LAST week Friday the world celebrated National Feral Cat Day to highlight the plight of thousands of kittens and adult felines that struggle to survive in man’s ‘urban jungle’.
In light of the national awareness initiative, the Northglen News caught up with two members of The Feral Rescue Trust, a local NPO that has been striving for years to maintain and care for Durban’s feral cat colonies.
Tracy Hartley, the founding member, and Taryn Cuthbert, the fundraising manager, not only shed some light on the feral cats’ plight but also delved into the defining moments that led them to the organisation and it’s cause.
Feral cats are exactly the same as the domesticated counterparts found in our homes, except they often have never been socialised and are required to hunt or scavenge for food. This is why they tend to colonise near people where they can source food, explained Hartley.
In many cases, feral cat colonies arise from dumped pets. One unsterilised female can quickly populate a massive colony. On average, a female cat can birth four to five kittens per litter and can fall pregnant up to five times a year, she added.
Hartley oversees the care of 26 colonies and personally tends to 10 of those on a daily basis. She started the initiative in 1999 after she spotted stray kittens in an office parking lot.
“I didn’t want them to die, so I began feeding, trapping and sterilising them. Soon I began to care for other colonies as well,” she explained.
Over the years, her passion and dedication have drawn support from dozens of dedicated volunteers, one of which is Cuthbert. Her journey with the NPO began a few years ago with the disappearance of her beloved cat, Bella.
“She had been missing for eight weeks. We had put up flyers everywhere in our desperate search. Then finally one of the group’s volunteers spotted a new addition to one of her colonies – which in the end turned out to be our Bella,” she said.
It had been Cuthbert’s first encounter with the organisation and it’s cause, but inspired a new passion.
“I was completely oblivious to the feral cats situation before that. But as an animal lover I wanted to help and so I began assisting with the trapping and sterilising,” she said.
Cuthbert’s passion has also inspired her daughter, Stella, to volunteer her time and effort. The young altruist has been raising funds for the furry felines by selling I Love eMdloti and I Love uMhlanga stickers.
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