Cute kittens in need of a home

Last week it was puppies, but now it's raining kittens at Unanderra's RSPCA shelter.While most of the puppies seized from a southern NSW puppy farm now have families to call their own, these cute, playful kittens are waiting for their chance at a happy ending.In the midst of cat breeding season, Unanderra RSPCA branch manager Judith Wright said summer was a challenging time for shelter staff desperate to find homes for every animal."Cats breed twice over the summer," she said. "We've had our first wave and in another two or three months we'll have another one so we do need to rehome these kittens to make room for the next wave."Involved with the RSPCA for more than 14 years, Mrs Wright said her job would be far less heartbreaking if owners acted responsibly and took their pet to a vet."People just don't get them desexed," she said. "If a cat has a litter of four kittens and then another litter of four kittens the same season, that's eight more cats that could potentially each have eight more kittens the next season. A single cat could be responsible for up to 400,000 kittens in its lifetime."With an excess of kittens already in desperate need of loving homes, Mrs Wright said there was no need for cat owners to allow their cats to breed or to put their pet's health in jeopardy."There is an old myth that females should have one litter before they're desexed but there is no reason at all for it," she said."Male cats that aren't desexed tend to spray and they are also subject to more cancers later in life."