Catastrophic spike in strays
A Christchurch cat rescue has had a record number of needy felines through its doors.
In January, Cat Rescue Christchurch had 128 cats come into its care for re-homing compared with 80 in December.
The influx of stray kittens and cats has stretched resources. The January veterinarian bill was $20,000, Cat Rescue Christchurch managing director Beki Milligan said.
‘‘It’s always like this around Christmas and New Year because people want to go away and can’t be bothered with them anymore.’’
The veterinarian bill would be fronted with money collected mainly from donations and fundraising.
Milligan said cats go into season between September and October creating hundreds of kittens in December and January.
Cats are sent to foster homes around the city until they are adopted. Kittens wait about two weeks to be adopted while adult cats can wait for months.
‘‘Everyone wants kittens in kitten season but the adult cats get lumped behind,’’ Milligan said.
Although there are 100 active foster homes in Christchurch, Milligan said the rescue needed more people signed up as foster parents.
Vetcall veterinary clinic has rostered on one extra veterinarian and one extra nurse to desex the homeless cats in groups as large as 20.
Practice owner Colin Cable said it was the biggest spike in homeless cats he had seen.
Older cats who have been in the wild for some time are not rehomed because it is too difficult to socialise them. Instead, they are desexed and released back to the wild.
‘‘There is a big stray cat population in Christchurch, when neutered cats are released back into the wild it is shown to decrease the cat population more than if they are euthanised, and it is more humane.’’
Even for kittens, it was difficult to adjust to a human touch.
‘‘Some will spit and hiss and lunge at you. They can be fiery little beasts and then within a couple of hours they are putty in your hands,’’ Milligan said.
SPCA Canterbury marketing manager Raina Roberts said the number of stray cats handed in to the SPCA had been about the same as last year.
She said an increased rate of adoption was noticeable.
‘‘We literally have them up for adoption and they are gone the same day . . . we have lines out the door for our kittens.
‘‘We have been comfortable with our feline numbers coming and going.’’
Roberts said the rescue could be experiencing a higher number of stray cats because their public profile had increased.
Donations can be made to the Cat Rescue Christchurch Givealittle page.