Animal comfort door to door

Pets forced onto the breadline by the worldwide credit crunch will be offered food parcels.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) will begin trialling a meals-on-wheels service for pets in Auckland and Napier within the next month to help pets hit by the recession.

"This has come out of a little bit of communication with the media about how animals fare in this current climate and recession," said SPCA chief executive Robyn Kippenberger.

"For a lot of people it is becoming harder and harder for them to manage their animals. One thing we can do is drop around dog or cat food."

She said some people had been forced to give up pets they could no longer afford.

The AniMeals programme began in San Diego, in the United States. It delivers cans of free petfood to elderly or disabled pet owners..

Some elderly people would go hungry themselves so they could feed their pet, she said.

Two members of the SPCA team were currently in San Diego learning more about the scheme at the Helen Woodward Animal Center.

The programme also offered an opportunity to check that animals were well, and to offer help where needed.

"It also gives the older people a visitor once a week, which is a good thing," Kippenberger said.

Age Concern Canterbury chief executive Andrew Dickerson agreed it was important for older people to be able to keep their pets. "For many, their animal is a very close companion and gives them very much comfort," he said.