Women's Refuge is putting its support behind a new "Pet" Refuge.
Often abusive men threaten to kill or harm pets of women they are abusing to control them. One woman, who Newshub can't identify for her own safety, lost two cats to a violent partner.
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"Not having my cat here now because of the violence she suffered - it's heartbreaking," she said. "She was like my baby."
Pet Refuge and KidsCan founder Julie Chapman knows about providing crucial services without funding; she's using her "inheritance" to provide the shelter for pets.
The refuge would provide shelter for pets of victims of domestic violence.
"Hopefully we're part of a jigsaw puzzle but we're removing one of the barriers when women want to leave," Chapman told Newshub.
More than half of women surveyed said they wouldn't leave the situation they're in, because it meant leaving behind their family pet.
In many cases, they were remaining in situations where their pets were used by their partner's as a tool to control them.
The temporary home for pets has the backing of the women's refuge, who says women often are torn between leaving their pets and seeking safety.
"By and large, they have to find another alternative or leave their animals there," chief executive Dr Ang Jury said.
Newshub.
