IN August Compass Medical Waste Services launched its Compass Cares 2027 calendar campaign.

The initiative brings together creativity, compassion and community to raise awareness and support for organisations dedicated to protecting vulnerable animals and South Africa’s wildlife.

The organisation’s primary concern is sterilisation but to also feed colonies and rescue sick and injured felines where possible.

One of those organisations is the Public Benefit Organisation (PBO), Feral Cat Rescue Trust, run by uMhlanga resident Tracey Hartley.

Also read: Bird found with hooks in stomach at uMhlanga Lagoon, dies

She gave some insight into how feral cat populations form.

“One thing we must understand is the feral cat population is a man-made problem. Feral cats are not the problem, humans who abandon and dump them are. In many cases, feral cat colonies arise from dumped pets. One unsterilised female can quickly populate a massive colony. On average, a female cat can birth four to five kittens per litter and can fall pregnant up to five times a year.

“Feral cats are exactly the same as their domesticated counterparts found in our homes, except they often have never been socialised and are required to scavenge for food as they cannot sustain themselves by hunting. They often tend to form colonies wherever there is shelter and a food supply – gardens, businesses, industrial estates, rubbish tips, or where animal lovers provide food,” she said.

Hartley says any funds raised from the sale of the calendars will go towards their sterilisation programme.

“Every year I endeavour to sell the most calendars because as the Feral Cat Rescue Trust, we do the lion’s share of Durban’s sterilisation. While sterilisation is our main mission, we also try and raise education about the correct sterilisation age; we have kittens coming into season at four months old now,” she said, and sterilising at six months is far too late – most females have already had a litter by then.

To purchase a calendar please email calendars@feralcatrescue.co.za or fill out a Google form that the rescue has set up.

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