10 kittens all fostered by one volunteer for the SPCA. Photo / Supplied
A busy kitten season is putting huge pressure on local animal welfare organisations, with one manager saying its influx of cats this month is more than double than the same time last year.
The Rotorua SPCA and Rescue, Revive, Rehome Bay of Plenty has been experiencing an overload of feline rescues.
SPCA Rotorua centre manager Vivien Moore said cats and kittens are coming in daily, with double the number of felines arriving in November than the previous month.
Rescue, Revive Rehome Bay of Plenty feline co-ordinator Clair Batley had 231 felines currently with the rescue in foster homes.
On the number being slightly higher than last year, Batley said: "It's a shame, because we desexed more than 1,500 felines in the last season.
"We're getting a minimum of three to six requests a day of either kittens being found, dumped in a box, or stray cats having kittens in people's garages."
Unfortunately, the demand for felines did not meet the need of fosters, Batley said.
When asked if she would encourage adoptions as Christmas presents, Batley said "not at all".
"We see lots being dumped in January and February - people have adopted and it has been a Christmas present. Then they've realised it is such a commitment."
Batley said about 20 cats were dumped last year.
"We do not adopt kittens as presents. A present is a material item and an animal is not - it's a 15- to 20-year commitment.
"Giving a kitten in a box to a child might be great on the day but what happens when that child gets sick of it?"
She said the rescue had been too lenient on this in the past, and this led to felines being returned.
"It's not like you can pack up and go on holiday and not think about your animals."
Rescue, Revive, Rehome posted a plea for help on Facebook, encouraging the community to foster and donate kitten food.
Since the post, Batley said many people had raised their hands and at least 15 people had donated kitten food in the past four days.
Batley was grateful, considering "we're just spending hundreds and hundreds every week at the moment to buy foster kitten food".
Rescue, Revive, Rehome encouraged the community to buy donation vouchers as Christmas gifts.
Batley said people wanted to help but often couldn't foster or adopt, so "if they're animal lovers I think it's pretty heartwarming to be able to donate on behalf of someone and give them that little card as a present".
It's a way of "helping, without actually having the animal".
Batley said the rescue wanted to break the cycle: "There are other options - please don't just dump kittens on the side of the road or in a box."
SPCA Rotorua centre manager Vivien Moore said cats and kittens are coming in daily, with double the number of felines in November than the SPCA had in October nationally.
"In November, almost 100 were brought into the shelter. In the first week of December we had 25 new cats and kittens brought into the shelter," Moore said.
"Our intake numbers so far for December are over twice what they were last year for felines/ With kitten season only just beginning we are expecting an incredibly busy time over the next few months."
She said the SPCA has had community interest in adopting, however "many of our kittens are still too young to be separated from their litters and require care before being adopted".
"At SPCA, animals are not made available for adoption until they have been desexed, vaccinated and treated for flea/worms - which is, at the earliest, around eight weeks old for kittens. Any kittens that come in need of care until that time, which involves foster care, medical attention and procedures, and of course a lot of TLC.
"We are so grateful for the amazing fosters we have here at the Rotorua SPCA, but definitely require more to keep up with demand... Fosterers allow our kittens to become well socialised and ready for their forever homes.
"Anyone who has been thinking about adding a feline to the family for a while, and considered all the necessary aspects of their care and ensured they can meet their needs is encouraged to adopt."