The 12 lucky kittens were rescued from a blackberry bush where they had spent the night.
Found by a member of the public just before Easter, the kittens were delivered to the After Hours Veterinary Clinic.
They were picked up by the SPCA the next morning.
SPCA feline attendant Robyn Alberts said the kittens were friendly, but very hungry when they arrived.
“They were . . . very keen for attention. They loved to be held and picked up.
“They were pretty relaxed kittens, but very hungry.”
“They were in pretty good condition. Kittens that size and age can’t fend for themselves.”
She said it was lucky the kittens were picked up.
“They might not have survived the rain on Tuesday.”
The SPCA thinks there are three different age groups among the kittens.
“Some of them required the bottle, some were at the point where they’re starting to eat some food, and some are eating solid food really well,” Alberts said.
The youngest of the group are estimated to be three weeks old, while the oldest are around five weeks old.
Albert is confident the kittens will grow up to be healthy.
“At the moment there isn’t likely to be any reason why they can’t all thrive.
“They’re doing really well so far,” she said.
The kittens have been placed in foster homes for round-the-clock care.
Before they can be put up for adoption, the kittens must reach eight weeks old, so they can be desexed and vaccinated.
However, there might be a backlog in getting them to their forever homes.
“We have heaps of kittens available for adoption at the moment.
“Once they are cleared we can get these ones up for adoption,” Albert said.
The SPCA in Christchurch has about 70 cats available, including kittens.
“We’ve definitely had an increase this year,” Alberts said.
“(The rise in kittens) comes down to people not desexing their animals.”
• If you would like to adopt a kitten, contact the SPCA Christchurch Centre on 03 349 7075.
