Ten Lives Cat Shelter in Hobart is putting out an urgent call for help as they grapple with an overwhelming influx of cats and kittens.
The shelter is currently providing care for more than 220 cats, with 20 new arrivals from the public just yesterday.
CEO Noel Hunt says that while they have 180 foster carers already on board, they are in desperate need of another 30 to 40 to share the load.
“In Tasmania there’s a very different kitten season that runs from November through to around late May, early June,” he said.
“And it really puts pressure on the cat management facilities, Ten Lives here in Hobart and Just Cats in the north.”
“So it’s quite common to be in this problem where we’re really calling on the public to give us a hand.”
According to Hunt, there are various reasons why families surrender their cats, including a lack of suitable rental accommodation, the cost of care and changes in circumstances.
“There’s a whole range of reasons and we need to be there to help that,” he said.
“There’s also still a lot of unplanned letters and those sorts of things that goes on, and we of course have to deal with that.”
During the winter, Ten Lives typically takes in around 100 cats a month.
However, at this time of the year, that number increases to between 200 and 300.
Foster carer Georgina Gallagher says that it can be stressful for a cat or kitten to move house.
“They need a little bit of time to get used to their new surroundings, get used to new people and learn how to trust us,” she said.
“But I find food goes a long way to building bridges with cats and kittens.”
“And I always make sure I have a spot in the house that’s quiet and easy to clean and accessible for me to spend time with the cats or kittens until they trust us.”
Gallagher says that every cat or kitten that gets adopted from Ten Lives is one less on the streets.
“It’s really worthwhile,” she said.
