Wood Green's new cat care centre named after woman who left Cambridgeshire charity £900,000 in will

Wood Green 10-year-old Felix came into Wood Green’s care in February after his owner very sadly passed away.
10-year-old Felix came into Wood Green’s care in February after his owner very sadly passed away. Credit: Wood Green

An animal charity based in Cambridgeshire has opened a new cat care centre, thanks in part to a donation of almost £900,000 left in a will.

Sheila Snowden's donation made up to 40% of the £2.4m budget for the build at Wood Green.

The Snowden cat care centre will provide accommodation and rehabilitation to homeless animals and replaces the existing outdated on-site accommodation at the Godmanchester centre.

The charity said it would now be able to provide more tailored care for cats with medical and behavioural needs, with separate sleeping areas and climate controls to give the cats a quiet and comfortable stay.

Around 3,500 pets are rehabilitated and re-homed each year, more than half of which are cats.

The 60 new units has increased Wood Green’s on-site capacity by 50%.

The new Snowden Cat Care Centre increases on-site capacity by 50%. Credit: Wood Green

The remaining funds were donated by individual supporters, as well as gifts in kind from the charity's partners including the pet technology company Sure Petcare.

By improving overall welfare, the charity hopes more cats can be rehabilitated and re-homed more quickly, decreasing the average length of stay by an estimated 10%.

The centre is named after Sheila Snowden, who left the charity £900,000 Credit: Wood Green

Vanessa Cunningham, director of care and veterinary services at Wood Green, said: “A new cat care centre has been a part of our plans for a number of years and I couldn’t be happier that we have been able to go ahead, despite the impact of Covid-19 on the charity and thanks to the generosity of our supporters.

"This project is incredibly close to my heart and I’m delighted to see the first residents settling in so well and benefitting from the space as we had envisaged they would.”

Wood Green can care for up to 500 cats, dogs and small pets at any one time.