An "outsider's&q uot; view on the CPL (Cats Protection)

Member Name: Firefly54

Product:	Cats Protection
Date:	06/11/01 (104 review reads)
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Advantages: Hardworking, sensible, make excellent use of funds

Disadvantages: None really, though it helps if you like cats!

I am not a cat fanatic - prefer fins to fur - and I am not a member of the CPL. The opinion that I am giving therefore has a different slant to the majority of them because it is written from a very practical, unemotional viewpoint. Don't get me wrong though... I don't mean to suggest that all you fluffball lovers become too soft and squidgy at the thought of a feline in distress to be fair judges... I am simply pointing out that my own "judgement" was made by considering the CPL from a very general aspect.

My interest in charity groups stems from the fact that I enjoy organising fundraising events. I don't have a "favourite" charity, because I feel that there are so many that do equal good, so I tend to support different ones to benefit from my efforts.

Fundraising is hard work - and becoming harder all the time as the need for funds spreads to so many areas of life. How many appeals do YOU get through your letter box every week? Competition between charities is fierce, as the public have limited funds to give.

My involvement with different groups has made me critical, I suppose, and I have discovered how easy it is to overlook the groups who keep relatively low profiles, yet do a job that is vital or simply done well.
I want the work I do to help groups who use their money to maximum benefit, and it is in my nature to help people who work hard themselves.

I noticed the CPL at a lot of events. They would take a stall to sell a variety of goods. Their stalls were always well laid out, and well-manned by pleasant, efficient, and knowledgible volunteers. The goods on sale were wide in range, and well cared for. That might sound odd - but anyone who has organised stalls on a regular basis knows how easy it is for things to get tatty or soiled. As sales people, the volunteers were not "pushy" - their natural enthusiasm slowly spread to the public, and their quiet dedication be
came apparent as they were seen, come rain or shine, smiling through the bad events as well as the more profitable ones.

It was these individuals, and not the poor felines that they worked for, that persuaded me to find out more about the CPL. I admired the dedication and efficiency with which they worked, and felt sure - without the need to ask them - that the cats within their care received the maximum possible benefits from the funds that they raised.

Since then I have discovered a lot more about some of the people who hide behind the scenes within the CPL, and my respect for their work and wisdom in fundraising and actually working with and for cats only grows. As a group, they have the strength of a national charity, yet each group seems to diversify just enough to ensure that it meets its particular local needs as fully as possible. I have found their members to be dedicated, hard-working, practical and true to their cause. They also appear to waste NOT A PENNY of the money that is given to them. They can also be recognised, of course, by the claw-shredded, fluff strewn, purr vibrated remains of the chair that they sit upon... but then that is one of the joys of being a truly dedicated cat lover, I suppose... personally I still prefer my finny, scaley friends!

My opinion then - whether you are a dedicated cat lover or not - support the CPL in the knowledge that you are helping sensible people with realistic aims to help save thousands of unfortunate creatures, and also to lessen the number of unfortunates in the future. Finding out about joining the CPL, and lots of other things about cats too, is easy – visit their website at www.cats.org.uk

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