Calls inundate cat rescuers
A cat rescue group servicing Rockingham and surrounding suburbs received nine phone calls on December 27 alone from people who had found cats and kittens abandoned over Christmas.
Kittens and their mothers were reportedly found in suburbs from Leda to Greenfields and an eight-week-old kitten reportedly walked up to a woman in Warnbro on Boxing Day.
Cat Alliance spokeswoman Christine Yukovich said while it could not be proved the cats were unwanted gifts until investigations had been completed, she was disappointed no one in WA had been prosecuted for animal abandonment.
“Abandonment carries hefty fines by the RSPCA, but I’m yet to see anything come of it,” she said.
“During the holidays cats don’t just get abandoned because they’re unwanted gifts.
“They also get left by owners who don’t want to pay for boarding because they don’t have their priorities right.
“We will put abandoned cats on our Facebook page to see if any other rescue groups across Perth can pick them up and take them, but there’s only so much we can do.”
Mrs Yukovich also runs Feline 5 Star Accommodation in Baldivis where cat owners can pay to have their cats looked after.
She said it was important for people to realise cats were as much of a commitment as dogs.
There were options available for people who felt overwhelmed by cat ownership, so abandonment should never be an option.
