Whangarei's famous cats up for adoption

Mother cat Gabby was reunited with her kittens after she persevered for more than 24 hours, trying to get inside the vet clinic that was caring for them. Photo / Supplied

A Whangarei cat has gained international media attention for her persistent efforts to be reunited with her family.

The mother cat's four kittens are now ready for their new homes and are being sold to raise funds for Whangarei SPCA.

The Northern Advocate covered the tale back in October, when a mother cat loitered around Mill Road Vet Clinic, desperately trying to get inside, after staff found her litter of kittens dumped on the doorstep and took them in.

Dobby is one of four world-famous kittens up for grabs via a Facebook auction.

"Even when dogs came through the door this cat was trying to muscle its way through," vet Julie Wells said at the time.

The story went viral online and was covered by numerous outlets including the Daily Mail and the Telegraph in the UK, Italy's La Repubblica, The Huffington Post and USA Today as well as a raft of pet and clickbait websites.

Ms Wills said the reach of the story had been "absolutely amazing", though said cats were not generally known for their strong maternal instincts. She said presumably, the cat was dumped along with her kittens but was able to escape from the box.

Over the past month, a family member of one vet had fostered mother Gabby and her kittens - Tyron, Muffin, Benny and Dobby - who were now about eight weeks old and ready for new homes.

"We are auctioning them and giving the money to the SPCA, to help other not-so-lucky abandoned kittens," the clinic posted on Facebook.

Mill Road would give the kittens their first round of vaccinations and desex them for free when the time came. Gabby would stay permanently with her new foster family.

"We have made a separate post for each kitten, so if you have your heart set on one of our famous kittens, you can bid for the one you like," the clinic said online.

Ms Wells said it was relatively rare for people to dump pets at the clinic, with the SPCA bearing the brunt of abandonment. Whangarei SPCA manager Francine Shields said this year, the shelter "really hadn't stopped having kittens".

-Find "Mill Road Vet Clinic" on Facebook to bid on a kitten.