What Can We Help With?
I've got a welfare concern
If you have concerns about an animal being neglected or treated with cruelty, please contact your nearest SPCA centre.
SPCA is the organisation tasked with upholding the Animal Welfare Act 1999 in New Zealand, and are the only ones with legal powers.
If you have no luck, please contact us and we’ll see what we can do.
Somebody abandoned a cat
Abandoning (deserting – see s 14 Animal Welfare Act 1999) a cat is an offense but unfortunately it happens all of the time for many different reasons.
In the first instance, contact your nearest SPCA centre. It is important to note that language can be important – the cat has been deserted, and you have not fed them.
If you have no luck via this avenue, get in touch and we’ll see if we can help.
I've found a friendly stray cat or kittens
The first step is to make sure they’re actually stray. A stray cat doesn’t have an owner or anybody to look after them.
Have a chat to your neighbours, and if they don’t belong to any of your neighbours, you can pop them into any vet clinic or shelter to be checked for a microchip at no cost.
If they’re not microchipped, the next steps are to pop a paper collar on them to see if anybody responds, and to advertise them as found. Create a free found pet listing on the LostPet website and share it to your local community pages on social media. The New Zealand Lost Pet Register on Facebook also has a huge reach.
If after seven days you haven’t been able to find their guardian or owner, please get in touch to organise a time to bring them into the shelter.
If they are vulnerable (very young, very old, sick, or injured) bring them in immediately and we’ll care for them while we find out where they belong.
My cat had kittens. Can you help?
Sure can! We can take in all of your kittens, and point you in the direction of affordable desexing for your māmā cat if you need a hand. Get in touch to make a plan.
I'd like to rehome mine or a family member's cat. They're not desexed
Get in touch to see if we’re in a position to help.
We love helping but in order to stay afloat financially, we do ask that you make a small contribution if you’re in the position to do so. This helps offset what the charity will have to spend on them before they’re adopted into a new whānau (food, litter, vet checks, desexing, vaccination, microchipping etc.).
I'd like to rehome mine or a family member's cat. They're desexed
Unfortunately, unless they were adopted from us or there are special circumstances (e.g. you’re fleeing domestic violence), we’re unable to help with this sort of cat as we prioritise animals with an immediate need.
Desexed cats can be privately rehomed responsibly so we do encourage you to try this first. After all, you know them better than anybody else. Reach out to friends and family and advertise on Trademe.
If the cat has been adopted from another rescue or shelter, get in contact with them too as there may be a safety net clause in your adoption contract.
If you are unable to rehome them yourself, please reach out to other shelters and rescues as some will happily take on this sort of cat. You may need to look outside of your immediate area.
I've found an unfriendly/wild cat or kittens and need to catch them
We believe that every shelter has an obligation to help with this sort of cat, but doing so can be complicated. We’re still working out the best way to be able to help while taking into consideration our own resources and also balancing the needs of the animals themselves, the environment, and the community.
In the meantime, traps are available to hire at Hamilton City Council Animal Education and Control.