Special load: Washing basket kittens saved from dump as SPCA voices desexing plea

A heart-wrenching image of pleading kittens at the bottom of a plastic laundry hamper is a timely reminder of the consequences uncontrolled breeding can have, with the SPCA calling on people to desex their cats and ask for help before dumping them.

If it weren’t for the quick actions of their owner’s friend, the six kittens brought to the Napier SPCA branch last week would likely be dead or near-dead by a Hawke’s Bay river.

“The person who brought them in told our team that their friend’s cat had the litter, and they didn’t want them, so they planned to dump them by a river. Fortunately, this person’s friend saved the kittens by bringing them to SPCA,” an SPCA spokesperson said.

A litter of kittens was about to be dumped by a Hawke's Bay river last week before the animals were taken to the SPCA in Napier. Photo / SPCA

This occurrence isn’t uncommon for Joy Walker and her staff at the Napier SPCA Centre.

Just two months ago, the Napier team was left to care for the struggling Little Mighty Bean, who was the last remaining kitten alive after a litter was found abandoned at a Hawke’s Bay property.

“It’s a nationwide problem. There just seems to be [too few] cats being desexed, ultimately,” Walker said.

“It’s a problem that it’s this early in the season as well. It’s normally at the end of the season where you see an influx.”

She said both Napier and Hastings see dozens of cats and kittens coming in each week and the organisation currently has 3000 cats and kittens in its care nationwide.

“We definitively want to encourage people to desex their animals, and if they do need help, we can offer some help.”

The best way to approach rehoming or giving away kittens would be to talk to your local SPCA about suitable options and explore avenues such as Trade Me or Facebook Marketplace, Walker said.

“We’re quite limited on capacity so we may not be able to take them straight away, but we could give some avenues on how to rehome them yourself.”

There are also alternative options for those who don’t want to commit to owning cats or kit,tens for the long term.

“If you want to have kittens, foster rather than letting your cat breed. We supply everything so you can have a mother cat and kittens for 10 weeks and don’t have to worry about finding them a home.

“We do have fosterers, but we are always in need of more, so if anybody is keen, that is also a huge help.”

Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in late January. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community.