Celia Hammond Animal Trust

06/09/2026

Do you know what one of the hardest age groups to rehome is? The middle-aged cats. 💔

They’re no longer the tiny kittens everyone falls for, but they’re not old enough to be considered ‘seniors’ either, so they can easily get overlooked. Which is such a shame, because these cats have so much to offer. They have their own personalities, they know who they are and they still have so many happy years ahead of them.

We have quite a few middle-aged moggies in our care at the moment, so for , we’re going to introduce you to some of them and share their stories.

UPDATE 6th SEPT: Update from our Lewisham Homing Team - the Good News is that Lemonberry has been very lucky and has found a new home which she is settling in to. We do have lots of other very deserving overlooked adult cats in need of homes at the centre who would love to hear from prospective adopters - thank you!

First up is the lovely Lemonberry 🍋🫐

When our new Social Media Officer, Georgia, arrived at Lewisham last week, she was surprised to find a fluffy little stranger curled up in her usual office chair! She looked so settled, so utterly unconcerned by Georgia’s arrival, that it was clear the chair now belonged to Lemonberry. 🐱

With the Lewisham clinic bursting at the seams with cats in our care, reception was the only place that did not already have a cat (or two) in it. Lemonberry soon put that right. It has become her little kingdom: a quiet spot for snoozing, watching the world go by, enjoying a little fuss and having people close by to feed her treats.

She also has a funny little quirk - she uses her paws to spoon food into her mouth, which is as adorable as it sounds!

We estimate she is around 8-10 years old. She was apparently found living as a stray two months before she came to us and was taken in by the lady who found her. On arrival she was rather smelly, hence the lemon-berry scented shampoo and her name! 🍋🫐

She has a Bulgarian microchip, but it had never been registered in the UK. You can clearly tell from her gentle, affectionate nature that she has known a home and people before. Sadly, despite checks of lost-and-found registers, we haven't been able to find an owner.

A few weeks later, Lemonberry was brought to Lewisham after seeming to struggle to give birth for around a week. By the time she arrived, her kittens could not be saved. It was a very sad start to her time with us, but this sweet older girl has been cared for ever since. She has been neutered, vaccinated, flea- and worm-treated, given the dental work she needed and is now microchipped and registered to us.

Lemonberry is ready for the next, gentler part of her story: a peaceful forever home. She is not asking for much, somewhere cosy to sleep, a little affection when she feels like it and the comfort of kind company nearby. After all she has been through, she deserves to be loved, safe, and never left wondering where her chair is. 🏠

To enquire about Lemonberry, please email [email protected]

05/09/2026

🐱 40 FACTS FOR 40 YEARS - PART 4 🐱

As the Trust grew, Celia knew that some cats would need more than just a temporary place to stay. They needed somewhere safe, where they could take their time and simply be cats. ❤️

That’s where Greenacres came in. 🌳

Over the years, Greenacres has become a very special part of CHAT. A place where cats who were feral or semi-feral, abandoned or simply not suited to a normal home could finally feel safe.

For some, it’s a stepping stone to their forever home. For others, Greenacres becomes their forever home with us. 🐾

So many cats have passed through those gates over the years, each with their own story and each leaving a little pawprint behind.

🎬 In Part 4, we’re looking back at the story of Greenacres and the very special place it holds in the history of Celia Hammond Animal Trust.

And there’s still so much more of our story to share…

04/09/2026

🦴 Renn may be tiny, but he already has a HUGE personality 🦴

This two-month-old little chap was brought into our Lewisham clinic by a kind member of the public after being found in a garden with a serious leg injury. He arrived in a cardboard box, which isn’t a safe way to transport a cat and certainly isn’t something we would recommend, but it was what his finder had to hand at the time. They just wanted to get this little boy somewhere safe as quickly as possible. ❤️

Despite everything he had been through, Renn certainly wasn’t going to let a little thing like a broken leg stop him investigating his new surroundings! He was busy playing peek-a-boo, popping his little head up and having a good look at everyone around him. 😂

As Renn is such a friendly little boy, we wanted to make sure we did everything we could to establish whether he had an owner. We found that he wasn’t microchipped and even though we tried hard to find out where he had come from, we’ve had no luck so far. More than a month later, no one has come forward to claim him.

His x-rays revealed a severe fracture in his leg and we were initially worried that we might not be able to save it.

Thankfully, our orthopaedic vet was able to help and fit Renn with a cast. Renn wasn’t particularly impressed at first. Being the cheeky, energetic kitten he is, he had much more important things on his mind, like exploring and playing!

The good news is that Renn has been making great progress. Just one day after surgery, he was already standing on his injured leg and as of last night, his cast has now been removed! 🥳

There’s still a little way to go. In a couple of weeks, once our vets are happy that his leg has healed sufficiently, he’ll have the plate removed. Then it’s time for the next important kitten milestone - getting neutered! 🐱

Once Renn has been given the all-clear by our veterinary team, he’ll be ready to find his forever home.

We’re so pleased with how far this tiny kitten has come and we can’t wait to see what the next chapter holds for him. 🐾

03/09/2026

🐾 Happy Adoption Thursday 🐾

“This is Custard, the cat formerly known as Apricat, who we adopted from Celia Hammond Canning Town last August after being charmed by him immediately.

He’s full of personality and has made quite an impression on our street, keeping an eye on the neighbours from his favourite window seat overlooking everything and having quickly befriended a local group of cats who he’s now patrolling the neighbourhood gardens with.

When his work for the day is done, he’s curled up into a cinnamon roll between us on the sofa demanding chin rubs until he moves from purring to snoring. Bringing this guy home with us was the best decision we’ve made, and we like to think he’d agree.” - Felix

We love this update, Felix. From neighbourhood patrols to snoozing between you on the sofa, it sounds like Custard has truly found his place. We can definitely picture him keeping a close eye on everything from his favourite window seat! Thank you for giving him such a wonderful home. 🐈

➡️Have you adopted from Celia Hammond Animal Trust? We’d love to hear from you! Send your photos via DM using the words “HAPPY ADOPTION” to share your update. 🐾 💙

01/09/2026

Well, Sunday was rather lovely at Greenacres!

After a summer of sunshine, we had our fingers crossed for more of the same for our free, ticketed Open Day. We had the odd shower, but the weather pretty much behaved itself, so we can’t complain! And with the event a sell-out, it was brilliant to have so many people through the doors.

There was lots of chatting, cat cuddling, cake and a serious amount of strawberries eaten! And, naturally, the cats got involved too.

Two of our residents, pictured, Arthur and Howard, rescued from a horrendous situation in Tunbridge Wells, have come such a long way and are now very much part of our resident cat family. They decided our nearly new stall was the perfect place to set themselves up and supervise proceedings!

We work incredibly hard every day rescuing cats and caring for them, so it was really lovely to share a little of what we do and show people some of the cats behind the scenes.

We also shared two things we would absolutely love to make happen and we've shared both project videos here.

Dream Project 1 is another Cat Cabin. In the video, you’ll see the beautiful Cat Cabin we were recently able to build thanks to a very special legacy from a wonderful lady called Helen. The power of a legacy is bigger than you think, and Helen’s legacy is one beautiful example.

Dream Project 2 is our Pigeon Palace heat and cool system (the name is explained in the video!), and we’re delighted to have already received two very kind donations towards it. We’re halfway there! Which is AMAZING!

The video explains a little more about why this particular project is so important to us. It is a little sad, as the heatwave was simply too much for some of our elderly cats and, despite every possible effort from our wonderful vets and our team, we sadly lost some of them.

Just as with older people, prolonged high temperatures can put significant additional strain on elderly animals, particularly those already living with heart disease and other chronic health conditions. We never want anyone to think we simply let a cat suffer in the heat. We did everything we could for them, but it showed us that we need to do even more to protect our older and more vulnerable cats when temperatures become so extreme.

That’s why these Dream Projects matter so much to us.

And then …. watch this space, because we’re working on something rather exciting: a pop-up ethical cat café. Real rescue cats, in a real rescue centre environment, with the freedom to roam and meet visitors on their terms! 🐱

It’s still being worked on, but we think it could be something really special.

And if you love what we do at Greenacres, please keep spreading the word about our absolutely fab charity. Tell your friends, share our posts and help more people discover the cats and the work that goes on here.

Greenacres is the rescue, sanctuary and one of three homing centres of the Celia Hammond Animal Trust, and we’re incredibly proud of what we do for cats who need us.

If you’d like to help us make our Greenacres Dream Projects a reality, click link in first comment below or contact us to find out more 🐾💚

28/08/2026

🐈‍⬛ Tommy has been keeping us very busy and completely wrapped around his little paw!

When Tommy came into our Canning Town Clinic last month, he had a nasty wound on his neck from a burst abscess that needed treatment and careful management. It wasn’t going to heal overnight, so our team have been cleaning and managing the wound, giving him treatment and keeping a close eye on his progress. Alongside his treatment, he has also now been chipped, vaccinated and neutered.

It’s time consuming work, but it’s exactly why we’re here, to make sure cats like Tommy get the care they need when they’re injured, unwell or vulnerable. And it’s our supporters that always makes that care possible.

Tommy had been living as a stray, but a kind member of the public had been feeding him and looking out for him. When he needed more help, he came to us.

Even though it took a week and a half for us to catch him and bring him into our care, he’s been a very willing patient - although we suspect the cuddles have helped!

Fenna, one of our vet nurses, has been caring for Tommy throughout his treatment, but she’s also become one of his favourite people. He knows her when she comes to see him and loves nothing more than a cuddle. So much so that he starts mouth dribbling. 😂💙

While we’re looking forward to seeing Tommy back on his paws soon, there’s a never ending stream of cats needing our help.

Across all three of our centres, there are cats needing care every single day. Some need emergency veterinary treatment, others need ongoing nursing care, medication or somewhere safe to recover. We wish we could do more for every single one of them, but the reality is that funds, staff and veterinary resources are limited.

So, because it’s payday week and it’s a Bank Holiday weekend, we’re setting ourselves a BIG challenge…

‼️CAN WE RAISE £5,000 TO NEUTER 111 CATS? ‼️

Neutering helps prevent suffering, injury, unwanted litters and homelessness. It means fewer cats ending up injured, abandoned or struggling to survive like Tommy and it means we can help more cats before they reach crisis point.
Whatever you can comfortably give, it all counts. If you can’t donate, please SHARE! You could be the person who gets this appeal in front of someone who can help us reach that £5,000.

Donation link in first comment below. 💙

£5,000. One Bank Holiday weekend. One big mission. 🐾

27/08/2026

🐾Happy Adoption Thursday 🐾

“This is Mellow - I fostered her from CT in 2022 and then ended up adopting her...a lot of her fur was missing due to over grooming and now she is my boss and rules the roost. She's adorable!!

She stands staring at her bowl every time I go into the kitchen, looking at me, pleadingly, pretending she is starving to death - and of course I give her a bit of food. When I'm working she comes and pesters me with her head until I relent and give her a bit of food. She stares out of the window watching birds, lies on my neck at night and loves being brushed. She sits on anyone's knee who visits me and is extremely confident and friendly to anyone she meets in my house (she's an indoor cat).” - Carolyn

From over-grooming and missing fur to confidently ruling the roost, it’s clear she’s found exactly where she belongs. We absolutely love hearing about her little routines – especially her convincing “I’m starving” act in the kitchen! It sounds like she’s wrapped everyone around her paw. 🐈‍⬛

➡️Have you adopted from Celia Hammond Animal Trust? We’d love to hear from you! Send your photos via DM using the words “HAPPY ADOPTION” to share your update. 🐾 💙

26/08/2026

You might remember brave little Mia… ❤️

When Mia came to us, she had been hit by a car and was in such a terrible state. She had been through unimaginable trauma: her jaw was broken, both of her eyes were badly injured and she needed urgent surgery to remove one of them. It was heartbreaking to see her like that, but even then, she had the sweetest nature and such a strong little spirit.

So many of you donated and shared her story, helping us raise the funds needed for her treatment, recovery and around-the-clock care. Because of you all, Mia got the chance to heal.

And now we have the loveliest update to share… Mia has been rehomed! 🥹

Her new family say she is the perfect addition to their home. She has claimed their bed as her own and likes to sleep above their heads on the pillows. She follows them around, brings them her little toy mice and has a very special favourite blanket. Mia has transformed into a really cuddly and affectionate little cat 💕

Her lovely new owners told us: “We adopted Mia just less than a month ago, and she is the perfect addition to our family. She is so brave and curious, she has mapped out the flat and knows exactly where she is. She’s got a favourite blanket and loves a cuddle on the sofa. She has become so comfortable and affectionate with us and we love her so so much. We are so lucky to have her in our lives and I want to thank CHAT for all that they do.”

We are just so happy for this beautiful girl. From being scared, injured and alone to being safe, cuddled and completely adored - this is the life Mia always deserved. Mia’s case was a challenging but incredibly rewarding one, but it is why we are here and why so many people rely on us for help.

Thank you for being part of her story. We could not have done this without you. 🐾

26/08/2026

A few more free tickets have just been released for our Greenacres Sanctuary Open Day this Sunday! 🌿

Spaces remaining:
🐱 1pm- 2 tickets
🐱 2 pm - 1 tickets
🐱 3:30pm - 2 tickets

Come and spend an afternoon with us at Greenacres! Meet some of the lovely cats in our care - including our younger residents in the Kitten Corner - and take a guided look around the sanctuary they call home.

You’ll be able to chat to our friendly Greenacres’ team, hear more about the cats we rescue and rehome every day, browse our bric-a-brac stalls for some pawfect gifts and enjoy some tea and coffee with a homemade slice of cake. 🍰

There will also be a very special presentation celebrating 40 years of the Celia Hammond Animal Trust.

The Sanctuary will be CLOSED to the general public so booking is essential - please be quick and secure your ticket! We can’t wait to welcome you on Sunday 🐾

P.S. If you’re able to, we’d be incredibly grateful if you could bring along a tin or two of cat food as a gift for our rescued cats! Food donations are always greatly appreciated and help us care for the many cats and kittens who rely on us every day.

Celia Hammond Animal Trust | Greenacres Sanctuary Open Day