Christmas cat-astrophe

By Bridget Brady
THE Pearcedale RSPCA has been swamped with surrendered pets post festive season.
Owners have relinquished 55 kittens and eight puppies to the animal shelter since Christmas, and many of these have been handed in as a result of an unwanted Christmas gift.
Shelter supervisor Sarah Mannock said while pets seemed to be an ideal Christmas gift, their new owners often surrendered them shortly after for various reasons.
“A pet is a common gift at Christmas, but puppies or kittens don’t necessarily suit all lifestyles,” Ms Mannock said.
“Puppies and kittens are cute but they also require a lot of time. Puppies need walks and a few meals a day when they are young.
“People have to consider if the person they are giving an animal to has enough time, room and resources to care for it.”
Ms Mannock said an animal was the one gift that should never be a surprise.
“Don’t keep it a surprise, involve the person. Come out and meet the animal. “You most definitely need to be careful. I have had people tell me this year that they had no idea they were getting a pet.”
While puppies and kittens were usually most common animals people surrendered after Christmas and the New Year, Ms Mannock said 32 dogs and 14 cats have also been handed in to the shelter since 25 December.
“It’s hard to put a number on how many of these are unwanted gifts because some people don’t like to tell you why.
“But it’s not just young animals. Some people do give older animals as gifts because it suits the slower lifestyle of some.”
Despite the disappointment of witnessing the result of poor gift choices, Ms Mannock said she did not want to discourage people from giving up their pets if they were unable to care for them.
“There may be occasions when the conditions of landlords do not allow pets.
“We are happy when people hand them in on these occasions because the pets don’t have a lot of room to move.”
Another common reason for surrendering pets this year was people’s lack of resources, Ms Mannock said.
She said many people have told that they have struggled to cope with the cost of keeping a pet, especially veterinary care and purchasing food.
Ms Mannock said it was important that people got their pets micro chipped at their local vet or at the Pearcedale RSPCA. “It saves so much heartbreak.”