PILOT PROJECTQUARTER 3 REPORT:

March – May 2018

CAT SMART

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We begin this Quarter 3 report with some

great news – the Cat Smart project has been

extended, meaning that we will be providing

this great service in Sheffield for at least another

year. The volunteer team and partners were

ecstatic when we heard earlier this month.

On a more sombre note, however, it’s vital we

continue this work. Local shelters are still full to

capacity and cats are still suffering – not a day

goes by without us hearing stories of rescues,

abandonment, illness and injury.

Project background

Outreach and engagement

This quarter you may have

seen us out and about at

a range of local spring

and summer events,

where we’ve had a

great time talking with

cat owners, raising

awareness and

encouraging people to

‘spay, snip and microchip’ their cats. These activities

have enabled us to engage with more than 177 people

and we’ve had a blast doing it.

Our outreach and engagement, combined with our

activities on Facebook, have also helped us to neuter

284 cats this quarter – thanks to support from the

caring and compassionate vets involved in delivering

this initiative.

The next event will be our charity week, courtesy

of Crystal Peaks shopping centre, starting on

13 August 2018. Cat charities will be attending the

centre throughout the week, raising funds for their

individual charities, running promotions and selling

cat themed goods. Then, on Saturday, we will be

holding another of our popular Pop Up Practices,

supported by Springfield vets on this occasion,

between 9:30am and 4:00pm.

In the main shopping centre, there will also be

activities for the children including:

An appearance from Travis the Cat

Face painting

Crafts

So, what are you waiting for? You don't have to

have a cat to get involved, just come along and

join in the fun!

The RSPCA receives a call about a cat every

three seconds on average, and the neutering

rate in Sheffield was well below the national

average of 91 percent when we began this

project. We’re aiming to change this with the

Cat Smart scheme, but we can’t do it alone.

We need you to ‘share’ and ‘like’ our posts,

help us to shout about what we’re doing and

why, and join us in encouraging change.

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Volunteering with Cat Smart

Cat Smart is focussed

on improving the

health and wellbeing

of cats and active

participation by the

public is key to its

success. To function

effectively and

champion neutering

within communities, we need to attract local volunteers

to support us in different ways.

Here at Cat Smart we and our partners appreciate the

complex nature of volunteering. We value the fact that

people want to give their time, energy and commitment

to support our purpose, help us to deliver our ambitions

and strengthen our voice on matters relating to animal

welfare. Volunteers will always play a vital role in

developing and adding value to animal welfare

initiatives, building connections, making us known in

local communities and in ensuring our success with

this project.

Cat Smart volunteers help to:

Advance Cat Smart’s aims and objectives

Act as a conduit for information to and from

local people

Increase diverse perspectives in the organisation

Extend and complement the work of paid staff

Help raise public awareness and stimulate interest

in our activities.

Volunteer roles

There are a number of opportunities at many levels for

members of the public to be involved in developing Cat

Smart and supporting us to meet our aims – from the

casual and informal to the highly formal and structured.

Interested in volunteering for Cat Smart?

We are currently recruiting:

Drivers

Social media ambassadors.

For more information, contact Carrie by email on:

carrie.stones@rspca.org.uk or via Facebook:

@catsmartsheffield.

Meet Lauren—Social Media Ambassador

for Cat Smart

Hello, I’m Lauren Sanderson, Deputy Charity

Manager at Rain Rescue. We are a South

Yorkshire based animal rescue charity.

Being a small charity I wear many different hats

but my main responsibilities are fundraising, PR,

and human resources, as well as supporting in

the day to day running of the charity.

I started my career in Animal Welfare in 2010,

volunteering at local rescue centres doing dog

walking and promoting animals available for

adoption on social media. My passion grew and

grew, and once I found Rain Rescue I knew I

didn't want to do anything else! After being with

the charity for a number of months I took on a full

time role (and then some) helping the charity in

any way I could.

When I heard about Cat Smart, I knew right away

that both Rain Rescue and myself wanted to be

involved. I support the scheme in two ways,

through my role at Rain Rescue – lending our

support to the scheme complements our own work

perfectly – and also as a volunteer updating the

Facebook page to raise awareness of the scheme

and introduce potential users to Cat Smart.

It's inspiring to see the wonderful reactions to

the Cat Smart scheme – how many people are

getting on board with getting their cats neutered

and how it's reaching into the local communities

where responsible pet ownership education is

so desperately needed. I am very proud to be a

part of it.

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Cat Smart users told us...

THANK YOU TO

OUR FUNDER

The RSPCA only exists with the support

of public donations. Our £120m annual

costs are supported by donations and

legacies from animal lovers.

Cat Smart is no different and the team,

including our volunteers, partners and

service users, would like to express our

enormous gratitude to the funder who

made this scheme possible.

Contact Cat Smart

Facebook@catsmartsheffield

Tel: 07969 323590

Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Wilberforce Way, Southwater, Horsham, West Sussex RH13 9RS

0300 1234 999 www.rspca.org.uk

The RSPCA helps animals in England and Wales. Registered charity no 219099

The RSPCA only exists with the support of public donations. Copyright © RSPCA 2018. All rights reserved.

This material must not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the RSPCA.

“I saw on Facebook that Cat

Smart were offering free spaying

in Sheffield – I contacted them for

my two cats. Cat Smart responded

quickly and were very informative.

My cats stay indoors, but I noticed

neutering also helps cats health

wise and it can't be nice for them

going into season. Plus, now they

are neutered I will give them the

option to go out. The PDSA and

Cat Smart teams are fab, very

helpful – it’s a great scheme and I

will be making a donation. Thank

you very much.”

“My two male cat brothers were starting to spray and meow loudly

and fight with each other when I came across this scheme. Cat

Smart offered to help transport the cats as well due to my disability,

which was incredibly helpful.

Cat Smart was lovely and made me feel at ease. I couldn't

recommend them enough. This will give my two the opportunity to

go outside in the near future and hopefully calm them down a lot.

Many thanks again!”

“I saw Cat Smart on Facebook and it was a great way of getting cats

neutered and chipped at no cost. Although such services had been

free to people on certain benefits, those on lower wages would be put

off from getting their cats neutered. I’m a working single parent and

often have more outgoings than incomings. Using the Cat Smart

scheme I could get the two stray kittens I had taken in neutered and

chipped. It was all very simple and I can’t thank Cat Smart enough.

I distributed information about the scheme at work and have been

able to get others to neuter their cats with Cat Smart. I have spread

the word throughout South Yorkshire Probation and so my colleagues

can refer their service users too.

There was no stigma using the scheme and it has helped reduce the

risk of more unwanted kittens being born.”