Donation aids desexing

Cat owners who are struggling to afford the cost of desexing their beloved feline will be able to get some help with those costs thanks to a local charitable trust.

Karma Andrews of The Scratching Post says she and her fellow trustees are thrilled that, thanks to a donation of $500 from the Taranaki Electricity Trust (TET) and support from the Taranaki Veterinary Clinic in Stratford, they are able to offer discounted cat desexing (of female cats) to low income families in Stratford.

"While we do have some criteria, for example that applicants live in the Stratford District and either hold a Community Services Card or are genuinely experiencing financial hardship, we encourage anyone in need of help to pop in and see us rather than presume they aren't eligible," Karma says.

She says cats must be six months old or more.

The group hopes this project will see a decrease in the number of unwanted kittens abandoned or in need of homes in the area.

"We are currently bottle feeding two tiny kittens who came to us after having been dumped on Regan Street when they were about three weeks old," Karma says.

"What I find particularly disappointing is that despite there being plenty of options to home kittens, someone chose to just cruelly leave them instead. At only three weeks old, they had no ability to fend for themselves, which means they would have starved to death."

Karma says someone saw the kittens being dumped which meant they were able to be rescued, leading to a happier ending than they would have had otherwise.

With the donation from TET giving the desexing project a great start, Karma says she is hopeful they will be able to continue for a long time.

"If people want, they can make a donation to this specific project, and of course, all purchases from our shop help towards all our projects, from feeding the kittens we have looking for homes, through to our everyday running costs."

Karma says if you have a cat which isn't desexed "please consider making it a priority as soon as you can".

"If you don't want kittens, get your cat fixed, it is that simple."

For more information, call in to see Karma and the team at The Scratching Post on Broadway. They are open Tuesdays to Fridays, 10am-3pm and Saturdays 10am-12.30pm.