We share our lives with cats. They soothe and amuse us. They’re part of the family. Yet too many cats don’t get the care and kindness they deserve.
Our amazing volunteer teams work across the country to support cats and kittens in need. Fosterers open their hearts and homes, looking after cats until they’re adopted. Similarly, while cats in our centres await new owners, volunteers are vital in ensuring they are safe, happy, well-fed, groomed and socialised. Behind the scenes, there are also lots of volunteers keeping everything running smoothly, transporting equipment, litter and food, and making our cat centres welcoming places for visitors.
By joining us as a volunteer, you’ll become part of a dedicated community of cat lovers, using your kindness and expertise to make life better for the animals you adore.
Scruffy cats. Glossy cats. Stray cats. Shy cats. Curious cats. Cuddly cats. Our fosterers are here for all of them.
Becoming a fosterer for Cats Protection means you’ll temporarily take care of a cat in need while we find them their new forever home. This involves providing a safe and loving home for your foster cat (or cats) for between a few weeks to several months. You’ll get to know the cat in your care and fulfil their day-to-day needs by feeding them, changing their litter tray and keeping their space clean, making sure they have fresh water, socialising them, grooming them and, of course, offering lots of chin scratches! If they need any additional care, you’ll give them their medication and take them to vet appointments to keep them healthy and happy.
As your foster cat settles and you form a bond, you’ll play a huge role in helping to find them the perfect match by telling us all about the cat’s personality and taking lots of photos we can share with prospective owners. You’ll accommodate pre-booked visits from any potential adopters who pass our checks.
As well as needing fosterers to join our local rehoming teams across the country, we also need fosterers to keep our Lifeline service running smoothly. Volunteering as a cat fosterer for our Lifeline service means giving cats whose families are fleeing domestic abuse a loving, temporary home until they can be safely reunited with their owner.
To be able to volunteer as a fosterer for Cats Protection, you will need:
If you have other pets, you’ll need to keep them away from your foster cat and have them all vaccinated.
Yes! Foster cats must be kept secure at all times, in either an outdoor cat pen or indoors, so not having a garden or suitable outdoor space isn’t a problem. A new foster cat should have a quiet space to settle for their first few days, but this doesn’t have to be a spare room. Many of our fosterers use their whole flat/house. Our team review each application individually and will be able to advise you further based on your specific home.
We know how easy it is to fall in love with cats! One of the reasons fostering is so rewarding for our volunteers is because they know that by helping their fosters move on to a forever home, they have the time and space to help more cats in the future. If you do want to adopt your foster, your local branch will be happy to discuss.
Of course! Your wellbeing is important to us. Arrangements can be made to care for your foster cat when you go on holiday, all you need to do is give your team plenty of notice. We also recommend taking at least a seven-day break between foster cats as an infection control measure, although if you’d like to take a bit longer have a chat with us.
It is important for the welfare of our cats to find them their forever home as soon as possible, but it can take longer to rehome some cats. Your foster cat may be with you for a few days, or a few months.
Yes! You don’t need to have previous experience of cat care to become a foster volunteer. If you love cats, have space to spare, and are willing to learn how best to take care of them, we'd love to welcome you to the team. We provide full training to all our volunteer fosterers.
Yes. Foster cats must be kept away from other animals, but as long as you have a suitable foster room in your house, or space for a pen outside, this is fine. We do ask that you vaccinate any cats you have if not done already.
We do ask our fosterers to welcome visits from potential adopters. However, we will always agree dates and times with you as far in advance as we can and all potential adopters will have been thoroughly checked by us before visiting your foster cat. Some centres may be able to co-ordinate visits on your behalf, but you would need to be able to transport your foster to and from the centre.
It is possible to specialise in the type of cat you’d like to care for, for example, mums and kittens. The best thing to do is get in touch with your local branch. They will be able to discuss the range of cats in need of help with you and decide the best kind of foster for your circumstances and expertise.
As well as fostering for Cats Protection in your own home, there are other ways you can directly support cats in care. In our cat centres across the country, where cats await new loving owners, volunteers are vital in ensuring the animals are safe, happy, well-fed, groomed and socialised. A volunteering role in a centre is varied and incredibly rewarding, and may involve cleaning pens, topping up food and water bowls, brushing fur, playing with kittens and offering chin scratches.
Behind the scenes, volunteers also keep everything cat-care related running smoothly. This could mean transporting equipment, litter and food, and making our cat centres welcoming places for visitors.
Think you could be the perfect fit? We’d love to hear from you. Find out if there’s a vacancy near you by searching our current volunteer opportunities. You’ll just need to enter your postcode and tick ‘cat care and welfare’. Once you’ve applied, we’ll be in touch with you to arrange an informal chat.
