celia hammond animal trust
Animal Rescue Charity
Celia Hammond Animal Trust is a unique non destruction charity providing essential low cost veterinary services for sick and injured pets as well as a rescue and homing service for unwanted, abandoned and stray cats in London and the South East.
Please help us build a dedicated rescue and rehoming centre, and secure the future of our Lewisham hub for decades to come
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A NEW RESCUE AND REHOMING CENTRE IN LEWISHAM
In October 2023, we were granted planning permission to redevelop the Friendly Street warehouse and former shop at the rear of our Lewisham site into a new rescue and rehoming centre.
Phases 1 and 2A of the project have been funded by legacy gifts. Phase 1 of the building works has already been completed and phase 2A works are to commence shortly. We are now fundraising to pay for phase 2B, the construction of the main two-storey building, and we really need your support in funding the next stage of this project.
Please donate whatever you can afford and help us continue caring for animals who need us most.
Celia Hammond Animal Trust
OFFICIAL PAGE Celia Hammond Animal Trust, UK. We rescue rehabilitate and re-home abandoned animals.
FOUND CAT – SOUTH LONDON
We’re trying to trace the owner of this little girl who was found alone in a play park in South London.
She wasn’t microchipped, but what stood out immediately was the homemade bandage wrapped around her leg. By the time she’d been reported to us and one of our team went out to help her, the smell coming from the bandage and wounds was overwhelming.
Once the bandages were removed, it became clear she had a severely ingrown dew claw along with significant wounds to her leg. Our vets believe the bandaging had been done at home rather than by a veterinary practice.
At the moment, our Lewisham vet team are treating her wounds and, thankfully, they are hopeful her leg can be saved. There is only a slight risk of her losing it, but close ongoing care is going to be vital while she heals.
We have contacted local vets and checked missing cat pages in case she genuinely went missing after the bandage was applied, but so far nobody has come forward. There are houses backing onto the park where she was found and we’ll continue making enquiries locally.
We can’t say for certain what happened to her. We suspect she may have been abandoned, but right now our priority is simply getting her comfortable, pain-free and well again. Despite everything, she is an incredibly sweet little cat and has been nothing but gentle with the team caring for her.
We are holding a fundraiser towards her veterinary treatment if anybody would like to help support her care. Treatment through our Lewisham clinic has already cost £658, private veterinary treatment would have been significantly higher.
Please share in case somebody recognises her or knows where she may have come from.
⚠️ One of the photos and the video in the post is a little graphic, although we haven’t shown the full extent of her injuries. The bandage removal and treatment shown were carried out while she was under general anaesthetic. We will post an update later in the week 🧡 ... See MoreSee Less
Names Reveal!
The little family rescued from inside the engine bay of an old car finally all have names… thanks to all of your brilliant suggestions.
Meet mum, Shadow 🖤
And her four beautiful babies…
🐾 Mini
🐾 Beetle
🐾 Morris
🐾 Brum
We loved reading through all of your suggestions, and these names felt perfect for this very special little family.
It’s incredible to think that not long ago they were hidden away beneath tarpaulin and leaves inside an old car, and now they’re safe, warm and starting a brand new chapter.
Thank you to everyone who has followed their story so far. Please keep sharing their journey to help us continue our vital rescue work.
Mum and kittens are not quite ready for adoption yet, but anyone within 20 miles of our Greenacres adoption centre is welcome to register an interest via greenacresrehoming@celiahammond.org
And while Dodge Shadow’s kittens are keeping us very busy, they’re far from the only hungry little mouths in our care right now.
We’re desperately low on kitten food, especially Whiskas Kitten in Jelly and Royal Canin Babycat Mousse which help feed many vulnerable rescue kittens currently in our Sanctuary care.
If anyone is able to help by sending food via our wishlist, or you know anyone who could help our rescue kittens we would be incredibly grateful 💙
The link to our wish list is in the first comment below, please share far and wide🐾
#cat #catrescue #kitten #catoftheday #catfamily ... See MoreSee Less
💔 Meet Dobby 💔
This beautiful boy was brought into our Lewisham clinic on Monday, carried in someone’s arms with a heartbreaking story behind him.
While Dobby thankfully arrived safely, we would always strongly encourage cats to be transported securely in a suitable carrier basket, as carrying cats without one can be extremely dangerous and stressful for them on so many levels.
Dobby is a 3-year-old unneutered male Sphynx cat with more complex needs than most cats due to his breed, and it’s incredibly sad to think about the circumstances that may have led him here.
We were told that a friend left Dobby with the man around 3 months ago and never returned for him. Thankfully, Dobby is microchipped, and we immediately contacted the registered keeper by phone and email on Monday, but so far, we have received no response.
Despite everything, Dobby is a gentle and friendly lad, although understandably a little shy while he adjusts to all the changes around him. 🖤
At this stage, Dobby will NOT be available for rehoming while we carry out an extensive search for his owner and investigate the circumstances that brought him into our care. We know many people will already be falling in love with his lovely little face, but our priority right now is making sure we do everything possible to find answers for him. ... See MoreSee Less
Happy Adoption Thursday 🐾
“We adopted Chippy Tea from Celia Hammond Canning Town in April 2026, but already can’t imagine life without her.
Chippy was given up by her previous owners for being ‘aggressive’, but since being with us she has shown herself to be the sweetest, most loving, playful and funny cat.
When she’s not meowing at us to play ‘Where’s Chippy’ with her, she’s curled up on our lap… but only if her favourite blanket has been placed down first, of course.
We love our silly little Chippy Tea 🍟🫖”
Ruby x
Firstly, what a brilliant name 😸
Stories like Chippy Tea’s mean so much to us. Sometimes cats simply need the right environment, patience and understanding to let their true personalities shine through. From misunderstood to completely adored, this is exactly why rescue matters.
➡️ Have you adopted from Celia Hammond Animal Trust? We’d love to hear from you. Message us your photos using the words “happy adoption” to share your CHAT cat update.
#happyadoption #adoptdontshop #catlover #rescuecat #catoftheday #cat ... See MoreSee Less
The Cat Everyone Fed but No One Could Catch.
For several years, this brave boy survived on a huge Stratford estate, tucked away amongst a large feral colony, and completely impossible to catch.
Local residents did everything they could for him. They fed him, looked out for him, and worried about him but no matter how many times people tried, he always managed to stay just out of reach.
All the while, he’d been living with a painful ear injury that he’d carried for well over a year. We still don’t know exactly what caused it, maybe a bite, maybe a burn, but whatever happened, he had clearly suffered for far too long.
Our team had already trapped and neutered around ten cats from the site and rescued several kittens, but this boy was the one who always slipped through the net. With so many feeding spots across the estate, getting him hungry enough to safely trap was almost impossible.
Amanda one of our amazing Canning Town volunteers spent months trying every approach she could.
Then finally, with the patient help of one of the dedicated local feeders, this clever lad was caught safely. 🐾
We’ve named him Community, in honour of the many people who cared about him, fed him, and never stopped hoping he’d one day be rescued.
Although he’s fairly friendly, years of surviving outside meant he was far too wary to simply pick up. Now he’s finally off the streets, he can get the treatment he’s needed for so long, be neutered, and have a proper chance to heal and fully recover.
Rescues like this take time, patience and teamwork, but they’re exactly why we never give up. 💙
Please share to support our vital rescue work. 🐾 #catrescue #straycat #cat #catlover #animalrescue ... See MoreSee Less
Breakthrough Moment💕
You might remember the frightened mum cat and kittens we rescued from inside an old car last weekend 🐾
It’s only been a week since they came into our care, but yesterday felt like a really special step forward.
Mum is still very nervous, her ears stay flat, her eyes are constantly wide, and she still throws in the odd hiss to remind us she’s not quite sure about humans yet
But yesterday, for the first time, she felt comfortable enough to come over and take food whilst Carolyn sat quietly beside her. For a frightened mum cat, that’s a huge bit of progress.
Despite being scared herself, she continues to be an absolutely brilliant mum to her kittens who already seem to love every bit of attention they can get!
She’s still learning that she’s safe, but little moments like this are exactly how trust begins ❤️
Sharing our posts really, really helps more people discover what we do. Every new follower helps us reach more supporters, raise more awareness, and help more cats like this adorable little family 🐾
#cats ... See MoreSee Less
Over recent months, we have seen a heartbreaking number of stray and unwanted cats coming into our clinic with mouths in truly appalling condition. Many have been living on the street with severe dental disease for years, suffering silently and struggling to eat, until they were reported to us. Dental procedures are often one of the biggest barriers to rehoming older cats.
This is why we are enormously grateful to Marta and her wonderful team at Riverside Vets, for performing 14 dentals, free of charge for CHAT. Several of these cats needed full mouth extractions. Thanks to this extraordinary gesture of kindness, some of these cats have already gone on to do what every rescue cat deserves, find loving homes where they can enjoy the comfort, care and security they were denied for so long.
Double tap to help us send a heartfelt thank you to Marta, Sinead and the rest of the amazing veterinary team at Riverside, for standing beside us and helping some of the most vulnerable cats in our care when they needed it most.
Images show four of the cats who received their dental work and are now looking for their forever homes within our Canning Town catchment area; Teddy, Levi, Chuck and Hopeful. Please send an email to helloadoptions@celiahammond.org to register your interest.
#celiahammondanimaltrust #adoptdontshop #cats #vetlife #catlover ... See MoreSee Less
Happy Adoption Thursday 🐾
“Kasper (formerly Snow) was adopted from Celia Hammond Canning Town in August 2025, and he has been an absolute hoot ever since.
His personality is really starting to shine through now, one minute he’s crazily dashing around the house hunting ping pong ball ‘prey’, and the next he’s fast asleep in the most bizarre cloud-formation sleeping positions imaginable.
He brings so much joy and laughter into our home every single day, and we absolutely adore him xx"
It’s always so special seeing once-shy rescue cats grow into confident, happy little characters in their new homes. And honestly… how fantastic are these photos?! We think we might need the name of Kasper’s photographer 📸🐾
➡️ Have you adopted from Celia Hammond Animal Trust? We’d love to hear from you! Message us your photos using the words “happy adoption” to share your CHAT cat update 💙 #happyadoption #cats #whitecats #catoftheday #catlover ... See MoreSee Less
Last Thursday, we received a call from a man renovating an old car that had been sitting untouched for years. When he opened the bonnet, he got quite the surprise.
First, a black cat shot out past him in panic. Then, tucked deep inside the engine bay beneath tarpaulin and leaves, were four tiny fluffy kittens huddled together. 🐾
Although mum had clearly thought she’d found a safe place to give birth, a car hidden away in the corner of a yard, it was actually an extremely busy environment, with cars and lorries moving around constantly, making it a very dangerous place to raise her babies.
Poor mum was terrified, and for three days we tried everything we could to bring her to safety. Food, treats, warm milk, but this clever girl waited until long after we’d left before sneaking out to eat.
Yesterday morning, after hours of searching and still no sign of mum, we feared something may have happened to her. With the kittens needing warmth and feeding, we made the difficult decision to bring them back to our Greenacres sanctuary, while continuing the search for mum.
While Carolyn headed back to settle and feed the kittens, Sarah stayed behind and continued searching late into the night.
Then finally, at 10pm, mum was spotted and safely caught.
The moment she saw her babies, she immediately relaxed and began washing and feeding them. It was incredibly special to witness.
Today, the whole little family is safe together. Mum is still frightened and unsure, but she’s finally somewhere warm and secure, and she and her kittens can now look forward to a much safer future.
Moments like this make every long day, worry, and sleepless night worthwhile.
Now we just need names for these little ones… any suggestions? 🐾 #cat #kitten #catrescue #kittens #catlovers ... See MoreSee Less