Leaving A Gift In Your Will To The Sheffield Cats Shelter
The Sheffield Cats Shelter has been helping cats in need since 1897, and we couldn’t do it without the kindness of people like you.
For over 125 years, our doors have stayed open thanks to generations of cat lovers who believed every cat deserves safety, care, and love.
By leaving a gift in your will, you’ll become part of that legacy. Your support will help ensure that, long into the future, cats in Sheffield will always have somewhere safe to turn and a team ready to give them the second chance they deserve.
Why Do Gifts In Wills Matter?
At The Sheffield Cats Shelter, we have dedicated ourselves to transforming the lives of cats and kittens through compassionate care and shelter. Since 1897, we have been a safe haven, offering these vulnerable animals a chance at a happier future.
By choosing to remember The Sheffield Cats Shelter in your will, you can play a vital role in creating a better life for countless more cats in need for many years to come.
Every cat we help thrives thanks to the generosity of individuals who keep us in their hearts and minds through such thoughtful gifts. We truly owe our progress and success to the kindness of supporters like you.
Our History and the Impact of Legacy Gifts
The Sheffield Cats Shelter has been a safe haven for cats for well over a century. It all began at 27 Broomspring Lane, when it opened as “Miss Jane Baker’s Home for Lost Cats”. Over the years, the shelter moved locations, to 106 Gell Street in 1905, then to 112–114 Gell Street in 1931. Those buildings no longer exist, replaced by private homes, but the mission of the shelter has continued.
During World War II, despite food shortages, rationing, and the destruction of many Sheffield homes in the Blitz, the shelter cared for an astonishing 7,093 cats in 1941 alone, alongside dogs, rabbits, birds, and even a fox and a monkey.
Upon her death in 1956, Jane Baker left the proceeds from 112–114 Gell Street in trust. This trust allowed Mrs G. Thorpe and Mrs D.G. Packham to purchase 1 Travis Place in 1964, which remains our home today. This generous gift illustrates how legacy giving has enhanced the shelter’s capacity to provide a safe, permanent home for cats in Sheffield.
Since then, the shelter has faced numerous challenges, including surviving two world wars and, more recently, the Covid-19 pandemic. During the lockdowns, our committed cat welfare team, along with dedicated volunteers and fosterers, worked tirelessly to ensure the shelter operated safely, caring for vulnerable cats throughout Sheffield.
Thanks to a Sheffield cat lover who left over £300k to give cats a better start, we are able to explore extending or upgrading to a more modern, spacious, and suitable premises to give better care to help more cats.
Legacy In Action: Reducing Feline Suffering In Sheffield
A generous legacy from a Deepcar cat lover helped fund a microchip and neutering pilot scheme, allowing us to make affordable neutering available to local cat owners.
Free microchipping events ensure that cats whose owners might not otherwise afford it can be safely identified, keeping them protected and helping owners comply with the law.
This legacy gift didn’t just fund procedures; it helped reduce suffering and keep cats safe across Sheffield, creating a real, lasting impact on the community.
Life Saving Care Made Possible By Legacies
Some cats come to us with extremely complex and expensive health needs. While we are incredibly grateful for every donation made towards vet bills, routine donations alone often cannot cover the full cost of these life-changing procedures.
Legacy gifts make a real difference. They allow us to say yes to surgeries like these, providing cats with the best care and the chance for a happy, healthy future.
Celeste
Rescued from the streets of Page Hall with her newborn kittens, Celeste was found to have a painful knee condition that left her limping, and an FIV diagnosis that made surgery even riskier.
Her surgery alone cost over £3,500. Every penny was worth it, because Celeste now has the chance to live a full, pain free life.
A gift in a will enables us to provide cats with the life-saving treatment they so desperately need. Thanks to those who have left a gift, Celeste will never experience suffering again. She will have the chance to be adopted and finally know the love, safety and care of a forever home, something she has always deserved but never experienced
How To Leave Your Legacy To The Sheffield Cats Shelter
After providing for those closest to you, remembering The Sheffield Cats Shelter in your Will is a great way to express your love of cats.
We’ve partnered with Free Wills to allow you to write a Will at no cost, and this means that you can leave all or part of your estate as a gift to The Sheffield Cats Shelter. For more details of this service, head to freewills.co.uk/charity/sheffieldcats. You can make your personalised Will online in three simple steps, from the comfort of your own home and with live support from their Will specialists.
You can also leave us a gift in your Will by using a solicitor of your choice, or remember us by adding a codicil to an already existing Will.
You will need to take the following details with you:
The Sheffield Cats Shelter
Registered address:
1 Travis Place, Broomhall, Sheffield S10 2DB
Registered charity number:
1172162
Did You Know
Leaving a gift to a charity like ours in your will offers tax benefits, as gifts to UK charities are exempt from Inheritance Tax (IHT) and can reduce the IHT rate on the rest of your estate from 40% to 36% if the total charitable legacy is 10% or more of your net estate. This can allow more money to pass to your loved ones, while also providing long-term support for the cats and kittens of Sheffield
Get in Touch With Us
Telephone: 0114 272 4441
Email: giftinwill@sheffieldcats.org.uk
Post: Gifts in Wills team, 1 Travis Place, Broomhall, Sheffield S10 2DB
You can find more details on how to leave a gift in your Will to The Sheffield Cats Shelter by downloading our free guide to Leaving A Gift In Your Will To The Sheffield Cats Shelter or you can call us on
0114 272 4441.
Alternatively, please email us on giftinwill@sheffieldcats.org.uk to request a paper copy of our simple guide to leaving a gift in your Will.