Taking care of the coast’s feral cats
Dog owners are asked to be more careful when visiting the pier, and are urged to keep their four-legged hounds on a leash to avoid any incidents.
A group of women is making a difference in the lives of feral cats on the South Coast.
Caroline Botes and Adina Bekker have teamed up and started a non-profit company (NPC) called Small Paws on the Coast, to give feral cats a voice.
They are also are working hand-in-hand with the Lower South Coast SPCA to ensure the feral cat colonies are under control and cared for.
The main aim is to trap, spay/neuter and release feral cats back to their colony.
The women agree that without the help of the SPCA they couldn’t do what they do.
Caroline looks after the cat colonies from Port Shepstone to Hibberdene, Adina from Oslo Beach to Ramsgate.
They also work with other women who look after other cat colonies along the coast, for example Antoinette Anderson.
She has taken the Uvongo pier feral cat colony under her wing, recently having a small wooden house built for the cats, erected at the Uvongo beach parking lot.
Dog owners are asked to be more careful when visiting the pier, and are urged to keep their four-legged hounds on a leash to avoid any incidents.
Antoinette cares for the feral cats by giving them food and water daily, as well as doing checks up on their health.
“I love each one of them individually. Cats lives matter as well,” she added.
“Thanks to the SPCA, 95 percent of the Uvongo feral cat colony is sterilised and vaccinated. We wouldn’t be able to do this if it wasn’t for the SPCA,” said Antoinette.
“People don’t realise that if they remove a colony, another one will move into the area. So, let’s rather look after a colony and keep it under control,” explained Caroline.
There are daily struggles in keeping a NPC afloat. Occasionally, the women have to deal with cats being dumped, and, in some cases cats are too domesticated to join the feral colony.
The organisation is trying to raise funds to have feral cats sterilized in the Pumula, Banana Beach and Manaba areas.
The next ‘spayathon’ will be at the end of September – more funds raised means more spayed cats.
The cost for one feral cat to be sterilized is R350, this includes the rabies and 3-in-1 vaccine.
For more info, contact Caroline on 076 2655251, Adina on 079 7705146 or Antoinette on 083 6805967.
Food can also be dropped off is 15 Collison Street in Manaba, this is the registered address for Small Paws on the South Coast.
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