Dedicated to the rescue, care & rehoming of stray, feral, abandoned, mistreated & unwanted cats & kittens

Cat rescue & admissions

Cat rescue & admission procedures

The charity sadly always has a long waiting list of cats that need our help as there are always more cats that need rescuing and rehoming than our small charity can accommodate.

Our Admissions Waiting List is therefore assessed as space becomes available, with cats in most need and no-one else to help them taking priority:

  • Stray & homeless cats and kittens, especially if apparently suffering with injury / disease, or in immediate danger in high risk areas
  • Stray pregnant females or with young kittens (to neuter asap & rehome kittens responsibly)
  • Lone homeless kittens and/or injured
  • ‘Ferals’ or timid strays that need trapping; we always have an ongoing list of feral colonies to trap
  • Unneutered male cats straying, may be looking in poor condition
  • Cats whose owners have died or gone into residential care and are homeless
  • Crisis referrals from social services and vets practices
Caring for Cats Homing Centre in Market Weighton, York

The charity’s Homing Centre in Market Weighton – please note no animals will be admitted here as all cats and kittens must first pass through a health check via our vets

Caring for Cats is one of the smallest rescues in E Yorkshire and is run entirely by volunteers. We are often the last hope for some cats, particularly timid/injured strays you can’t get near, and ‘ferals’, that require humane trapping equipment. Anyone concerned about a cat should telephone our homing centre on 01430 872612, leave your details and a short message about the cat/situation, and someone will be get back to you.

EMERGENCY ADMISSIONS

In true emergency situations, where a cat is badly injured or in immediate danger, call 07967 627492 and we will try our best to help. We are run entirely by volunteers so any assistance you can give with arranging transport of the animal to our supporting vets will help us greatly.

FREE telephone advice – cat welfare

The cofounders have over 35 years’ experience of cat rescue & welfare and can also offer free telephone advice about caring for strays or ferals until room is available – call 07967 627492.

Cats to be handed in to our care

We always have a long waiting list so the more notice you can give us the better. Please call the homing centre on 01430 872612 between 11am – 5pm, Tuesday -Sunday to give us details of the cat/s you would like us to take in. We need the following information if available: age, sex, colour, status on neutering, vaccination, flea and worming treatments, or other health issues. Please also state if the cat is living as a stray or feral, and if you have access to transport. All cats are checked for a microchip and receive any necessary veterinary care on admission.
NOTE: emails, texts or Facebook posts cannot be processed onto the waiting list so please always telephone.

Donation towards costs

Two feral kittens: Feral cats & strays often arrive poorly due to under-nourishment

Two feral kittens: Feral cats & strays often arrive poorly due to under-nourishment, and may need several weeks of veterinary care & medication to get better

Owners wishing to surrender their cat/s to us for rehoming, for whatever reason, are requested where possible to make a donation towards our admissions & care costs. Although we do not charge a surrender fee, Caring for Cats spends an average of £145 on blood testing & veterinary treatments, food, shelter, and other care costs for each animal we receive. Actual costs may be much higher, as often cats arrive needing dental extractions (esp elderly), antibiotics for infections or longterm medication for a chronic disease (eg diabetes, early kidney failure, hyperthyroidism, arthritis or spinal disorders). This is a small charity dependent on public donations & the kindness of strangers – please donate to help us care for your cat.

Handover of ownership of cats

When room is available you will be contacted by the charity Coordinator to arrange handover of the cat/s into the charity’s care. You will be asked to sign an Animal Surrender Form under which you relinquish all legal rights of ownership and any right to information on the disposition of said animal/s. The charity shall become the legal owner of the surrendered animal/s and have sole and exclusive legal right to make all outcome decisions and take all actions deemed appropriate. [Note we have had to take this measure due to a minority of public abuses of the charity’s ethics and purpose.]

Euthanasia policy

All animals are blood-tested by a veterinarian on admission and receive a full veterinary health check and all recommended treatments. The charity will only ever consider euthanasia upon the advice of a veterinary surgeon when it is judged the animal would not have quality of life and its health cannot be managed successfully by medication or surgery. Sadly this includes cats infected with FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus) and FeLV (feline leukaemia virus) that have no known cure, and which we are unable to rehome.

Our policy on FIV/FeLV infected cats was formed only after many years’ experience–and heartache–rescuing and trying to care for such animals, that often arrive with us when already suffering due to impaired immune function. The charity’s yearly euthanasia figures nevertheless remain consistently low as a percentage of all rescues.