The Paarl Homeless Cats organisation, a local non-profit organisation, has been working in Paarl for a few years to help stray cats.
In 2014 Paarl Feral Felines was started, and in 2015 Dalene Rademeyer joined the organisation and today Rademeyer and Eldi Kriegler manage the organisation with the help of volunteers.
It was only in 2016 that the name changed to Paarl Homeless Cats. In 2020 it was registered as a non-profit organisation.
The team of Paarl Homeless Cats has different tasks, which include feeding the homeless cats, transporting them to and from the vet, and foster care (fostering) of baby kittens before they can go to their forever home.
The organisation also catches the adult cats, neuter them and where possible test them for infectious diseases.
“It is an ongoing task to find good homes for adults and baby kittens.”
The organisation attention was recently drawn to a large colony of cats living on the outskirts of Paarl and, on investigation, a head count revealed 40 adult cats and numerous kittens.
“We find it impossible to turn a blind eye to this situation. Being painfully aware of the globally accepted statistic that a single pair of cats and their offspring could potentially produce a staggering total of 420 000 kittens in just seven years
“In all, 40 cats will escalate into an uncontrollable scenario, and it is therefore a matter of urgency to get the cats sterilised.”
“However, we sadly do not have the funds to do so and are therefore on our knees, pleading for donations to help us make this happen.
“Even the smallest contribution will help us reach the goal of R18 000 needed to sterilise the 40 cats, which comes at a minimum cost of R450 per cat.
“This endeavour cannot happen without financial support and we therefore humbly call on you, our community, which includes the influential companies, businesses, individuals and the loyal Paarl Homeless Cats supporters, for assistance.”
Rademeyer explained community cats are homeless feral and stray cats, which live in territorial groups called colonies.
“Colonies are most frequently the direct result of irresponsible pet ownership,” she pointed out, “as they are the cats or the offspring of cats that have been abandoned and left to fend for themselves, as well as from unsterilised roaming neighbourhood cats.”
For more information on how to help Paarl Homeless Cats send an email to paarlhomelesscats@gmail.com.
To donate visit www.givengain.com/cause/33370/
