Written by Vanessa Courtenay, Media Relations: Harties Feral Cat Rescue
Nothing warms the cockles of an animal lover’s heart more than when you get to experience the love and compassion of a fellow human for a homeless animal. You’re reminded in an instant that everyone can make a difference. Feral cats most often get the short end of the stick, so when that animal turns out to be a feral, we all shed a happy tear!
During a TNR session at a private game lodge, a particularly stubborn white cat in excellent condition just would not enter a trap.
A very concerned gate guard watched this malarkey from a distance and after a while enquired as to why we were trapping the cats. Joanne explained in detail that we were here to sterilise and neuter the cats in order to stop them breeding and fighting for territory. He didn’t seem entirely satisfied with the answer and further enquired whether we were going to take the cats away. Joanne assured him that the cats were to be neutered/sterilised in a field hospital on the premises and that no cats were being removed.
He walked away, slowly turned around and promptly walked up to the cat, picked him up, and placed him in the trap!
When chatting to Adolf Gwaza, the gate guard, I learnt that this white cat with the black tail was his special cat. He was terrified that Joanne would take him.
He fondly remembers meeting him as a young kitten and allowing him to sleep in the guardhouse. “At first, I didn’t really have a name for him, but after some time I started calling him ‘iKati-Kati’, which is IsXhosa for ‘Kittycat’,” he recounts. He says iKati-Kati made himself right at home and never followed the other cats ever again.
“At mealtimes my cat is there to share my meal.” Adolf says the first thing he does when he comes on duty is call for iKati-Kati, and he always answers with a special meow! But he’s quite cheeky, says Adolf, and he allows no other cats into the guardhouse. “He always sleeps on one of our chairs or on the administration table,” adds Adolf.
“When Joanne took him to be fixed, I thought it was best I stay by iKati-Kati’s side, to make sure he came right back to where he belongs. I am glad Joanne came and helped us fix the cats; now we don’t have to worry about the babies anymore,” says Adolf.
