A little feral cat wandered around an office complex with a wide piece of PVC pipe tightly wedged around her neck for nearly a month. She managed to survive each day, but everyone who saw her knew time was running out. Her heroes never gave up.
Gauteng, South Africa (29 July 2026) – Weeks ago, Zennet Barnard noticed something wrong with one of the feral cats who lives around her office complex. A wide piece of PVC pipe had become tightly wedged around her neck.
She was still eating and moving, but Zennet knew it was only a matter of time before that pipe caused her serious harm, or worse. The problem was, she had no idea who to call.
After searching online, she found her way to Nicolette from Feral Watch in Mpumalanga. Despite being hundreds of kilometres away, Nicolette didn’t turn her down. Instead, she put Zennet in touch with Michelle from Feline Friendz Feral and Domestic Foundation.
Michelle and her fellow rescuer Bianca arrived the same day, with traps in tow, and patiently talked Zennet through what needed to happen next. None of them could have guessed it would take almost a month.
Every morning before work, Zennet set the traps. Every evening, she packed them away again, still watching that same little cat wander past with the pipe around her neck.
KFC didn’t tempt her. Neither did soft cat food, nor treats.
“This clever little [girl] outsmarted every trick in the book.” Zennet said.
Through it all, Michelle and Bianca stayed in constant contact, checking in, encouraging Zennet and promising they would get her eventually. After weeks of near-misses, the team switched tactics and swapped the traps for a drop trap instead.
“Today, after nearly a month of failed attempts, they decided to collect the traps and bring a drop trap instead. As they arrived, Michelle phoned me and said, ‘We can see [her].’ My heart sank. I walked towards the gate, expecting another disappointing day. Instead… I saw Michelle and Bianca jumping up and down with excitement. Before I even reached them, they were shouting…’WE GOT [HER]!! WE GOT [HER]!!’”
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“The three of us were laughing, crying, and hugging each other all at the same time,” says Zennet.
After ignoring fried chicken, gourmet cat food, and premium treats for weeks, the one thing this little escape artist couldn’t resist was a sprig of fresh catnip.
The kitty was then taken to the vet, where the troublesome pipe was finally removed from her neck.
Zennet says the experience reminded her that there are still people willing to give their time, fuel, and energy without expecting anything back. People who will drive out to help one frightened feral cat, and who simply won’t give up.
“You restored more than one little cat’s freedom,” she says of Michelle, Bianca, and Nicolette. “You restored my faith that kindness like this still exists.”
Organisations like Feline Friendz Feral and Domestic Foundation and Feral Watch rely almost entirely on donations, volunteers, and everyday people willing to lend a hand. If you’d like to support their work, sharing their posts, volunteering, or donating all go a long way toward saving the next forgotten feral cat.
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