Cat Village was founded in 2004 and established on a two and a half acre property on the East Rand to accommodate destitute cats. It was an overwhelming task that confronted us; here we were faced with an empty piece of ground, with a mission to make it a secure haven for cats that no longer had homes.

Our first task was to wall the property and make it cat-proof. Thereafter, six carefully planned and fully equipped quarantine enclosures were built to accommodate new arrivals. These arrivals are thoroughly checked and any medical requirements are attended to such as neutering, testing for FIP, Leukaemia and snuffles.

Once the cats have been evaluated and passed the test they are released into the main sanctuary. This area of the sanctuary has been developed - Wendy houses have been erected, and equipped with blankets and baskets. Natural grass is in abundance and over 100 shrubs and trees have been planted in order to provide a stress free environment.

A borehole providing an unlimited water supply has recently been commissioned and further hides for the ferals will be established once the shrubs and ground cover is established. The environment is learner friendly for those interested in the handling and training of cats, namely by the clicker method. Both these aspects are actively being pursued in the year ahead. We also see an opportunity to use Cat Village as a rehabilitation tool for the older folk from local retirement homes.

Our major on-going programme is the neutering of all cats at Cat Village. This in itself is an opportunity for veterinary nurses to gain experience and generally grow their skills base by working with our cat population.

Another programme, currently in the development stage is the Tellington Touch treatment. This is aimed at traumatised cats, our volunteer practitioners have the opportunity to develop and practice their massage skills with a wide variety of cats with different traumas.

We have also spent considerable time investigating the traumatic circumstances, which occur when animal loving older people, relocate to retirement homes where invariably there is no contact with animals.

Cat Village offers an opportunity for this group to visit and spend time to have their love directly rewarded by these cats. We envisage this programme developing into a foster parent project for oldies who would like to foster a cat that can be visited on a regular basis. This project will be established in conjunction with targeted old age homes in the immediate area.

In the short term, we plan to complete the setting out of the irrigation piping and related accessories. The installation of the watering system also needs to be buried and completion is planned for mid winter this year.

In parallel with the above, we will be establishing a more formal programme to source reliable and long term supplies of cat food, which is the major expense component in the Cat Village operation. The long term viability of Cat Village is dependent on our ability to source a consistent supply of good quality food. Both short-term goals are dependent on the support of volunteers who are willing to work for the love of the cats.

Thus our third objective is to actively recruit the right people to pursue our mission. This will become the core activity for the supporting the ideals of Cat Village.