Edenvale Ferals get ready for spring

With warmer weather on the way, the population of feral cats is expected to increase.

According to the NPO, Edenvale Ferals, the start of the spring and summer seasons are the busiest for the organisation.

The increase in cat population means an increased need for trapping, neutering and returning cats and an increased need for community support.

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Co-founder of the NPO, Christopher Mynhardt said during June and July Edenvale Ferals don’t catch as many cats.

“Community members rarely see kittens during this time and don’t call us so that we can catch the cats.”

In June, the organisation caught and sterilised 48 cats, in July 41 cats and in August the number almost doubled to 93 cats.

Between January and May, Edenvale Ferals caught and sterilised 487 cats, averaging 97.4 cats per month.

Mynhardt said unless community members see kittens, they rarely contact the NPO.

“People don’t call us when they see adult cats.

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“Many people get concerned when they see kittens running around but don’t realise it is adult cats which will produce the kittens,” said Mynhardt.

According to Mynhardt a surge in kittens is directly related to the breeding patterns of feral cats.

“In the southern hemisphere, feral cats go on heat from mid-August to February.

“Because we did not have a cold winter, with it only starting in June, we still saw kittens being born in June.

“This was quite odd because usually by that time kitten births slow down.”

Mynhardt explained that when the NPO starts working with a colony, it focuses on sterilising all the cats before proceeding to the next colony.

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He said that doing this can reduce the amount of long-term work needed.

“Out of all the kitten calls I received in recent weeks, none of them have been in Edenvale.

“In the colonies that we care for, there has not been a kitten born in at least two years.

“It shows what we have done in our colonies has paid off and that the number of feral cats is declining,” said Mynhardt.

Mynhardt said with the start of the warm season, there has been an increase in the number of calls to assist kittens.

“Unfortunately, because we are not a shelter, we only take kittens in if they cannot survive on their own or are ill.

We usually wait until they are old enough and then trap, neuter and return them to the colony.

Although the population of feral cats is declining in Edenvale, vice chairperson Carol Ceruti explained the NPO will continue providing food, for a week or two, until it is continuously obvious no cats are feeding.

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“We will never just abandon an active colony,” she said.

To continue their work, Edenvale Ferals relies on market days and fundraisers to generate most of its income.
It also depends on monthly donors and their donations.

Mynhardt said sterilising a cat can cost R500 while a bag of food costs R380.

The NPO uses 40 10kg bags of food each month to feed the cats under its care.

To raise funds, Edenvale Ferals will be at the Bedfordview Night Market on September 27, the Rescue Expo in Bryanston on October 6 and will host a quiz night at Dros Greenstone on November 1.

“The first quiz night on July 19 was a raging success and after expenses, we raised R7 500.”

For more information about the NPO’s fundraisers and events, follow the organisation on social media (Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

Alternatively, community members can get information from the Edenvale Ferals website or by emailing edenvaleferals@gamil.com