"Disgusting": Cats Spotted in Eastern Cape Supermarket, Video Stuns Mzansi

• A TikTok video posted on 25 August 2026 showed a cat sitting among product shelves at a supermarket in East London
• The clip sparked a heated debate online, with viewers divided over whether the cat was there for hygiene or posed a health risk
• South Africans flooded the comments with strong opinions about food safety standards at major retail stores

A TikTok video posted on 25 August 2026 stopped South Africans mid-scroll. User @siyabonga4468 filmed a cat comfortably perched among bags of Snowflake wheat flour.

The cats were on the shelves of a supermarket in East London, Eastern Cape, while customers shopped. Within hours, the video had thousands of reactions and dozens of comment threads as viewers weighed in on what they were seeing.

The footage by @siyabonga4468 sparked an immediate split in opinion. Some viewers were horrified at the thought of a cat wandering freely among packaged food products. Others argued that cats are commonly used in food storage environments to keep rodents away, and that the sight was not as alarming as it looked.What seemed to bother many commenters most was not just the cat itself, but the question of what happens inside the store after closing time, when no customers are around to film it. Watch the cat on the flour shelves in the TikTok clip:

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Mzansi reacts to Supermarket Cat

South Africans in the comments section had plenty to say:

@sne wrote:

"This is disgusting 😭"

@Bendalo said:

"😳😳 What if they are not meant to be seen by customers"

@Angel Sithole joked:

"Kemiso Kekana is now working at a grocery store😁"

@MaXhamela🐻 added:

"Boxer the cat was chasing the mouse inside the store"

@thabilebarbie7 defended the cat:

"Rats prevention. Cats are very clean 👌 I love them unconditionally, I can't understand people who hate them 💓"

@𝒮𝒶𝓃𝒹𝓎 💗 said:

"Hate these things, yerr I would leave! 😭😭"

@Gomo's nailbar 💅 pushed back on those defending it:

"The people defending this are beyond saving. This a big company; I'm sure there are safer ways for rodent control. So it's okay to eat a fruit that was touched by a cat, cos you don't know what happens during closed hours"

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South African man confronting foreign shop owner in TikTok video divides Mzansi

@Khanyisile⚖️💋 questioned oversight:

"What are the inspectors saying? Mara this is getting out of hand seriously 😭😭"

Other BrieflyNews stories about grocery stores

• A concerning rat infestation revealed by a Gauteng man in a supermarket was caught on video and shared widely on social media.
• Rats spotted near sausage products in a Daveyton grocery store have raised significant concerns among South African consumers regarding food safety standards.
• Inspectors at Siesta MTN Butchery in Johannesburg's CBD discovered cats roaming freely and consuming meat intended for sale.

Source: Briefly News