Redevelopment

Cat Haven was established at the Lemnos Street site in 1969 with many of the current buildings constructed between then and 1983. They were constructed at a time when the management of stray cats was very different and certainly did not contemplate the requirements of the Cat Act nor the community services we provide such as emergency boarding.

Despite the introduction of the Cat Act in 2013, demand for services continues to increase particularly considering recent cost of living challenges and smaller cat rescue groups struggling and deferring their intakes to Cat Haven. As a not-for-profit with very little government funding (2-3%), Cat Haven relies heavily on public donations to support its operations.

Cat Haven currently takes in over 7,500 cats per annum with an annual growth rate of circa 5%. As a place of last resort, Cat Haven never refuses to take in a cat and as such, we can expect continued growth for the foreseeable future. This is compounded by other struggling cat welfare groups who are increasingly turning to Cat Haven to assist.

Annually, the existing clinic handles over 21,000 cat consultations and procedures however currently must send out over 1,000 cats to external clinics for various procedures including for basic treatments. This comes at a cost premium and results in lost time for our staff as well as increasing the length of stay for the cats in our care and leading to raised stress.

Investigations Begin

In late 2023 investigations commenced to look at the future needs of cat welfare in Western Australia and the pivotal role Cat Haven plays as the premier shelter along with providing Cat Management Facility services to over a dozen local governments.

Cat Haven has considered several options to improve the working conditions on, and the efficiency of, the site ranging from minor capital works to a full site rebuild. Some minor works have been completed since 2019, with the last major capital works prior being completed in 1983. Seven options were considered with the preferred option being a staged redevelopment of the site.

• Stage 1 would see the replacement of the existing Cottage with a dual level cat hospital, administration, and training facility. Refurbishment the existing Clinic and sort/intake areas would deliver expanded Foster and Volunteer amenities, respectively.
• Stage 2 would replace existing Boarding and ringworm with a tri-level cat accommodation facility comprising expanded numbers of condos, utilities, and an enlarged boarding and emergency boarding space including outdoor areas.
• Stage 3 would see the demolition of the sheds as well as existing utilities and clinic structures to make way for two new buildings being a dedicated quarantine facility and dual level foster, storage, and additional cat accommodation.

A key outcome for Stage 1 is the consolidation of cat intake, sort, and clinical functions to improve site workflows and efficiency along with the expansion of clinical services to minimise outsourcing for procedures such as imaging (Xray, ultrasound) and diagnostics. Aside from the high cost of these services, the time taken to obtain directly impacts the cat’s welfare.

Objectives

The five key objectives of the Redevelopment are:

1. Enhanced Animal Care: A modern, well-designed facility will allow us to provide a higher level of medical care, including surgeries, diagnostics, and medical treatments, ensuring the health and well-being of our cats.
2. Improved Worker Safety, Welfare and Productivity: A new facility will provide the necessary space and resources for our veterinary and administrative staff to work efficiently, reducing stress and improving overall productivity. It will also remove existing high risk building materials.
3. Reduced Operational Costs: A new facility with modern infrastructure will lead to reduced ongoing maintenance costs and energy efficiency, enabling us to allocate more resources to the care of the cats.
4. Enhanced Community Engagement: An updated and inviting administration area will support our community outreach efforts, enabling us to better engage with volunteers, donors, and potential adopters.
5. Regulatory Compliance: A new facility will meet and exceed all relevant regulations, ensuring that Cat Haven remains in compliance with the law and reduces the risk of potential legal issues.

Strategic Importance

In 2021 Cat Haven prepared a strategic plan to guide its medium-term corporate strategy which was premised on three key pillars: organisational sustainability, technology infrastructure, and community and stakeholder engagement. The Redevelopment aligns with the pillars and objectives of the plan as summarised below.

Strategic Pillar	Strategic Objective	Project Alignment
Organisational Sustainability	Having a sustainable organisational structure to ensure Cat Haven can continue to provide essential cat welfare services to the WA Community with adequate staffing support and a structure that promotes collaboration and communication within the organisation.	Provision of additional amenities for volunteers and staff to improve working conditions and volunteer experience. Collocation of staff within open plan office to foster collaboration across departments.
Organisational Sustainability	Developing a long-term financial plan including a donor and capital fundraising strategy to allow for Cat Haven to undertake services to focus on prevention work as well as day to day cat welfare work.	Modern clinic facilities to reduce outsourcing of veterinary work will reduce costs allowing savings to be redirected to other services.
Technology Infrastructure	Improving our IT infrastructure to drive opportunities for greater efficiencies and modernise the way we do business. Continuing to create strong foundations to stabilise and streamline systems.	Implementation of new clinic management systems to reduce paperwork and manual data entry while improving productivity and shelter throughput.
Community and Stakeholder Engagement	Advocating and lobbying key government agencies and politicians to ensure cat welfare related legislation is drafted and implemented practically and with an evidence-based approach. Cat Haven is well placed to be the voice for cat owners and all cats in WA.	Expanded capacity to service greater number of local governments as their cat management facility under the Act. Additional vocational support to education institutions who utilise Cat Haven for student learning opportunities.

 

In addition to our own strategic alignment, the project aligns with several Government strategies including:

• WA Feral Cat Strategy 2023-2028

Complimentary to reducing consequential environmental impacts from cats by providing additional capacity to assist local government dealing with cats in their jurisdictions.

• WA State Training Plan 2023-2024

Supporting tertiary and vocational training in modern, specialist facilities with access to contemporary learning experiences.

• WA Volunteering Strategy and Action Plan 2023-2026

Alignment with three focus areas by creating additional volunteering opportunities, training and upskilling for employability at Cat Haven or within the community, and improving volunteer management, support and facilities.

• Australian Animal Welfare Strategy

Cat Haven’s outcomes are best-in-State when compared to local government welfare outcomes by achieving better live release rates.

Current Status

Early planning commenced in November 2023 with the engagement of the specialist designer in April 2024. An overall site masterplan has been completed along with Stage 1 design sufficient to support the submission of a development application in October.

Construction is not funded, and a project of this magnitude would not be possible by Cat Haven alone due to competing resource demands for our ever-growing essential community and animal welfare services. A substantial investment in partnership with the State will be necessary to bring to life our collective vision for cat welfare and to support the State delivering the Cat Act’s objectives. A business case has been submitted to the State and we continue to engage to highlight the wider benefits beyond animal welfare outcomes, but also community wellbeing, environmental, and training. Cat Haven annually saves the WA community more than $3.4 million of animal welfare management costs and a further $2.6 million in mitigated environmental costs due to strays otherwise remaining on the streets.

The estimated cost of Stage 1 including fit-out and temporary works to facilitate is circa $9-$11 million with the full site redevelopment likely to cost $30 million. In addition to the State, we are looking at additional funding opportunities through the Commonwealth, Lotterywest, and private benefactors.

Whilst we await planning approval, detailed design is progressing with the aim to have Stage 1 ‘shovel ready’ for early 2025. We in negotiation with other stakeholders to secure temporary land to support the relocation of certain functions during the building.

How can I help?

This is a considerable project and as an organisation that relies nearly entirely on community goodwill and that is heavily reliant on bequests, we cannot fund this alone. If you would like to learn more about this exciting project and to help the future of cat welfare in Western Australia, please contact our Board of Management Chair, Robin Orton (chair@cathaven.com.au). We will be more than happy to show you our current site, the challenges, and how your contribution will be able to assist.