At the beginning of National Pet Month, Cats Protection is celebrating the primary anniversary of a pioneering on-line adoption course of that was launched in response to the lockdown and has rehomed over 20,000 cats across the UK cats thus far.
Susie Pritchard, Cats Protection Head of Ops, mentioned: “We labored extremely arduous to get Hands-Free Homing off the bottom when our centres closed in order that we might proceed to rehome the cats in our care, nevertheless it’s been extra profitable than we ever imagined.
“Not solely have 20,000 cats discovered their without end houses, however we’ve been capable of present hundreds of individuals with some much-needed companionship in the course of the lockdown.”
Hands-Free Homing primarily signifies that the entire adoption course of has moved on-line. Prospective house owners browse the obtainable cats by way of the charity’s web site and as soon as their software has been obtained, they’re matched with the very best cat for them and their residence. The cats are then delivered to their new houses by a group of Cats Protection volunteers.
Frances Jeater, an actress from Richmond in Surrey, was one of many first folks to undertake utilizing Hands-Free Homing.
“My beloved cat Bertie died in January final yr on the ripe age of 13. I swore to myself that I wouldn’t get one other cat however because the weeks handed I realised how a lot I used to be lacking having a cat in the home.
“When we went into the primary lockdown and all of the adoption centres closed, I assumed I’d missed the boat till a pal talked about Hands-Free Homing.
“I went onto the Cats Protection web site and instantly noticed five-year-old Molly. Obviously, I couldn’t go and meet her however the pretty Cats Protection employees offered a number of details about her persona.
“Every week or so later, Molly was delivered to my residence and settled in superbly right away. She is completely enchanting and makes me snigger each single day. I reside alone and I’m not in a “bubble” so if it wasn’t for Molly, I wouldn’t have touched a dwelling factor for over a yr. Touch is so vital to people and having the ability to stroke and pet Molly has been great.
“I’ve additionally discovered that having a routine with Molly – from nap occasions to feeding – has given much-needed construction to my days during the last 12 months. Lockdown with out Molly would have been very grim certainly.”
