Stray cats in Crawley get helping hand from local group

Help for Strays Rescue is a small independent stray cat rescue centre that aims to lower the amount of stray cats in the Crawley area and beyond.

The rescue centre is run by the founder Jane Soper and Ann Hilton from Crawley, who trap, neuter & re-home stray cats with their team of volunteers.

Crawley has seen a rise in stray cats over the past few years, and this is partly due to lockdown. The centre noticed that cats were being abandoned because of fears that Covid was passed from cats to humans, which isn't the case.

Another contributing factor of cats being abandoned because of lockdown is that owners had no time to look after them when returning to their workplaces.

Help for Strays Rescue also takes in cats when owners are no longer able to look after them due to personal circumstances. This is done with a lot of compassion from the team.

The rescue centre helps stray cats from when they are rescued to the point when they are rehomed. This is costly, so they are appealing for help with expenses such as vet bills and feeding the cats.

You can donate by using their Paypal: PayPal.me/Helpforstraysrescue

Jane Soper and Ann Hilton from Help for Strays Rescue said: “Jane is the founder and she started Help for Strays 18 months ago after starting as a scanner, then working with the rescue side. The team has built-up over time.

“We provide vaccinations, neutering, health checks and microchipping to our strays before they are ready for their new home.

“Help for Strays help to rescue, trap long term strays and ferals who are unable to return to their owners.

“We do our home checks via video due to Covid. It’s important for us that the cat matches the criteria of a home and that the cat will be comfortable in their new home.

“We rehome a lot of our cats with people with learning and behavioral difficulties. We find that it benefits both.

“The centre mostly picks up cats from the Crawley area, but we do help other organisations that put out a plea to help a cat.

“First Lockdown we saw a tremendous increase in stray cats, especially during the time when it was thought that cats passed Covid to humans. We also found that when a lot of people returned to the office, they could no longer look after their pets.

“Our organisation has a good relationship with the people of Crawley. As we are independent, we don’t get the same support as other charities so we rely on donations from our local network.

We ask for donations of food and litter, but also financial support with Vet bills.

“Help for Strays uses Harvest Vets in Crawley and Broadbridge Heath, which people can contact and help contribute towards the cat’s bills.

“People can donate through bank transfer or Paypal link: PayPal.me/Helpforstraysrescue.”

If you would like to get involved, you can find them on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HelpForStraysRescue