Powering Ka-ttitude’s fight for healthier, safer futures for feral cats

Feral cats don’t choose the streets — they survive them. Across Springs and nearby communities like Dunnottar, Leandra and Delmas, Ka-ttitude for the Love of Feral Cats has spent years doing the hard, compassionate work that changes those odds: trapping, sterilising, feeding and, where possible, rehoming. Founded by Tanya Kitching and Mandy Thorpe on 7 July 2016, Ka-ttitude partners with local vets to humanely manage feral colonies and care for abandoned kittens through a network of foster moms and adoptions. Over nine years, they’ve trapped and sterilised more than 7,000 cats — a figure that speaks to early mornings, late nights and unwavering grit.

Sterilisation is central to breaking the cycle. One unsterilised female can have multiple litters a year, with offspring breeding as early as four months, quickly multiplying suffering and disease. By controlling numbers, Kattitude protects animal welfare and helps communities coexist more peacefully with feral colonies. After sterilisation, feeding stations are established because feral cats cannot survive on hunting alone — a practical, compassionate commitment that continues long after a trap is set.

This work isn’t cheap. With sterilisation costing roughly R500 per cat and food expenses hovering around R30,000 a month, vet bills can pile up fast.

Fundraisers — from bingo nights and raffles to a small charity shop and virtual adoptions — help keep the mission going, alongside generous supporters who donate goods and resources. Today, Ka-ttitude faces a vet bill of about R40,000 and rising food costs, yet the team remains tireless in its belief that every life matters.

Hot Cares met the women behind Ka-ttitude and saw, up close, the compassion driving this work: 5am starts, tough days, and small victories that add up to real change. We’re honoured to stand with them — and with the community that makes their efforts possible — as they turn kindness into healthier, safer futures for feral cats across the East Rand.