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Warwick Byrnes cradles Blue following the devastating loss of her sister, Frankie.
Deb Dudley says the grief at losing Frankie, right, is unbearable.
An Algies Bay couple is calling for greater regulation of pet boarding facilities after one of their cats died after escaping from a local cattery.
Warwick Byrnes and Deb Dudley left their Ragdoll cats, Frankie and sister Blue, at the Sandspit Road Boarding Cattery for two nights last month while they went to a wedding on Waiheke Island. Around 10.30pm on the second night, Frankie escaped and was killed by a car on the road outside, devastating Deb and Warwick.
“Our girl died while she was in their care. I just don’t want anyone else to go through this,” she said.
“We’re devastated that they were supposed to look after them for two nights and she was killed on the road directly outside the cattery.”
It is thought Frankie pushed open the bottom of a screen door that had an inadequate magnet and then jumped through a stable-type door, the top half of which had been left open to keep the cats cool in hot weather.
Frankie’s body was picked up by a passer-by, who contacted a local cat rescue in the hope of identifying the animal, and they rang the cattery the next morning to let them know a dead cat had been found outside.
However, cattery owner Julia Fraser, who is also a dressage judge, was at a horse show in Helensville that day and wasn’t told about the death by her husband until she returned to Sandspit, just as Deb and Warwick arrived to collect their cats and were searching for Frankie.
Deb feels strongly that more should have been done to identify which cat had died sooner, and that they should have been contacted much earlier.
Mrs Fraser admitted there had been a series of “unfortunate circumstances” that looked very bad.
“It’s really, really horrible, I feel sick about it,” she said. “I’m totally devastated. In fact, I’m closing the cattery. I’m 76, I don’t need this stress. I thought, right, this is it, I’ll close it down.
“I’ve been here 15 years. One cat got out of the isolation area 11 years ago – the owners had put it in themselves, as I was heading off to see my daughter in ICU. The cat was found along the road. That’s the only time anything like this has happened before.
“I’ve told all my regulars and they said accidents happen, and we can’t go back to fix it, unfortunately.”
Deb Dudley says there should be tighter regulation and regular inspection of catteries. She contacted the SPCA following Frankie’s death, as she was concerned that other cats might be able to escape, but was told by the Hobsonville branch that the organisation couldn’t help her as her cat was dead.
Although the SPCA has the power to prosecute in serious cases of animal neglect or cruelty, there is no enforceable legislation to regulate, licence or inspect boarding kennels or catteries in New Zealand. Auckland Council said it was only concerned with resource and building consents for building catteries, and the health and safety of people in them, not animals.
A Code of Welfare for Temporary Housing of Companion Animals was issued in 2018 under The Animal Welfare Act, which does state that enclosures must be secure and unable to be opened by animal occupants. It also states that outside entrances should have secure double-doors to prevent animals from escaping, and owners should be advised as soon as possible if their pet goes missing.
However, the code also makes it clear that “owners and persons in charge of animals are not required to comply with the recommendations for best practice in this code”, and are merely encouraged to do so.
The SPCA’s chief scientific officer, Dr Arnja Dale, said the association was developing a certification programme for kennels and catteries over the next year or so, but admitted it would still only be a voluntary scheme.
“People will have to be approved to join or get added, and they will get regular announced and unannounced audits,” she said.
“The whole business of licensed premises is a separate issue and law changes take a long time. We absolutely recognise that there’s a need for clarity for pet owners.”
