Our History
The Cats’ Protection League in Canterbury was incorporated in 1973 and was the dream of our founder Ruby Austin.
Ruby originally started rescuing stray cats in Christchurch and did this for some time until she decided that a Cats Protection League should be started. She put an advertisement in The Star newspaper and was soon inundated with replies – reporters came and took photos giving her much needed publicity. A meeting was held in 1971 in a church hall in Woolston, which many people attended and a committee was formed.
The early days of the league were very difficult with stalls held every week to raise much needed funds. The stray cats were held in people’s homes and in garden sheds built to hold them. An old house was eventually rented which was used to sell and store goods and also had cages to hold the cats in and a small office.
When the house was demolished to make way for the George Manning Rest Home, a shop was purchased in Worcester Street which today sells donated goods five days a week.
By now the cats were also principally held in a cattery built behind Ruby’s house in Charlesworth Street Woolston. The property was sold to the league in 1998 to ensure that the facility to hold cats – and our legacy, remained.
The Aims of the League are:
To relieve the suffering and distress of cats and kittens, including the provision of food, shelter and veterinary assistance
To encourage owners of cats and kittens to have their animals spayed and neutered
To find suitable homes for healthy stray cats and kittens
To provide for the humane destruction of cats and kittens when necessary
To give advice and help to owners of cats and kittens and promote public awareness of the need for spaying and neutering.
The League is run by a committee and is a registered charity with Inland Revenue and the Charities Commission.
Our income is mainly from the sale of donated goods in our opportunity shop, donations, small charges for the sale of cats and kittens, collection boxes, stalls and bequests.
We have many expenses, principally veterinary fees, the provision of board, food, litter and wages.
The Office
The office of Cats’ Protection League is always busy with many calls made every day by people wanting us to take cats or kittens into our care, wanting assistance to get their cats desexed, or just asking for advice.
The office is located at 14 Charlesworth Street, Woolston and is open weekdays 10am to 4pm excluding public holidays.
Email: cplcats@xtra.co.nz
All adoptions take place through the cattery, so if you are looking to adopt a cat or kitten, please either visit during open hours or call: (03) 384 0006.
To surrender a cat to us, discuss our Feline Fix program - or for any inquiry not related to adopting a cat, please visit our office during their open hours, or call: (03) 376 6094
