Police responding to Porirua burglary rescue litter of kittens instead

Police responding to reports of a burglar at an abandoned, fire-damaged house in Porirua have rescued a litter of kittens in the process.

Officers received a burglary report on Monday afternoon after a member of the public saw a man climbing through a window at the property, police said in a statement.

“Officers went to the address and spoke to the man who said he was looking for a child, however while at the address, officers discovered a litter of kittens, younger than six weeks.”

Some of the kittens had died, but police collected the surviving ones and took them to a nearby vet.

A volunteer from cat rescue organisation Feral Nation suggested the mother cat might be nearby, so a rescue team from Feral Nation headed back to the property in search of the mother.

“The poor hungry mumma cat was shortly trapped with the lure of tasty food and now the kittens and their mum are reunited,” she said.

Police said one of the kittens may be named after the officer that found them.

Animal Justice Party Aotearoa NZ said on Facebook it was a “beautiful outcome in what could have been an even sadder situation”.

“Thank you to everyone involved – and a special shout out to Feral Nation. Our local rescues are absolute heroes, doing the hard, quiet work every single day."

A litter of kittens and their mother have been rescued from an abandoned house in Porirua after police responded to burglary reports.

The group offered a “gentle reminder” to the public.

“If you find kittens, please don’t remove them straight away. Mum is often nearby, out searching for food. The best thing you can do is contact a local rescue and ask for guidance – they know how to assess the situation safely for everyone.

“Also a great story to show we need to move away from this constant ‘war on cats’ narrative. These animals are vulnerable, sentient beings just trying to survive. Hysteria doesn’t help – compassion, desexing, education and community support does."