As a charity we rely on the support of the general public.
Find out how you can get involved.
We welcome all enquires about volunteering within the charity. We have a great team of foster carers and shop volunteers, as well as all the work that goes on behind the scenes.
The shop is always looking for volunteers and work experience people. All donations received at the shop are sorted by the volunteers to sell either in the shop or online. We are open to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am to 4pm with Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays dedicated to photographing, listing, packing and posting items for our online selling platforms. Some books, DVDs and CDs are checked and sent to Music Magpie or Ziffit.
Karen is one of our foster carers. Read her story.
I have always loved animals with a specific fondness for cats and always said that I'd love to work with them. Having dismally failed at getting the right 'O' levels to study to be a vet, my first genuine involvement with animals wasn't until 1998 when we adopted our first kittens from the RSPCA. This led to a growing understanding in cats and through various groups and friends found my knowledge was increasing. It's also how I met Phil!
Fostering started for Phil and I completely by accident when we offered to look after a mamma cat and her three day old babies, for our vet. It was an easy start - Dahlia was a great mum and apart from some feeding issues, it was all pretty straightforward. I had never seen newborn kittens before and it was wonderful! Phil and I chatted about it and agreed we'd really like to foster properly and started looking for a suitable charity to approach.
We were delighted to find that Cat and Kitten Rescue was on our doorstep and got in touch and asked if they needed more fosterers. We're lucky enough that we've been able to use my daughter's old bedroom as our kitty room which gives a nice, cosy environment for any of our four legged house guests.
Having been fostering for a year and a half now, I can say that it's something that I love doing. During that time, we've fostered eight cats and 29 kittens. There are some very difficult times - kittens have a fairly high mortality rate and that can obviously be heartbreaking; however old they are, it hurts to lose them. Conversely, when we receive pictures and videos of kittens or cats that have passed through our care, it's the most wonderful feeling. I feel it is a privilege to witness a mamma cat giving birth and also to help raise the kittens in whatever way is necessary.
Sometimes that means doing very little other than helping socialise them and acclimatise them to normal household sounds and sights. Sometimes it means medicating them, taking them to the vets and, in the worst case, letting them go. Whichever way, you'll be the first human they see when their eyes open and the first human hands to hold and cuddle them, and it's very special.
I genuinely feel very lucky to be able to do this and hope to welcome many more cats and kittens into our home whilst they wait for their furrever homes.
If you are interested in volunteering with us please email catandkittenrescue@hotmail.com telling us who you are and what area you are interested in.
We are a small charity and your generosity would make the world of difference to all the strays, kittens and the cats with us as long term fosters.
There are many ways you can support us:
donating food
fundraising
donating unwanted items to be sold in our shop
donating towels and blankets for our maternity team
buying a cat a dinner through our eBay store here for just £1.00
We are so grateful for any and all cash donations and these can be made through PayPal using the button below.
We also have an Amazon wishlist to help support our long term fosters and this is a lovely way to make a difference to their lives
All monies raised from donations go directly to the rescue.
Thank you so much for your support.
We rely on the kindness and generosity of people who have the same vision of a better future for so many cats and kittens who didn't get the best start in life. Leaving a gift in your will is one of the most powerful ways you can be part of this future, making an active difference after you’ve gone.
Big or small, a final gift from you would make a vital difference to the increasing number of cats and kittens we help.
When you join Pets At Home Pet club you can nominate a charity to receive Lifelines. For every £1 you spend at Pets At Home you will earn 1 Lifeline and we receive a voucher based on the number of Lifelines you accrue. We use these vouchers to buy food, bedding and anything else the cats in our care might need. Every little helps and we appreciate each and every donation, it really makes a difference to the lives of our foster cats.
If you're not already signed up, you can become a member here and select Cat and Kitten Rescue - St Albans as your local charity.
Thank you!
We find a lot of our adopters through word of mouth and recommendation, and also through our Facebook page. A really good way to support us is simply to follow our page on Facebook and share our posts to reach as many potential adopters as possible.
Search for Cat and Kitten Rescue or use the link below to find us and don't forget to follow us and please share our posts!