Who are we?
The National Cat Action Taskforce was officially launched across South Africa in May 2010. NCat is not your usual animal-care NGO. The reason for this is twofold:
- we operate countrywide, and
- we exist primarily to help other organisations.
Would you consider joining forces with us in this huge but worthwhile endeavour? Check out our objectives and activities below, and then click on one of the buttons provided on this page to download either the Feline Friends application form or the NCat Beneficiary application form.
How will it all work?
We aim to invite two kinds of members to join us:
- Individuals and organisations caring for cats countrywide will be NCat Beneficiaries.
- People who wish to help us help the Beneficiaries by means of funds and resources will be NCat Feline Friends.
With the help of Feline Friends all over South Africa, we hope to build up not only funds but a database of resources. As soon as we've begun to gain the support of Feline Friends and collected some funds, we will begin to help cat-care organisations countrywide in every way we can.
Does this excite you as much as it excites us? We hope so! Won't you join forces with us by becoming a Feline Friend today? In doing so, we hope that you will become part of a vibrant, effective, country-wide movement that will truly make a difference in the lives of cats across the land.
How can you become a NCat Feline Friend?
All you need to do, is to complete the Feline Friends application form!
You will be asked to answer a number of questions regarding how you would like to help cats and their care-givers, and your name will be added to a precious and growing list of NCat Feline Friends across the country. As soon as you've registered with us as a NCat Feline Friend, you will receive a Feline Friends Certificate electronically, which you will be able to keep and/or print out and frame.
How can you become a NCat Beneficiary?
If you are an individual or organisation in South Africa caring in some way for cats that are not your own, in the streets, at a shelter, or in your home, you are the kind of person or organisation NCat would like to help. We are inviting you to register with us by completing the NCat beneficiary application form. On this form, you need to state the cat-care activities you are primarily engaged in (feeding, sterilisation, homing, etc), and what your 'wish list' is. As we begin to collect funds and resources, these will be distributed to our registered Beneficiaries according to their needs and our abilities. The more funds and resources we are able to collect, the more we will be able to distribute, and the more cats we will help across the land.
How will we collect funds and resources?
We will be making use of as many different methods as possible to collect funds and build up a database of resources, e.g.:
- By inviting animal lovers to join NCat as Feline Friends, contributing whatever they can – funds and/or resources – to help existing cat-care organisations or individuals.
- By means of fund-raising methods such as sales (of books, second-hand articles, artworks etc), concerts, golf days, SMS campaigns, etc.
How will funds be distributed?
Funds that have been collected will be distributed according to members' needs. In other words, organisations who need more because they do more, will receive a larger portion of whatever we are able to distribute in any given month. Organisations will be asked to submit a monthly 'wish list', eg with regard to how much catfood they are going to need that month, how many cats they would like to sterilise, or the vets' bills they would like to pay. At the end of a month in which an organisation receives funding from NCat, we will ask that it submits to us copies of food bills, vet's bills, etc, to ensure that the funds that have been distributed have been used in the proper manner for the good of cats. If feasible, independent observers will be asked to visit new Beneficiaries to provide objective confirmation of the work being done.
How will resources be distributed?
We have begun a database of information on all resources, eg cat traps, vets prepared to sterilise at reduced rates, catfood available at reduced rates, etc. If you are caring for cats that are not your own, we encourage you to contact us if you need information on any such subject, and we will try to help you ourselves or to put you in touch with someone who can.
