When you volunteer with Cats at Crosskennan you will be caring for the cats in the sanctuary and making their stay with us as happy, healthy, and as stress-free as possible. 

The cats and staff greatly appreciate the time that volunteers give to help out. It is only with your assistance that we can keep things running smoothly and care for as many cats as possible.

Nearly all our rescue cats typically have experienced some degree of trauma prior to arrival. Simply moving is stressful for cats, but many of our charges are also missing people they loved, have come to us neglected, or even as victims of cruelty. For this reason, volunteers need to follow strict procedures and protocols (as staff do) which requires an investment on our part in training and supervision. 

Volunteering with cats therefore requires a commitment of at least one three-hour shift per fortnight for a minimum period of six months. If realistically you are unable to make this commitment, it is better to reconsider volunteering until your schedule permits. Volunteer shifts for training are available five days a week: morning shifts are from 10:30am to 1pm; afternoon shifts are from 1pm to 3:30pm. You can double-up shifts and volunteers are welcome to discuss extra shifts and time once they are trained.

As we have a fairly small site, we can only roster on a certain number of volunteers per shift and as volunteering with cats is popular, we may have a waiting list for vacancies. We try and acknowledge every application but may not be able to consider it for several months, depending on availability of shifts in the roster.

​

For legal reasons, all volunteers will be asked to complete a contact details form including names and numbers of people to contact in an emergency. These records are kept securely in accordance with our privacy policy. 

Cat volunteers assist with ensuring the health and wellbeing of cats and kittens in our care.

Duties include: 

• Cleaning and disinfecting litter trays, bowls, carriers 

• Laundry 

• Socialisation (playing with, patting) and grooming of cats and kittens 

• As requested, assisting Crosskennan staff with other aspects of cat care, appropriate to the volunteer’s skills and experience.  

We ask that volunteers perform cleaning duties before socialising with the cats and kittens. 

At no time are volunteers to give advice to the public on our behalf or to answer telephones or provide cat care other than as directed. Incorrect practices or advice could cause problems for cats, their owners, and legal problems for Crosskennan. 

Volunteering is a serious and important occupation, but it is also a very rewarding way to spend your time. Committed, regular volunteers are a wonderful help to us and a great comfort to the cats who stay here while waiting for their new homes and those who live here permanently. If, after reading this, you feel that you have the time and commitment to volunteer then please complete the form below. If you have any questions, please email volunteer@crosskennanlane.org.uk

Not sure if you have the time right now?

If you cannot commit to being a regular volunteer then perhaps you would be interested in signing up for some one of days - check out our application for helper days here Helper Day Volunteer Application