The SPCA is appealing for help with finding homes for the hundreds of pets abandoned by people going on holiday.
The organisation's chief executive, Robyn Kippenberger, says the SPCA in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch is currently having to find homes for an average of 160 such animals a day.
She says many people fail to make alternative arrangements for their pets when they go away on holiday.
In Auckland alone the SPCA has been receiving more than 100 animals daily since the start of this month; Wellington's figure of up to 35 a day is also above average; and Christchurch is dealing with about 30 every day.
Ms Kippenberger says she's shocked by the numbers and appalled that people treat the organisation as a halfway house for the animals. Parents ask children to invest their time and love in a pet, she says, only to treat it as disposable.
