Our history

When Cats Protection Wellington was begun in 1982, it was one of the first voluntary charities in NZ dedicated solely to the welfare of cats.

The first president, Catherine la Roche, modelled it on the Cats Protection League in the UK. In 1983 Carol Kisby, the second president, donated a space behind the Penthouse Theatre in Brooklyn for CPL, and by 1986 this had become our first shelter.

In 1992, a generous legacy allowed CPL to purchase a property at 361 Ohiro Road in Brooklyn. Over the next two years, volunteers converted a workshop into the new CPL shelter, which opened in August 1994.

Over the years, CPL grew and found homes for many hundreds of cats. With a combination of fundraising and legacies over the years, we were eventually able to build a purpose-built facility at 29 Vancouver Street in Kingston. This – our current location – opened in January 2007.

Since then, CPL has been renamed Cats Protection Wellington, and it's still successfully caring for and rehoming cats after nearly 40 years. This is made possible by the dedication and commitment of our volunteers, members and donors.

We appreciate everyone who has supported us over the years. Without you, we wouldn't be able to continue doing what we love doing – looking after the cats.