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.
Our vision for volunteering
Volunteering is and always will be at the heart of Cats Protection. It is joyful and inclusive. As a charity, working in partnership, together we transform the lives of cats, people and communities.
The difference you will make to cats and people
From elderly moggies to energic kittens, every day across the UK cats and kittens are in need of a temporary place to stay, and lots of love and TLC! We need more fosterers like you to provide a safe, temporary haven for cats and kittens and provide them with everything they need before they get their chance to land on their four paws and make a house a home.
You can expect us to
- Make you feel welcome, included and respected in line with our values and behaviours
- Support you in having a positive and impactful experience at Cats Protection
- Ensure you have all you need in place to foster the cat(s) in your care, for example equipment and food
- Cover all your foster cats’ expenses and agreed out-of-pocket expenses in line with our Expenses Policy
- Provide you with access to learning, development and engagement opportunities
What we need from you
- A stable, safe and compassionate environment in your home or in a purpose-built pen in your garden provided by us
- Enrich the cats’ experience in care including play, exercise and appropriate handling/interaction
- A willingness to complete some training in order to provide high standards of cat welfare
- Introduce cats to prospective adopters so they can find their forever home
- You can find out more about being a Fosterer on our website
A bit more information about this role and the team
We are looking for 4 additional indoor fosterers to join our small team.
Interested in being an indoor fosterer? Below are some specifics to think of.
- You will need a room that foster cat(s) to live in so that they can be comfortable and also contained so they feel safe.
- Do you have a spare room your foster cat(s) can use?
- Is it well ventilated, with natural light?
- Is this separate from your existing pets?
- Are you aware that potential adopters will need to have access to viewing cats and kittens in the room?
- Do you own your home? If not, you will need to first obtain the written permission of your landlord to foster.
- There will be a requirement to take your foster cats to the vets for a health check, vaccinations, micro-chipping and neutering etc so having your own transport to do this is essential.
- The cost of equipment, cat food, litter etc will be covered by the branch as are any other costs you may incur, and full training and on-going support will be available to you.
For kitten fostering we do ask you to use our vets in Biggleswade, as we ensure all our kittens are neutered before they are adopted.
For adult cats we would ask you to use either our vets in Biggleswade or our vets in Bedford.
Travel to and from the vets is reimbursed.
Time expectation
Our volunteer fosterers usually spend around one and a half hours per day (around 10 to 13 hours per week) in this role, but this might vary depending on the number of cats or kittens in care.
You may be just the volunteer we've been looking for!
We are committed to building a diverse, compassionate and inclusive organisation where everyone can be themselves and do their best. We are courageous and compassionate in our purpose of helping people see the world through cats’ eyes. Together, we can make a difference. Together, we are all for cats. Join the UK’s leading cat welfare charity and help make a better life for cats, because life is better with cats.
