Cat sanctuary is a ‘labour of love’

Anne Batley-Burton’s love of cats contributed to her desire to provide a sanctuary for strays.

About five years ago, BatleyBurton set up an enclosure at her Huapai home to house unwanted cats that would otherwise be put down.

She turned her operation into The New Zealand Cat Foundation, a registered charity, two years ago. Batley-Burton says as soon as she gets the strays, she immediately gets them desexed to stop them from breeding.

She now has ‘‘too many’’ cats in the sanctuary and cannot take anymore, she says.

‘‘It’s a huge amount of work, the time involved is incredible. It’s a five-to-six hour job a day out there.’’

Not only does it take a lot of time, it takes a lot of money too. About $7000-$8000 a month, Batley-Burton says.

‘‘That’s by the time you are paying for all the food, cat litter, vet bills. So many of the cats are disadvantaged so we have these huge vet bills.’’

One cat cost her $690 in its first vet visit, she says. Burton says part of what they do is known as the ‘trap, neuter, return’ program.

This means stray cats are trapped, taken to the vet to be desexed, and if healthy, returned to the area they were found.

‘‘This is a worldwide concept. It has been proven to be the only humane way to handle the stray cat issue,’’ Batley-Burton says.

As well as stopping the cats from breeding, it also stops more cats coming into an already populated area.

If a stray has been ‘ear-tipped’, it means they have already been desexed and should be left where they are. For the unhealthy cats given to Batley-Burton, they generally stay at the sanctuary.

‘‘In most cases, once we get the cats, that’s it. We just have to make sure we keep them as well as possible,’’ she says.

The New Zealand Cat Foundation is currently looking for volunteers to help with the work.

‘‘We want reliable people who really love cats and who are prepared to get really stuck in a few hours a week.’’

Responsibilities include feeding the cats and cleaning the enclosure they live in. Contact anne@thenzcatfoundation.org.nz if you are interested in volunteering.