Cats Protection is the UK’s leading feline welfare charity and our vision is a world where every cat is treated with kindness and an understanding of its needs.
Cats are at the centre of everything we do and our objectives are: homing, neutering and educating people about cats and their care.
We help thousands of cats across the UK each year thanks to our network of dedicated volunteers, staff and supporters.
A bit about this role
Unfortunately thousands of cats each year are abandoned or have strayed and rely on charities like Cats Protection for help. Becoming a TNR volunteer is one way you can make a real difference to cats in your local area. Our TNR volunteers help reduce the number of feral cats by raising awareness of our TNR programmes, setting humane traps to safely capture cats, taking them to local vets to be neutered, and hopefully returning them back to their territory. Local TNR programmes are crucial, as feral and abandoned cats present a huge challenge for communities across the UK.
What can you expect to be doing?
- Trapping cats using humane methods
- Taking cats to local vets to be neutered
- Returning cats to their territory or finding a suitable alternative
The role might also include:
- Regular feeding of feral colonies
- Promoting neutering by building relationships with farmers, land owners and local businesses
- Liaising with vets to promote and arrange neutering
A bit more information about this role and the team
Do you want to help cats?
Would you like to volunteer in the heart of the action, making a tangible difference to cats in your local area? Then TNR could be for you.
One of our primary goals is to control and reduce the population of feral/stray cats through neutering, makng TNR a vital and worthwhile process.
Why should I become a TNR volunteer?
Did you know that a single female cat can hav 18+ kittens in a single year - and these kittens can breed as early as 4 months of age?
This can rapidly increase cat numbers, making survival a more difficult task. The work of a TNR volunteer makes all the difference, turning an escalating colony into a stable, sustainable group of healthy cats.
What does TNR involve?
Volunteers will travel to sites where neutering assistance has been requested. After gathering as much information as possible (door knocking, leaflet drops, communicating with feeders etc), specialised equipment is used to trap the cats safely.
Once trapped, the cats are then trsnaported to the nearest affiliated vet practice, where they can be neutered and recieve a 1st vaccination, flea/worm treatment, general health check and 'ear-tipping' (indicates that the feral/stray cat has been neutered, preventing unnecessary trapping in the future). After a 12-24 hour recovery period, the cats are released back to the original site to live a happier and healthier life.
Interested?
Full training and support will be provided. If you have any questions about TNR volunteering, please get in touch.
Please note: TNR volunteers must be at least 18 years of age and have their own form of transport.
Volunteers expenses will be covered by the branch.
What are the benefits to you and the cats?
You will develop new skills, expand your knowledge and make a significant contribution to improving the lives of cats and kittens by helping reduce the number of unwanted cats and improving the lives of cats in your local area. You will also meet new people, make new friends and be part of a dedicated team of volunteers.
We’re looking for someone with
- Basic knowledge of cats and cat care
- Good interpersonal and communication skills
- A well organised and practical approach
- Patience and perseverance
- The ability to deal with sensitive situations
- Good communication skills
- A full, clean driving licence and access to a vehicle
Time expectation
This is a flexible role and the hours will vary depending on the number of cats identified for specific TNR campaigns. Our current TNR volunteers spend about 2 to 3 hours per week in this role which can be shared by more than one volunteer if needed.
Support, guidance and keeping you safe
At Cats Protection we believe our volunteers should be happy and confident in their roles. We provide support and guidance from our National Cat Centre and through our regional and local volunteer groups and teams. We offer engaging online and face-to-face training, expenses and have policies and processes to help volunteers get the most out of their time with us.
The wellbeing of our people is important and at Cats Protection we are committed to safeguarding children, adults at risk and all those that we come into contact with as part of our activities.
