If you've been thinking about bringing a feline friend into your home, there's no better time than now.
The SPCA is calling on Kiwis to step up and foster or adopt one of the many, many kittens they have in their care as they've become overwhelmed with the number of animals needing their care.
"There are too many cats, there are too many kittens that need our help and unfortunately, there’s not enough help to go around," SPCA support manager Laura Millar told 1News.
"Ultimately, there isn’t enough space in not just animal shelters like us, but also private rescues across the country to care for everything that comes in."
The SPCA is very used to the influx of fur babies that come through the doors during "kitten season" which usually begins in spring and eases off around March the following year. Still, they struggle to help and house all of them when the numbers get too much.
Now they're asking Aotearoa to open their cat doors (or get one installed) to save a little furry life - or several.
Never fear though, if you can't commit to full-time fur-parenting, fostering a cat is also super helpful.
"Fostering’s a great way to be able to choose to give back to the animals in the community and help them out more when we’re looking for their forever homes while they’re recovering from medical care," Laura Millar said.
Maybe the kids have been bugging you for a pet or you're just keen for snuggles on tap - consider this your sign from the universe.
Not only will you get the warm fuzzies from adopting a kitty, but owning a cat can actually be good for your health.
Patting a cat can have a positive, calming effect, and one study found that over a 10-year period, cat owners were 30 per cent less likely to die of a heart attack than those without cats!
