About us
Cat People of Melbourne is a non-profit charity registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission.
We support the people who care for the cats, more closely with our foster care network and out in the wider community with owners and adopters, particularly in the greater Melbourne area. We are advocates for cat welfare and responsible cat ownership.
We are all volunteers and we donate our time, money, and resources to improve the lives of cats in care in the Melbourne, Victoria.
Our history
Cat People of Melbourne started in October 2016 after the founder realised there was a need for more support for foster carers in cat adoptions and rehoming.
This group grew out of that need, and has since broadened in scope and service. What began as a one-person show became a small group of people recruiting help from their close friends. It is now a network of volunteers across Melbourne, including some in the regional areas of Victoria.
Today, Cat People of Melbourne is an adoption agency, a rehoming service, an advisory service and a support network.
Most of all, we are passionate and unapologetic advocates for the cats and the people who look out for them, love them and care for them.
How we operate
Cat People of Melbourne is the link between cats in need and their adoption into permanent homes.
Unlike other animal welfare organisations, we don’t have any paid staff or a central foster shelter. Every aspect of our charity is serviced by our wonderful volunteers, who donate their time, money and resources to improve the lives of cats.
We also rely on the generous support of the wider cat-loving community including a number of vets, animal hospitals, pet shops, supporters and the cat loving public.
Our main strength is our volunteer network. Our key is to support the people who support our cats.
We have teams of volunteers working behind the scenes to keep the organisation functioning.
What we do
We support our foster care network with specialist knowledge, a buddy system for advice and donations of supplies for the cats in our care.
We take enquiries from potential adopters and use our cat-matching service to find a best fit for our cats after considering peoples’ personalities, lifestyle, family and homes.
We provide a rehoming service for people who can no longer care for their cats or can’t take their cats with them when they move.
We engage in public events. You will find as at events like the Cat Lovers Show and other pet-related events, talking about our services, selling cat stuff to raise money and giving out lots of kitty cuddles.
We fundraise for the cats in our care that need veterinary work like vaccinations and those that are sick and need specialist veterinary treatment. Every cent we raise goes back to the cats for their care.
Who we are
Our main strength is our volunteer network. We have teams of volunteers working behind the scenes to keep the organisation functioning.
The Board
Our Board is made up of individuals with a useful range of skillsets such as people and business management, community engagement, sales and training, project management, legal and financial experience and, of course, a love of cats. Except for the Treasurer – he is allergic and merely tolerates them.
Support team
The Support team is the brains trust that supports our network of volunteers and manages logistics. This includes helping carers with any and all questions they have about cat care or our policies and procedures, and booking vet work for our foster carers and adopters. The Support team are there for whatever our foster carers, adopters and other volunteers need. This team is headed up by our founder, affectionately known as Bestest Head Despot.
Adoptions team
The Adoptions team responds to online adoption enquiries 7 days of the week. They are the first point of contact for people wanting to adopt a cat or kitten from us. They work with enquirers to manage the adoption process, which includes liaising with foster carers for enquirers to meet cats and assessing enquirers’ suitability to adopt from the group. They are on the job seven days a week, answering enquiries and managing adoptions to help cats get the best homes! The head of Adoptions went from no cats to fostering faster than a Maserati that’s just had a service. We’re working on their CPoM name as you read this…
Rehoming team
The Rehoming team works with owners who need to surrender their cats or kittens, which can be for many reasons. We do not judge the reasons – we are here to help the cats and support their owners, who are often distressed and grieving at having to let go of their loved companion. The Rehoming team is expanding due to demand as there are many loved cats who need our help finding new homes! The Rehoming team is currently two incredibly busy people with full-time jobs who still dedicate their time to helping much-loved cats find new homes. We call them heroes!
Coordination team
The Coordination team manages the governance, policies and procedures that supports Cat People of Melbourne. They do all the boring administration work that is so necessary with welfare and charity work. This team supports the supporters, and are the powerhouse running the group. This team is managed by the Chief Nerf Herder, who is currently recruiting for a 2IC. If you are an organisational masochist and like herding cats, please contact them now!
Media team
The Media team manages the public face of Cat People of Melbourne! Not only do they get to organise photo shoots, write stories and do all that creative stuff, it’s all about our favourite topic, cats! The Media team shares the kitty love across our social meowdia channels, and let you know when we have special-needs cases that require some extra care and support. The Media team is headed up by the Rockodile, who, when not inhaling cat fur, studies volcanoes and rocks.
Fundraising team
The Fundraising team are invaluable, we would not be able to help so many cats without their hard work. If you’ve ever been to a kitten cuddle lounge or a CPoM stall at a pet expo, you can thank this team! They also plan and coordinate our fundraising activities so we can get much-needed funds to help our cats and kittens. The Fundraising team is headed up by our longest serving supporter, who’s also adopted from our group. No nickname for them, just love and appreciation for everything they and their team do.
Makers Crew
Our crafty crew create the cute knitted, crotched and felted goods we sell at our stalls and events. They love bouncing ideas about their creations amongst each other, while working collaboratively to support the work of the Fundraising team. They’re all into wool, fabric, crafty stuff and are generally all a bit bonkers… which could describe our group as a whole really. We’re all bonkers for cats!
Our supporters
