Animal rescues such as Rescue. Revive. Rehome are experiencing an unprecedented level of requests to find homes for animals.

RRR Feline project manager Liz Proudlock says the increase follows a ‘tough season' of people struggling to cover pet costs due to rising living costs across the board.

This is why RRR Feline is gearing up for their second fundraiser, to be held in Te Puke tomorrow, and have something for everyone – kids and animal enthusiasts alike.

'We'll be running our fundraiser on Saturday, July 2 at Te Puke Memorial Hall, from 9.30am to 2pm. 'We've got a lot of secondhand pet products, plus a lot of businesses are promoting hair products for pets,” says Liz.

'We've got face painting, things for dogs, pet photography, as well as your usual gala stuff. We ran the same fundraiser in May 2021; we want to make it annual if we can.

'RRR Feline is a charity, so we rely on people attending our fundraisers and donating to keep going. 'The general running cost of an animal rescue is extremely high.”

Liz says the last animal rescue season, which began in October 2021, has seen an unprecedented level of requests to find foster homes for animals.

RRR Feline alone has had more than 700 cats come into the rescue during this period, along with 250 dogs and 50 horses.

'We're also finding that the number of adoptions for our rescue has plummeted. It's a sign of the tough times we're in and people really thinking that they can't afford an animal right now.

'It's all about making people aware and educating them about de-sexing animals.

'When we started the rescue, we were taking in about 120 felines per season. That's how much the demand has gone up in such a short amount of time.”

Liz says while RRR feline has become better known, the number of requests for animal homes has far surpassed the number of people willing to adopt them.

'We're hoping the public will come and support us, even if that's just to stop by and have a cup of coffee.

'It will be great to be able to talk to our supporters on social media, who we don't usually get to see, and have an environment place where animal lovers and supporters can come together.

Liz says businesses attending the fundraiser will make a donation towards the animal rescue.

For more information on providing a home for a pet, or the upcoming fundraiser, visit: https://www.facebook.com/RRRFeline