Dr Westman said the shelter had ``only a certain number of kennels and cat cages''.

Referring to the animals already up for adoption, he said: ``We don't take them off. There's no deadline for them to be adopted but we won't be able to take any new animals coming in and being surrendered if we reach full capacity.''

Dr Westman said that was why the shelter was seeking people to adopt a cat and that in spring and summer there were too many cats and kittens being surrendered.

``However, we have experienced greater numbers, particularly of un-desexed cats this year. These cats were surrendered to the shelter for a variety of reasons, including cats that had a large litter of kittens, family members who developed allergies, owners who lacked the money to care for them and families that moved or had a new baby.''

Dr Westman said the great things about cats is that they have their own personalities.

``They're companion animals and they rely on human contact. It's fantastic to have that extra bond in your life.

``It's also a great way for kids to learn respect for living creatures and they're more likely to develop love and compassion and so forth.''

Dr Westman said the aim was to have the animals stay at the shelter for as short a time as possible.

``It's hard to see them come in but it's rewarding and exciting to see them go to new homes.''

All cats and kittens available for adoption are vet checked, desexed, microchipped (including lifetime registration), vaccinated, and wormed, and are on flea prevention.

Details: awlnsw.com.au or 88993333.