If looking after a fluffy friend free of charge for a short term sounds like something you’re interested in, Tauranga SPCA desperately needs your help.

During summer and the festive period the doors of SPCA don’t close, there are always animals to save. However, there is only a certain amount of space.

Tauranga SPCA currently has 60 animals in the centre’s care, said animal attendant and volunteer co-ordinator Bethany Thomson. And during summer the number rapidly increases, especially due to kitten season.

Thomson said last January they had 296 animals in their care – and they really struggled because there were not enough fosterers.

“Kitten season is usually November-May, but we’re finding that it’s lasting longer, so it’s more like the end of September to June,” said Thomson.

“Last kitten season – October 2023-June 2024 – we had 834 kittens come into our centre.”

This puts a massive pressure on the shelter as the fewer fosterers they have, the less room they have available in the shelter, which means there’s no space to bring more at-risk animals into their care.

“Fosterers relieve the pressure on the shelter. The more fosterers we have, the more animals we can take in.”

‘Sooke’ is a female four-month-old kitten is reserved with new people but once she settles is smoochy and sweet. Photo/ David Hall.

And what better way to get into the Christmas spirit of giving, than giving a fluffy friend a second chance at life?

To be an SPCA fosterer all you have to do is provide a safe, loving and comfortable environment for animals to experience life outside of the shelter, Thomson said. There is no financial cost to fosterers as everything they need to care for the animal is provided by SPCA.

Fostering is a great option for those considering adoption but keen to get a taster of pet ownership before they commit, said Thomson.

“Our SPCA teams are always on hand to provide guidance and assistance to our fosterers when needed.

“It’s massively rewarding. You’re taking something in that was very sick or very young and you’re actively helping them and watching them develop. You’ve given them their chance,” said Thomson.

“You can help save the life of an animal by becoming a fosterer. We currently have 20 dog fosterers and 28 cat fosterers. For the number of animals we see in the shelter, we would like to recruit another 20 cat fosterers and at least 15 puppy fosterers.”

Every fostering applicant goes through a screening process. For more information, and to sign up, visit www.spca.nz/foster today.