Social media reports of stolen cats in Pāpāmoa unfounded, police say

Reports of stolen cats in Pāpāmoa are unfounded, police say.

Police said they had received reports that a large number of cats were being held at an address.

“We have worked with SPCA who has attended the address and it appears none of the cats were stolen, we cannot substantiate social media claims regarding theft of cats,” Pāpāmoa community constable Adrian Oldham said.

One of the photos shared to Facebook showing caged cats. Police say that none of the cats pictured were stolen.

”We appreciate the intentions behind the post on Facebook, however in future, emails about lost pets should be referred to local animal rescue organisations,” Oldham said.

If people are concerned about lost pets, they should use social media pages, local FB community pages, speak to their neighbours, and register their pets on lostpet.co.nz

An SPCA spokeswoman said if someone found a cat and took it in to them they could scan for a microchip and attempt to find the owner.