With apologies to Mick Hucknall: this isn’t about the band. It’s about a three-legged cat with more courage than most of us.
Simply Red was a young cat when a piece of twine got wrapped tightly around his right front paw. It cut off the blood to his foot. By the time anyone knew, more than two weeks had passed. He was in terrible pain, frightened, and almost impossible to approach.
Simply Red on the day of his rescue, sedated before surgery. The twine is still around his paw.
When our team finally caught him, there was only one way to save his life: the vet had to amputate the leg at the shoulder.
The surgery went well. The recovery was harder. For more than a month Simply Red stayed in a quiet room while his wound healed. He didn’t trust people. Every hand that came near him had meant pain. Marco fed him every day, and every day Simply Red kept his distance.
Then we tried something different. We introduced him to Nyeusi, a black female cat about his age.
At first she hissed at him. Then they started eating side by side. Then playing. Within weeks they were inseparable.
For almost three years, Simply Red and Nyeusi shared everything: meals, naps, and the garden of Eco Shamba Kilole Lodge.
Two months ago, Nyeusi disappeared. We searched for her and still hope she will come back. On an island like Mafia, life is fragile, even for a cat who is loved.
Simply Red is still here. He runs, climbs and hunts on three legs as if he had never needed four. He misses his friend, and so do we. But the frightened cat who trusted no one now walks up to people on his own, and that is something Nyeusi gave him.
Simply Red was lucky: a vet was on the island when he needed one. Most animals on Mafia aren’t that lucky.
From 3 to 23 November 2026, 5 volunteer vets return to Mafia Island to sterilize, vaccinate and treat 300 animals. We need €6,000 to make it happen.