header-test

header-graphic

 

home origins newsletter articles links happy endings

 

May, 2015

 

 

From Viv

The book sale held on Saturday 30 May raised the grand amount of R7277.50 plus a further R100 given on Monday morning. A big thank you is due to all involved:

  • our helpers on the day
  • everyone who donated books for the sale, including Bargain Books
  • all those who donated money at or before the sale
  • Mario Viljoen of St John - Grahamstown Centre for the use of the centre's tables
  • Mr Beer for permission to use the Wallace's Pharmacy verandah at Peppergrove Mall
  • everyone who supported the sale by buying books

Stop Press:
We plan to hold a clothing sale to raise funds later in the year.

From Lorna

A HUGE Thank You to all who contributed to the success of our book sale today! It wouldn't have happened without the hard work of our cat-loving lovely librarians, Viv, Eileen and Lynne, and their hubbies and friends roped in to help out. It definitely would not have happened without the huge number of great books donated by generous animal lovers of Grahamstown, and none of it would have mattered without the support of the public! We are also grateful to Wallace's Pharmacy for allowing us to use the verandah outside their store. Thank you all very much! Due to a shortage of storage space, books that were not sold today will be donated to the SPCA for their up-coming sale, and some to PEAR (Port Elizabeth Animal Rescue) for their summer sale.

 


Sterilisations

TNR-wise this has been an extremely successful month. Long-time supporters Maristie and Soné Pretorius spent part of a long weekend trapping five kittens and one adult - all of an age to be breeding - in a garden in the centre of town!! They have all been sterilised and are now lucky enough to be living on a farm. There are another two adults still to be TNRd, who have not been seen for a while, but I am in contact with their feeder and once they re-appear they will have their turn at the vet.

 

 


Astrid


Sofia

 

A few months ago three kittens were found with their dead mother in the centre of town. They were covered in maggots and survival was doubtful, but Maristie and Soné immediately welcomed them with open arms, and they were also sterilised this month.

 


Vanessa

 

Three cats have been trapped in gardens or at businesses around town, and all successfully TNRd. An Indian Mynah was also trapped, but released without being sterilised! There is at least one other, extremely wily one, and his trapper has been trying for months without success. When I dropped food off with Mandy at the Beaufort Street colony this morning, she said that another two cats have appeared there, so I will take her a trap next week.


Schalk

In all, seven spays and eight neuters were done, four of these being kittens adopted through us. There are still two adopted kittens that need to be sterilised and I hope they will be done soon.

 


Schalk


Rita


 

Fundraising



Calendar

From Lara

It has been one busy month on this end, so progress with the calendar has been slow, but enthusiasm has been very high. I've received nine responses thus far and have potential now to photograph more cats than would be needed to make up a calendar, so it is absolutely going to be going ahead.

I intend to organise with those who have contacted me to get photographs taken during June/July and expect to have a draft sent through by the end of August leaving us with some time to have the printing taken care of.

Folks, please get in touch with Lara at lara@evanescent.co.za if you'd like to have your cats featured in the calendar.

 

 

 

Geordie

As you might know, last month Lorna was notified about a stray kitten in the centre of town and with the help of Dick, who is employed by Grahamstown Trailer Hire, he was caught.

 

Long-time foster mother Caren Lewis immediately offered to foster him AND.... *drum roll* ... has foster-failed!

Poor Geordie has had a rough time with an abscess on his cheek as well as numerous visits to the vet for giardia and his sterilisation but he has settled down beautifully.

 

Poppie

After being in foster care with Magriet for most of this year, Poppie - now known as Naura - was adopted and has gone to live out her life in Kenton-on-Sea. She and mom Janet have bonded beautifully and Naura loves to spend time in the garden.

 

 

 

Sybil

The fastest adoption ever!! This was one kitty who we expected would spend months and months in foster care, and we'd end up begging somebody to take her, just so she could have a loving home. Sybil arrived on Lorna's doorstep on the night of 12 May - she was yowling, desperately hungry and starved of affection. Because of the risk of her being unspayed and vanishing into the night again, Lorna took her in, and she spent two nights there before being sterilised and going to Magriet for fostering. On the following Tuesday she was listed for adoption in GPN News and that very afternoon Carolyn Ford phoned!!! On Saturday 23rd - after Sybil had kindly taken out her own stitches - Carolyn collected her and she is now a companion to Popcorn, as well as Carolyn's daughters Emma and Sarah.

And her name is now Ruby - truly a name fit for a princess.

 

 

From Colleen Duffy

My little feral colony has changed over the two and a half years since the first three kittens arrived in my vicinity back in December 2012.

It started with a tortoiseshell girl and two tuxedo boys, all of whom were TNR'd by the Feral Cat Project.

Then a new little tuxedo kitten arrived ... I don't know where he came from but I would see him, briefly glimpsed, and then not for a few days. And then I'd see him again, and then not. Finally he started coming to the area where I was feeding my three ... a tiny little tuxedo who always spoke to me, even when he was so nervous and ready to run if I got too close. The three big cats tolerated him and he eventually became a permanent part of my group. I called him "little one" at first but when he grew into a big boy, he became Newbie ... actually it was Lynne Grant who sort of gave him this name. He was also TNR'd by the Project.

 

The two tuxedo boys, from the original three, disappeared on me ... from one day to the next, I just never saw them again.

And now Newbie has done the same thing! I was away for a week, with Lynne helping out with feeding my little colony, and since I got back I've not seen Newbie at all. It's so heartbreaking when a loved animal dies, but when one disappears and you have no way of knowing what happened, it's actually worse ... your mind lets you imagine all the most horrible things that could have happened!

He's a very sweet and gentle cat ... I've bonded with him so much and spent a lot of time with him and I'm utterly miserable at the thought of never seeing him again!

The area where he's been for the last couple of years is in the vicinity of VG School, Huntley Street, Beaufort Street.


COURTESY LISTING: Two cats that belonged to Beth Dickerson need a new home. They are Siki and Tigger, mother and daughter. Their inoculations are up to date and both are spayed. Please contact Elizabeth Breetzke on 046 622 6356 or 076 091 2715.


Donations

(29 April to 29 May)

Thank you so much to everyone who donated. Your support means so much to us and helps us to continue with our work.

Viv Botha
Sheryl Drennan
Colleen Duffy
Alex Johnson
Schalk van der Merwe
Ammy Hahndiek
Marcelle van Hees
Debbie Landman
Sandpaper Kisses Fundraising
(https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sandpaper-Kisses-Fundraising/567742133283184)

If making electronic payments please remember to include WILDCAT and your name as a reference so that we can thank you. Please email proof of payment to: l.grant@nelm.org.za

 

About Us

All donations go to sterilization and a small portion to food.
Occasionally there are costs for veterinary care of ferals who are ill or injured.

We appreciate your generosity greatly as it enables us to continue helping the feral cats.
Spays cost us R440 and neuters R287,
plus extra for any complications such as pregnancy or undescended testes.

The adoption fee is R500, which includes first deworming and inoculation and obligatory sterilization.

If you would like to donate any amount, please deposit into our vet account at:

The Grahamstown Veterinary Clinic,
Standard Bank Account No 282625054
Branch Code 050917

Please add the reference "W/CAT" and your name, and please notify us if possible
so that we can follow up donations in case of accidental misallocation

Please do not take any feral/stray cat into the vet for attention and charge it to our Wildcat account without prior approval from Lynne.

The Wildcat account with the vet is meant for sterilization of ferals and will only under certain exceptional circumstances be used for other procedures.

Grahamstown Feral Cat Project uses the TNR (Trap, Neuter & Return) approach - globally recognised as the most humane, least costly and most sustainable way of stabilizing feral cat populations.

Volunteers humanely trap the feral cats; we take them to the vet to be spayed or neutered; the tip of the right ear is snipped off so we can easily identify that they have been sterilized; we return them to their original territory where they live out their lives (adult ferals cannot be tamed). Feral kittens, wherever possible, are fostered, tamed and homed.

 

Archived Newsletters

December 2014
January 2015
February 2015
March 2015
April 2015

 

The Grahamstown Feral Cat project promotes responsible pet ownership. This includes proper care (feeding, vaccination and preventative treatment against parasites, etc.) and sterilisation to prevent unplanned kittens and reduce the number of homeless animals.

See
http://www.ru.ac.za/environment/action/petwise
and
http://www.ru.ac.za/environment/action/animalwise/feralcats

 

To subscribe to our monthly newsletter, please click here or follow this link:
http://fables.activedns.co.za/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gfcp-list

To unsubscribe, click here or follow this link:
http://fables.activedns.co.za/cgi-bin/mailman/options/gfcp-list

 

Page updated on February 6, 2018
TOP