Cat Rescue Christchurch

30/08/2024

Are you an experienced fosterer? Our cats and kittens really need your help!

The kittens Cat Rescue Christchurch takes on are mostly unsocial kittens that have been born outside and have had little or no human contact. Taking on kittens like this for rehoming is hard work and cannot be done without our amazing volunteers in foster homes. As a volunteer foster, you will help us socialise these kittens, turning them around into lovely companion pets.

Do you have space in your home to temporarily house a kitten until he or she is ready for a new home? And the time to spend playing with and socialising a kitten, who might be very timid or untrusting to start with? We are happy to provide equipment, food and when available litter and all the advice and support you would need.

We also need foster homes for friendly adult cats & teens, or those we rescue that we have assessed as being able to be socialised, and are keen to hear from experienced foster parents in this regard. You need to be confident dealing with hissy, spicy or timid teens and adult cats and have the time to spend socialising them. As older cats are sometimes harder to find homes for (especially in kitten season), you will need to be prepared to foster them for longer periods of time.

Important Note: You need to own your own home or have permission from your landlord to have cats, even on a short term foster basis.

If you would like to get involved, we want to hear from you! Please fill in the volunteer form at https://catrescue.org.nz/volunteer/ and the Foster Manager will be in touch.

29/08/2024

The Cat's Meow!

Did you know that cats meow only to humans, not to each other? It's their way of communicating with people. Kittens meow to let their mother know they’re cold or hungry, but once they get a bit older, cats no longer meow to other cats. They continue to meow to people throughout their lives.

10 Reasons Cats Meow:

1) I’m hurt – If your cat suddenly begins to meow excessively, take him or her to be evaluated by a veterinarian immediately. Your cat’s meows may indicate that there is something medically wrong, especially if the behavior isn’t typical. “Numerous diseases can cause a cat to feel hunger, thirst, or pain, all of which can lead to excessive meowing,” advises Web MD.
2) I'm just saying hi – Often a cat meows to his or her human when you come home, says the ASPCA website, or even to greet you when you see each other in the house.
3) I want food – The “I’m hungry” meow is likely one all cat parents know well. “Lots of cats know just how to tell their families that it’s time for dinner,” says pet blogger, Jane Harrell. “My cat Mojo would run around after me, meowing the whole time if she thought dinner was going to be late.”
4) Pay attention to me – Sometimes cats talk simply because they want your attention – and they learn that meowing gets them just that. “Cats often meow to initiate play, petting or to get you to talk to them,” explains Web MD.
5) Let me in - “If a door is closed, cats might meow to get you to open it for them,” says Harrell. “I have a foster cat who meows every time I close the bedroom door. She doesn’t want to come in – she just doesn’t like having it closed.”
6) I’m in heat – A female cat in heat might yowl incessantly, says Moore. “Another good reason for spaying!” she adds.
7) I’m stressed – According to Web MD, cats who are stressed may become more vocal than normal. You may have experienced this first hand with a cat meowing loudly in the car on the way to the vet, for example
8) I’m ticked off – “Angry, agitated cats will often erupt into a screaming match if they feel threatened enough to attack,” says Moore. She describes this mad meow sound as more of a yowl.
9) I don’t want to be alone – According to The Ohio State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine’s Indoor Pet Initiative, when some cats are left alone for lengthy periods of time, they may become anxious and, among other things, meow excessively.
10) I’m getting older – “Increased vocalization is fairly common in senior cats,” says Dr. Arnold Plotnick of Manhattan Cats and veterinary expert to catchannel.com. As cats age, Dr. Plotnick explains, they may display a decrease in cognitive function, demonstrated in a variety of ways, including loud meowing.

Credit to: ASPCA and Petfinder

26/08/2024

We are very excited to announce that Cat Rescue Christchurch has joined the Vet Post Fur-raising Program!

You can now support us simply by purchasing your pet supplies and products online at Vet Post. Every time you shop at Vet Post using our unique link, a percentage of the sale will be donated to our group.

It's an easy way to get the best for your pets while supporting our cause. Thank you for your continued support!

https://www.vetpost.co.nz/?linkId=lp_299255&sourceId=catrescuechristchurch&tenantId=vetpost

PS, Please make sure you use the above link to access the VetPost ordering website, which codes to us. Feel free to share it with your friends and family too!

24/08/2024

Have a great weekend everyone!

Credit: "off the mark" comic by Mark Parisi

23/08/2024

Selwyn Pet Expo was amazing! We had a stall at this inaugural event on 11th August. Thank you to our wonderful volunteers for their help with setting up, packing down and running the stall, thank you to our crafters for the beautiful products, and thank you to all who supported us! We raised $745 for Cat Rescue Christchurch.

22/08/2024

We have an Instagram page! Follow us there too! cat_rescue_christchurch

21/08/2024

Continuing our Wednesday series of cat tips and advice. Today's post is about cat beds.

Our foster homes do an amazing job when getting our rescued cats and kittens ready for adoption, but as an adopter, you will need to consider the resources you offer your new family member in their new home.

When it comes to cat beds, provide open and hidden options so your cat always has a choice. In a multi-cat household, ensure there are ample options for everyone.

Timid cats often like beds that provide a little concealment, because this provides security. This way, they remain hidden while they evaluate what's going on in the environment and it also prevents them from being ambushed from behind.

Credit: Pam Johnson-Bennett of Cat Behaviour Associates

20/08/2024

We have a gorgeous bonded pair of mini panthers looking for their forever home!
BB and Char: 9 months old

BB and Char are two sweet sisters who are also best friends. They love doing everything together from sleeping, to playing, to following their humans around.
BB has a fondness for fluffy toys and will quite often carry them around in her mouth with Char in hot pursuit. The kittens are comfortable around other cats and dogs.
They are a little shy at first so would suit a home with older or no kids.

All our cats are: Desexed; Wormed; Flea-treated; Vaccinated; Microchipped and
come with a Collar and ID tag.

We ask for an adoption fee of $250 per kitten to help cover our costs.

If you would like to offer BB and Char a forever home, please fill in our adoption form
http://www.catrescue.org.nz/adoption-form/

19/08/2024

We received this wonderful adoption update from a family who adopted a teenage kitty who did not like to be touched - see how far she's come with this lovely video!

"I adopted Empress Tillie (Tilley) October 2022 at about 18 months old.
She did not like to be touched! I knew it would take time or maybe never change.

In June 2024 we had a breakthrough, she couldn’t be bothered moving away anymore. We now enjoy stroking and neck rubs on her terms but with ever diminishing resistance. Hearing her purr is amazing.

I’m so happy I could give this beautiful girl the time she needed and deserved.

Thank you for allowing me to adopt the perfect cat for me, I knew what I was taking on and am so glad I did. Empress Tillie also thanks you."

We love hearing from our adopters! Please send your update with a couple of photos to [email protected] We do not reveal your name or contact details on social media.

18/08/2024

A good idea for the next office meeting!

We love Scott Metzger Cartoons

16/08/2024

Saturday August 17 2024
Today is International Homeless Animals' Day - a crucial time to raise awareness about the countless animals in need of loving homes.

Here are three ways you can help:
1. Donate
Shelters and rescues play a big role in spaying and neutering/caring for homeless animals, mitigating cat overpopulation. If you cannot donate financially, donate your time and volunteer to help!
Visit our donation page at https://catrescue.org.nz/donate/ and our volunteer page at https://catrescue.org.nz/volunteer/

2. Spay or Neuter Your Pet Cat and Encourage Others to Do the Same
Spaying or neutering is a simple way to reduce animal abandonment rates, improve the health and longevity of your cat, decrease the overall cost of care, and prevent the deaths/neglect of millions of cats worldwide. SPCA Canterbury is currently running their Snip n Chip campaign across Canterbury - see https://desexing.spca.nz/

3. Adopt or Foster
With overpopulation often a burden on cat rescues, volunteering your home and your time by fostering one or more cats for a few weeks can make a world of difference. Even if you can’t commit to permanent adoption, fostering is a viable way to support us! Visit https://catrescue.org.nz/volunteer/ to view how you can volunteer and for the link to the Volunteer Form.

Together, we can make a difference!

16/08/2024

Alyssa and Nate, you rock! This wonderful couple own and run Catnap Cafe. Show them your appreciation by booking in for a session with the kitties. 🐈‍⬛

For Alyssa O'Connor and Nate Ball cats are their whole lives. Their cat cafe in Christchurch, where customers drink coffee while cats play around them, has resulted in 182 felines finding their forever homes. And for their dedication to the plight of homeless cats in Christchurch Alyssa and Nate are...

15/08/2024

Lucy: 12 months old

Lucy (Lucy Goose) is the smooch Queen. She is all about the pats and the snuggles.
After rubbing up against you, she’ll flop over for belly rubs. She’s not a “lap cat” but I suspect given time she would be more than happy to take the extra step. She has the sweetest little “meow”, and will inspect inside the pantry for goodies.

Lucy is currently fostered in a very busy household with two adults, two kids, two dogs and another young cat. During the day she prefers to keep to herself, and snooze in her favourite spot, but at night (when it’s quieter) she comes out for a chat and lots of smooches.

When she is comfortable, Lucy will chase cat toys and collect them under the table.
Lucy is still a little bit wary of sudden noises but doesn’t run far and will come back when she feels she’s safe.

Whilst she is currently being fostererd in a very busy home with children, other cats and dogs, the absolute ideal home for Lucy would be a quiet home with no other pets or children. You’d be rewarded with maximum snuggles and meows.

All our cats are: Desexed; Wormed; Flea-treated; Vaccinated; Microchipped and
come with a Collar and ID tag.

We ask for an adoption fee of $150 for Lucy to help cover our costs.

If you would like to offer Lucy a forever home, please fill in our adoption form at:
http://www.catrescue.org.nz/adoption-form/

14/08/2024

We are reposting information about SPCA discounted spay and neuter in Canterbury as Meta has been systematically removing any shared posts (and even removed posts from SPCA's own pages where they'd posted). Trying again with this information, in the hopes that it can be shared by you to friends and family who need help with getting their cats fixed.

SPCA SNIP ‘N’ CHIP - CANTERBURY!

For cat owners in Christchurch, Ashburton, Hurunui, Rangiora, Leeston, Methven, and other neighbouring areas.

From 7 August 2024, vouchers for cat fixing and microchipping for $30

To check whether the vouchers are available for your area and to book, please go to the SPCA website https://desexing.spca.nz/

09/08/2024

Reminder: Selwyn Pet Expo!

Tomorrow (Sunday) 11 August from 10 am - 4pm at the West Melton Community and Recreation Centre. We will have a stall there.

Event details at https://www.facebook.com/events/1190583858643079

08/08/2024

August 8 2024
It’s International Cat Day today, and this is something to be very excited about!

UPDATED August 14 2024: Meta removed the post from SPCA Canterbury pages so I have updated our post with relevant details (and reposting this evening too). Perhaps certain words have triggered it.

SPCA SNIP ‘N’ CHIP - CANTERBURY!
For cat owners in Christchurch, Ashburton, Hurunui, Rangiora, Leeston, Methven, and other neighbouring areas.

From 7 August 2024, vouchers for cat fixing and microchipping for $30

To check whether the vouchers are available for your area and to book, please go to the SPCA website https://desexing.spca.nz/

07/08/2024

An important message about spaying and neutering your pet cats and kittens:

All over NZ, cat rescues are struggling to cope with an overwhelming number of unwanted cats and kittens. How can YOU help Cat Rescue Christchurch (and all other cat rescues in NZ)?

1) Be part of the solution by ensuring your male and female cats are sterilised before they are able to sire or have kittens. This means getting your kittens fixed by the age of 4 months old, and getting your adult cats fixed as soon as possible if they have not already been snipped.

If you are struggling to afford to desex your pet cat, and live in Canterbury, you can apply to Cats Protection League Canterbury for their "Feline Fix" program - details, terms and conditions at https://www.cats.org.nz/felinefix/

2) Adopt your pet cat or kitten from a reputable rescue or organisation that has spayed/neutered, microchipped, vaccinated, flea and worm treated, and vet checked cats and kittens before they are adopted. That "free" kitten, or kitten you bought from that backyard breeder who is selling kittens but taking no responsibility for their vet care or getting them fixed beforehand, will cost you more in the long run as, if you are going to be a responsible pet parent, you will need to get all these things done yourself.

All our kittens and cats for adoption are desexed, microchipped, vet checked, vaccinated, flea and worm treated, and come with a collar and ID tag; the adoption fee only covers some of these costs. We are committed to making sure our rescued cats and kittens go to good homes where they will be cherished as part of the family.

06/08/2024

Join us at the first ever Selwyn Pet Expo!

This Sunday 11 August from 10 am - 4pm at the West Melton Community and Recreation Centre. We will have a stall there.

Event details at https://www.facebook.com/events/1190583858643079

05/08/2024

Volunteer Foster Homes Needed!

The kittens Cat Rescue Christchurch takes on are mostly unsocial kittens that have been born outside and have had little or no human contact. Taking on kittens like this for rehoming is hard work and cannot be done without our amazing volunteers in foster homes. As a volunteer foster, you will help us socialise these kittens, turning them around into lovely companion pets.

Do you have space in your home to temporarily house a kitten until he or she is ready for a new home? And the time to spend playing with and socialising a kitten, who might be very timid or untrusting to start with? We are happy to provide equipment, food and litter and all the advice and support you would need.

We also need foster homes for friendly adult cats & teens, or those we rescue that we have assessed as being able to be socialised, and are keen to hear from experienced foster parents in this regard. You need to be confident dealing with hissy, spicy or timid teens and adult cats and have the time to spend socialising them. As older cats are sometimes harder to find homes for (especially in kitten season), you will need to be prepared to foster them for longer periods of time.

Important Note: You need to own your own home or have permission from your landlord to have cats, even on a short term foster basis.

If you would like to get involved, we want to hear from you! Please fill in the volunteer form at https://catrescue.org.nz/volunteer/ and the Foster Manager will be in touch.

02/08/2024

REMINDER - We have a collection at New World Rolleston today! Come and see us there! Thank you to all the volunteers who are doing the collection today.

And a huge thanks to New World Rolly who is a long time supporter of Cat Rescue!

02/08/2024

Help Catnap Cafe celebrate their 6th birthday!

Catnap is one of our partners, they provide a home and promote adoption for our Cat Rescue kittens and we send them very warm congratulations on this milestone.

https://www.facebook.com/catnapcafe/posts/900200575478474

It's Catnap’s sixth birthday today! 🥳 To celebrate and say thank you for all the support, we’re running a special birthday promo! 🎉

Make a booking any time in the next week using the code ‘CN6BDAY’ and get $6 off per person! Bookings can be for any session from now until Sunday 11th August and you can make as many bookings as you like! Book at catnapcafe.co.nz/bookings 🎟️

We’re so incredibly grateful to everyone who has visited us over the past year, thanks for being a part of Catnap’s sixth year! We also want to say a huge thank you to all of our staff, volunteers and adopters! You guys are honestly the best 😊 To Cat Rescue Christchurch, thank you for everything, we would not be able to do what do without you ❤️

Here’s to another year of cats! We have some exciting news and plans for the upcoming year which we will share more about soon but we will say, it involves MORE CATS! 🐈‍⬛🐈🐈‍⬛🐈🐈‍⬛

01/08/2024

We have a collection at New World Rolleston on Saturday 3rd August! Come and see us there!

A HUGE thanks to all the volunteers who will be doing the collection - all time slots are covered!

And another huge thanks to New World Rolleston who is a long-time supporter of Cat Rescue Christchurch, with a donation box for monetary donations as well as a donation bin for food and litter for our rescue cats and kittens. Please support the organisations that support us: it makes such a difference!

31/07/2024

We often get asked by adopters what is the best way to introduce one of our rescue cats and kittens to an existing cat. Here's some good advice: https://catbehaviorassociates.com/how-to-introduce-a-second-cat/

Credit: Cat Behavior Associates, Pam Johnson-Bennett

30/07/2024

A huge thank you to Woolworths Rangiora for giving us a donation bin to use.

We’re sharing the space with our friends at Christchurch Bull Breed Rescue, so you can pop any cat/dog donations in there.

Please support businesses that support us, it makes all the difference.

27/07/2024

Hope you are having a good weekend!

Cartoon Credit: "off the mark" comic by Mark Parisi

26/07/2024

Reminder: Discount Microchipping Day is tomorrow.
Saturday 27 July from 10am - 2pm
One cat $30, second and subsequent cats (all belonging to same owner) $25 each

You need to email your RSVP to [email protected] with approximate time of arrival so we can provide you with an address. (This is being held at a volunteer's house so we will not reveal her address on social media.)

See event information for details: https://fb.me/e/huOsSfqEt

25/07/2024

We have a gorgeous bonded pair of mini panthers looking for their forever home!

BB and Char: 8 months old
BB and Char are two sweet sisters who are also best friends. They love doing everything together from sleeping, to playing, to following their humans around.
BB has a fondness for fluffy toys and will quite often carry them around in her mouth with Char in hot pursuit. The kittens are comfortable around other cats and dogs.
They are a little shy at first so would suit a home with older or no kids.

All our cats are: Desexed; Wormed; Flea-treated; Vaccinated; Microchipped and
come with a Collar and ID tag.

We ask for an adoption fee of $250 per kitten to help cover our costs.

If you would like to offer BB and Char a forever home, please fill in our adoption form
http://www.catrescue.org.nz/adoption-form/

24/07/2024

We love cats and want to help you understand your cat better. Welcome to the first of a weekly set of posts about cat behaviour.

This post is about changes in your cat's behaviour, and Pam Johnson-Bennett, a renowned cat behaviour expert, has the following advice.

"Very often, the first sign of a medical issue will be a change in behavior. Because cats are such creatures of habit, pay attention to even subtle changes - it could be a red flag that something is going on internally. Changes in personality, activity level, appetite, drinking, grooming, litterbox habits, vocalisation, mean a vet check-up is needed"

Credit: Cat Behaviour Associates, Pam Johnson-Bennett

23/07/2024

A lovely adoption update!

"I wanted to share an update about Maggie, adopted a few months ago. Maggie is now named Leela. She is a very small cat, compared to the one we already have at home, but she was able to establish her authority. Or that's what she thinks because our other cat is very nice to her!

They both fell in love with each other right away, they play, cuddle, eat and drink together. Leela is a VERY cheeky girl always looking for some food to steal. Never leave anything unattended! She is very intelligent, half cat half Retriever, she fetches her toys and brings them to us all the time.

She is a velcro cat, ALWAYS around us (we have tripped multiple times...), she wants to know everything and see everything we do. She licks and bites toes, and she purrs like a tractor. She has a 6 month old baby at home to play with, and she says hello to him every morning with her gentle meowing and purrs.

She is very well loved at home."

We love hearing from our adopters, and hearing how our rescued cats and kittens are settling into their new homes. We also want to thank our awesome foster parents who socialise our rescues in their own homes and get them ready for adoption.

If you'd like your adoption update to feature on our FB page, please send it to [email protected] with a couple of photos. We don't reveal your name or contact details on social media.