Meet the volunteers

Here are just a few of the many volunteers that help care for the cats of Glastonbury and Wells branch of Cats Protection. Let's meet them...



Kim:- 
I have been volunteering since 2002 at the Christmas Fair and I’m not planning to stop unless I have to! I was a CP member in Berkshire and when I moved to Somerset with my cats - Sugar and Spice, I met Bob and Judith and their cats, who live in the same road as us and they gave me the forms to join. Bob started taking me out so I could learn the ropes and get to know all the roads. Now I am let loose and do various jobs when required.
 
I do lots of things. I help at the Spring and Christmas Fairs, deliver the Mews newsletter by (literally) running around Glastonbury, send out neutering vouchers, pick up cat food and litter from our central store and drop them at our foster homes and finally in 2008 I raised money by running the Flora London Marathon.

A favourite part of my role is taking cats and kittens to either the vets, new owners or members. Also, meeting people at the fairs we have with my cat suit on and selling Christmas raffle tickets! The best part was adopting the CP cat “Tiggs” on 30th April 2003 to keep Spice company since losing his sister.

The CP volunteering role is flexible and I know I can do it compared with volunteer roles that may need more vet experience knowledge which I do not have. It is very rewarding when you know it is all going towards the cats and kittens as they can’t speak for themselves.

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Emma:-
I work full time as a beautician and complementary therapist. A lot of my work is with people with dementia and alzheimers. Before I qualified as a beautician I worked as a qualified vet nurse. I have now been a volunteer for Cats Protection for over 8 years and have homed 66 cats/kittens. I also represent Cats Protection at marathon and ultra events or even my local 5k parkrun to help raise awareness of the charity. And this year I achieved my dream of completing a full distance triathlon. I love cats and finding the right homes for the cats I foster is important to me. 

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Nikita:-
"I began fostering with Cats Protection in the September of 2019, my first cat was a heavily pregnant tabby who I had the pleasure of being with all through her labour and onto finding all of her kittens and then herself wonderful homes where they are all thriving. Things have only gone up from there. I've had many other fosters since then and have even moved up to the position of a Welfare Officer.

Fostering is a very fulfilling role and now that I've started, it's something I never want to give up. I get to take in cats and kittens that need help and find them the new homes that they deserve. It's especially rewarding to see scared and timid cats come out of their shells under my care and there is little I love more than getting updates from families on how well their newly adopted cats are settling in.

Becoming a Welfare Officer has allowed me to help in a different way. I'm able to give help and advice to members of the public that allows them to in turn, better understand and care for their own cats. Helping someone understand why their cat might be acting in a certain way can help prevent them from having to come into care in the first place, and it's always rewarding when things work out for the best.

Volunteering with Cats Protection has given me the chance to meet a whole host of wonderful people who share my love for cats and my eagerness to help them in any capacity that I can."