Celebrating Life with Zoë and Navy

“We know that from time to time, there arise among human beings, people who seem to exude love as naturally as the sun gives out heat.”

Don’t you just love a birthday? You get to spend it with special people who enrich your life and bring you joy. Sure, there are mishaps on occasion, and you just turn another year older, but, ultimately, it is a celebration of life! Our birthday issue is exactly that, the celebration of a year filled with wondrous moments, and when we thought of who we should share it with, only one name came to mind. We wanted the one and only, self-proclaimed, crazy cat lady who brightens our mornings and our afternoon traffic reports, to be the first repeat and the celebratory cover model for this issue!

There is a popular quote by Alan W Watts, that rings so true and is a splendid quote to explain the Zoë Brown personality:

“We know that from time to time, there arise among human beings, people who seem to exude love as naturally as the sun gives out heat.”

This, to me, is who Zoë Brown is. She is a bright and optimistic individual, who doesn’t allow the people she cares for to get stuck in a rut. She’s witty and a little naughty sometimes, but a wonderfully authentic person to be around. We met up with Zoë, Navy and Shiraz Reddy (who by the way, is the most amazing stylist in the whole wide world!), at Infinity Studio for a shoot that will be remembered for years to come. We knew it would be challenging to get Navy to work with us, since the space was so vast and she was completely out of her environment, but this little lady got it together and gave us some amazing shots. Since the last time we featured Zoë, a lot has happened. Her kitty, Sailor, passed away due to diabetic complications. It was a heart-breaking time for our friend, but as COVID dawned on us and everyone was taking in animals for foster care, Zoë decided that the time was right to share her home and her heart with yet another black feline. Black animals are statistically shown to be the least adopted animals. This is due to the stigma surrounding black animals, as they are associated with bad luck, the fact that it is difficult to take nice photos of them and just their overall aesthetics.

Also see our friend, Emma O’Brien’s, work on black animals shot against black backgrounds, creating awareness on this topic.

Navy was subsequently adopted from Adopt-a-Pet at the age of 5 months old in 2020, and has landed with her little bum in the butter with the best cat mommy a cat could ask for. She spends her days laying in the sun and watching people on the promenade from her Pet Rebels Cat Tree. When she gets bored of that, she rearranges the treats drawer or plays with paper balls.

The paper balls, in particular, are an interesting trait this little lady has. It’s a common misconception that cats don’t play the same way dogs do, but Navy, being the pack leader she is, proves otherwise. When there aren’t any balls around to play fetch with, she fishes a paper ball from the wastebasket and keeps herself busy. The apartment is often a minefield of paper pieces when Zoë gets home, but who can resist the purring of your little kitty when you get home. On the occasions that Zoë has a sleepover at friends, little Navy also gets to tag along. It won’t be a proper girls’ night if you can’t have your companion riding shotgun, right? Navy gets to visit all the time, in fact. She’s been a visitor to the KFM studios on occasion, and Carl Wastie, Zoë’s co-presenter on the afternoon drive show, has dubbed her “One of the most pleasant kitty-cats in the entire world!”

She sure has a sparkly purrrrsonality and we just know she got it from her mamma. Zoë is an avid supporter of animal welfare and welfare in general. She is currently working on Project Orange, an initiative where Citrus farmers from the Olifants River Valley pledge to donate oranges, and the Project’s objective is to get the oranges from the farms into vulnerable communities, during a time that is so important. In a time when we all need a bit of Vitamin C and positivity, I think Zoë is exactly where we need her. When asked what helps her to stay positive, she had the following reply: “I think I’ve been very blessed to have myself surrounded by optimistic and positive people. I think the impact we have at work also plays a big role. You get to witness peoples’ kindness and humanity in a different light. It’s not all doom and gloom. There are so many good people out there. I think people love listening to other positive people. I’m one of them. Positive energy tends to rub off on people, and we need to try and keep it that way.”

“One of the most pleasant kitty-cats in the entire world!”- Carl Wastie

“You get to witness people’s kindness and humanity in a different light. It’s not all doom and gloom. There are so many good people out there. I think people love listening to other positive people. I’m one of them. Positive energy tends to rub off on people and we need to try and keep it that way.”

I also find that exercise keeps me positive. I try to get in a workout five days a week and that makes me happy and that makes me stay positive. It’s so important to consciously make the decision to be positive.”

“I also find that exercise keeps me positive. I try to get in a workout five days a week and that makes me happy and helps me to stay positive. It’s vitally important to consciously make the decision to be positive.” We can all relate to this, I think. We have been in a pandemic for more than fifteen months now and we can only cope when we set goals for ourselves and live by the principles of reaching them on a day-to-day basis. One of the things I miss the most is traveling, and I wanted to know what Zoë’s first destination is for travel once lockdown is lifted. “Lockdown is a measure that’s been put in place to protect us and not to punish us, and I’ve had to change my mindset to use this time productively. I’ve done that by focusing on things that I’m passionate about, like my own health and fitness journey. So, when things start getting busy again, I know I am going to be very thankful for this time that I had to focus on myself.

But, as soon as we are allowed to travel again, my first destination is Peru! I would love to hike the Inca Trail. Anywhere in South America would be a fun place to travel too”. I’m sure none of us can wait to see the highlights on Zoë’s Instagram story of that trip! Navy will have to stay home, unfortunately, but I’m sure she will have a little sibling by then. I have it on good authority that Zoë is on the lookout for a Sailor 2.0 to keep Navy company while she’s at work or when she’s away traveling. But, until then, we are happy to keep an ear out for this starlet with her mesmerizing voice, making sure we stay clear of the traffic jams on the roads of Cape Town.