Cat Family Foundation educates the community on the importance of feral colonies
RANDBURG –The Cat Family Foundation began this year and looks forward to continuing in 2021.
Cat Family Foundation (CFF) is a non-profit organisation which aims to trap, neuter and return (TNR) feral cats which have been abandoned or have lost their way in the Randburg area.
Feral cats can be found at offices, businesses and parks, scrounging out of dustbins or eating the scraps people leave behind for them.
The organisation, which started this year, also sets up feeding stations and shelters for feral cats. Once the colony is stabilised, responsibility is handed back to a few responsible and caring community members to feed them daily and care for them on an ongoing basis. Newcomers are quickly trapped and sterilised. Should kittens be found that are young enough to tame, they are removed and placed with dedicated foster mommies. They are vaccinated, treated for worms, fleas and ticks as well as sterilised before being placed in their permanent homes.
One of the year’s lowlights for the foundation was the loss of eight kittens in a space of one month due to illness. The organisation expressed gratitude to their foster moms who endured so much heartache by caring for the kittens that didn’t make it, as well as their supportive vet.
Cat Family Foundation endeavours to educate people about the importance of feral colonies. To fund its operation, the foundation does its own fundraising and relies on donations. Founder Alise Antrobus said, “It is a mammoth task to sterilise all these babies. Any donations towards vet bills, food as well as traps will be greatly appreciated. Our goal next year is to ensure that Strijdom Park has a 95 per cent sterilisation rate and to make the public aware of the plight of these poor cats.”
Visit their website for tips and guidance on anything cat-related – from finding a colony to advice when your kitty is ill.
Details: www.catfamilyfoundation.co.za
