Pet rescuers are bracing themselves for an influx of abandoned pets as lockdown restrictions lift and the Christmas season draws near.
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One of them is Best Friends Pet Rescue foster carer Jade Tottle, who has just taken in a litter of kittens that were abandoned earlier this week.
She is confident she will soon find loving homes for all of them, given how cute they are, but is worried that more might be on the horizon.
"I reckon as soon as it all eases up and everyone goes back to work, we're probably going to get a whole lot, but it's so important that they at least get them desexed," Ms Tottle said.
"It's just a couple of hundred dollars to prevent having babies without a home."
She said she is "heart-broken" every year to see the abandoned pets following Christmas, and she is urging would-be owners to think carefully before making the decision to get a pet.
Fellow foster carer Bailey Porter is also putting the message out there that pets are for life, not just for lockdown or Christmas.
"Unfortunately a lot of people buy puppies for Christmas presents and we then see the aftermath of that come January-February," she said.
"Don't surprise someone with a puppy - think through the process a little more so we don't see them needing rescue in the next three months after Christmas."
She said it was currently kitten season, and they were expecting to see more litters abandoned in the weeks leading up to December.
However, on the plus side she has noticed more people adopting pets throughout the months of lockdown as more people take on a furry companion during self-isolation.
"We've seen an increase in pets being adopted, but also a decrease in pets being rehomed," Ms Porter said.
"More people have more time to spend with their pets and are not needing to rehome them, which is really good to see."
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