Collaboration sees 100 felines desexed in South Canterbury

A call was put out to rescue groups across the country earlier in the year to encourage collaboration and to offer assistance where possible.

Street Cats Programme Director, Karen Sole, responded to the call asking for advice in raising much-needed funds to desex animals in her care.

SPCA successfully applied for a generous grant from Aoraki Animal Welfare Charitable Trust, which will cover desexing procedures for all 100 cats and kittens in Street Cats’ care. The cost of microchipping and the registration of each animal under the New Zealand Companion Animal Register database will be covered by SPCA.

“We are just so grateful that all of this felines will be getting these vital procedures, and ultimately preventing thousands of unwanted litters being born. These animals will then be able to go on to find their forever homes and its just the best possible outcome we could have achieved for them,” Sole says.

“Like most charities in New Zealand, our ability to fundraise has been significantly impacted by recent events and we aren’t able to fundraise as we normally would. This grant has made such a difference for animal welfare in South Canterbury.”

A busy kitten season saw over 478 cats and kittens come through Street Cats doors, and as a result, there was a backlog of kittens waiting to be a desexed while they remained in foster care.

A female kitten can fall pregnant at just 16-20 weeks old and can have 12 kittens a year on average. If the cycle continues and her offspring reproduces, 2107 kittens could be born over a period of four years.

Now New Zealand has moved to Alert Level 2, desexing procedures have resumed at veterinary clinics with the first litter of kittens in Street Cats’ care going into surgery last week.

Desexing 100 felines will prevent over 210,000 unwanted animals being born over the course of four years.

SPCA’s West Coast and Rural Canterbury Area Manager, Rebecca Dobson, says the animals in South Canterbury are the real winners from this collaboration.

“Desexing is one of the vital ways we can improve animal welfare and break the cycle of unwanted litters of animals in New Zealand," she says.

“Not only will it help pets have a happier and healthier life, but desexing ensures they don’t unknowingly or unexpectedly reproduce a litter of animals who are at risk of being abused and neglected.”

To find out more about desexing your companion animal, visit www.spca.nz or your local vet.