Asked For Kittens; Deluged With Cats

Northern Advocate, 26 April 1940, Page 2

Asked For Kittens; Deluged With Cats

[Special to “Northern Advocate.”] AUCKLAND, This Day. QN WEDNESDAY SOME SOLDIERS ON COASTAL DEFENCE DUTY NEAR AUCKLAND MADE PUBLIC A REQUEST FOR THE GIFT OF ABOUT EIGHT KITTENS TO DEAL WITH THE LARGE NUMBER OF MICE IN THEIR QUARTERS. The soldiers now have so many eats that they do not know what to do with them. When the request was made, it was suggested that the kittens might he left in boxes at the Admiralty steps, where they would he picked ii]) by a launch and taken to the defence points.

The Navy spent most of Wednesday and yesterday picking up crates of cats on the steps. With the prospect of another cat collection today, the Navy appealed to the wharf police to deal strongly with any one else who carried anything that looked like a crate of cats or kittens. Yesterday morning 16 cats came.by one boat. “They’ve cost us about 2000 gallons of milk up to now, said one

official at North Head, who was extremely worried about the rationing position. As the position stands, the Navy has kittens to spare. Efforts are being made to dispose of them to the Army. In the meantime, both the Army and the Navy are hoping that people will take their second. request to heart, and keep their stray cats at home. _