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Staff at Canberra's RSPCA are handing select kittens to pet stores to avoid a catastrophic cat surplus, just months after having no cats to give. Only three months ago, the RSPCA had claws for celebration with no cats available for adoption for the first time in at least two decades. But with almost 40 kittens adopted by the RSPCA last week, the carers have had to be more creative in how they cater for their feline friends. Shelter manager Simon Yates said it was unusual to have no cats for adoption, as was the case on a Saturday in September. "On a national level we have the relationship with PetBarn that takes cats and kittens for rehoming on our behalf when we have too many to safely accommodate on site," he said. "Sometimes we send cats that have been here for a long time, to gain exposure to a broader range of people and for a change of scenery. Mr Yates said the RSPCA could accommodate 50 adult cats and 32 kittens on site, and it was easy for the cattery to go from empty to full in a matter of weeks. "The one day we had no available cats for adoption was very unusual," he said. "We just happened on that Saturday to have many people through, and lucky that the 'right' families came along for the animals we had." Mr Yates said all the proceeds from each adoption at a pet store went back to the RSPCA, and PetBarn had been "fantastic supporters" of rehoming animals in the community. "We have trained the staff at PetBarn to ensure consistency in adoption processes and matching with appropriate families." Mr Yates said it was normal to have many animals with the RSPCA because it was kitten season and people often considered adopting an animal during the Christmas season. "In addition, many people are on holidays so it is a great time for people to spend more time with their animals, especially if they are looking to adopt. "We always like people to keep in mind when wanting to adopt a cat [their] longevity, cat containment areas and the effect of roaming cats on our wildlife, the importance of desexing, vaccinations, microchipping, diet, and settling a cat into a new home." In September, RSPCA ACT chief executive Tammy Ven Dange said it was weird not to hear any meows around the office or have cats rubbing up against the front of the kennels. "I was talking to one of our volunteers who has been in the cattery for 20 years, and she couldn't remember a time when we've been out of cats and kittens," she said.

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