Gemma’s purpose is to save animals

Gemma Bole (18) from Suiderhood has always been passionate about rescuing and homing animals.

“I grew up on a farm and I always had some sort of animals living in my room, from chicks that had been abandoned, piglets that needed looking after, and just about any other animal my mother would let me bring into the house,” said Gemma.

Her journey with Aspen Federal Cats started on January 9 after she has finished work on a Saturday at Thaba Trails.

“I was just finishing work on a Saturday afternoon at Thaba Trails when I noticed a ginger cat hanging around. He was extremely friendly and you could see he was looked after by someone.

“I wasn’t sure what to do but I contacted my neighbour, Charné Wallace, who feeds and looks after the feral cat colony behind Pick n Pay Mulbarton every third night and she was able to give me food for my new friend.”

Charné then gave me Raye Pepper’s number who is part of Aspen Feral Cats for her to find the cat a new home.

“I contacted Raye, who is from Aspen Feral Cats, and she was able to come and fetch him. She took him to the vet and he got a full examination. His name is Oscar and he now lives in Eye of Africa Estate and is extremely happy.”

A keen volunteer

Gemma started volunteering at Owen’s Animal Shelter two to three times a week, where she would walk the dogs. With her love for animals, it is not her first time doing voluntary work taking care of animals.

“I am now involved with the feeding and looking after the feral colony behind Pick n Pay Mulbarton. It breaks my heart to see all the feral cats and homeless dogs in Johannesburg. If there is one thing we could ask is that you have your animals sterilised.

“I feel like animals have a strong energetic help in life. They are very good at calming us down. I still want to learn more and also continue helping the Aspen Feral Cats organisation. I volunteer where I can. It is not just for these cats but also for any animals I see in danger.

“The cats don’t get a choice in life, but we can make a difference. We hope this will raise awareness in our community.

“Any support will be highly appreciated. We will always do our best for the best interests of the animal. It is very expensive to sterilise cats and the help from our vets in the area has made it possible for us.

“It’s not always easy to do the right thing and sometimes it’s a bit heartbreaking to have to put one of our cats down because you build a relationship with them. They start trusting you and saying goodbye to them is very difficult,” she said.

“On behalf of Aspen Feral Cats, we would like to thank everyone who supported us this past Saturday at our cake sale, the donations and support are appreciated. All the proceeds go straight to our veterinarians who will then cover the next sterilisations that need to happen.”

Big aspirations

Just as she is passionate about animals, Gemma is about the people too. The human brain is interesting to her and she would like to understand why people feel certain ways.

Gemma looks into studying psychology, as well as marine biology, overseas. She also wants to own a clinic one day for people struggling with mental issues.

“I want to know how people take to different experiences. I want to learn about human emotions, and the way we think,” she said.