Initiatives of CAAA

Capetonians Against Animal Abuse are involved with a number of initiatives to help improve the lives of cats and kittens in and around the greater Cape Town area.

One of our core initiatives involve the feral colonies that CAAA support. Learn more about the work we do with the help of our amazing volunteers.

About Feral Colonies

Feral colonies are a community of cats who live together in a particular area. It is important to take care of these colonies to ensure that the population does not breed out of control, or that illness does not ravage the colony either.

They are incredibly useful because the cats of the colony often hunt vermin like rats, mice, cockroaches and other pests. As a result, they can keep the local ecosystem under control and prevent pests from getting out of control.

Through our feeding programmes, we ensure that the cats do not starve or run out of food once they have hunted the rodent population to a point where it is under control.

Cats are highly intelligent and evolved natural hunters – as a result, they tend to pick environments which offer shelter and safety, as well as access to food sources. By removing feral cats from an area, one simply creates a vacuum which will be filled by other cats that will migrate into the same environment as a result of instinct.

It is for this reason we would rather maintain and control the population through our TNR and ongoing feeding programme. This way we can ensure the cats are healthy and sterilised.

Generally, feral cats avoid humans and keep to themselves. Part of the work CAAA does is to maintain the health of the colony and provide aid to sick or injured cats. We also TNR (Trap, Neuter and Release) unsterilised cats to prevent them from breeding out of control.

When possible, we will humanely trap and try to re-home cats who show signs of domestication and can re-integrate into a home environment.

Feral Cat Colonies of Cape Town

Below are some of the feral colonies that CAAA supports around Cape Town. We are always in need of food and donations towards our vet bills. Learn how you can help us by taking a look at our wishlist here.