A trickle of kittens is turning into a flood as the onset of summer sees more unwanted litters left on the doorstep of Tauranga SPCA.
More than 100 abandoned kittens are in temporary foster care until they are old enough to come back to the SPCA to join the 50 others waiting for loving families to give them a home and shelter.
SPCA administrator Hannah Cobb said the onset of warm weather was the signal for cats to start having litters - with some cats having as many as three in one season.
"Usually it's a case of the owners of cats not wanting their cat to have kittens and then saying, 'what do I do now'?"
Ms Cobb said the numbers of kittens was up a little on the same time last year, with the first unwanted Christmas presents now adding to the pressure on the SPCA's facilities at Greerton.
It was the time of year when the numbers built quickly because most people were on holiday and not ready to commit to a new pet.
Most kittens that ended up at the SPCA were abandoned, either by being left in a box in a public place or simply deposited overnight at the front door of the Alach St animal shelter.
The SPCA was grateful the public was so generous, either by dropping off food and kitty litter at the office or through supermarket collection bins.
