Sally the deaf dog could only bark as she watched humans break into the Hastings SPCA animal haven and steal cash from the kittens.
Shelter staff are still cleaning up after a Sunday smash-and-grab, in which thieves broke in and stole the donations safe with an estimated $400 inside.
The money was
to be spent on giving the cats better accommodation, and on food for the many kittens they expected over "kitten season", shelter manager Stephanie Young said.
After the security alarm was raised on Sunday, she went to the shelter expecting to find the "usual" animal escape.
Instead, she found two kicked-in doors, a missing safe and a jimmied lock and a shelter-full of distressed animals.
"The dogs were going off and the cats were pretty stressed out. Sally, whose bed is by the door, was going off her nut," she said.
It would have taken two people to carry the safe away, and the only positive was that money was cleared regularly.
"As a rule, we don't keep much money in the safe but, because it's Christmas time, there was a bit more than usual."
Despite an economic downturn, people had given generously, in particular to a November appeal and the "remembrance tree" appeal, more so than last year, she said.
"Our main concern was that there weren't any animals hurt or stolen."
It was still a blow to the shelter, a haven for neglected animals, as the havoc they wreaked on the property would cost the SPCA more than the money stolen.
