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.
A bit about this role
Across Cats Protection our feline friends looking for new homes are cared for either at our adoption centres, by volunteer fosterers in their own homes or in purpose built pens in their gardens. Our cat care volunteers are part of a passionate team that look after and meet the needs of cats whilst they are in our care. This is an exciting role for cat lovers, as our cat care volunteers get to spend time directly with the cats when cleaning their pens, helping with feeding and when enriching their lives before they find their forever homes.
What can you expect to be doing?
- Cleaning the living environments of the cats in care
- Grooming cats and helping with feeding
- Enriching each cats experience in care through play, exercise and handling
A bit more information about this role and the team
We are looking for some new Cat Care Volunteers to join our team of volunteers! We're looking for applicants who love cats, and are not afraid to get stuck in!
The main responsibility of the Cat Care role is cleaning the cat's pens. This includes cleaning out litter trays, cleaning the pens of any mess that has either missed or been kicked out of the litter trays, and other general cleaning duties in the blocks. You will also have time to interact, play, and groom the cats to help enrich their time while in our care.
Cleaning the pens is done in the morning, so we are looking for applicants who are available from around 9am. It is completely up to you how long you'd like to spend at the centre. We have some volunteers that come in, clean their assigned block, and then leave but we also have some that like to spend more time at the centre, to be able to give the cats a bit more of a fuss! You also decide how often you'd like to volunteer, as we know schedules can sometimes change week to week so if you're only free every other week, that's completely fine with us!
When you start your volunteering, you will be given training on our cleaning practices and will have the full support of our staff if you have any questions. You will also have full support from our Volunteer Team Leader, who will help guide you through the application process, and be able to answer and questions or concerns you might have.
We're currently looking for a total of 8 new volunteers on the following days, so if you do have availability on a specific day, please let us know.
| Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
Sunday |
| 2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
Our Centre isn't accessable via public transport, so being able to drive to the centre would be ideal.
If you have any questions about the role, please feel free to email our Volunteer Team Leader on VTL@dereham.cats.org.uk
What are the benefits to you and the cats?
You will develop new skills, expand your knowledge and make a significant contribution to improving the lives of cats and kittens in need by helping care for them before they find their forever homes. You will also meet new people, make new friends and be part of a dedicated team of volunteers.
We’re looking for someone with
- Basic knowledge of cats and cat care
- Patience, perseverance and empathy
- Willingness to be part of a team
- Good interpersonal and observational skills
Time expectation
Cat care volunteers usually spend 2 to 3 hours a week in this role, which is flexible and can be shared by more than one volunteer if needed.
Support, guidance and keeping you safe
At Cats Protection we believe our volunteers should be happy and confident in their roles. We provide support and guidance from our National Cat Centre and through our regional and local volunteer groups and teams. We offer engaging online and face-to-face training, expenses and have policies and processes to help volunteers get the most out of their time with us.
The wellbeing of our people is important and at Cats Protection we are committed to safeguarding children, adults at risk and all those that we come into contact with as part of our activities.
