Animal attendants - Stray Cat Rehab Centre, Sunny Days Rescue & Rehab

Sunny Days' Stray Cat Rehab Centre provides long term housing and rehabilitation for cats rescued from environments where they have never known the warmth of a home or the love of a human, and those who have had those things but were let down and dumped at a pound, left behind after moving house, or booked for euthanasia and luckily we have been called by the vet clinic.

We also take in cats and kittens that have been placed on pound 'Death Row' (euthanasia lists). These cats are killed every week across Australia despite being fully socialised, super friendly, healthy and of all ages. * If you would like to foster a friendly, confident death row cat so we can get it out of the pound, please let us know in your enquiry email.

ABOUT OUR SHELTER Our large, group pens are surrounded by open space, trees, and birdlife, making the environment calming for both the cats and volunteers. Our rehab cats are with us for months to years depending on their temperament and past trauma.

ABOUT OUR CATS Our cats are humanely trapped (once identified as wild or abandoned) or provided to us by a community member who has been trying to help a cat on their street. When they first come to us we have them desexed, vaccinated, microchipped, parasite treated, often FIV tested and anything else needed for them to be healthy and recover from their past. We also assess their temperament to decide where they will best fit in and cope with rescue'd life.

Most are used to other cats and actually need their company, having grown up in family groups (colonies). They develop deep bonds with their new friends and this helps them relax and learn to play.

ABOUT OUR PENS
Our group pens are the size of a living room with another small room attached for their litter area. They feature repurposed items and materials that have been fashioned into platforms at different levels, ladders, branches to climb, hidey holes and beds to snuggle in, and soft blankies to 'make bickies' (knead) on. We also use calming music at times and calming supplements to help the cats with stress.

VOLUNTEER SHIFT REQUIREMENTS
To volunteer with us you must:
🐾 Have your own transport and licence. There is no public transport to our centre.
🐾 Have the ability to commit to 1 shift per week of 3 hours plus regularly communicate with the team via online chat.
🐾 Be self-motivated and able to work without supervision. You may or may not have another volunteer working with you.
🐾 Have a high level of cleanliness - litter trays, bowls, bedding, floors etc. Hygiene is of utmost importance in animal shelters.
🐾 Pe patient and compassionate towards fearful animals and have a willingness to do the rehab techniques we teach you - if our cats receive consistent, daily rehab interactions they transform quickly however if only some volunteers do the techniques it takes much longer.
🐾 Be age 18+ or 15+ if volunteering with a parent however volunteering as a duo still requires weekly attendance by both and for both parties to do the work.

SHIFT TASKS: 🐾 Tend to cat pens daily including wet and dry food, water, cleaning litter trays, sweeping/cleaning surfaces, shaking out/changing bedding and wiping down pen furniture. 🐾 Build trust with cats by sitting quietly with them, offering treats or feeding wet food from a spoon, encouraging hand sniffs, and teaching them to be patted through lots of little touches when possible.
UNDERSTANDING WILD-BORN CATS Socialisation for these cats isn't a matter of days or weeks, its months to years. Our centre is their home during this time and we are their caretakers, it's important we provide as clean, enriching and stress-free an environment as we can. In return they learn to trust us and gradually do what cats born into domestic homes do - play with toys, purr, vocalise to us and each other, 'make bickies' on soft beds, snooze in the sun, enjoy pats, be picked up and cuddled, and do zoomies! Yes, wild-born cats do all these things :)

RISKS INVOLVED Working with our cats poses very little risk due to their large pens allowing them to withdraw from us as we tend to their needs, and the training we provide in scared cat behaviour.
If you love cats and have an interest in saving lives and making a difference, you'll thoroughly enjoy our work and the awesome people sharing it! 🐈‍⬛🐈💗🐾

---- PLEASE ANSWER THE BELOW QUESTION TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THIS ROLE ----

TO APPLY
Please tell us on the next screen why this opportunity is of interest to you and list any relevant experience you have. You will also find a link on this page to our online application form, please complete this and finalise your application by sending a text to our Shelter Coordinator, Carolyn at 0404 865 492

Thankyou 🐾💗🐈‍⬛🐈