The North Coast would be knee-deep in feral cats were it not for the work of a dedicated band of volunteers.
The Feline Feral Fund has quietly sterilised over 3 500 cats in its 20 years of operation, while feeding around 200 every day.
Founded by Sharon Cossey in 2003, the organisation was registered as a non-profit in 2013 and has continued the daily work of preventing more feral colonies from being created.
“Our main aim is sterilisation through TNR (trap, neuter, release). It can be painstaking work which requires lots of patience and sadly there are never enough hands to go around,” said fund chairlady, Riki Yoko.
The biggest feral colonies are in Tongaat and Stanger, but they exist in most North Coast towns at different sizes.
“Locally, the bigger colonies here in Ballito have been steadily reduced in size, with some cats living to the ripe old age of 18. The beauty of the programme when successful is that as the older cats die, no new cats move in to replace them,” she said.
Future success relies on fundraising efforts and volunteers, because colonies quickly grow in size when not properly managed.
Yoko said she constantly fields requests for trapping in new areas, but she cannot always make the trip.
“It’s an impossible situation which calls for volunteers with heart and dedication. We can’t afford to close our doors after all the hard work of the past 20 years.
The feral cats depend on us.”
If you would like to support the fund, you can buy books from them at Tiffany’s Shopping Centre on Saturday mornings or donate directly.
Any amount will help and go towards sterilising and feeding the cats. If you would like to become a volunteer feeder, WhatsApp Cossey at 072 266 9171.
To volunteer for trapping and neutering, contact Yoko at 083 306 1174. Visit the Feline Feral Fund Ballito Facebook page for further donation details.
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