Christmas joyless for some pets | Canterbury News | Local News in Canterbury

Christmas might have been a happy time for many, but for some cats and dogs their festive season was spent behind bars at the SPCA. The shelter in Wilmers Rd, Hornby, is again packed with unwanted pets, for whom the SPCA is desperately trying to find homes. Shelter manager Sean Anderson said the sudden rise in abandoned animals around Christmas/New Year was mainly due to lack of planning by pet owners. "A lot of people don't make provisions while they're away," he said. The other reason for the rise was kitten season. Cat owners were not getting their cats neutered and found themselves unprepared when a litter of kittens appeared in their homes. Kittens have been abandoned all across the city, some left in boxes, at rivers and in one extreme case, thrown out of a moving car over the holiday season, Anderson said. "We've had kittens abandoned just about anywhere." Anderson said that owning a pet was a "long-term commitment" and had two valuable pieces of advice for all pet owners.

"Definitely the most prudent piece of advice is to plan ahead. Make provisions at a kennel to get your pet boarded," he said. The second thing was to get their pets neutered to prevent being suddenly caught with a litter of kittens. "It's not a pleasant experience trying to re-home them," said Anderson. Although he expected that more pets are likely to come through in January, the busiest time of the year was over. "It will be a problem, but hopefully it will taper off. The festive season is drawing to a close. We've climbed a mountain and are on the downhill side now," said Anderson. Anyone wanting a pet for 2005 can make a cat or dog's day by adopting one from the SPCA? Phone the shelter on 349-7057 or visit it on Wilmers Rd, Hornby.