Wood Green Animal Charity has revealed details of its new development in Godmanchester which will enable it to care for thousands more cats.

The Snowden Cat Care Centre, has been built on a 43-acre site and follows years of planning and disrupted construction during the pandemic. The Snowden Cat Care Centre is now operational and enabling the charity to provide even better care to thousands of cats in need.

The centre has 60 units and has increased Wood Green’s on-site capacity by 50 per cent. There are solid walls, separate sleeping areas and climate control in order to give cats a quiet and comfortable stay, all year round.

The large, adaptable units have sliding doors in order to create double or triple units for pairs of cats, and a number of secure areas called ‘catios’ allow vital outdoor access for cats to exercise and display natural behaviours like climbing, jumping and exploring.

Vanessa Cunningham, director of Care & Veterinary Services at Wood Green, said: “Since we opened our doors as a charity in 1924, two things have remained true: the UK is a nation of pet lovers, and there have always been pets in need of our help.

"However, we now have a much greater understanding of their needs and we must continually adapt to provide the right care, and the right services, in order to fulfil our purpose.

“A new cat care centre has been a part of our plans for a number of years, and I couldn’t be happier that we have been able to go ahead, despite the impact of COVID-19 on the charity and thanks to the generosity of our supporters.

"This project is incredibly close to my heart and I’m delighted to see the first residents settling in so well and benefitting from the space as we had envisaged they would.”

The centre is named after Sheila Snowden, who left the charity an incredible legacy donation of almost £900,000, providing around 40 per cent of the project’s total budget of £2.4 million.

The remaining funds were donated by individual supporters, as well as gifts in kind from valued partners such as the pet technology company Sure Petcare.