What Cats Protection does

Cats Protection is a UK-registered charity (founding year 1927, originally the Cats Protection League), headquartered at the National Cat Centre in Haywards Heath, with a workforce of 1,001-5,000. It is described as the UK's leading cat welfare charity and operates through more than 250 branches and 36 adoption centres, with separate charity registrations in England and Wales (203644), Scotland (SC037711) and Northern Ireland (Section 167). Last year it helped approximately 27,000 cats find new homes.

Its service portfolio is centred on cat welfare but spans adoption (national online cat search plus physical centres), neutering (described as the UK's largest single-species programme covering pet and feral cats), financial hardship support via the Cat Guardians service, the Lifeline programme for foster care of cats belonging to people escaping domestic abuse, a Paws to Listen grief support line, education resources, and policy campaigning (including the Cat Manifesto and a cat-friendly rentals initiative). The Cat magazine, first published in 1931, remains the oldest continuously published feline magazine.

As a non-profit, Cats Protection's "revenue" mechanics are diversified across individual donations (one-off and recurring via website and JustGiving), HMRC-approved payroll giving, charity-shop trading, corporate partnerships (Charity of the Year, cause-related marketing, matched funding, product licensing), legacy gifts (Gifts in Wills), in-memory giving, philanthropy, and The Cat magazine subscriptions at £15/year. Distribution runs through charity shops, 36 adoption centres, an online adoption platform, JustGiving DIY fundraising pages, a website donation portal, and a payroll-giving infrastructure relying on Microsoft Office 365 for staff/volunteer authentication. Technology stack is essentially commodity (Office 365, JustGiving, e-commerce donation portal); there is no public API, no mobile app, and no disclosed AI/ML capability.

Name

Cats Protection

Legal name

Cats Protection

Website

https://cats.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1927

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Cats Protection is the UK's leading cat welfare charity, founded in 1927, operating 250+ branches and 36 adoption centres to rescue, rehome and neuter cats and to support owners through financial, behavioural and domestic-abuse programmes. Funded by donations, charity shops, payroll giving, corporate partnerships and legacies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Welfare Charity Services

akta.pro primary industry

Animal Shelters & Adoption Services (BPAGAIAA)

Keywords

• Cat welfare charity
• Animal adoption services
• Neutering programmes
• Charity fundraising
• Volunteer network

Headquarters

HQ city

Haywards Heath

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: The primary revenue stream comes from individual donations, both one-off and recurring. Donors can give through direct website, payroll giving, or JustGiving platforms.
2. Charity Shops: Cats Protection operates charity shops across the UK that sell donated items, with proceeds supporting cat welfare programs.
3. Magazine Subscriptions: The Cat magazine subscription costs £15 per year for four issues delivered to subscribers. Membership is included with the magazine subscription.
4. Payroll Giving: Employees donate directly from their salary before tax, providing Cats Protection with regular income. This is tax-effective for donors and provides predictable revenue.
5. Corporate Partnerships: Cause-related marketing campaigns, product licensing, corporate sponsorship, Charity of the Year programs, and matched funding initiatives with businesses.
6. Gifts in Wills: Legacies and gifts in Wills provide significant long-term funding for the charity's work.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Cats Protection is the UK's leading cat welfare charity. It rescues, rehomes and cares for cats through a national network of 36 centres and 250+ branches, runs the UK's largest single-species cat neutering programme, and provides adoption, behavioural and health advice, grief support, and the Cat Guardians and Lifeline assistance services. Income is generated through donations, charity shops, magazine subscriptions, payroll giving, and corporate partnerships.

Product overview

Cats Protection operates a multi-channel welfare and adoption platform centred on cat rescue, rehoming, and welfare services. Core offerings include cat adoption (via centres and branches), the Cat Guardians financial-support service, the Lifeline domestic-abuse support programme, a large-scale neutering initiative, and educational resources. Supporting services include The Cat magazine (quarterly publication since 1931), pen sponsorship with live webcams, DIY and challenge event fundraising tools, a payroll giving programme, corporate partnership schemes, and a network of charity shops. The portfolio also encompasses grief support services and campaigning/advocacy work. The organisation functions as a charity providing public services rather than a commercial product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cat Adoption Services National cat and kitten adoption service operating through 36 centres and 250+ branches across the UK, supported by an online search tool and adoption guidance for prospective owners.
• Cat Guardians Support service that provides ongoing assistance — including help with neutering costs and emergency veterinary care — to cat owners in financial hardship across the UK.
• Lifeline Service providing temporary foster care for the cats of individuals escaping domestic abuse, enabling them to leave safely with the assurance that their cat will be cared for.
• Neutering Programme The UK's largest single-species cat neutering programme, supporting healthy and balanced cat populations through pet and feral cat neutering, with financial assistance and regional campaigns.
• The Cat Magazine Official quarterly supporter magazine containing news, views and features for cat enthusiasts, available by subscription at £15 per year for four issues delivered direct, with membership included.
• Pen Sponsorship Sponsorship of specific cat pens at Cats Protection centres, giving sponsors access to live webcams to watch the cats in their sponsored pens.
• Grief Support Services Bereavement support offering for people who have lost a cat, including the Paws to Listen grief line, an online memory wall, and bereavement resources.
• Education Resources Educational programmes and materials about cat welfare, care and responsible ownership for schools, families and other audiences.
• Charity Shops Network of physical retail shops across the UK selling donated items, with proceeds supporting cat welfare programmes and locations searchable by postcode.
• Help and Advice Portal Vet-approved online portal covering cat care topics including behaviour, health, nutrition, lost cats, neutering, and home environment.
• Campaigning Advocacy and policy programme including the Cat Manifesto and a cat-friendly rentals campaign, advancing animal welfare policy positions.
• Payroll Giving Workplace giving programme enabling employees to donate to Cats Protection directly from their salary before tax via HMRC-approved payroll agents.
• Corporate Partnerships Structured partnership programmes for businesses, covering cause-related marketing, sponsorship, Charity of the Year arrangements, matched funding, and audience sharing.

Quantifiable outcome

• 27,000 cats found forever homes last year

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• HMRC-Approved Payroll AgentscoreOthersHMRC-approved agencies that transfer employee donations to Cats Protection on behalf of companies each month. These are critical infrastructure partners enabling the payroll giving programme.
• JustGivingcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerJustGiving provides online fundraising infrastructure allowing supporters to create personal fundraising pages. Donations received through JustGiving come directly to Cats Protection.
• Telford & Wrekin CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partnership related to market regeneration. The council's market refurbishment efforts initially raised concerns about closure of Cats Protection's charity stall, which was later resolved with a new location secured.
• Corporate Partners (Various)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCompanies engaging in cause-related marketing, product licensing, corporate sponsorship, Charity of the Year programmes, matched funding, and audience sharing initiatives with Cats Protection.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Blue Cross: UK pet welfare charity providing rehoming, veterinary services, and pet bereavement support; comparable mission, multi-channel revenue model, and operational footprint to Cats Protection.
• The Mayhew Animal Home: London-based animal welfare charity providing rehoming and community veterinary services; comparable rescue-and-rehoming mission and similar UK charity operating model.
• RSPCA: The UK's largest and oldest animal welfare charity, with a broader species remit (including cats) and similar rescue, rehoming, advocacy, and donation-funded operating model.
• Dogs Trust: UK's largest dog welfare charity and the closest structural analogue for a single-species welfare focus; operates rehoming centres and is funded through similar donations, legacies, and charity retail channels.
• Battersea Dogs & Cats Home: London-based UK animal welfare charity operating rehoming centres for dogs and cats with a similar donation-driven model and centre-based operations; the closest direct analogue in scale and mission to Cats Protection.
• PDSA: UK's leading veterinary charity providing free veterinary services to pets of those in need; overlaps with Cats Protection's welfare mission and runs a similar charity-funded operating model.
• Wood Green, The Animals Charity: UK animal welfare charity operating rehoming centres for multiple species including cats; comparable donation-driven model and centre-based operations to Cats Protection.
• Celia Hammond Animal Trust: UK cat-focused animal welfare charity running rescue and neutering programmes; the closest direct single-species (cat) competitor with a similar operational and fundraising model to Cats Protection.

Broad incumbents

• ASPCA: US-based animal welfare organisation with broader species focus; a broader incumbent operating outside the UK but in the same industry with a comparable advocacy, rehoming, and donation-driven model.
• Four Paws: International animal welfare organisation with broader species and geographic focus; a broader incumbent in the global animal welfare space with overlapping mission and fundraising model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/catsprotection
• Instagraminstagram.com/catsprotection
• Xx.com/CatsProtection

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cats Protection