Renthia Kaimbi
Ten years ago, Cool Cats Namibia started as a simple Facebook page sharing photos of shelter cats in the hope that someone would adopt them.
Founder Barbara Wayrauch said the page began with no office, no staff and no budget.
“Many cats found loving forever homes through Cool Cats because suddenly, people could see and fall in love with them online,” Wayrauch told Observer Coastal.
“At that time, almost no rescue or adoption organisation in Namibia was using social media. Today most do.”
As more people shared posts, cats that had waited months for homes began to be adopted. Other rescuers also reached out to work together.
“Cool Cats is still only a Facebook page. It started very small with food for about 10 cats that got trap-neuter-returned at an industrial site 10 years ago,” she said.
Wayrauch explained that a man had been caring for a group of feral cats at an industrial site. He trapped them, had them sterilised and returned them, but struggled to afford food. Cool Cats launched a small fundraiser to help.
The initiative has since grown.
“This has grown to helping about 500 homeless, sterilised street cats in Gobabis, Swakopmund, Rehoboth, Usakos, Karibib, Walvis Bay, etc.,” Wayrauch said.
She said volunteers are central to the work. At the coast, teams in Swakopmund, Walvis Bay and Henties Bay run trap-neuter-return programmes. Triglav Trust works in Windhoek, and Four Paws operates in Gobabis. Independent caregivers assist in Rehoboth and Usakos.
Wayrauch said most sterilisation costs are covered by Have-a-Heart Namibia.
“The best way to prevent cruelty, homelessness, and dumping of cats and to reduce their suffering is by sterilising as many as possible. No shelter, no sanctuary, no matter how big, can ever dream of housing all the cats in need. There are just too many. This can only be changed by sterilising more cats,” she said.
In Swakopmund, volunteers have trapped, neutered and returned about 130 cats over the past two years. In Walvis Bay, more than 300 cats are sterilised and cared for each year.
Cool Cats estimates that each sterilisation prevents about 100 cats from being born into homelessness.
“Every sterilised cat saves 100 others. Every kitten responsibly rehomed through a proper adoption process, with sterilisation and vaccination included, is a big success and saves future generations of cats and kittens from becoming homeless,” she said.
Wayrauch said the main problem remains the practice of giving kittens away for free instead of sterilising cats.
“The major reason why we have so many unwanted and homeless cats right now and have even more and more every day is the horrible practice of giving kittens away for free, instead of getting cats sterilised before they reproduce,” she said.
She said mass sterilisation of owned cats and trap-neuter-return for homeless cats is the only way to reduce the number of unwanted animals.
