A big trapping operation is under way in flood-ravaged Edgecumbe to reunite pet cats that fled once water started to pour into the Bay of Plenty township.
People are being told to not be alarmed as the Ministry for Primary Industries and the SPCA set up a number of traps around streets hoping to safely capture lost and wandering felines.
The traps will not injure the animals and monitored daily by SPCA and animal control officers.
The Ministry for Primary Industries said all captured cats would be taken to the SPCA and cared for until the owner was found.
Meanwhile, the enormous effort to clean up Edgecumbe is entering its fourth day.