Callout for foster carers as post-COVID animal surrenders surge

"There's always a large number of animals that need assistance, but it feels like the numbers are going up for sure," said Lisa Brittin, Operations Manager at Maggie's Rescue in Marrickville.

"There's just been so much change over the past few years and people's circumstances change; they may not be able to afford to live where they have been living and have to move to a unit where they can't have pets. It definitely has a huge impact on the amount of animals coming through."

Ms Brittin said last year when people were working from home the organisation saw a "big surge" in the number of foster carers available.

However, with lockdown over and workers returning to the office it was "struggling to keep up" with the number of animals waiting to come into care and looking for foster homes where pets are looked after until permanent owners are found.

"At the beginning of lockdown everyone wanted to get involved, get a dog or foster kittens. There were huge numbers, we almost didn't have enough animals for the number of foster homes on offer," she said.

"That's definitely drifted now and it makes it tricky, because we lost a huge number of carers."

The number of animals looking for homes and carers always increases in spring to summer, which is considered "kitten season". According to the RSPCA, in just two years, a pair of undesexed cats can lead to 20,000 kittens.

Kristina Vesk, CEO of the Cat Protection Society in Newtown, said climate change and extreme weather events had an impact on homeless cat populations.

"Unseasonably warm winters and long mild autumns can extend the breeding season, but events like cold-snaps and flooding rain can be fatal for young kittens and even older cats without food and shelter," she said.

The Cat Protection Society is also on the lookout for foster carers. Ms Vesk said the past two years had been an "exceptionally challenging time" for animal rescue organisations.

"Unfortunately too many pounds, shelters and rescue groups are stretched beyond capacity; by adopting a cat you are literally saving a life and freeing up room for another cat in need."

Maggie's Rescue say "fostering can be flexible" and you don't need to have a "huge amount" of experience with pets to be eligible to become a carer.

"All you really need is a place that allows pets and the pet to be allowed access inside as part of the family," Ms Brittin said.

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