How it works
We keep cats and owners together
When a human crisis hits – such as becoming homeless, going into hospital or fleeing domestic violence, for instance – cats can be left out of the equation by necessity. Temporary housing often means owners can’t take pets with them. Catteries and other forms of care may be prohibitively expensive. And relying on neighbours or family members to step in isn’t always practical.
At the end of the day, we want to keep owners and their beloved cats together for as long as possible, avoiding rehoming and preventing abandonment. It’s the right thing for cats. And it’s the right thing for their owners going through a very human crisis.
We offer:
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Free non-judgmental advice and support, to try to keep cats and owners together
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Bereavement counselling to help people deal with the loss – or temporary loss through fostering – of a pet
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Foster homes for cats, when owners can’t keep their cats with them (and to avoid them surrendering their cats permanently to a rescue)
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Help and support for lost cats, linking in with community groups and providing resources
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Signposting to other organisations and services, to help owners with the cost of living crisis, neutering, low cost vet services, and so much more
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A cat food bank to empower owners to continue to care for their cats in the short-term, including litter, flea treatments and toys
We hear about owners who need our help in three ways:
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Self-referrals – open to anyone across Bristol and North / North East Somerset struggling to keep their cat with them for whatever reason. If you’re further afield, we may still be able to find you help local to you or give you advice and support from afar. When you call or fill out the referral form, we’ll ask a few simple questions to understand your situation and how best we can help, but the support we offer isn’t dependent on your finances.
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Community referrals – we work with a growing network of emergency services, community organisations and charities who come into contact with people in crisis. That includes social services, the NHS and police. Make a referral here.
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Facebook groups – we’re active in local Facebook groups like Bristol Cats Community as well as having our own busy page, keeping a look out for people posting about needing the kinds of support we offer.
Our process
When we first hear from an owner (or a service that works with them, neighbour, friend or family member), we ask a few questions to understand the situation at hand. We’ll also explore other solutions aside from fostering to see if we might be able to keep the cat and owner together through advice, signposting and our cat food bank first.
If it’s clear that a foster placement is needed for the cat, we’ll then try to understand how quickly we need to spring into action to remove the cat from its current situation. For people fleeing domestic violence or going into hospital, we may need to act immediately. Where there is a temporary solution in place or the changing circumstances are some time away, we’ll come up with a clear plan for both cat and owner. We’ll assess each situation uniquely and aim to never say no to an owner in crisis.