As the Keeping Cats Safe at Home Education Officer, I spend a lot of time thinking about what lasting change for cats actually looks like.
Sometimes it’s immediate: a cat receives the veterinary care they need, a family makes a change at home, or a community member learns something new.
Other times, the work happening today lays the groundwork for outcomes we may not see until much further down the track.
As we move into spring, that idea of new beginnings feels particularly fitting. Over the past month, our team has been developing new educational resources, strengthening relationships with communities across NSW, supporting cats needing veterinary care and preparing for some of our biggest community activities yet.
All our endeavours look a little different, but together they’re creating a future where more cats can live safe, healthy and happy lives at home.
Teaching Safe Homes and Safe Habitats
One of my main priorities in August was developing a new Stage 2 education unit, Cats and Frogs: Safe Homes, Safe Habitats.
The unit emphasises responsible cat ownership, native wildlife conservation and environmental stewardship, helping students explore how the choices we make for our pets can have an impact beyond our own homes.
Children are such an important part of creating long term change, which is why I’ve found the project so exciting.
When young people can appreciate why cats need enrichment, how roaming can present risks, and why protecting native wildlife matters, those lessons can travel home with them and become part of conversations with their families.
Alongside this, we’ve continued to work on Rampy’s Story (The Inbetweener), a new learning resource we’re developing to help schools navigate situations where cats are living on school grounds.
It’s all part of helping the next generation see that looking after our cats and protecting our environment don’t need to be competing priorities.
Infographic about Rampy, the inbetweener cat who resides at RSPCA Sydney Adoption Centre
Taking the Message Beyond the Classroom
Of course, education doesn’t only happen at school.
August also saw the team preparing for and attending community events like the Sydney Cat Lovers Festival, which provided us with the perfect opportunity to speak directly with cat lovers about creating safe and enriching lives for their pets.
Events like these are priceless for both our team and attendees because every cat and every household is different. Being able to have those face-to-face conversations gives people the opportunity to ask questions and explore tailored solutions that might actually work for their cat.
Behind the scenes, we’ve also been strengthening the network that makes all our efforts possible.
This month, 105 partner packages were sent to participating councils and veterinary clinics across NSW, equipping the organisations working alongside us with resources to continue sharing Keeping Cats Safe at Home messaging within their own communities.
A single conversation can make a difference, but when councils, veterinary teams, schools and community organisations are sharing consistent messages, that impact can travel much further.
Keeping Cats Safe at Home RSPCA Staff at the Cat Lover’s Festival
Reaching Communities Where They Are
Another important part of our work is recognising that access to information and veterinary support can look very different depending on where you live.
Last month, we joined our Community Outreach team for three Healthy Pet Days across Walgett and Blacktown, continuing our efforts to connect with communities outside metropolitan areas and support better outcomes for cats and the people who care for them.
At the same time, planning has been underway for further regional outreach across NSW.
Over the coming months, we’re planning visits to Bourke, Brewarrina and Walgett, along with Eco Day events in Parkes, Condobolin and Grenfell. These trips involve a huge amount of preparation, from developing education sessions and resources to building relationships with local organisations before our team arrives.
Keeping Cats Safe at Home RSPCA Staff at the Healthy Pet Day in Walgett
When a New Beginning Really Is a New Beginning
Among all the planning, education and community work, there are also individual cats whose stories remind us what all this work is ultimately about.
One particularly lovely outcome this month involved a friendly cat who came into our care from a property in the Hunter region.
After receiving veterinary treatment for mild cat flu and spending some time in our clinic and shelter, the kitty introduced to us as Mrs Puff was ready to find a home.
However, there was just one small surprise left.
A final check of Mrs Puff’s records during the adoption process revealed that Mrs Puff was, in fact, Mr Puff!
Thankfully, his new family wasn’t fazed in the slightest.
As Mr Puff became more settled and comfortable, his sweeter side began to emerge. He began enjoying approaching people for chats and pats, and was even starting to show his playful side with a few zoomies around the room.
His new family quickly fell for that gentle, affectionate personality. The woman and her son who adopted him were given a good understanding of his temperament during their meet and greet, and it turned out to be a wonderful match once he arrived home.
Mr Puff now has the chance to start an entirely new chapter in a safe and loving home, where he can continue growing in confidence and showing more of his personality.
It’s a lighthearted ending to what had been a much more uncertain beginning, and exactly the kind of outcome we hope to create for the cats we encounter through this project.
Mr Puff, safe in his new home
Preparing for What Comes Next
Spring always brings a sense of change. It also marks the beginning of kitten season, a time when warmer weather and longer days can lead to an increase in litters being born. For our team, it’s an important reminder of why early intervention, responsible cat care and desexing are so important in helping reduce the number of unhoused kittens entering shelters or being born into stray cat populations.
Throughout August, we’ve also been building relationships with schools, councils, Landcare networks and community organisations to create more opportunities to share responsible cat care messaging across both regional and metropolitan NSW.
For the education team, that has included preparing school engagements and resources for the Port Stephens region, while continuing conversations with schools already involved in the program about managing cats living on school grounds.
There is plenty still to come, with new curriculum resources, school visits, regional outreach and Eco Day events all on the horizon.
And while much of that work is still taking shape, every plan, resource and partnership gives us another way to reach someone who can make a difference for a cat.
RSPCA NSW Staff at Granville South Public School
Looking Ahead
One of the things I love most about education is that you rarely know exactly where a conversation will lead.
A child might go home and tell their family what they learned about keeping cats safe. A cat caregiver might discover a new way to enrich their cat’s life at home. Maybe a school finds a more compassionate way to respond to cats living on its grounds.
And sometimes, a cat like Mr Puff simply gets the fresh start he deserves.
With spring well underway, there is so much we have planned for the future of the project. But underneath all of it is the same goal we’ve had from the beginning: helping people make informed, practical choices that create safer futures for cats, communities and the wildlife we share our homes with.
Meaningful change doesn’t always happen all at once. Sometimes, it begins with one new idea, one conversation or one small change at home. 🐾
Carolyn
Education Officer
Keeping Cats Safe at Home RSPCA NSW
