Cats Protection

Cats Protection began in 1927, when a group of cat lovers met at Caxton Hall in London and formed the Cats Protection League, led by animal welfare campaigner Jessey Wade. It took its current name in 1998. The charity says it has rehomed more than two million cats and kittens in its first century.

According to its Charity Commission entry, it works through around 250 volunteer-led branches and 32 purpose-built adoption centres across the UK, and its main activities are rehoming, neutering and giving information to cat owners. Its headquarters and National Cat Adoption Centre are at Chelwood Gate in Sussex.

Alongside rehoming, Cats Protection funds and promotes neutering, runs Lifeline (which fosters cats for people fleeing domestic abuse), Cat Guardians (which plans for a cat's care if its owner dies) and Paws to Listen, a grief support line for people who have lost a pet. It campaigned for compulsory microchipping of cats in England, which became law in 2024.

You can adopt a cat from a centre or branch, sponsor a cat pen, volunteer, shop at one of its charity shops or make a donation. Use the adopt pages on its website to find your nearest centre or branch.