Foster care for kittens wanted

The best gift you can give this Christmas is a warm, safe home for one of the hundreds of kittens coming into the SPCA daily.

Auckland SPCA has 400 cats and kittens needing temporary foster homes.

Marketing manager Martin Mackenzie said all people needed to foster a kitten was a warm, safe room.

The SPCA provides food, bedding, toys and even pays for vet visits for its foster kittens. Many foster families go on to keep the cats they have cared for, Mackenzie said.

"We have between 80 and 150 kittens arriving at our doors daily."

He said the influx of kittens was seasonal and emphasised the importance of desexing. There were also mothers with their kittens that needed to be fostered together.

The Christmas holiday period was a busy one for SPCA staff, he said. Not only did they have to find homes for the hundreds of homeless felines but it was also a notorious time for animal neglect and cruelty.

"As your holiday visitors come and go, there will be many escape opportunities for your pets. So make sure that your pets always wear identification tags, are micro-chipped and watch the door."

Pet owners should also avoid feeding dogs scraps from the Christmas table.

"All that fatty food isn't good. Keep chocolate away from sniffing noses as it is poisonous to dogs ... and chicken or turkey bones can be dangerous, especially to small dogs."

Even the Christmas tree holds hidden dangers because it can topple over when being climbed by cats or knocked by a wagging tail, and decorations can become lodged in animals' intestines if swallowed.

For more information, or if you are interested in fostering a kitten, visit www.spca.org.nz