At a Glance

Community, Cats & Care is a three-year project focused on preventing cat relinquishment and keeping cats with their families.

NORTH EAST SHEFFIELD

Launching initially in S5 as our pilot area, with plans to expand across Sheffield.

COMMUNITY-LED

Local Community Cat Champions will help make support easier to find, using their knowledge of the community to connect people and cats with the right help.

PRACTICAL SUPPORT

From neutering and microchipping to advice, support with cat care and help building relationships with veterinary practices.

COMMUNITY CAT CHAMPIONS

Local volunteers will help make support easier to find and provide a friendly first point of contact for people who may be struggling.

Continue reading to learn more…

Why is this project needed?

Cats come into our care for many different reasons.

Sometimes an owner’s circumstances change suddenly. Sometimes people simply don’t know where to turn when they’re struggling with their cat, or need some extra advice and support to help them care for their cat.

By the time someone reaches the point of considering giving up their cat, they may feel that they have run out of options.

But what if help was available earlier?

What if someone could speak to a friendly, knowledgeable person in their own community, get advice, and find out what support is available?

We believe that, in many cases, a little support at the right time could make all the difference.

From rescue to prevention

For more than 129 years, The Sheffield Cats Shelter has been here for cats who need us.

We will always be here for cats who need a safe place to go. But we also want to look at what we can do to prevent some cats from needing to enter rescue in the first place.

Thanks to support from the Pets Foundation, Cats Protection, and a generous legacy donation, we’re able to take an important step towards making that happen.

Working in partnership with Rain Rescue and Cats Protection, Community, Cats & Care will initially focus on North East Sheffield, where many of the cats coming into our care are from.

We’ll listen to local people, understand the challenges they are facing and work with the community to make the right advice, support and services easier to find.

Support could include:

🐾 Neutering
🐾Microchipping
🐾Vaccinations
🐾Support and guidance around veterinary care
🐾 Advice and support for cat owners
🐾 Support with getting people or their cats to the vets when transport is a barrier
🐾 Connecting people with other sources of help when they need it most

The support offered will depend on what people and cats actually need. This isn’t about telling people what they should do; it’s about making sure they know where they can turn when they need a helping hand.

Meet the Community Cat Champions 🐾

A really important part of Community, Cats & Care will be our Community Cat Champions.

We’re looking for local volunteers who can become a friendly and accessible first point of contact for people in their community who may be struggling with their cat, or who might be worried that giving up their cat is their only option.

Our Champions will help connect people with the right advice, support and services, helping to address concerns early before they become bigger problems.

And we want this project to be truly community-led.

The people who know a neighbourhood best are often the people who live there. You know your community, you know the challenges people face, and you know what might make it easier for someone to ask for help.

That’s why we’re looking for local people who want to make a difference to cats and the people who love them.

Could you be a Community Cat Champion?

We’re initially looking for Community Cat Champions who live in, or very close to, S5, which will be our pilot area. If you live in a different part of Sheffield, don’t let that stop you from getting in touch with us, though, as we may be doing something in your neighbourhood in the future.

You don’t need to be a cat expert, and you don’t need to have all the answers.

What matters most is that you’re approachable, compassionate and want to help connect people and cats with the support they need.

We hope that, once the pilot is established, we’ll be able to roll the project out into other areas of Sheffield.

So, if you live outside S5, please don’t let that put you off getting in touch. We’d still love to hear from you.

Help us shape Community, Cats & Care 💚

This project is about more than providing services. It’s about building a stronger network of support around cats and the people who care for them.

And we know that the best ideas can come from the communities themselves.

Perhaps you have an idea for how we could make it easier for people to access help. Maybe you’re interested in becoming a Community Cat Champion.

We want to hear from you.

If you’d like to find out more about becoming a Community Cat Champion, the Community, Cats & Care project, or have an idea you think could help, please get in touch with our Project Manager, Steve:

📧 steve.bonner@sheffieldcats.org.uk

Together, we can help make sure that when someone is struggling, they don’t feel like giving up their cat is their only option.

Because sometimes, the best way to rescue a cat is to help them stay exactly where they are, at home, with the person who loves them. 🐱💚