Emalahleni paramedic lifeline for feral cats

If there are any cat or animal lovers in our midst, you are welcome to donate any cat food or support Estie by buying trendy face masks for a special price by contacting her on 082 557 6816.

July 22, 2021

Chrisune Vermeulen 3 minutes read

Far from leading idyllic, free-ranging lives, feral cats are far too often the victims of illness, accident or injury, and starvation.

Without intervention, most feral cats lead short and miserable lives, but then there is Estie Biela in eMalahleni…

Many of our residents will know Estie from being one of the most passionate paramedics in our midst.

Not only does this remarkable lady care so dearly for her people in her community, but even for all the feral cats around us.

Her journey started when Gail Snyman from the ‘feral care friends’ introduced her to the rescue world and her love only grew stronger for the cats.

“It all started when I donated food to Gail for the cats. She showed me what’s going on out there. I saw a colony every time I came from CrossFit. There was one kitten that looked so bad, he was malnourished and looked sick. He always sat at the gate and just stared. I was like other people at first and was hoping someone else would help, but by the second week when I was driving past and he still looked so bad, I decided to buy food and start feeding them,” said Estie.

The first thing that came to her mind was to ‘be the change you want to see in the world’ and she started by feeding these beautiful animals in November last year and soon after Estie took the initiative to start sterilizing the cats.

“Since I started catching the kittens one by one, there are twelve of them that are already sterilized and still six to go, but I would not come this far if it was not for Elsabe and Stephen Churcher that helped me trap neuter and released these beautiful creatures. They are a great help. When I caught a litter of babies, Stephen tame them for me and look after them. Elsabe uses all her contacts in the rescue world to network kittens and get homes when they are big enough,” she added thankfully.

Estie admits that it takes a village to care for the cats and only talks with honor about all the people that are always willing to help out.

“There is Tash Tatton who offered that if I got stuck, I could call her. Carika Roux, a volunteer at the SPCA is always a call away for advice. Then obviously Dr Fiona who is always willing to help to sterilize the cats and give meds without ever saying no,” she told WITBANK NEWS.

Although she does not take in these little kittens, she is always willing to teach someone else out there, how to interact with feral cats.

If you ask Estie why she has such love for these stray animals, she smiles and tells you why…

“You get so attached to these fur friends and can’t help it by just falling in love with each of them. Every single one of them has its unique personality and name. But there’s a sad part as well and that is when one of them does not come to eat, and you wonder if he or she is okay, gone or dead? Yes, that is the saddest part,” said Estie.

If there are any cat or animal lovers in our midst, you are welcome to donate any cat food or support Estie by buying trendy face masks for a special price by contacting her on 082 557 6816.

Alternatively, you can reach her on her social media page, @Estie Biela for more information on how to go about contributing to this wonderful cause.