Volunteer at Cats Protection Essex Cat Centre
Without volunteers, Essex Cat Centre simply wouldn't exist. Our amazing, friendly volunteers are a diverse group with a shared love of cats who fit volunteering around their home lives and personal commitments.
We're often looking to welcome new volunteers to join our brilliant team. As well as meeting great people and making an incredible difference to the cats of Chelmsford, you'll enjoy practical benefits such as discounted pet insurance. You can find out more about volunteering for Cats Protection here.
We welcome volunteers in the following roles to support our centre:
- Cat Care
- Cleaning the living environments of cats in care (morning task)
- Washing up food bowls, litter trays etc
- Grooming cats
- Enriching each cat's experience in care through play, exercise and handling (afternoon task)
- Observing the cats for any changes in behaviour or health
- Fundraising
- Attending events to support on stalls
- Supporting in setting up and packing down of events
- Some events at the centre, others locally in and around Chelmsford
- Gardening
- Weeding paths and flowerbeds
- Planting
- Upkeep of green spaces at the centre
- Our current gardening volunteers usually come in on Thursdays during the drier months, starting around 10am.
We are not currently accepting applications for the above roles.
We are always happy to receive applications for fostering!
If you are keen to know more about these opportunities, please contact volunteering@chelmsford.cats.org.uk.
Veterinary EMS Placements
We do host veterinary students for the required 2-week EMS placement for university studies. If you are interested in applying for this experience, please email volunteering@chelmsford.cats.org.uk. We often receive a lot of enquiries for the summer holidays, so please get in touch to start the application process early to reserve your space.
Writtle College / ARU Student Placements
We do host Writtle College students for their work experience placements. Applications for placements through the 2025-26 academic year will open on Thursday 7th August 2025. Please contact volunteering@chelmsford.cats.org.uk after this date to request an application form. Applications will close on Thursday 21st August 2025, application forms returned after this date will not be considered.
Interviews will be in person and will take place the week commencing Monday 1st September.
Placements will start from the first week of October (from Monday 6th October 2025).
Duke of Edinburgh
Thank you for your interest in completing your Duke of Edinburgh volunteering placement with us to support our cats. The placement spaces for 2025 are now fully booked.
We will be hosting a small number of students for their Bronze DofE placements in 2026. The sessions will run for one hour a week on Saturdays or Sundays, from January to April (12 weeks).
We are not yet accepting applications for 2026 placements.
Cat Care Experience for Young Volunteers 2025 - now full booked
The Cat Care Experience is for young volunteers age 10-18yrs inclusive. It runs during the summer holidays, this year the dates are Monday 18th August to Friday 29th August (excluding weekends and Wednesdays). It is an opportunity for young people in the local community to visit our centre for an afternoon to receive a tour of the centre, assist with a few cat care activities to support the cats in care, and also to meet a couple of cats.
This opportunity is available as a one-off experience for each young volunteer, running from 12noon to 4pm. There is a limit on the number of attendees per session, to ensure that each individual has a beneficial and meaningful experience, with direct interaction with the staff and cats.
