Cattery Assistant (Millbrook Animal Centre, Chobham)
Do you have a passion for cats? Are you calm, patient and understanding?
We are looking for volunteers who can join our existing team to help out on Tuesday mornings, Thursday mornings and Sunday afternoons.
The morning shift is mainly cleaning the cat's accommodation, followed by cat socialising. The afternoon shift is a mixture of cat socialising and getting stuck in with things like laundry, washing up, cleaning empty pens, and maybe even helping with feeding, depending on staffing levels. Please only apply if you are able to do these shifts.
Many of the cats in our care have never experienced life in a loving home. Whilst they wait for that special someone who can give them a second chance of a forever home, they get lots of love, care and attention from the staff and volunteers at our animal centres.
Our cattery assistants play a vital role in looking after the cats in our care until they find a new home. They assist with the feeding and cleaning of the cattery, ensuring dietary requirements are met, records are updated and any concerns are raised to the staff member on duty. They also spend time grooming and playing, providing stimulation and also helping cats develop the socialisation skills which can aid a successful rehoming.
You’ll be working as part of a team and have some experience and knowledge of the behaviours of cats, however we’ll provide you with full training. You’ll also need to have some level of physical strength to be able to pick up cats, again full training will be provided.
You’ll make friends and meet new people, caring for cats whilst they wait for a new home. You may have lots of experience with felines, or maybe you would like a cat but your lifestyle or home doesn’t suit cat ownership at the moment. This could be the purrrrfect role for you. Click apply to tell us more about you.
Please note you need to be 18 years or over to volunteer at Millbrook.
Volunteer role
Cattery Assistant
Volunteer manager
Centre Manager
Where you will be based
Community
Why we want you
We are the RSPCA and it's our vision to live in a world where all animals are respected and treated with compassion. Our volunteers are incredible, they play an essential role in helping us carry out our important animal welfare work every day.
What you will be doing
* Preparing and providing food and water for the cats in the cattery as directed by the centre staff
* Cleaning, disinfecting and maintaining to a standard of cleanliness cat pods in the cattery as required
* Attending to the exercise and coat care/grooming needs of the cats
* Following current administrative health and safety procedures in place at the centre and ensuring that they are observed in all aspects of work
* Liaising with colleagues in the centre
The skills you need
* Volunteers must be aged 16 or over - some centres may require you to be 18 years or over
* Knowledge of cats and ability to read their behaviour
* Must feel comfortable around cats and have a patient and understanding nature
* Able to carry out physical tasks
* Able to work within a team but also capable of working with minimal supervision
What's in it for you
* Meet new people and make new friends
* Learn great new skills to add to your CV
* A great induction and training relevant to your role
* Volunteer in a fun environment at the heart of the local community
* You’ll be making a huge difference to the welfare of animals
* We are happy to reimburse any reasonable travel expenses you may incur whilst volunteering with us
Disclaimer
Our voluntary roles are subject to an informal interview and trial period. We will ask you to provide contact details for two referees. Before you can start volunteering you’ll need to complete our simple online Health & Safety assessment. At the RSPCA we don’t want you to be out of pocket by volunteering, so we are happy to reimburse any agreed out of pocket expenses you incur whilst volunteering. Tetanus is a life threatening bacterial disease caused by an infection in an open wound. In view of this everyone should be vaccinated to prevent infection and we require that all RSPCA staff and volunteers must be suitably protected. Tetanus vaccination is carried out in infancy (3 doses), at pre-school and in adolescence so everyone should have had 5 doses by the time adulthood is reached. This is considered to give lifelong protection although a booster might be considered if an injury is deemed to be high risk. We request that volunteers must check their vaccination history with their GP’s and if fully immunised no further action is required. If a volunteer has not had the required doses, the GP should offer them free of charge as part of the UK vaccination schedule.
Millbrook Animal Centre, Guildford Road, Woking, Surrey, GU24 8EH, United Kingdom
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