Gwent Branch of Cats Protection have been looking after cats and kittens in the Gwent area since 1979. We are a group of volunteers who give up our spare time to foster, fundraise and in some cases, rescue cats and kittens. Our aim is to reduce the number of strays and unwanted cats and kittens through neutering and re-homing and we rely on the generosity of the Gwent community to help us carry out this work so thank you for your continued support!
Frequently Asked Questions
Many of the queries we receive, both on the phones & via email, are similar in nature, and crop up regularly, so we have compiled this page to hopefully answer the most common questions. If we haven't answered your query on this page, please feel free to contact us!
We do not have a shelter, but have fosterers that take in cats to their own homes, either in a spare room in the house or into cattery style pens in their garden.
We will need to ask you a few questions, usually over the phone, & if we have anything suitable then we will need to arrange a visit your home - We carry these out to ensure that we find a cat that fits your circumstances. Home visits are also a chance for you to ask questions and discuss the ins and outs of homing a CP cat.
As of 1st October 2010 we now make a charge for a cat or kitten of £45. We can spend over £100 on 1 female cat (that does not need any medical attention) so £45 helps us towards this cost. However you are always welcome to donate any more that you can afford!
Cats Protection may be able to help with the cost of neutering your cat. You can qualify for support if you are the owner of the cat that is to be neutered and also either a full-time student, or recieving benefits.For more information phone our Neutering Helpline on 01495 772181 or email us at gwentsouthcp@btinternet.com. If your application is successful, the voucher will be sent direct to your veterinary surgeon ready for when your cat goes for its operation. The current value of the vouchers is £26 for female cats and £20 for male cats. You will need to pay the remaining amount yourself directly to the veterinary practice.
We may be able to offer financial assistance to help neuter groups of six or more cats in one household. Please phone our Helpline on 01495 772181 & leave a message & someone will get back to your with more details about this scheme.
If you have a stray cat that you are not able to keep then we can certainly put the cat on out list to come into care, & also offer advice on how to try to rehome the cat yourself.
I need to rehome my cat - what should I do?
There are many different reasons why people decide to rehome their cat. Some are sadly unavoidable, but in some cases rehoming is avoidable with a little help and encouragement. We aim to give hope and advice to help with both situations.
If you have lost your cat, don’t panic too soon, cats often go ‘missing’ and then arrive home late, the next morning, or even a number of days later, wondering what all the fuss is about. Please visit our Lost and Found Page for advice.
We are always pleased to hear from anyone who can offer help. There are lots of things that we need help with, including fund raising, home visiting, fostering & donating. Please visit our volunteering area for more info.
We need to raise the majority of our funds ourselves, so every penny helps! Every penny is used to help the cats & kittens in the Gwent area. If you would like to make a donation to the Gwent branch then please go to our Donation Page by clicking on the bucket on the homepage! Thank you!!
We can offer to pay for the neutering of the cat & also provide you with a trap to catch her. We have a limited number of traps so there maybe a waiting list but unneutered females are always top of our list! Give us a call on 0845 371 2747 or email us on gwentsouthcp@btinernet.com if you would like some help or advise. Unfortunately we do not have the facilities to take any feral cats into care, all we can offer is to trap, neuter & return - but at least you will not have the problem of a feral colony being born from 1 unneutered feral female - this can happen very quickly. One unneutered female can be responsible for 20,000 descendents in 5 years!
An uncontrolled feral colony will grow quickly; the cats will be susceptible to disease and may also become a nuisance. Simply removing the cats isn't a long term solution, as a new colony will soon move in.
The best option therefore is to neuter all of the resident feral cats within as short a time frame as possible. Over a period of years this will reduce the size of the colony. A controlled, healthy and manageable colony will deter other ferals from moving in and will keep vermin levels down.
We may be able to help towards the cost of neutering a feral colony, provided that the cats are returned to site and their subsequent well being is assured (in terms of daily feeding and veterinary treatment).
You will need to contact us, either by giving us a call on 01495 772181 or emailing us on gwentsouthcp@btinernet.com.
All I can say to this is - WE ARE VOLUNTEERS!!! The majority of us work during the day & volunteer with the cats during the evening & at weekends. Even if you have an emergency, we can only help if we can. We know that there are many, many cats & kittens out there that we can never help. This does upset us, but if we do not have the space - where can we put your emergency?! Many of us have bedrooms full that are not 'officially' spaces for cats, but we must draw the line somewhere. This may mean that we can't help you immediately but we will do our very best to do what we can & will give you lots of other numbers to contact to ensure that you have the best chance of getting some help. So please don't get angry with us, we are doing THE BEST THAT WE CAN.