The Difference Volunteers make to Cats Protection.
Each month, we will be featuring a different charity or other non-profit organisation that relies on the help of volunteers. In their words, you will hear what these organisations do and the difference volunteers make to them. This month, we hear from Cats Protection. Read all about them below.
If you would like to help as a volunteer with Cats Protection Dundee, please contact Wilma McHardy either by popping into the shelter in Foundry Lane any Wednesday between 11.30 and 1.30 or by emailing wmchardy@blueyonder.co.uk or text 07719 675142.
Who do you help and in what way?
Cats Protection is the UK’s largest feline welfare charity. We help around 200,000 cats and kittens every year through our network of over 250 volunteer-run branches and 36 centres.
Cats Protection Dundee is based in an old Victorian School at 102 Foundry Lane. The shelter is part of a national organisation, a registered charity but is run independently .. has no official funding and relies on donations, legacies and earnings from the Charity shops one based in Foundry Lane and the other in Monifieth .. which is desperate for volunteers to help out …
Each cat coming into the shelter is seen by Blackness vets .. who are very good. CP believe in neutering all cats th
erefore any cat coming into the shelter is sent to be neutered … plus vaccinated against feline diseases if needed … all cats also get chipped on the premises before rehoming .. this identification is sent off to the national organisation to register a new owner … some female cats are pregnant when they come in to the shelter and they usually go to a fosterer until their kittens are born … when the kittens are around 8 weeks old they are prepared for homing .. they are checked by Blackness vets .. to confirm their sex .. which is not easy when they are so small .. chipped and given a course of vaccinations … we find that kittens are homed very quickly … One of shelter homing visitors will visit the new home to make sure all is fine this applies to all cats and kittens housed in the shelter….
What difference do volunteers make to your organization?
The shel
ter is run entirely by volunteers and could not exist without them. We have a core of around 20 loyal volunteers the roles vary from coordinator, homing Officer, reception, Recruitment, maintenance, and the very important CATTERY STAFF … the cattery has 23 pens which usually house around 30 cats … there are three supervisors (some are known to start at 5.30 am ) to begin the process of feeding cleaning etc other cattery staff start at 9am and between then and 11am the cats are fed given fresh water and feeding bowls and the pens are thoroughly cleaned before the shelter opens to the public at 11am .. after the feeding and cleaning the volunteers spend time socialising the cats .. until around 4 pm when the shelter closes … the volunteer hours are flexible 7 days per week between 9 am and 4pm.
What volunteers do you need at the moment?
As there are cats in the shelter every day of the year volunteers especially ones who help out in the cattery are required 7 days a week between 9 am and 4 pm. Apart from the cattery … Monifieth charity shop require volunteers at the moment.
And what benefits can they expect?
There are many benefits to volunteering with CP Dundee some include , feeling of satisfaction by helping to look after unwanted cats, building up confidence by meeting new people, being offered more responsibility by working hard and doing a good job. We also give a personal reference if required …which may help find employment.
If no-one volunteered, where would you be?
Cats Protection Dundee would not exist without their loyal volunteers who work hard looking after unwanted and abandoned cats until they find a new home.
T H A N K Y O U
Thank you for looking into volunteering. As a charity, we know and see the difference you can make every day. From helping those facing difficulty or hardship to being a force for change in society. We hope you find it worthwhile and benefit in some way also. Around 1 in 4 adults in Dundee volunteer.
Dundee Volunteer and Voluntary Action