‘Mass walk out’ of volunteers at cat rescue centre

Stephen Price

Concerns have been raised about a Welsh cat rescue centre following a mass walk out of volunteers and claims that it mistakenly rehomed a pet cat that was placed under its temporary care by a young woman who fled domestic abuse.

A series of allegations have been made about Alley Cats Rescue in Tonypandy in a Facebook group named Porth Hub, primarily regarding the health and safety of the cats in their care, as well as the conduct of owner, Jamie Bartley.

Further allegations centre around the health and safety of cats, with volunteers claiming cats were left in filthy cages, while others’ health deteriorated shortly after arriving – prompting questions about the centre’s vet checking procedures.

One volunteer shared how many cats had evidence of fleas, while claims have also been made that kittens were rehomed too early, and that cats aren’t being treated for fleas or worms.

Alley Cats Rescue describe themselves as a “newly set up rescue centre, supporting the rehabilitation and rehoming of cats/kittens. Based in Tonypandy, Rhondda Cynon Taff”.

A Porth resident and relative of the young woman told Nation Cymru that her sister had fled domestic abuse earlier this year, leaving behind her animals as she was unable to take them at the time.

The resident, along with friends and family worked on securing foster places for her animals temporarily while she was in refuge, and during this time her sister continued to provide care for them along with her support network.

According to the resident, Jamie at Alley Cats Rescue in Tonypandy offered to temporarily foster a cat named Teacup for her sister and help find a home for the other, named Peaches.

After the cats were placed in the rescue centre’s care, on 5 September, the resident’s sister rang her “in hysterics” saying they had rehomed Teacup the cat they were meant to be fostering for her until she was either out of refuge or had found somewhere else.

According to our source: “Jamie made no attempt to contact my sister during the time she had them despite knowing she was their owner and that my sister never signed them over (because she wasn’t giving them up). Their chips were up to date so a simple scan would have provided Jamie with a contact number for her.

“Jamie had also rehomed teacup to an unsuspecting family without a health/vet check, shed received no flea/worming. Jamie also hadnt attempted to change the chip ect so she was a cat fully registered to my sister that she just handed to these new owners.

“We set to work right away trying to get my sisters cat back, she was flagged as stolen with the chip company and we got police involved.”

According to the resident, and confirmed with text messages shown to Nation Cymru, as the case unfolded, Jamie blocked her and her sister and, resorting to swearing in her correspondence.

She added: “Even right up until the end she refused to update us on anything. We only found out we were getting Teacup back after I blasted it all over FB and a family member of the adopter saw it and contacted me.

“My heart still goes out to them – they should never have been put into that situation.

“We eventually got her back on the Monday, along with Peaches the second cat as we didn’t want either of them being there after the ordeal.”

According to the resident however, the upset didn’t end there as both cats came back home with runny eyes/runny noses.

She said: “Since then more and more people have messaged me with similar stories, everything from ill cats and cats taken from owners and rehomed without their consent, as well as Jamie’s offensive conduct.

A number of other accusations have been posted in the Porth Hub Facebook group, including unconfirmed reports of poor hygiene practices at the centre.

According to a social media post on Facebook from Sunday 16 November, there has been a mass walkout of volunteers from Alley Cats Rescue in Tonypandy due to “serious welfare concerns for the cats and the way volunteers feel they have been treated by the rescue’s owner, Jamie Bartley”.

The post reads: “Over the last 4–6 months, volunteers have raised repeated concerns about the condition of the cats in the rescue. Many cats who arrived healthy have since become unwell, with some reportedly ill for months. According to the volunteers, a number of these cats have not been taken to a vet despite needing care, and those who were seen only got there after weeks of pushing.

“Volunteers also say that during their time at the rescue there were no clear policies or procedures, and very little direct involvement from the owner. My mother, for example, met her only twice, and both meetings were in the last few weeks.

“There have also been concerns from members of the public. One person who reached out for advice about their cat described receiving a response they felt was extremely rude and inappropriate.”

The post continued: “After volunteers walked out this morning, many were worried that the cats would be left without food, clean cages, or essential medication. When they returned later out of fear for the animals, they found the rescue in the same state as they had left it. From what they could see, no one had been in to care for the cats, and medication had not been given.

“Because of this, the former volunteers felt they had no choice but to continue caring for the cats themselves to prevent further suffering.

“The volunteers are devastated and concerned for the ongoing welfare of these animals.

“They want the public to be aware of what is happening and are hoping that raising attention will help ensure the cats get the care they need.”

Other Porth residents have since shared their experiences with the centre, with one writing: “I’ve just been blocked by Alley Cats Rescue for sharing a screenshot I found of the rescue telling a young woman to “rehome her toddler” instead of her cat when she reached out to ask for help.”

Other text messages seen by Nation Cymru include name calling from a phone owned by the rescue centre, although further posts claim these were written by another volunteer and not Jamie Bartley.

One message called a concerned community member a “silly cow”, and also told her that her “God must be so proud.”

According to one text message: “The individual who sent the message has been identified, and we are handling it internally.”

In an update posted to Facebook on 20 November, Alley Cats posted: “I am making this post as there have been concerns raised online regarding the welfare of the animals in our care due to comments online which have gotten completely out of hand.

“I had taken a significant step back from the everyday running of the rescue for personal reasons, but Alley Cats was able to continue running due to a dedicated team of volunteers, whilst I continued to pay the running costs. I now feel that as the owner I should have remained more involved in the daily running of the rescue.

“Whilst away on a break for two weeks, the volunteer who had taken charge accepted 17 cats into the rescue – this brought in a virus that resulted in poor health amongst some of the cats here, who have since had appropriate veterinary attention and treatments. Miscommunication of internal procedures meant that these cats were not taken for initial vet checks, something we would ordinarily do. This is something we are taking action to prevent from happening again.

“Images of cats have been posted whilst they were in bad health, none of these cats were left in these conditions without receiving vet treatment. There had recently also been a virus which spread throughout the rescue (from the influx of surrendered cats) – causing mass illnesses which they are all now recovering well from.

“I can assure you that cats are quarantined when they come in to the rescue, as I have seen many comments from strangers saying otherwise.

“Anybody who is concerned for the welfare of the cats, please by all means visit us by appointment. I can talk you through the care that each cat is receiving, and you will be able to see the reality of the conditions at Alley Cats Rescue. The comments on Facebook are getting out of hand, and no one is seeing the reality.

“We are recruiting and training new volunteers to a high standards to ensure continuity of the rescue and care for its cats.

“We would like to thank those who have continued to support us, with donations and their time, and those who have defended the work of the rescue online.

“Our main goal is, and always has been, to get these cats who have nowhere else to go into loving homes – if anyone would like to help us with this mission by adopting then do please reach out.”

Nation Cymru has contacted Jamie Bartley at Alley Cats for a response.