Meet Jean West Cumbria Cats Protection Volunteer.
volunteering
Jean Beverley
I became a volunteer for the West Cumbria Branch of Cats Protection in August2011 after taking early retirement from teaching to look after my first grandchild. Having always had cats of my own I felt that volunteering for this charity would give me the opportunity to help cats not as fortunate as my own - unwanted cats and kittens, abandoned, injured or feral in need of help and protection.
I have a double cat pen in my garden and to date 167 cats/kittens have passed through some staying longer than others but this says a lot about the good work done by our small branch.
As well as fostering I also have the title of volunteer secretary for the branch. Other areas I am involved with include carrying out home visits, delivering cats/ kittens to their new homes, taking cats/ kittens to the vets for treatments, organising fundraising events such as coffee mornings and table top sales etc.
During my time with CP I have reunited lost cats with their owners, watched kittens being born in my pen, trapped feral cats and kittens some of which have then been able to be homed. I have met lots of different people, been involved in a variety of events and become part of a team which works hard to promote the importance of cat welfare.