Feral Whangārei feline family on cards for new home

A mother cat and her four kittens have been rescued and are in lockdown. Photo / Supplied

It's been a happy ending for a feral feline family that was facing an uncertain future.

Raumanga resident Ian Halstead trapped a mother cat and her four kittens but could not find anyone to help him dispose of them.

He wanted to protect the native birdlife in his neighbourhood and after watching the mother cat give birth to three litters he decided it would be her last.

However, the retiree tried to get help from the SPCA, Whangārei District Council and the Northland Regional Council without any luck.

After a story ran in the Northern Advocate last month Kelleigh Rudolph from M.A.D (Mission Animal Desexing) went to the aid of Halstead and the wild cat family, which was being housed in his laundry.

"I'm really glad I saw your story and got to the kittens before anything bad happened to them. Horrified but not really surprised he was advised to shoot them, so thank you for telling their story and in turn saving them," Rudolph said.

"This all started with someone not desexing their cat and it creates so much work for everyone."

Kelleigh Rudolph from M.A.D (Mission Animal Desexing) rescued four kittens and their mother after a Whangārei man couldn't find anyone to help after he captured them. Photo / Supplied

Rudolph said the kittens just needed a bit of handling to quieten them down but the mother might need a bit more work.

"The mother cat was very scared just because she hasn't been socialised as a kitten. But she knows she is being looked after now."

The good news is they could all be found homes thanks to the Whangārei Cat Rescue team, who they had been handed over to.

Trustee and chair of Whangārei Cat Rescue Heather Nicholson said the feline family was doing well in lockdown.

"It's a bit tricky with this lockdown but normally when they reach 1kg we take them to an Auckland vet to get them desexed, microchipped and vaccinated," Nicholson said.

She said travelling got Auckland to have the cats and kittens looked after was cheaper than going to vets in Northland.

When lockdown was completed the kittens and cat would be put up for adoption.

Predator Free 2050 is a plan put forth by the New Zealand government with the goal of eradicating all marsupial and mammalian introduced predators from New Zealand by 2050. However, cats are not one of the target species for Predator Free 2050.