A large litter of highly infectious kittens has been taken to an Auckland animal-rescue shelter to avoid Rotorua's SPCA having to close while they are treated.
The centre's development co-ordinator, Debbie Van Den Broek, said a group of 21 kittens at the shelter had contracted an illness which required them
to be isolated for three weeks, so 111 Animal Rescue had offered to take them in to avoid the shelter closing. Most of the kittens were about 10 weeks.
"They have a fungal illness requiring them to be in quarantine. We would have had to shut the shelter because they would have taken all the cage space we have."
It appeared the illness had come into the centre via a visitor as the kittens were not all from the same original litter, Mrs Van Den Broek said.
"Someone has carried it in ... we need to fumigate ... We needed to take precautions at the centre. We never want to put an animal down. They will be fostered until they are well enough to be re-homed."
