign an indemnity form in 2019. The only two clauses were that a) if my cat became ill, I gave permission for her to be taken to the vet and I would pay the expenses. b) if I did not collect her within a given amount of days after the agreed collection date, Windstone would “dispose of her”. Note these are the words on the indemnity form. Even though I don’t like leaving my cat, I know that she is safer at Windstone than on the street. This is what I have always thought. That is until recent horrific events. In fact, now I think that my Stubbie cat would have been safer and better off if I had left her on the street in the freezing winter than at Windstone Kennels. Dropping of my Cat at Windstone I placed Stubbie at Windstone from 19 June 2022 to 13 July 2022 while I was a way. I also brought food for her (4,5kg of pellets and 54 sachets) as well as warm blankets and a pillow. I also left her expensive cat carrier (which cost me R 2500) there so that she could be taken to the vet if there was an emergency. While I was away, I sent messages to Ms Winder and asked about Stubbie. I was assured that Stubbie was fine and eating. I also asked whether I could fetch her at 15h30 on Wednesday, 13 July 2022. I was told by Ms Winder that this was “absolutely perfect”.

The State of the Cattery When I Collected my Cat On arrival, I found an unopened sachet of Stubbie’s food outside the cattery. This had been stomped into the mud. I did not see Ms Winder and was assisted by a worker. I was shocked when I saw Stubbie. She was half of her previous size and had lost a tremendous amount of weight. She had screamed so much that she had no voice. The cattery was muddy and dirty and stank of cat urine. The window pane was broken and the room was very cold. Cats were huddled together. My cat had no protection from the cold. The blankets and pillow I had left were untouched as they were sopping wet from the rain and were covered in mud. The pellets in the bowl were wet and she could never had eaten them. I looked for the food I had left. The box was there. However, it was full of opened sachets. Someone had opened them and left them at the bottom of the box amongst only six sealed sachets. This is meat that is more than a week old that has been placed back in a box and not a dirt bin. A health hazard indeed ! There were only 6 unopened sachets. It is impossible that my cat ate 4,5 kg of pellets and over 40 sachets of cat food in 3 weeks and yet l lost so much weight. I then found her cat carrier and was alarmed to find that it has been damaged. Ms Winder had never alerted me to this. It was not cracked. It had a massive hole as though someone had stood on it. I quickly took my cat home. She was extremely distressed. I felt horrible. Stubbie was traumatised by the experience. She did not behave as she did normally or even the same as the other times I had collected her from Windstone. She was jittery and skittish. She would not leave me alone and even settle down. When I informed Ms Winder of this, she said that “If you care for your cat, you should take it to the vet.” I was alarmed. I care for my cat and that’s why I put her at Windstone. I did not expect her to be neglected like this. I feel terrible that I placed Stubbie at Windstone and would not advice anyone to put their beloved pet there.

Money Problems I have mainly communicated with Ms Winder via Whatssapp. I ask her for a quote and accept the amount. However, when going through my records, I found that she had over charged me by R 720 for a previous stay in 2020. At first, she denied this, but when I showed her proof and that she had quoted me R 80 per day and made a calculation error, she accepted this and said that she would write me an apology letter and pay back the over charge. She also owed me money in respect of a refund. This was a verbal agreement. However, now she had changed her mind and stated no refund. This is even though she does not have a no refund clause or signage. When I asked for proof of such, I never received a response. I then saw a post on Hello Peter in which another client had not received money due to them and how Ms Winder had deducted charges as she had to go to the bank to transfer the money. I alerted Ms Winder to this and indicated that I was concerned that I would never receive the money due to me. She promised on a number of occasions that I would be paid the amount. This has never happened. Since the incident, I have contacted Ms Winder. There is no appetite for remorse. Instead, I have been blamed for trespassing on her property (even though I did schedule an appointment). She stated that I am liable for the damage to the cat carrier and claims that I signed for being liable for damages to any property of mine in the indemnity form. This is false as there is no mention of this on the indemnity. When Ms Winder sent me a copy of the indemnity that I had signed in 2019, I was shocked as she had made an adjustment by adding 2022 dates without my knowledge. I have never received an invoice or receipt from Ms Winder. When I asked about this, she said that she only issues these “when people ask.” Ms Winder has not been able to provide any proof of any documentation or records. I have asked what happened to all of Stubbie’s food. I have never received an answer. There is no way that my cat ate all that food. I have my own thoughts on this, but will keep quiet. Ms Winder promised to pay me back on Friday, 22 July 2022 by 18h00. I have not received any money. Instead of paying, Ms Winder blocked me. Any interaction with Ms Winder has been terrible and she either ignores messages, provides excuses, ,makes accusations or blocks you. Thus, withholding the money. In a nutshell, this has been a traumatic experience. I hate to think how my cat suffered for 4 weeks in a freezing cold, dirty room with no blankets and no pellets that she could eat because they were wet. This is a clear case of gross neglect and cruelty. I placed my precious cat at Windstone Kennels to be cared for and instead she was mistreated and neglected in freezing cold winter and rain. Ms Winder has shown no remorse regarding what has happened or even willingness to pay back the money that is due to me. This was especially shown when she suddenly blocked me. It is almost as though blocking a person means that you don’t have to pay back. In the previous Hello Peter complaint, there were also issues with Ms Winder paying back money due. This seems to be a pattern and I accept that I will never be refunded the money I was overcharged, the refund for days not stayed at Windstone, and the replacement of the cat carrier (amounting to R 2 000 in total). This is not to mention the food that vanished and was never given to my cat, I do not want any other animal to be treated the same way as Stubbie was treated at Windstone and would rather warn people about this than keep quiet. If you love your animal, don’t let them go through such trauma and neglect. Don’t let them stay at Windstone. Rather make an alternative plan and know that your beloved cat or dog is being cared for and is safe.