Animal Rehab Central’s (ARC) Shirlene Steel is happy that Kitten season has returned to the typical months after starting as late as January and running through until July in recent years.

Shirlene said she expects kittens to come in October, November and December, but for the past few years, they’ve been turning up in the winter months.

“There have been no kittens on the ground in, you know when they’re supposed to be, and then we’ve been getting lots of kittens from January right through to the middle of winter, and it’s not ideal.

“We probably homed about five litters before Christmas (2022), and over the Christmas New Year period, it’s slowed up a bit,” Shirlene said.

There are just eight kittens at ARC at the moment, and Shirlene has good advice for anyone interested in getting a new kitten for companionship or the family. 

Hissy the kitten

“Well, put it this way, people are better off getting a kitten through us and paying the $200.00 because these kittens will be fully vaccinated, microchipped and desexed.” 

Her advice is not to get a free kitten because “it’s going to cost people an arm and a leg”. 

“That’s when the desexing doesn’t happen, and people go, oh God, we can’t afford that, and the kitten problem begins again with a new generation of non-desexed cats.

“There’s no way they’ll get all that done at a vet for the $200 we ask for a kitten at ARC,” she said. 

Many kittens that come to ARC are from feral cats that drop their kittens at somebody’s back door. 

If you own a cat you should be aware of the risks to New Zealand’s native birds. Forest and Bird and the RNZSPCA have made a fact sheet that includes tips on how to reduce your cat’s hunting birds and other native wildlife. Find it here.

ARC is a charity that aims to provide care and rehabilitation for the region’s animals in need. Find more information here.

If you want to support ARC or foster or adopt a kitten, please get in touch with ARC via email.