We are the only local registered charity who helps all cats and not just gifted cats. We always have 50 plus cats in care at any one time and have a number of feral colonies that we need to maintain (all these have been neutered/spayed at our expense) one particular colony was being feed on milk and bread before we were involved. If we just dealt with gifted cats our task would be much easier as these cats tend to be family cats, as we also take in strays their temperament is unpredictable and they can take a very long time before they settle down and of course until we know the temperament of a cat we are unable to home it, also the strays tend to need more vet attention, many are in a terrible state when they come to us. Some of the strays are elderly and it is almost impossible to re-home them. As we have a no destruction policy (except very ill cats who the vet thinks will suffer), we never know when a space will become available for another cat therefore, we always have a list of cats waiting to come in, however if a stray cat is ill and needs to see a vet we always arrange for it to do so.

The Chesterfield & District Branch of the Cats Protection was founded approx. 24 yrs ago. As unpaid volunteers we pay most expenses phone, postage, petrol, electric, stationery etc amounting to hundreds of pounds out of our own pockets and are happy to do so as it leaves all the funds raised to be spent on the cats in our care.

Last year we re-homed over 200 cats and helped over 1000.

As we have a no destruction policy our vets bills are enormous last month alone it was over £4000 which for a small band of unpaid volunteers is an enormous amount and of course we have to purchase food and litter for all the cats in our care.

We spent almost £8000 to have part of a field made cat safe (completely enclosed) with a double cat palace installed with full amenities, benches and special igloos where domestic cats with FIV can live out their life in luxury or until we can find them indoor homes. As you may know most rescues have these cats PTS however if they are well it really is not necessary as they can lead a full life. Can you imagine how you would feel if you took in a cat/kitten and then had to take it to the vets for PTS after you had rescued it, nursed it back to health and strength, or another cat had kittens, you watched them being born, their first steps etc and then found they were FIV positive and you knew full well that if a home could be found the cat/kitten could live its full life span. Although there is no cure for FIV it does not mean that an infected cat needs to be PTS, they can live a full lifespan.

I would also like to advise you that although officially we are Cats Protection we do help many other animals (at our own expense) for example Dogs, Rabbits, Ferrets, Hamsters, Terrapins Tortoise, Hedgehogs, the odd bat & any other neglected animals that come to our attention.

Why do we do what we do you may ask, we keep saying we are unpaid volunteers however to know you can help in most situations even if it only means getting a cat to the vet on time is far more rewarding than disbursement.