The future of a feral cat colony at a Broederstroom estate has residents and animal welfare organisations up in arms.
According to residents of the Club Nautique Estate, trustees of the estate have made plans to do away with the feral cat colony at the estate and allegedly refuse to share these plans. A number of residents contacted Kormorant after they were allegedly told that the trustees would not discuss the plans with them.
“A cat trap was set out in the estate and that is how we discovered there were plans to get rid of the feral cats. Upon enquiring about the plans for the cats, we did not receive clear answers,” a resident said.
Another said they suggested that a feral rescue organisation be consulted to assist with the sterilisation of the feral cats and a possible feeding station. “What we are asking for is transparency and as shareholders we want to be consulted. However, our questions are evaded.”
Yet another said the trustees “are going about the issue in an odd way”. “They refuse to answer or answer in a non-sensical way. This is a sectional title estate and information is supposed to be open and transparent. Some people were told that no further communication about the issue will be entered into. ”
Residents also expressed their concern about neighbouring estates’ domestic cats that may be trapped and removed.
Following the residents’ outcry, the National Cat Action Taskforce (NCat) approached Club Nautique in a letter expressing their objection to plans to trap and release the cats elsewhere. “Club Nautique at Hartbeespoortdam have begun trapping all their feral cats and ‘releasing them humanely’ at an undisclosed location! Despite the pleas of a number of their residents, as well as NCat and Cats of South Africa, they are persevering in these actions, based only on two arguments: That the trustees are acting within their rights, and that the estate rules forbid the presence of cats on the property. NCat has informed them that removal in this way is not humane, but they are ignoring our pleas,” NCat said.
“The National Council of SPCAs as well as Onderstepoort advises that businesses and residential premises should maintain healthy colonies of community cats by means of feeding and sterilisation to keep rodents and snakes under control. We wish to express our strongest objection to Club Nautique’s present cat removal project. We therefore ask them to reconsider their plans and to adopt instead the TNR (trap, neuter, release) project that is universally regarded as not only effective but also humane. Moving cats to other locations is not humane. It subjects the cats to hardship and suffering.”
Harties Feral Cat Rescue said that it would be unwise to remove a feral cat colony as a new one would move in. “It will create a vacuum effect. Cats are territorial and as long as the colony is sterilised, it cannot increase and will keep other cats away. That is also why one cannot place feral cats in another colony. We are prepared to assist with a TNR project as residents have requested.”
Club Nautique trustees replied to Kormorant’s enquiry this week saying the cats would be caught and released onto a farm. “We as trustees have decided to delay the catch and release until our AGM where we will ask the members to vote giving the various options,” the Club Nautique trustees said. Two cats have already been trapped and taken away, Club Nautique confirmed.
“Club Nautique has had a no-cat policy since inception and because of that we have had numerous recent complaints about the cat situation getting out of control. We have had one email enquiry from a unit about the removal of cats and why we were doing this. We replied and told them exactly what we wanted to do. They seem to think that complaining to you is a better option. If we catch a collared or chipped cat we will of course advise the nearby estates so the owner can come and collect it. To date the cats we see run away. At no time do we want to harm the cats but we need a viable option for the feral cats in Club Nautique.”
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