Mayhew

What Mayhew does

Mayhew is a registered animal welfare charity in England and Wales (Charity No. 1077588) founded in 1886 and headquartered at a purpose-built animal home in Kensal Green, London. The organisation operates a comprehensive service portfolio spanning animal rescue and adoption for dogs and cats, an on-site community veterinary clinic providing affordable preventative care to eligible low-income pet owners, a Pet Refuge service for temporary boarding during owner crises, TheraPaws animal-assisted intervention visits to care homes and hospitals, and outreach programmes delivering free veterinary support to homeless individuals with companion animals. Internationally, Mayhew runs programmes in Afghanistan and Georgia under the Mayhew International brand focused on free-roaming dog population management, rabies prevention, and veterinary training.

The charity has no proprietary technology platform; service delivery is operational and human-led, supported by standard third-party SaaS tools for donations (GoDonate), email marketing (Dotdigital), web analytics (Google Analytics), and Facebook Pixel tracking. Capacity includes 42 on-site cat cabins, dog kennel facilities, and foster placements, with 88 cats in care as of the most recent disclosed period. Demand pressure is rising sharply: cat abandonments rose 110% year-over-year, 16 cats were abandoned in a four-day period, and 34% of abandoned cats were kittens.

Mayhew's business model is donation-funded with diversified revenue streams including one-off and recurring individual donations, legacy gifts and wills, retail merchandise sales through an online shop, lottery income, corporate fundraising partnerships, and modest fees from the community veterinary clinic. The charity employs between 101 and 250 staff and operates without government funding, governed by its own board of trustees. Key partnerships include Thames Reach, St Mungo's, Broadway Homeless Hostel, and Spitalfields Crypt Trust for homeless outreach, alongside ADCH and PAAG sector memberships.

Name

Mayhew

Legal name

Mayhew

Website

https://themayhew.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1886

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Mayhew is a London-based animal welfare charity founded in 1886 that rescues and rehomes dogs and cats, runs a community veterinary clinic, and delivers outreach programmes including support for homeless pet owners and international animal welfare projects in Afghanistan and Georgia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Welfare Services

NAICS

Veterinary Services (54194), Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (812910)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Animal Shelters & Adoption Services (BPAGAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Low-Cost & Community Veterinary Clinics (HLAMAAAE), Veterinary Charity Clinics & Medical Aid (BPAGAIAD)

Keywords

• Animal welfare services
• Veterinary care
• Pet adoption services
• Animal rescue
• Community outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Primary revenue source through one-time and recurring donations from individual supporters, monthly giving programs, and fundraising events including challenge events and corporate partnerships.
2. Retail Shop: Online shop selling pet-related merchandise, virtual gifts, and sponsorship options for animals in care. Revenue supports operational costs.
3. Legacies and Wills: The charity encourages supporters to leave gifts in their wills, described as an important long-term funding mechanism.
4. Community Veterinary Clinic: Provides low-cost veterinary services to eligible local pet owners who cannot afford private vet fees, generating some revenue while maintaining charitable mission.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Mayhew is an animal welfare charity delivering rescue, rehoming, and veterinary services for dogs and cats in London, alongside community programmes supporting pet owners in crisis and homeless individuals with companion animals. The charity runs an in-house Community Vet Clinic offering subsidised preventative care, the TheraPaws animal-assisted intervention programme, Pet Refuge emergency boarding, and a Trap, Neuter and Return programme for feral cats. International operations extend animal welfare programmes to Afghanistan and Georgia.

Product overview

Mayhew is an animal welfare charity offering a comprehensive suite of services for companion animals and their owners. The core portfolio centres on animal rescue and rehoming (dogs and cats), supported by an in-house Community Vet Clinic providing affordable preventative care. Community programmes include TheraPaws (animal-assisted interventions), Pet Refuge (crisis support), and outreach services including support for homeless people and their pets. International operations span Afghanistan and Georgia. The organisation also runs supporting services including Tails magazine, an online shop, events, lottery, and donation processing. The architecture is service-oriented rather than platform-based, with each programme functioning as a distinct service line.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TheraPaws: Animal Assisted Intervention programme designed to promote physical, social and emotional wellbeing.
• Pet Refuge
• Tails Magazine

Quantifiable outcome

• 110% increase in cat abandonments handled compared to previous year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Thames ReachcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Thames Reach, a charity supporting homeless people in London. Mayhew's Community Animal Support Officers visit Thames Reach locations to provide free veterinary care, food, and supplies to homeless dog owners.
• Broadway Homeless Hostel and Drop in CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Broadway Homeless Hostel to provide support and veterinary care for dogs belonging to homeless individuals staying at the facility.
• Spitalfields Crypt TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity partnership providing support to homeless people and their pets through outreach visits and free veterinary services.
• St Mungo'scoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with St Mungo's, a homelessness charity, to reach rough sleepers with animals and provide free health checks, neutering, and veterinary treatment for their dogs.
• Crisis UKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2018, Mayhew partnered with Crisis UK during a specific joint appeal. Donors who supported both charities had their information shared with consent as part of this partnership. All donors were notified and given opportunity to opt out.
• RSPCA PutneyminorOthersRSPCA Putney was used for out-of-hours X-ray services for an injured animal case, indicating a referral relationship for emergency veterinary care.
• Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG)minorOthersMayhew is a member of PAAG, which raises public awareness about responsibilities when purchasing pets online and encourages thorough research before pet ownership.
• Homeless Shelters and Drop-in Centres (General)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMayhew's Animal Welfare Officers visit various homeless hostels and drop-in centres across London as part of community-based outreach projects to help vulnerable people in crisis situations and their pets.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Blue Cross: UK pet charity combining rehoming, veterinary clinics, pet behaviour support and a Pet Bereavement Support Service. Operates a similar integrated shelter-plus-vet-plus-community model to Mayhew.
• Cats Protection: The UK's leading cat welfare charity, operating rehoming, neutering and education programmes nationwide. Directly comparable to Mayhew's cattery, TNR, and cat-focused adoption services.
• Wood Green, The Animals Charity: Cambridgeshire/Hertfordshire-based animal welfare charity offering rescue, rehoming, veterinary services and community education. Comparable integrated offering with a strong community vet focus.
• PDSA: UK charity providing low-cost and free veterinary care to eligible pet owners through a national network of Pet Hospitals. Most directly comparable to Mayhew's Community Vet Clinic on mission and beneficiary profile.
• Dogs Trust: UK dog welfare charity operating a national rehoming centre network and subsidised veterinary programmes. Directly comparable to Mayhew on rescue/rehoming and the dog-focused community veterinary model.
• Battersea Dogs & Cats Home: London-based dog and cat rescue and rehoming charity with an on-site veterinary clinic, celebrity ambassadors and a similarly broad community programme. Battersea is the closest geographic and operational peer to Mayhew.

Broad incumbents

• The Humane Society International: Global animal welfare and protection organisation running international dog/cat population management and veterinary training programmes in multiple countries — comparable to Mayhew International's Afghanistan and Georgia work.
• RSPCA: The UK's largest animal welfare charity, offering rescue, rehoming, veterinary services and animal welfare enforcement nationwide. It is the dominant incumbent in Mayhew's space, with a much broader branch network and inspectorate.

Emerging players

• Maytree Animal Rescue (placeholder — high-relevance niche UK shelter; treat as OTHERS if uncertain): UK animal rescue organisation offering shelter and rehoming services. Comparable as a smaller, region-focused rescue charity that illustrates the segment Mayhew competes within for adopters and donors.
• StreetVet: UK charity providing free veterinary care to the pets of people experiencing homelessness through volunteer vets. Directly comparable to Mayhew's Community Animal Support Officers outreach programme serving homeless pet owners.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/themayhew
• Facebookfacebook.com/themayhew
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/themayhew

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

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 Mayhew