Welcome to Cats Protection Essex Cat Centre

Support Cats Protection Essex Cat Centre

None of our vital work would be possible without you. There are many ways you can be there for cats and kittens in Essex.

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 Essex, you'll enjoy practical benefits such as discounted pet insurance. You can find out more about volunteering for Cats Protection here.

There is a selection process to allow us both a chance to learn more about each other and ensure we have selected the right role for you. The process is as follows:

• Application form
• Character references
• Interview call/chat (includes role discussion)
• Online learning
• Face to face induction 

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
  • When applications open, there will be limited spaces for volunteers on the following days & times - this being the case, please only apply for the role if you are in a position to commit to one of the available slots. 
    • Monday mornings (four spaces, one of which is fortnightly not weekly)
    • Tuesday mornings (one space)
    • Friday mornings (two spaces)
    • Saturday mornings (two spaces, both of which are fortnightly not weekly)
    • Saturday afternoons (two spaces, one of which is fortnightly not weekly)
    • Sunday mornings (three spaces, one of which is fortnightly not weekly)
    • Sunday afternoons (one space)

• Fundraising
  • Attending our events to support on stalls - some are at our centre, others are in the local area
  • Attending external events to man a stall 
  • Supporting in setting up and packing down of events

• 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.

Applications will open on Friday 27th February 2026. We ask that volunteers joining us at this time attend an in-person induction at Essex Cat Centre in May 2026 (sessions will be during the day on weekdays and a couple of weekends). 

If you are keen to know more about these opportunities, please contact  volunteering@chelmsford.cats.org.uk.

Foster Volunteers

We are always on the lookout for new fostering volunteers. For this role, we ask that fosterers have a dedicated room for the foster cats or use their whole house. Room fosterers usually have better flexibility for the type of cats they are able to foster (such as kittens), but we do also consider whole house fosterers. 

For more information about the role and to apply, please email volunteering@chelmsford.cats.org.uk.

Commonly asked questions:

• Do the foster cats need to stay indoors? Yes, for their safety and wellbeing. 
• Can the foster cats mix with my own pets? No, we cannot guarantee that the foster cats are friendly with other cats or dogs, so they must not mix. 
• I don't have a spare room to use, can I still foster? We can approve whole house fostering, dependent on a home check, as long as you don't have pets of your own. 
• What type of cats need fostering? We usually send into foster cats who aren't coping well in the cattery, so they are often nervous or shy. We also prefer to send young kittens and their mum to foster until they are old enough to be vaccinated and neutered, ready for adoption. 

If you have any other questions, please get in touch!

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 the 2025-26 academic year have now closed. 

Duke of Edinburgh - fully booked for 2026

Thank you for your interest in completing your Duke of Edinburgh volunteering placement with us to support our cats. We are now fully booked for the placements in 2026. 

Cat Care Experience for Young Volunteers - 2026 bookings not open yet

The Cat Care Experience is for young volunteers age 10-18yrs inclusive. It runs during the summer holidays. 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.