Kat-titude celebrates milestone birthday
Mandy Thorpe and Tanya Kiching describe the work they do as a passion and say it takes teamwork and support from the community and their families to get everything done.
Local feral cat rescue organisation Kat-titude celebrated their third birthday last Friday.
The organisation traps, sterilises and releases feral cats and, to date, have sterilised over 800 cats.
A feral cat is a cat that has been born to other ferals or from stray cats as opposed to domesticated cats.
A defining characteristic of feral cats is that they are not used to human interaction and will typically growl and run away if they are approached by people.
Speaking on the day on why the organisation doesn’t put down the cats, fellow Kat-titude founder and vet Dr Thulani Mthimunye explained the importance of feral cats.
“Feral cats are important for controlling the rodent population and snakes in living quarters.
“Additionally, if the cats are put down, a new colony will invade the area, but if the cats are sterilised, they will remain in their territory and defend it and the population will not grow,” says Mthimunye.
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To date, the organisation has worked on 82 colonies in Springs and Dunnottar.
Mthimunye also sterilises and vaccinates feral cats against feline leukemia and rabies, as they are typically carriers of the disease, so that if they come into contact with domesticated cats the diseases won’t be transmitted.
Kat-titude depends on donations for their work, with Lynsey Russel and Shireen Vlamming leading the fund-raising team.
Mandy Thorpe and Tanya Kiching describe the work they do as a passion and say it takes teamwork and support from the community and their families to get everything done.
“Businesses, the Springs Rotary Club, people in Springs, our foster mothers and all the staff at Dr Thulani’s office make it possible for us to do what we love, and we’re so grateful to them.”
To raise funds, the organisation will have a market day at the Scout Hall on July 27.
There will be a colour run, food stalls, mobile pet grooming parlour, dancing dogs and children’s activities provided by the Springs Central Air Scouts.
It starts at 9am and entry is free.
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