Hello and welcome to Cherwell Cats Protection, a busy branch covering Bicester, Brackley and Banbury, staffed entirely by volunteers.
Our branch has three main aims.
Firstly we are determined to rehome as many unwanted and abandoned cats as possible. To do this we rely on our group of volunteer fosterers who love and care for the cats in either their own home, or in a dedicated, state of the art cat pen in the garden. These special people give TLC and as normal a life as possible, to the poor scared and sometimes traumatised, cats that come to us.
We acquire our cats for many reasons. Some have been deliberately left behind when their owners move house. Some have elderly owners who have been taken into care and cannot take their beloved cat with them. This traumatises both the owner and the cat!
Sometimes a member of the family develops an allergic reaction to cat fur and the cat has to go. Increasingly more owners have to move into rented accommodation for financial reasons and the cat is not able to go with them.
All these reasons and more, result in us always having a full house and a waiting list of cats to come in. Because of this, we are always looking for kind and loving people to join us as fosterers and help us give a new and happy life to an animal that, through no fault of its own has fallen on hard times.
Secondly, we operate a neutering programme which is a voucher scheme contributing to the veterinary costs of spaying or neutering. We also contribute to the costs for neutering strays and feral cats. All cats should be neutered as this results in a healthier life for the cat and a reduction in the number of unwanted and abandoned kittens. No one likes a tom cat spraying in the house or garden and he will be much happier and contented when he is neutered.
In the spring and summer we are inundated with kittens. These are the result of owners not having their cats neutered and then being unable to find homes for the resulting litter. Also stray cats who produce kittens under hedges and in garden sheds etc. are brought to us by concerned members of the public.
Thirdly, we try to inform people on cat welfare issues and attend clubs and groups giving talks on the charity Cats Protection and general cat care. We are always delighted to come along and meet you.
By accessing our website, you have shown an interest in us and our work, so why not take a minute to ring our help line and discuss how you could join us in what we do? We need volunteers for many activities including fundraising, taking cats to the vet and bringing cats into care.
Give me a ring today and join us as we improve the lives of these unwanted cats who are unable to help themselves.
I hope to hear from you,
Pat Murdoch