Project takes stray cats off streets

Liza Schneider with a recently de-sexed 8-week-old male kitten which will soon be ready for adoption. Photo / Andrew Warner

The city is getting a helping hand with its problem of unwanted cats from the ARRC Wildlife Trust through its community cat project.

Tauranga's Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre Wildlife Trust founder and veterinarian Liza Schneider said taking a proactive approach to the problem was vital.

"This is a big community issue ... the more people we can educate to become responsible pet owners, including de-sexing their animals, is key to reducing the number of strays and unwanted litters of kittens."

Dr Schneider said the community cat project, a New Zealand first, was already paying dividends by reducing the number of feral cat colonies.

"But we are only dipping our toe into a big ocean and to really change the problem and control cat colony numbers we need everybody to step up for the trust's work to be sustainable," she said.

Dr Schneider said if people dumped a cat away from a prying eyes, or abandoned it when moving house, the chances were high another colony would soon spring up nearby, she said.

Since the project was started in September 2012, the trust has taken 987 cats off the street, adopted out 535 cats and kittens, and de-sexed 589 cats and kittens.

ARRC wants Tauranga to become the first city in New Zealand to require cat owners to register and microchip their pets, together with placing a limit on the number of cats per household.

December to April is kitten season and some days up to 20 kittens were brought into ARRC, and the volume of unwanted kittens can become "horrendous" if the cat population was not controlled.

"Cats can start breeding from four months old, and have four-eight kittens per litter.

* View a video of Dr Schneider explaining their plan below or mobile and app users click here.

Thanks to the cat project, there were fewer kittens this season. Dr Schneider said in the next couple of months she wants to discuss the way forward with the three local councils to garner extra funding support to assist the trust with its work.

That included a plan to formalise the trust's education programme in schools and appoint an education officer.

A series of children's books were also in the pipeline, and the trust was seeking sponsorship to enable it to launch them free in schools, she said.

Dr Schneider said she would love to see environmental sustainability and animal welfare become part of the school curriculum.

Meanwhile, ARRC is also caring for two badly injured little blue penguins.

One named Flipper was found washed up at Maketu in earlier this month with a spinal injury and required intensive care, including spending time in a special hyperbaric oxygen chamber to help regenerate the nerves.

The injury was possibly the result of fall or being rammed into rocks, Dr Schneider said.

Another juvenile little blue penguin was brought on Monday with a de-gloving injury under its neck, and was "very emaciated" and dehydrated, and being treated with an intensive care regime.

ARRC Cat Community Project

September 2012- December 2014:

* 34 colonies sorted
* 987 cats taken off the streets
* 589 de-sexed
* 535 adopted out
* 292 put to sleep

To find out more about the trust's work visit www.arrc.org.nz.

If you can help phone
579-9115