As the cat experts, we're always happy to help people better understand their cats so they can make sure they are happy and healthy
Cats can often be misunderstood, so by providing trusted information to the public, veterinary professionals and other animal welfare organisations we aim to change the way people think about cats to improve their quality of life, whether they’re owned or unowned.
- Our websites, social media channels and leaflets are packed with useful, vet approved information about cat care, helping owners to make the best decisions for their pets. Look out for our new ‘vet approved’ badge to show it’s information you can trust
- Our Contact Centre team has continued to expand, using new tools and technology to support those who contact us and continuing to explore different communication channels for members of the public to interact with us. We have been able to reduce the number of repeat calls by better answering queries first time, and we have seen a reduction in the number of calls from people asking to give up their cat, while increasing the amount of welfare and behaviour advice being given. Our branches, centres and shops also provide help and advice directly to the public
- We continue to give talks about cat welfare to schools and community groups across the UK, and provide teachers with curriculum-friendly lesson plans and resources to inspire the next generation of cat owners
- We set up our first innovative Cat Action groups to trial new ways of engaging with local communities to help even more cats. These groups are currently active in St Helens and North London and we plan to introduce more in other areas of the UK in 2020
- To help cat owners think like a cat and work out where is best to put their cat’s litter tray, scratch post, food and water bowls and bed in their home, we have created an interactive House Plan game, challenging people to place all of Bob the cat’s things in the correct parts of his house
- Working with other animal welfare organisations as part of The Cat Group, we have helped to create a Kitten Checklist providing advice for people thinking about acquiring a kitten. The guide provides helpful tips on how to make sure the kitten is happy and healthy and coming from a trusted seller or rescue organisation
- The Hide & Sleep®, a cat hide developed by Cats Protection to help the cats in our care feel less stressed, has been relaunched to the public and is now available to buy on our website. It has been distributed all over Europe and beyond, helping cats feel safe and secure as far away as Japan!
- To make sure our people continue to keep cat welfare at the heart of everything we do and can influence others with their knowledge, we launched a Cat Welfare Champions programme to update our teams on best welfare practice
- While we are a UK charity, we also make our cat care advice available overseas and attend a limited number of international animal welfare conferences. We also give a limited amount of equipment, such as humane cat traps, to voluntary organisations beyond the UK
Working with vets
- Our Veterinary team delivers presentations and talks to veterinary professionals and other animal welfare organisations to improve their understanding of shelter medicine and feline welfare and to encourage them to work with us
- Following the relaunch of our ‘For vets and nurses’ webpage which features lots of useful protocols, resources and videos on feline medicine, we have also added a ‘student hub’ with information and podcasts for vet students
- We work closely with veterinary schools, giving lectures to vet students, running sessions on handling and shelter medicine at some of our centres and offering individual placements at our National Cat Adoption Centre vet clinic
- Our updated Veterinary Guide, which explains how we can work with vets, was sent out to veterinary practices across the UK
