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RSPCA South Australia’s newest ambassador keen to help find loving homes for rescue animals via online video message.

RSPCA South Australia’s newest ambassador, Adelaide born Hollywood star Teresa Palmer, is helping find homes for animals by promoting the Society’s adopt, don’t shop message in a short video.

Teresa jumped at the opportunity to become an ambassador for the state’s leading animal welfare charity, and recently adopted two kittens from the RSPCA’s Lonsdale animal shelter. The 32 year old actress – whose film credits include ‘Hacksaw Ridge’, ‘Warm Bodies’, ‘Berlin Syndrome’ and ‘Point Break’ – is in her home town with her family for a few weeks over summer.

“Before I pursued acting as a career, I considered working for an animal rescue service like the RSPCA,” Teresa said.

“At one stage I even toyed with the idea of opening my own animal sanctuary – so animals and their welfare have been on my radar for most of my life.”

Last month staff at RSPCA SA’s Lonsdale shelter helped Teresa, her husband Mark and their two sons, four-year-old Bodhi and two-year-old Forest, choose two kittens to join their family.

Staff at RSPCA SA’s Lonsdale shelter are currently caring for 140 cats and 167 kittens. An additional 220 kittens are living with foster carers because they are still too young to be desexed and made available for adoption, and 17 cats are also in foster care. Sixty kittens and 43 cats are currently available for adoption at RSPCA SA’s Lonsdale shelter.

While Teresa is keen to promote the adoption of animals in need, she wants people to consider the responsibilities involved before committing. And she also wants cat owners to do the right thing and have their cats desexed.

“You’ve got to be ready to care for that animal for its lifetime, not just while it’s in the cute puppy or kitten stage.

“Too many people make impulsive decisions to get animals when they don’t have the means or the commitment to take good care of them.

“I recommend people really sit on the idea of having an animal before getting one, and think about what long term commitment to that animal looks like and whether they really have what it takes to do it.”

Teresa and her family are enjoying time with family and friends in Adelaide before returning to their second home in Los Angeles. The celebrity couple will be back in Adelaide for their daughter’s birth in April and plan to stay for about four months.

“It will be wonderful to have those months off to spend time not only with our new baby and our boys, but also with our new kittens.

“I know we’ll miss them while we’re away, but fortunately my Mum, who adores animals, will be here to care for them until we get back.”

Our influential RSPCA Ambassadors (and their furry counterparts, known as Furbassadors!) volunteer their time to help spread our message and create a world free of animal cruelty. Meet them all here.