Operation Feral Cats
The aim of the feral cat project is to promote education, awareness and understanding of homeless cats.
Cradlestone Mall supports reducing and controlling the number of free – roaming abandoned, feral cats through humane capture by local departments and animal control agencies.
Feral cats are sometimes also called community cats, because many are not wild-born, but have been thrown out, abandoned or become lost. If guardians have failed to sterilise these cats, the problem soon multiplies in the form of litter or cats born to a life of suffering.
A female as young as six-months, can have three litters of kittens a year and the colony begins to expand at a startling speed and frightening numbers. These young females experience high levels of stress while nursing, and without human intervention as many as half of the litter may die.
Cradlestone Mall encourages public education about the risks and critical welfare directed toward abandoned homeless cats and providing a better quality of life. Feeding stations work well and have been set up at various areas around the Mall.
The need to bring relief to these cats, as well as compassionately manage rapidly expanding feral colonies, is an important part of our mission, and close to our hearts. To establish a clean, healthy population Cradlestone Mall and Game stores will sponsor R20 000 towards food and sterilization costs.
Operation Feral Cat Project carries out the Trap-Neuter-Return(TNR) practice – feral cats are trapped and brought to the vet, then sterilised, vaccinated, treated and ear-tipped. This is the surgical removal of the extreme tip of the cat’s ear to identify them as having been sterilised. They are then as quickly as possible returned to Cradlestone Mall. Trappings – often late at night – are carried out and managed by a committed volunteer Annatjie Van Niekerk.
The aim of our Feral Cat Project is to formalise and compassionately manage the cats that have already been sterilised and treated by Cradlestone Mall, and to expand our ability to treat these cats and educate staff and the public.
The numbers of cats we can help is dependent on the generous support of animal lovers. You can help us further this vital work by donating dry cat food for the feeding programme, big feeders for food, water as well as kennels, blankets to give shelter. Should you want to donate funds to assist with sterilisation please email Kat.
For further details visit Cradlestone Mall’s Facebook page.