June saw us celebrate our 10th anniversary with our biggest and best Summer Fair yet!
We were overwhelmed by the support from our wonderful community, with hundreds of people joining us for a fantastic day of fundraising, entertainment and fun. Thanks to everyone who attended, volunteered, donated, sponsored or ran a stall, we raised an incredible £5,000 to support our rescue work.
Reaching our 10-year milestone made the day even more special, giving us the opportunity to reflect on everything Cats in Distress has achieved over the past decade and the thousands of cats whose lives have been changed thanks to your support.
One of the highlights of our Summer Fair was an incredible fundraising challenge by our wonderful volunteer, Jayne, who bravely had her head shaved in support of Cats in Distress.
Thanks to the generosity of everyone who sponsored her, Jayne has so far raised over £400 towards her £500 target. We’re incredibly grateful for her courage, commitment and willingness to go the extra mile to help cats in need.
We’d also like to say a huge thank you to Ben and everyone at The Three Horseshoes for choosing Cats in Distress as one of the beneficiaries of their recent charity quiz night. Thanks to the generosity of everyone who took part, an additional £53 was donated to support our rescue work.
Every fundraiser, donation and act of kindness helps us continue rescuing, rehabilitating and rehoming cats across Somerset, Wiltshire and Dorset.
As we look ahead to the next chapter of Cats in Distress, we’re excited to begin fundraising towards a dedicated Isolation and Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
This purpose-built facility will provide a safe, separate environment for cats requiring intensive nursing or isolation, helping us maintain the highest standards of biosecurity while caring for some of our most vulnerable residents. With infectious diseases such as cat flu and panleukopenia becoming an increasing concern, this facility will allow us to protect cats already in our care while giving sick or injured cats the specialist treatment they need.
Every fundraiser, donation and act of support helps bring this important project one step closer.
Ahead of our Summer Fair, Cats in Distress was featured in the Frome Times and on BBC Somerset with Simon Parkin, helping us celebrate our 10th anniversary and raise awareness of the vital work our volunteers do to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome cats across Somerset, Wiltshire and Dorset.
We were also delighted that our founder, Ginny Parratt, was recognised as the Monthly Local Legend on the When in Frome podcast. During the episode, Daisy met with Ginny to hear more about Cats in Distress, while Sonia threw herself into ecstatic dancing as part of her monthly challenge. It was another wonderful opportunity to share the charity’s story; celebrate our volunteers and highlight the difference your support makes to cats in need.
We’re incredibly grateful to all the local media who have helped shine a spotlight on our work and introduce Cats in Distress to even more people across the region.
We’re excited to announce the launch of our brand-new Children’s Pet Care Parties!
If you know a young animal lover who would enjoy a birthday party with a difference, why not book one of our bespoke Pet Care Parties? We can bring the party to your home or a venue of your choice, combining fun games and activities with age-appropriate learning about responsible pet care and animal welfare.
Best of all, every booking helps make a real difference. All proceeds from our Pet Care Parties go directly towards caring for the cats and kittens at Cats in Distress, meaning every celebration helps support rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming.
As an extra special treat, the birthday child will also receive a kitten or cat cuddling and playtime voucher to enjoy at our rescue on a separate date – the perfect experience for any budding cat lover!
At Cats in Distress, we’re passionate about inspiring the next generation to care for animals. We hope these parties will not only create lasting birthday memories but also encourage children to develop a lifelong love and respect for cats and their welfare.
June brought some wonderful adoption news, including two particularly special happy endings.
After spending a long time in our care, Bobby finally found his forever home! We also said goodbye to Sampson, who left for his new home at the end of the month after patiently waiting for the right match.
Both Bobby and Sampson are older cats, making their adoptions even more special. Senior cats are so often overlooked in favour of younger cats and kittens, but they have just as much love to give and make wonderful companions. We couldn’t be happier that they have each found the loving homes they truly deserve.
Joining them in their happy ever afters this month were Dwayne, Lumos, Ghost and Rory, who have all started exciting new chapters with their forever families.
In total this month, we rehomed 24 cats, including 5 ferals, 11 kittens, and we assisted with neutering of 4 owned cats.
To all of our adopters, thank you for choosing rescue. Every adoption not only changes the life of that cat but also creates space for us to help another cat in need.
Kitten season is now well and truly in full swing, and our rescue is busier than ever. We currently have around 30 kittens in our care, ranging from tiny newborns needing round-the-clock feeds to confident youngsters who are ready to find their forever homes.
One story that touched the hearts of many of our supporters was the litter we recently rescued from the same farm colony featured in our earlier Working Cats Project update. Tragically, their mum had passed away, leaving the kittens alone. The farmer only discovered them after one little kitten had fallen around 30 feet from the hayloft. Despite everyone’s best efforts, his injuries were simply too severe, and heartbreakingly he didn’t survive.
Thankfully, his siblings are now safe with us. At just three weeks old, they require bottle feeds, warmth and constant care from our dedicated foster team as they continue to grow stronger each day.
Not all of our kittens are quite so tiny, though! Tori, Christine, Freya, Fergus and Fi are now ready to find their forever homes. Full of fun, curiosity and plenty of kitten mischief, they’re looking for families to begin their next adventure with.
If you’d like to support us during our busiest time of year, you can help by making a donation or purchasing one of our virtual gifts through our website. Every contribution, no matter the size, helps provide food, milk, litter and vital veterinary care for kittens like these.
While we love celebrating happy endings, there are still some wonderful cats patiently waiting for their chance to find a forever home.
Sadly, older cats and black cats are often the ones who wait the longest, despite making the most loving companions.
At 12 years old, Beau is still searching for someone to offer him a comfortable retirement where he can enjoy all the love and attention he deserves. Darren, our handsome black cat, is also still waiting for someone to look beyond his colour and see the wonderful personality he has to offer. Joining them is Milo, our striking black and white boy, who is hoping his perfect family is just around the corner.
If you’re thinking about adopting, we’d encourage you to consider one of our longer-term residents. Sometimes the cats who wait the longest turn out to be the most rewarding companions, and nothing makes us happier than seeing them finally head off to the loving homes they’ve been waiting for.
