A new charity has been given a leg up to go mobile with a $10,000 grant from the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board to purchase and brand a vehicle.
Coast to Coast Cat Rescue, which was originally part of Bay of Islands Animal Rescue, is now a stand-alone organisation that rehomes stray and abandoned cats and kittens and encourages responsible cat ownership.
The $10,000 grant will be used to purchase, sign-write and ‘kit out’ a vehicle to transport kittens and cats in need. The charity promotes desexing to control cat populations and microchipping. It is currently running a free desexing and microchipping programme for 300 Northland cats in collaboration with SPCA and the Bay of Islands Vets.
The cat rescue organisation is run by volunteers with a network of foster carers who step in to shelter the homeless cats and kittens while permanent homes are found, Far North District Council said in a statement.
“The charity also helps to control ‘cat colonies’ which can form when unneutered cats reproduce communities of unwanted cats. The organisation was formed at the end of last year,” it said.
