They may nervous of us and run as soon as there is trouble, but feral cats deserve love and care; the Bloemfontein SPCA shares insight into how this can be done.
Bloemfontein, South Africa (19 August 2022) – The Bloemfontein SPCA takes in injured feral cats more often than the team likes, so they have taken to their social media to remind the public that feral cats deserve love and care.
Feral cat colonies can be found across the South African provinces, and there are teams in each province that work tirelessly to care for and protect them. They play a vital role in killing off rodent populations in industrial areas and if managed correctly, can live long, healthy lives without getting in anyone’s way.
The Bloemfontein SPCA is hoping people and businesses will help them with managing any colonies in the area. They are advocating for catch and release as a way to spay and vaccinate the colonies found in Bloem. Should you have a feral cat colony you are aware of, reach out to the Bloem SPCA to find out what your next step can be in protecting these shy creatures.
“One of the animals we often see coming into our care is a humble but often hurt feral cat, these undomesticated animals are often seen as a pest and as unwanted inhabitants of residential and business districts across South Africa. We need to remember that these animals, like all animals, are important and should not be injured or poisoned because of frustration.
These humble four-paw cats often serve a critical role in the ecosystem, acting as active rodent control but should still be taken care of, often feral cat colonies can be super-spreaders of feline diseases and can often breed at an uncontrollable rate; for this reason, the Bloemfontein SPCA would always advocate for the use of catch and release programs. These programs often result in the male tom cats and females being sterilised and then being released back in their area of habitation.
These programs often provide wonderful results and should be critically considered by businesses or cat lovers running businesses where these animals often roam. It is further fundamentally important to note that should these feral cats be fed, these animals will often return to the source of food and will continue to roam the area. It is also fundamentally important to remember that should cat traps be set that these cages should be checked regularly throughout the day; these cages should also be placed inside an area with shade to ensure that the animals have some form of shelter and further, the cages should be placed with a water source inside.
Maintenance is also important to ensure that no injuries can occur during the process.
Feral cats might be a problem to a large majority of people, but like our domestic felines should be treated with care and consideration, and often, the colonies can be managed by sterilisation and vaccination programs”
You can check out the Bloemfontein SPCA on Facebook here.
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