Taranaki Kitten rescue charity The Scratching Post needs help to keep on going

Benny, Bex and Bucky are three kittens currently being cared for by the team of volunteers at the Scratching Post.

A central Taranaki kitten rescue charity needs help to keep going.

The Scratching Post is run by the Stratford Companion Animal Trust, set up in 2012 to reduce the number of unwanted cats in the district and help people on low incomes to desex their pets.

Since it started the charity has helped hundreds of kittens and there is certainly still a need, says trustee Karma Andrews.

"Kitten season has just started, so right now we are inundated with kittens needing care, food and all their vet treatments."

Generous, and greatly appreciated, donations have helped the trust ensure the kittens are fed and cared for, says Karma, but just as the kittens keep turning up, so do the other costs the charity faces.

"We really need some help with meeting our operating expenses, things like the phone, printing and other administration costs, the rent on the building and all the other bills that come with having a physical location for the trust."

She says those bills, which don't include any of the costs related to caring for the kittens themselves, add up to around $1300 a month.

"With the impact of Covid-19 on the community, there is less money available from the usual funding sources we apply to, and there are more groups appealing for financial help at the same time."

Having the physical location for the charitable trust is very important, she says.

"Obviously we have the kitten adoption room, where the kittens spend time being socialised and people wanting to adopt can come in and meet them and see if they are a good match.

"But the office gives us much more than that, it enables us to have space to sell items such as cat toys, beds and other items, the sales of which help our fundraising of course. Then there is the fact it means we can meet with members of the public safely, rather than having each of our volunteers give out their home address if someone wants to see a kitten.

"Just like in any office, our team print out paperwork, answer the phone and do a range of administrative tasks here which mightn't be as appealing as caring for a cute kitten, but are just as important for the success of the charity."

At any point, the charity needs to be able to plan ahead by about a year, she says. This allows for them to be able to cover each kitten season and successfully rehome all the cats they deal with each year.

Karma says she and her fellow trustees are hoping people might consider the idea of committing to a regular donation in the future.

"It doesn't have to be a large amount, just one or two dollars a week would soon add up. We understand it isn't as tangible as gifting food or helping pay for the many vets bills we deal with, but supporting our daily operational costs is a great gift to the community, as it helps guarantee the trust can continue doing the work we have been doing for the past eight years."

If you would like to get involved, find out more about the work the charitable trust does, or how to support the trust in any way, you can contact Karma and the team at The Scratching Post, 127 Broadway, or call them on 027 292 6167.