A MAN who has been seen walking in the Amanzimtoti CBD carrying a long grass slasher has been fingered as a possible suspect after carcases of feral cats have frequently turned up on the streets in town.
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According to information that was posted on the Toti Wilds Facebook page, the person who has been doing the killings has been doing it at night.
“Dead cats, skins and injured cats have been found. An eyewitness report says he moves around the town between 02:00 and 06:00,” the post on the page read.
Jaylene Rittmuller from the Hand Rearing Kitten Rescue Toti said she has heard of the incidents, but her organisation often encounter cases of cats caught in snares in greenbelts. “One cat died, and the other one was so badly injured, we took it to the SPCA. We thought the leg would be amputated but the injuries were so extensive, it had to be put down,” said Jaylene. She added that she hoped the person who does this is found because feral cats already have so much they have to go through in the wild.
The SUN has seen the photo of the man who is suspected of killing the cats. In a statement, Durban and Coast SPCA said feral cats typically avoid people, and you may not even realise that they are living nearby.
“It’s easy to confuse a feral cat with a stray cat, but whereas stray cats can be re-homed, feral or free-roaming cats may never adapt to living as pets in close contact with people. These animals typically live in a colony – a group of related cats – in a specific territory where food and shelter are available,” it said.
It further said that the SPCA endorses Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), a strategy for improving feral cats’ health and quality of life and reducing their numbers.
“Feral cats who are TNRed are spayed or neutered so they can no longer reproduce, they are vaccinated against diseases, and they are surgically ear-tipped on one ear. Dedicated caretakers feed and provide shelter for the cats and monitor them for sickness. If you want to help feral cats, don’t tempt them onto your property by leaving food out, as this could cause fighting between feral and domestic cats,” said the SPCA.
Anyone with information that may lead to the identification of the person who kills cats can report it to the Animal Crime Watch on 063 243 5049.
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