Waimea Weekly
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Wednesday 28 May 2014
Oz comes to town
Page 17-20 Page 12
Demand too much for cat trust Being dumped with 33 unwanted cats and kittens, and threats of euthanasia from cat owners, has forced the closure of a Brightwater-based cat rescue trust. Amanda Lee has been operating the Nelson Cat Rescue and Rehoming Trust for the past four years on top of a full-time job, but she made the decision to close the charitable trust after “the fun had been taken out” of it by irresponsible cat owners. “I had over 33 cats and kittens dumped on me two days prior to Christmas and at that time I still had more people wanting to give me more cats but I had to turn them away,” Amanda says. “But it’s just the attitude of people. They have a problem, they want to get rid of their cat and they try to push that problem onto someone else.” Amanda had funded the charitable trust herself because she wanted to help re-home cats that were in need. “I didn’t want to become a dumping ground for lazy people who haven’t bothered to de-sex their cat, or have a cat then decided they don’t want the poor
Juniors regain cup Page 28
Brightwater man Kyle Paki Paki is one of four men up for a bravery award in the Pride of New Zealand awards. Photo: Philliip Rollo.
Phillip Rollo Reporter
editorial@waimeaweekly.co.nz
thing, and that’s basically what happened. The people I wanted to help were the genuine ones who were trying to find a home but just ran out of time.” Amanda says there had been threats of euthanasia from cat owners. “They said they’d drown the cat and it’s your fault. The rescue was something I set up to look after cats in my own time, just two or three, not 17… I don’t get how someone could dump their family pet in the first place.” Carmen Torrance of the SPCA was sad to hear Amanda’s trust had closed, and says people are too lazy when it comes to re-homing their pets. “People are leaving their pets too readily these days,” she says. “People need to try their best to re-home their own animal before they use an organisation. People are too quick to do that, they’re too lazy. We’re here to help but you need to try your best first, it’s your animal.”
‘Heroes’ up for bravery award Story on page 3
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