A Port Elizabeth couple, Leandie and Aidan Bonny, returned home from church one day last week and noticed that something was bothering their dog. They thought that a mouse might have hidden under their couch, but found nothing to explain their dog’s peculiar behaviour.
Just before going to bed, Leandie Bonny lifted a cushion on their couch and almost fell over in surprise.
A wet, spotted little animal was curled up fast asleep on their couch. He appeared to be completely at home and only briefly raised his head to peak at Leandie and then went back to sleep.
A local expert confirmed that the animal was a small spotted genet that probably lived in the open fields in the suburb.
The Bonnys put the genet in a cat carrier to see if it could feed itself and then Mark Marshall of Sandula Conservation released back into the bush at the Maitlands Reserve.