Feral Cat Project terminated due to lack of interest
After trying to involve the community in controlling the city's feral cat communities, the SPCA has now been forced to shut down its Feral Cat Project.
The project had been running on and off since April 2016, with the aim being to trap, neuter and release feral cats in town.
Due to a lack of interest from the community’s side and a lack of personnel to drive the project from the SPCA’s side, the organisation announced last week it would be shutting it down.
The chairperson of the SPCA, Lize Pienaar, said for her personally it was a huge loss, as she felt very strongly about it. She explained exactly what makes a cat feral.
“Feral cats are domestic cats that have been abandoned. Their offspring are wild and scared of people. They are found at food sources like hotels, restaurants, shopping centres and garbage bins. They are extremely exposed to cruel acts from people, like poisoning, hitting, kicking and shooting, as well as vehicle accidents, diseases and injuries.
“They are also exposed to the elements, and during the rainy season many feral kittens drown. These cats are often seen as problem animals and a nuisance, but they are just innocent animals fighting for a life and a place in the sun.”
ALSO READ: Two dead in accident on Schoemanskloof Road
Pienaar said the city had hundreds if not thousands of feral cats, and because they are not sterilised, they breed at an astronomical rate.
“The aim of the Feral Cat Project was to get community members involved to assist with the trapping of these cats, with the purpose of having them sterilised as far as possible.
“Sterilised cats are then returned to their living area (if they are healthy and the environment is safe). To trap these cats is a huge task, as the traps cannot be left alone for two reasons: firstly, cats that have been caught must be removed from the trap as soon as possible to reduce stress; secondly, the traps are expensive and get stolen if left unattended.
“The SPCA does not have the staff to do this, and the purpose of the Feral Cat Project was to fill this gap with volunteers. The SPCA would then still continue with the sterilisation at the very reduced rate of R170 per cat.
ALSO READ: Honorary rangers help remove over 800 snares
“Unfortunately, people were not willing to become volunteers for this worthy cause, and we had no other choice than to terminate the project. The SPCA will still do the sterilisations, but not the trapping or removal of unwanted feral cats. We will also attend to feral cat emergencies as with any other compromised animals.
“Due to this total lack of interest from the community, these animals will continue to be exposed to a life of hunger, diseases, injuries, cruel acts and the elements. We are extremely disappointed that this worthy cause had to come to an end because people just do not care enough.”
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to editorial@lowvelder.co.za.
For free breaking and community news, visit Lowvelder’s website: Lowvelder
For more news and interesting articles, like Lowvelder on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
