The project focuses on spaying house cats in remote settlements bordering the Kruger, which in turn protects African wildcat populations.
Kruger National Park, South Africa (13 April 2026) – Local rescue organisation, Alley Cat Rescue, has just hit a big milestone! Over 6000 domestic cats have been sterilised in communities bordering Kruger National Park.
Their teams of trappers, vets, and vet assistants travel long distances to reach small rural settlements, where they set up mobile clinics to spay domestic cats and tackle the issue of something called hybridisation, also known as interbreeding – a bigger problem than most people know.
When two worlds meet, and domestic cats breed with African wildcats, over time, the pure wildcat genetic line disappears, even if the animals are still around and look much the same. Hybridisation, alongside habitat loss, has been ranked as the biggest threat to African wildcat survival.
It’s a particular problem near the Kruger. African wildcats look a lot like tabby domestic cats. They live near human settlements, and they interbreed with domestic cats fairly readily. The closer you get to the towns bordering the park, the more common hybridisation becomes.
Alleycat’s African conservation programme tackles the issue by travelling to these areas and spaying as many domestic cats as possible. The programme has been running since 2018, starting in Hazyview and expanding across six provinces. All up, ACR has sterilised over 15,750 domestic cats across South Africa!
The programme helps the community too. Sterilised cats also mean that there are fewer stray animals, less disease transmission, and smaller feral populations to manage.
“African wildcats are the original ancestors of our beloved domestic cats and a truly irreplaceable species. Yet only a tiny fraction of global wild feline funding reaches small wildcats—and even less supports African wildcats. This remarkable animal urgently deserves far greater attention and resources to ensure its survival.” says Louise Holton, founder and president of Alley Cat Rescue.
To support the project, find out more here!
Sources: Alley Cat Rescue.
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