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SURVIVAL: Sandra Clarke, of the Whangarei SPCA, with the three surviving kittens.PICTURE / JOHN STONE

Tiny cats let out of the bag

Reprinted with permission from The Northern Advocate

Published 22 November, 2008
by Lindy Laird

One kitten is dead and another three are fighting for their lives after being found drowning in a plastic bag in a stream near Paparoa.

But someone found that plastic bag on Thursday and took the surviving three-week- old kittens to the Whangarei SPCA.

Their plight is the sort of nightmare the organisation deals with all too often, and is one more incident in Northland's appalling animal welfare record.
This year Northland topped the SPCA's annual List of Shame for cruelty to animals for the sixth year in a row.

Whangarei SPCA manager Francine Shield said the incident this week was a reminder that at this time year there may be more to come.
``It's so unnecessary,'' Ms Shield said. ``People should know we are here to take and help re-home unwanted animals, or at least see they are euthanased humanely.''

The weakest of the rescued kittens is being bottle fed while the other two are lapping milk from a saucer.

``We suspect they have been taken directly from their mother. They're too young to be on their own,'' Ms Shield said. ``If we can make them pull through, we will, but they are very, very tiny. In these cases we do everything we possibly can. We throw all our resources at them to help them survive.''
The kittens would be put up for adoption when they were old enough.

In the meantime, the SPCA is imploring pet owners to make sure their animals cannot have unwanted litters.

Another looming seasonal problem is the Christmas gift kitten or puppy, Ms Shield said. What seemed at the time like a cute present idea often ended up as an unwanted pet.