Kitten central at the SPCA
Palmerston North’s SPCA has gone to the cats.
The centre has hundreds of kittens in its care, and more coming in every day – a phenomenon attributed to a combination of cat-breeding season and bad Christmas gifts gone worse.
Centre manager Katie Pederson estimates the centre has 300 kittens in its care, with 70 foster families looking after them in the hope of new adoptions. The staff also take on the role of fostering animals.
She said the SPCA has been recruiting new foster families to help deal with the demand. ‘‘Usually, the same day the fosterers drop them [the kittens] off, they pick up another lot ... All of our fosterers are at capacity.’’
Pederson said young animals often fell victim to being a cute Christmas present that soon lost appeal.
‘‘They [parents] want to save them for Christmas Eve, to present them to their kids. Then it’s all exciting, but the novelty wears off.’’
Despite the influx, the four staff and 50 volunteers have kept up with demand over summer. The SPCA would have to be completely overwhelmed to turn an animal away, she said. ‘‘We will do what we can ... We scramble and we stay late. We always figure it out.’’
Pederson said a lot of puppies and rabbits were also being brought in, and warned against bunnies as ‘‘starter pets’’, as they needed more interaction.
Rabbits can be easily forgotten about and left in their cages, meaning they don’t get the care and handling they need. They also get lonely.
The SPCA is always on the lookout for more foster families, and Pederson encourages anyone interested to get in touch.