A bit about this role

Across the UK, we have volunteers helping to hand-rear kittens who have either lost their mother, been abandoned, or their mum is just too sick to look after them.

This is a very hands-on role providing every aspect of care a kitten needs; including hand feeding approx. every two hours day and night, medicating, socialising, toileting and weaning on to solid food. You will be providing excellent care and a great start in life for kittens who will then go on to be rehomed by our adoption centre. We will be with you every step of the way providing training, information, equipment and support.

So if you have experience in handling kittens or have a veterinary nursing or animal welfare background then this extremely rewarding role may be for you!

What can you expect to be doing?

• Providing a consistent feeding regime (newborn kittens must be fed every 2-2.5 hours)
• Toileting – stimulating the kittens to pass urine and faeces before and after feeding until at least three weeks old
• Maintaining minimum veterinary and cat care standards
• Cleaning and looking after the cats' environment and equipment including a strict hygiene regime to prevent disease
• Administering medication as required
• Socialising the kittens appropriately according to Cats Protections' kitten socialisation plan to prepare kittens for their life in a home
• Taking kittens to the vets and visiting the adoption centre as required

A bit more information about this role and the team

What the benefits to you and the cats?

Although an intense role in terms of time commitment and responsibility, a lot of our hand rear volunteers enjoy providing the care and nurturing newborn kittens need for the best start to the next stage of their lives. You will develop new skills, expand your knowledge and make a significant contribution to improving the lives of kittens in need by caring for them before they find new loving 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

• Previous experience of hand-rearing kittens, animal welfare or vet nursing background
• An appreciation of cat welfare and hygiene standards
• A flexible lifestyle to cover care throughout the day and night
• Good interpersonal skills
• Patience, commitment and empathy
• Emotional resilience – sadly not all kittens make it
• Willingness to be part of a team

Time expectation

Our volunteer hand rearers usually spend 3 to 5 hours over a 24 hour period in this role, but this might vary depending on the number of kittens in care.

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.