Suburb ‘under siege’… by a cat
CRAIGHALL PARK – A local Craighall Park resident has claimed that Lancaster Avenue homeowners are ‘under siege’ after being pushed to their wits' end by a travelling tabby tom cat.
Lynda Stephenson recently contacted Rosebank Killarney Gazette requesting assistance in finding the fearless feline’s family.
“Whether he is somebody’s lovable but errant pet, or a vagrant feral cat, we have yet to discover,” stated Stephenson.
“We were also wondering if he is only targeting us, or if any other properties in Lancaster Avenue are on his list of prospective territories.”
Stephenson further expressed her dismay regarding the cat’s disruptive behaviour. “He is regularly on the premises, bullying and fighting with our pets, forcing us to incur hefty vet’s bills because of the resultant abscesses. He spray-marks everywhere so that our houses now stink to high heaven, and the walls, appliances, upholstery and curtains have to be washed constantly.
“We would welcome any assistance in getting rid of this invader demon cat without harming our own beloved pets. We have tried spraying him with water but he brazenly just keeps coming back for more,” said Stephenson.
Spokesperson for Sandton SPCA, Kylie Coleman, weighed in on the matter and reiterated the importance on neutering or spaying animals.
“As we are foremost about the prevention of cruelty to animals, we really emphasise that it is a pet owner’s responsibility to sterilise and/or spay their animals to ensure their pet’s offspring are not exposed to cruelty and suffering,” said Coleman.
“Our mission is to sterilise and spay as many cats and dogs as possible in order to minimise animals being born into homelessness. If everyone sterilises and/or spays their pets, the number of neglected and stray animals will be reduced enormously and situations of cruelty, suffering or cases like the one above, can be prevented.”
There are numerous advantages to neutering or spaying pets, the most relevant being:
- Neutered cats become more affectionate and less inclined to wander off their territories
- Neutering reduces and even eliminates spraying altogether
- Reduces and even eliminates “cat choruses” which are usually caused by unneutered males challenging each other for females in season or for territory.
Details: Sandton SPCA 011 444 7730; or www.sandtonspca.org.za
