New shop to help stray cats needs support
Ashop dedicated to raising money to feed the town’s stray cat population has opened in Waihi and they need support. Maggie Andreassen had been searching since mid last year to find a suitable place to set up Waihi Town
Cats Charity Shop. The shop opened at Independent Grain & Stockfeeds on Seddon St around Christmas time.
The store is doing really well, Maggie says, but they need more people to know where they are. The town cat team are feeding about 30 cats and their desexing vet bill is getting high.
Maggie had been gifted leftover stock from op shop Market On Main Paeroa after it closed last year. She had previously been paying for food, vet care and desexing costs out of her own pocket with help from donation boxes.
Covid-19 saw an increase local strays, she says. “There’s over 30 now. We did get few extras from Covid, I’d say
aof the because some people could not afford to feed them so they dropped them off there.”
She also had an influx of kittens when the season started this year.
Four volunteers help man the shop and service five feeding stations in town.
The cat crew catch strays to have them desexed. The cats are released again and the tamer ones are looked after and rehomed.
iWaihi Town Cats Charity Shop is open Monday to Friday from 9am-5pm, Saturdays from 9.30am-1pm. Maggie can be contacted on 022 100 1963 or via the facebook page.