ANYONE who has visited a shopping centre, a hotel or the beachfront in Durban will have noticed stray cats slinking along the parking lot, running across the road, or nosing through a dustbin.
These are feral cats, animals that have been dumped or abandoned by their owners and who are now trying to survive on whatever food they can scrounge.
“Feral cats, or strays, actually do us an enormous favour, they keep rats, mice, snakes and cockroaches away from our homes, factories and shopping centres. They only become a problem when they are not cared for or managed. Then they breed uncontrollably, producing dozens of kittens every year that face an uncertain future of possible abuse and neglect,” said Niki Moore, from the Cats of Durban project.
The Cats of Durban project is aimed at making people aware of the benefits of a managed feral cat population.
“If you have cats on your property, you can feel privileged. They are keeping your property vermin-free. However, if they are not sterilised or fed, they will very rapidly become a problem. The trend worldwide is towards trap, neuter, release. This means that feral cats are caught, spayed or neutered so that they can't have kittens, and then returned. It is really not advised to remove them as you are creating a vacuum that will attract other cats,” said Niki.
Niki said there are a number of happy and well-managed feral cat populations in Durban. The Cats of Durban project has also set up a network of experts and volunteers to advise on feral cats, and to help out where-ever possible.
“Our stray cats are a problem we created ourselves, through uncaring and ignorant people who do not sterilize their animals and then dump the kittens to fend for themselves. If we created the problem, then we need to deal with it. Cats of Durban is helping to do just that,” said Niki.
She said she hoped to convene a cat summit this month to speak about the issue of feral cats, which she said is reaching crisis proportions.
“We need to get everyone on the same page and educate people to spay their cats. We will be speaking to the municipality about adopting a sterilisation policy in the city, as urban animals are their responsibility, and we need sterilisation bylaws and a free sterilisation clinic. We hope to encourage Tourism Durban to adopt a cat-friendly policy as part of their marketing efforts,” she said.
Niki appealed to the public for assistance with donations of food, or veterinary bills.
Contact Niki on 083 758 4483 or visit the website at https://catsofdurban.wordpress.com/
