She packed up her life to escape violent partners of the past, but when a Kiwi mum told her child what had happened to their cherished cat, she didn’t mention Pet Refuge.

The woman, who the Herald on Sunday agreed not to name to protect her safety, had put the animal on a flight to Auckland so she could be cared for by the charity that provides temporary shelter for pets affected by domestic violence.

“But I sold it to my child that the cat was going on holiday, ‘she’s going to have a really great time’. And I let [my child] think that, because after everything my cat had experienced, it probably was a holiday for her.”

With the feline now back in their loving arms, the woman wants everyone to know about a charity she’d never heard of until a desperate phone call to an after-hours vet - the same charity which now fears having to turn pets away as demand soars.

The need is “so huge”, Pet Refuge founder Julie Chapman said.

Their shelter’s been at capacity for months, so they work with trusted external catteries and kennels to make sure every pet in danger is helped.

“[But] we fear we may need to turn pets away this Christmas.”

Charity Pet Refuge provides shelter for pets of those escaping family violence, with demand surging this Christmas. Pictured is Pet Refuge founder Julie Chapman. Photo / Kathryn Nobbs

Requests to help had reached nine in a single day, including for women - one with four dogs - sleeping in their cars to protect their animals’ lives at a time it’s also hard to find emergency housing that accepts pets.

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It costs Pet Refuge $25 a day to shelter a pet.

A Women’s Refuge survey in 2018 found abusers use violence, or withholding care, to assert and maintain power over victims, and police responded to 175,000 cases of family violence - one every three minutes - last year, Chapman said.

“Women are putting themselves in dangerous situations because they need to leave violence, but also want to keep their pets safe.”

The woman who spoke to the Herald on Sunday had already lost one cat to the violent actions of an earlier partner before she became aware of Pet Refuge, she said.

“She will always be my original baby ... so, what’s a way to really hurt somebody? To kill the thing they love the most, isn’t it?”

She later left a second violent partner but feared both men could return to harm her or her surviving cat.

But when she contacted various agencies about short-term shelter for her cat while she and her child moved across the country, none could help. One suggested euthanasia.

Charity Pet Refuge provides a safe haven for animals as their owners escape family violence. Photo / Supplied

She refused to move until she got her pet to safety, which came when an after-hours vet told her about Pet Refuge.

“When I called them, I didn’t have the interrogation I’ve had from others. It was just ‘do you have petrol to get your cat to the airport?’

“My cat was on the plane to Auckland within 48 hours … and then we were gone from our home in less than 48 hours.”

Her former abusers each have multiple convictions for serious crimes against her, the woman said.

“If we’d stayed, I think I’d be dead.”

And the charity did much more than just provide a free haven.

“Every week Pet Refuge would send an email as if my cat was writing to my child … ‘Hi, I’m having a great time, this is what I’ve been doing this week’. And there’d be photos and you could just tell she was happy and healthy.

“A lot of things have made me cry, but that weekly email was one that was just so lovely. Because that’s a part of our story that no one had ever considered or cared about.”

Charity Pet Refuge provides shelter for pets of those escaping family violence, with demand surging this Christmas. Photo / Supplied

There was also never any pressure about when she would take her cat back, giving her time to get settled in a new area.

Her cat came home on her child’s birthday, with Pet Refuge packing presents alongside a year’s worth of free flea treatment and a cat carrier.

“My child legitimately thinks the cat got her a Paw Patrol soft toy while she was on holiday. Please, if you’re donating to anybody, consider Pet Refuge.

“I’ll never forget what they did for me.”

How you can help:

To donate visit www.petrefuge.org.nz or call (09) 975 0850 to give what you can afford, or join the monthly giving programme - $25 a month gives a pet a safe bed.