Volunteer Form

There are a wide variety of volunteer opportunities with Toronto Cat Rescue! If you are interested in volunteering with TCR in any capacity we would love to hear from you! If you would like more information, please fill out the form below (please limit your choices to 1 or 2 roles), or call the TCR Hotline at 416-538-8592 and leave a message, or email tcrvolunteering@gmail.com.  We look forward to working alongside you!

Please see below our form for more details on key volunteer roles.  If you would like to Foster for TCR, please see our Foster Homes page for more information & the Foster Form.

Have some questions? This may help: Volunteer Frequently Asked Questions.

Are you a student?  Are you looking for volunteer hours or how to help TCR?  Please see our “For Students Only” volunteer roles.  Note: The other roles listed outside of this section are not suitable for people under the age of 18 years.

Examples of Our Volunteer Needs:

Line 3:  Toronto Cat Rescue operates a “Help for Cats” (or “Line 3“) hotline for people inquiring about surrendering their cats or rescuing local strays and ferals. Our hotline is currently at risk of being shutdown, due to a severe volunteer shortage.Without volunteers picking up shifts, the hotline will not survive. This helpline is one of the only ways that Torontonians can seek advice and assistance for their ‘cat problem’, and it is entirely volunteer-run.

This role requires a minimum commitment of 6 months.  You will have one shift per week where you will pick up and reply to phone calls and emails from the public. Coordinators can expect to devote at least 2-4 hours on the day of their shift to answering and returning inquires, with follow-up during the rest of the week also being required. Communication during a shift is done from your home or work using your own phone and email account, so regular email access is mandatory. Experience with Trap-Neuter-Return and feral cats is an asset, but is not necessary.  Training is provided.   If you are a self-motivated person who loves to help and offer advice about cats – this is the volunteer role for you!

Drivers
Drivers are needed to pick up cats from foster homes and drive them to and from vet appointments, foster homes, etc… We also require drivers periodically for various other reasons including picking up carriers/cat food/other supplies. Please specify if you are available weekdays, evenings, or weekends.

Store Volunteers
TCR has wonderful affiliated store foster locations for our kitties while they wait for their forever families to adopt them. We are currently seeking volunteers to visit the cats in-store to make sure they have fresh food and water, clean bedding, dishes and litter boxes, as well as spend time cuddling and playing with the cats. Various locations, including Toronto, Brampton, Mississauga, Vaughan and Kitchener.

Grant Writers
Toronto Cat Rescue is looking for volunteers who are interested in applying for grants. Many corporations give out grants to animal welfare groups and we know the money is out there but we are in need of volunteers who are able to help with these applications. Guidance and training will be provided. Remember, the more money we are able to raise, the more cats that we’ll be able to help. Let’s work together to help give cats a second chance at happiness. If you would be interested in helping us raise money for Toronto Cat Rescue.

Cat Assessors
TCR is looking for stray/feral assessors. You don’t need to be very experienced with feral cats, but will be trained on TCR policies and our rescue philosophy. You will be asked by the Stray/Feral Foster Coordinator to go case by case to assess cats that are potentially entering the TCR foster system as we need to know what their personalities are like. Usually this will require meeting current caregivers at their place of residence to see the cats in their current environment. We try to keep our assessors local to where they live and you will be provided more information on how to do an assessment once you email your interest.

Trapping
We encourage the public to keep the feral cat population under control in a humane way through TNR (Trap/Neuter/Release). We receive many calls from people needing help trapping stray or feral cats. We currently do not have the manpower to help these people in need.

Feral Cat Recovery Homes
Recovering feral cats is a short-term and easy way to make a big difference. Trapping the cats and getting them to a spay/neuter clinic is only half the work. These cats also need to be recovered post-surgery before being returned to their colonies. Recovery time ranges depending on factors such as the cat’s stress level, their health, and the weather – however a general rule is that males need to be recovered for 3-4 days, and females for 5-7 days.  Feral cats are unsocialized and handling them is therefore equivalent to dealing with a wild animal.  Read more on what to expect: Step By Step Guide to Recovering Feral Cats.

Fundraising
If you have fantastic ideas and/or connections to help us raise money for cats in need, please volunteer with TCR to see your ideas come to fruition. If there is a specific program you would like to do an event for (ex. spay/neuter, a cat featured on our homepage) or if you would like to be part of our ongoing fundraising committee plan events like our Bowl-a-thon or Furball.

Students: Host an event at your school to raise much need funds for TCR, or a Special TCR Cat / Feral Colony of your choice – for example: Bake Sale, Pin Sale, French Toast Week, etc…