THE South East Animal Welfare League has appealed to people not to dump unwanted cats and kittens on roadsides or at its premises, arguing it was particularly cruel in hot weather.
This follows a number of felines being placed in a pillow case and dumped along Riddoch Highway in hot conditions.
It is also believed a number of kittens may have been tossed over the animal charity’s fence recently given they were found inside the premises.
The news comes as the league has been forced to put a waiting list on the number of cats at its facility that need to be re-homed.
League operations coordinator Caitlin Mellor urged people to stop dumping unwanted cats and compelled people to desex their felines.
“We had some cats that were brought in after a person found a pillow case along the highway near the league,” Ms Mellor said.
“They saw someone pull up and throw something on the side of the road and he thought it was a bit suspicious so he checked – there were some cats and kittens inside the pillow case.”
While they were brought to the league, she said the facility was full at the time and they were later handed over to Wet Noses.
She said this incident was particularly concerning given it was a hot day.
And in another incident, Mr Mellor said a number of kittens were likely thrown over the league’s fence during hot conditions.
She said the kittens were found inside the premises, which meant they were likely dumped over the fence.
“We checked the security cameras, but we could not see anything,” Ms Mellor said.
Asked why people were dumping cats, she said there appeared to be a high number of free cats on social media.
“If they are not desexing them and they are wandering the streets, there are going to be litters.”
Ms Mellor said the league had now started a waiting list for people who want to surrender a cat or a litter of kittens.
“We put them on our waiting list and when we have some adoptions and have space, we will give people a ring.”
Ms Mellor sad there was only a small fee for people who want to provide a cat a home.
“This helps us with flea treatment, veterinarian bills and food,” Ms Mellor said.
She said the league now had a limit of 20 cats and kittens at one time.
“We have had over 40 at one time last year – this number is hard because we had a few come down with ring worm and cat flu,” Ms Mellor said.
She said housing cats at the facility was expensive given they were more likely to get sick than dogs.
Ms Mellor said reducing the number of cats had led to some cash savings for the league given its kitty litter bill was now halved.
“It was around $1000 a month because we were getting a palette load – we have now got it down to half.”
Ms Mellor called on people to consider giving a cat a home as long as they have approval from the landlord if they were renting and have considered the long term impact on their family life.
There are currently 11 cats that need a new home.
