Minimising feral cat colonies
The abandonment of cats and development of feral cat colonies is allegedly on the rise according to Angie Eatwell and the South African Feral Foundation (SAFE) and together they have conjured up a solution.
The South African Feral Foundation (SAFE) is a non-profit organisation (NPO) that cares for hundreds of cats and dogs.
The animals are available for adoption, the public can also foster them or simply volunteer their time in assisting the organisation in taking care of the animals.
Angie Eatwell from the NPO visited Germiston all the way from Johannesburg South on Wednesday to interact with local companies in the industrial area seeking to assist them in managing the feral cat colonies which gather on their premises.
“We have been getting a lot of requests for trap-neuter-return (TNR) and removal of cats in the Wadeville area,” said Angie.
“The abandonment of cats is on the rise and we are inundated with kittens.
“We really need to get businesses in the area on board with sterilisation campaigns.”
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SAFE ensures that all cats in the colony are humanely captured, sterilised, vaccinated against rabies, provided with a sanitary feeding station with fresh water and food, given access to shelter and treated for illnesses and injuries.
“We understand that having cats run around your area of business can be uncomfortable for both staff and the animals.
“By introducing sterilisation and vaccination programmes to companies we believe that this will limit the presence of new cats joining the colony since feral cats are territorial, so rather the sterilised and vaccinated cat you know than one you don’t,” said Angie.
“Sterilisation will further ensure that reproduction does not take place.”
Although the organisation has had a number of requests from local companies, some are still reluctant in helping them raise funds to ensure the TNR is done well.
“SAFE would be able to provide better assistance if we received funding from companies.
“We further educate them on the benefits of having sterilised and maintained feral colonies on their property, it would lead to less unwanted litters and we could humanly bring down the number of feral cats.”
To raise awareness and funds, the organisation hosts jumbo sales regularly and survives mainly from donations from the public.
To get in touch with SAFE and Angie email to donate@saferalfoundation.org or call SAFE on 011 867 0018.
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