Letting go is important when fostering kittens or puppies – it’s so easy to get attached very quickly. I am proud to have, for years, been part of a very special group of volunteers who work on the TEARS Community Cat Project that manages to trap, sterilise, feed and treat so many thousands of feral cats across the peninsula.
A while ago, we trapped a black and white cat for sterilisation at Cape Town University of Technology (CPUT) near Cape Town’s CBD. It turned out that the horse had already bolted because this girl was very pregnant so her steri turned into a C-section and what do you know – four beautiful babies.
She stayed with me at my home – confined, of course, because remember this mom is a feral. Six weeks she raised her babies who grew up strong and really well-adjusted so Mommy went back. Sure, it would take a day or two for her to adjust but then she’d settle back into feral life. And she did that. It went beautifully.
We still see her, and she’s well-fed by the feeders at CPUT. The kittens every now and then holler for mommy but soon forgotten when chicken arrives – that seems to make the world a good place for kittens.
I have been asked many times if she Mommy remembers where the chicken comes from when it’s placed around where she lives, to fill empty feral bellies – WELL, YES, she does. They definitely remember.
I have a friend who runs a cattery and each year the furries come in to stay and it’s obvious that remember the boarding hotel from their last stay.
It’s the same with our ferals – we’re there to help and they know it.
