Charity office manager volunteer roles

Become a Young Trustee of Young Citizens and help light the spark of active citizenship for children and young people!

With citizenship education set to become statutory in primary schools, votes at 16 on the horizon, and growing concern about the health of our democracy, this is a pivotal moment to join Young Citizens as a Young Trustee.

For over 35 years, Young Citizens has helped children and young people understand society, engage in democracy and make a positive impact in their communities. Through flagship programmes like The Big Legal Lesson, The Big Democracy Lesson, the Make a Difference Challenge and National Mock Trial Competitions, we bring citizenship to life in classrooms and communities across the UK – reaching 300,000+ young people every year.

Our five-year strategy, Lighting the Spark, is focused on making sure every young person in the UK experiences powerful, practical and immersive citizenship learning. As a Young Trustee, you will help shape this next phase of growth, strengthen our financial sustainability, and ensure we make the most of the opportunities ahead.

This is a voluntary role (reasonable expenses reimbursed) and a chance to play a strategic part in strengthening UK democracy through education.

Role Snapshot: 

• Contribute to shaping Young Citizens’ strategic direction and monitoring performance
• Help ensure compliance with charity law and our governing document (training provided)
• Safeguard the charity’s values, reputation, and financial integrity
• Support effective use of resources and long-term sustainability
• Work with fellow trustees to advise and support the CEO
• Act as an ambassador for Young Citizens, promoting our mission and building connections

Why join as a Young Trustee?

• Play an important role in guiding a national charity at a critical time for civic education.
• Bring your perspective as a young person to Board discussions - your lived experience matters.
• Gain governance experience, develop leadership skills, and learn how charities operate.
• Receive full induction, safeguarding training, and ongoing support, including a mentor trustee.

In short, you’ll help ensure hundreds of thousands of young people every year gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to participate meaningfully in society.

What We Are Looking For

We’re looking for young trustees who bring fresh ideas, big-picture thinking, and a collaborative spirit. You’ll approach the role with openness and integrity, ready to learn, grow, and champion Young Citizens beyond the boardroom.

We welcome applications from young people aged 18–25 who are passionate about active citizenship and youth voice. You do not need prior board experience - training and support will be provided. We’re looking for potential, and learning as you go is part of the role. If you have experience or interest in any of the following areas, that’s great (but not essential):

• Citizenship education or youth engagement
• Marketing, communications, or influencing
• Business growth and partnerships
• Digital innovation or technology
• Fundraising and income generation

We also welcome diverse experiences or educational backgrounds, including leadership, public service, law, finance, policy, or community involvement.

If you want to play an active role in guiding strategy and making decisions that matter, ensuring hundreds of thousands of young people every year have the skills and confidence to engage fully in society, we’d love to hear from you!

Role Requirements

The role requires around 4–6 hours per month, including preparation and engagement between meetings. Trustees attend four board meetings a year (usually weekday evenings in London), monthly online finance updates, and an annual Away Day. Appointments are for an initial three-year term, with potential renewal. While day-to-day operations are led by the Chief Executive and senior team, trustees hold ultimate responsibility for governance and compliance. 

To learn more about the role and the application process, please refer to the job pack for full details.

Fundraising events helper

Our vision for volunteering

Volunteering is and always will be at the heart of Cats Protection. It is joyful and inclusive. As a charity, working in partnership, together we transform the lives of cats, people and communities.

The difference you will make to cats and people

As a charity we can continue to help cats and kittens in need thanks to the donations we receive at fundraising events from generous members of the public. Our fundraising event helpers have the exciting and varied role of helping at local fundraising events - such as cakes sales, barn dances, quiz nights – and everything in between

You can expect us to

• make you feel welcome, included and respected in line with our values and behaviours
• support you in having a positive and impactful experience at Cats Protection
• cover agreed out-of-pocket expenses in line with our Expenses Policy
• provide you with access to learning, development and engagement opportunities

What we need from you

You’ll be:

· help set up and/or man stalls at events

· help on collection days like supermarket collections events or street collections

· help at fundraising events such as quiz nights, cake sales and dances

· promoting a professional image of Cats Protection at events

Time expectation

This role is really flexible! You could choose to volunteer at one event for a couple of hours or attend multiple fundraising events.

We’ll keep you up to date with upcoming local events where volunteers are needed. You’ll then be able to choose which events you’d like to volunteer at and how many hours you’d like to give. However much time you can give, your contribution will help raise much needed funds to continue the work of Cats Protection.

You may be just the volunteer we’ve been looking for!

We are committed to building a diverse, compassionate and inclusive organisation where everyone can be themselves and do their best. We are courageous and compassionate in our purpose of helping people see the world through cats’ eyes. Together, we can make a difference. Together, we are all for cats. Join the UK’s leading cat welfare charity and help make a better life for cats, because life is better with cats.

About this role

You may be doing lots of interesting support service actions:

• Answering calls from our shops, helping to resolve concerns
• Answering contacts from our customers, learning how to deliver great customer service
• Working on our retail operations online support system, dealing with suppliers and shops online and by phone
• Creating marketing assets to send to shops
• Joining teams working on specific projects like training packs, cost evaluation or shop merchandising
• Creating social media posts for our shop colleagues to share
• Learning how to use word, powerpoint and excel.

Every day is different, we manage lots of different projects whilst working on our annual plan. We can find a project to suit everyone.

Volunteering in the office could enable you to gain the skills needed to support searches for employment.

You must be over 18 for this role.

When and where

This role can be remote so can be worked from anywhere in UK or you can come into the Here East office one or two days per week.

Depending on your availability we are suggesting 4 hours per week during office hours, but would welcome any suggested volunteering patterns.

Who we’re looking for

We welcome anyone who is friendly and passionate about disability equality!

Knowledge of Microsoft Office such as Teams, Word, Excel and Outlook would be useful, but our team would be happy to coach and train new volunteers.

We particularly welcome volunteering applications from disabled people. Equality and inclusion are at the heart of Scope’s mission. We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment for all volunteers.

Skills and experience you can gain

• Administrative skills
• Microsoft Office experience
• Being part of a team
• Learning about how retail works at Scope
• Time management skills
• Valuable experience for your CV
• Experience of a large, national disability charity

What we can offer you

• IT equipment and software to carry out the role
• Introduction to Scope
• Demonstration of your tasks
• Training courses, in person and online
• Personal development opportunities
• Support and regular catchups from a dedicated manager
• Agreed travel expenses to the Here East office, if required
• Adjustments to make the role accessible for you
• Work experience for your CV
• A work reference
• 20% discount in your Scope charity shop and at our online shop.

Dates

We welcome any suggestions as to when you would like to start.

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Scope is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare and wellbeing of children and adults at risk, whether receiving services or being staff or volunteers. It expects all trustees, staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Volunteering at Scope

Scope is a disability equality charity providing practical information, emotional support and campaigning for a fairer society.

As a volunteer you’ll help raise vital funds for our work towards everyday equality for disabled people. You will make a real difference to the lives of disabled people and their families.

Do you have what it takes to be the new lead for our Lay Advisory Group?

Kidney Research UK’s Lay Advisory Group are currently looking for a new lead. In this vital and rewarding role, you would help ensure that people affected by kidney disease influence all aspects of our work. As lead of the Lay Advisory Group, you would have a key role within the charity championing the involvement of patients to transform kidney health and presenting patient views at our trustee board meetings.

The Lay Advisory Group helps drive and strengthen patient and public involvement (PPI) within Kidney Research UK and provides opportunities to influence change externally to help transform kidney health. This is a senior volunteer role and will provide effective leadership for the Lay Advisory Group and its work.

After leading the group for five successful years, the current lead is stepping down, so we are looking to appoint a new lead. 

The role of the Governing Body includes collective oversight of the College’s activities and setting and reviewing
our strategy and mission. The governor role is comparable with the non-executive directors of a public company
but instead of being accountable to shareholders, governors are accountable for public funds. As the College is an exempt charity, all governors are charity trustees.

Being a governor is a hugely rewarding leadership role. Governors can make a real difference and give something
back to the local community.

The College is currently looking for two new governors to join the Board. We are seeking experienced individuals, who
are looking for an opportunity to use and develop their professional skills in a board-level environment.
You don’t need to have prior board experience to apply.

The Board is currently looking for two new governors will have experience of one, or more, of the following areas: FE, education, apprenticeships. 

The Board also values the diversity of our students and staff, who come from a variety of ethnic, cultural and
religious backgrounds. The Board is determined to reflect this diversity amongst our Governing Body and
encourages people from a range of backgrounds and experiences to apply.

Please get in touch if you don’t feel you have the time to join the Board but would be interested in being co-opted to one of our committees. Co-option can provide an excellent introduction to voluntary governance roles. We are currently looking for co-opted members to join our Search and Governance Commitee, Resources Committee and Audit and Risk Committee. 

Lead Volunteer Role Description

• To update the Volunteers’ Rota from the Court diary and ensure that each Volunteer in the team and the CCSS office has a copy. Wherever possible, the Rota should be kept on a computer for updating and emailed to the rest of the team and the office. 

• Ensure sufficient numbers of Volunteers are on duty for effective and appropriate support for bereaved families and witnesses who attend the Inquests.

• To arrange and re-arrange the Rota between the Volunteers, noting any holiday or leave of absence dates.

• Ensure a finalised Rota is sent to the office at the end of each month in order for volunteer expenses to be checked and processed.

• To ensure that all the Volunteers have each other’s contact details and the Volunteer emergency contact details are included in the court file and updated when changes occur.

• To ensure monthly and yearly statistics are kept up to date and to send the Monthly Statistics to the Volunteer who collates the stats at the end of each month.

• To ensure there are sufficient Report Forms for the Volunteers’ use if collecting stats in paper format.  If alternative methods of collecting stats are used, to ensure that the team are all using the same method.

• To inform the Operations & Training Manager and the CCSS office of the need for more Volunteers or of any leavers.

• To assist with the recruitment interviews and induction of new Volunteers.

• Responsible for the support of new Volunteers and their final sign off.  Where the Lead Volunteer has concerns about the level of support required or the competency of a new Volunteer, they should refer those concerns to the Operations & Training Manager.

• To organise Volunteer team meetings (minimum of 3 meetings per year) and to inform the Operations & Training Manager and the CCSS office via email of the dates of these so they can attend if necessary/appropriate.

• To immediately refer any serious concerns raised by the Coroner or Coroner’s Officers to the CEO.

• To inform the CEO immediately of any issues or concerns that arises at the Court that might impact on the CCSS.

• To provide local information for the Helpline Court Information Sheet when requested.

• To ensure the team follow the practices of the court and work in partnership with the court staff.
• To forward any testimonials about the support provided by our volunteers to the CCSS office.

• Responsibility for maintaining the stock of CCSS leaflets.

• Organise cover for themselves when they are on holiday or need to take time off.

Migrateful is looking for new Trustees to help guide our next chapter! Migrateful runs cookery classes in London and Bristol led by refugees and migrants to support them on their journey to integration & employment.
 

Trustees play a vital role in setting strategic direction, strengthening governance and acting as critical friends to the executive team, ensuring Migrateful continues to deliver high quality, impactful work in line with its charitable purpose.

We are currently looking for a trustee with financial qualifications and experience, ideally including charity finance and fundraising, who will support the Finance and Risk Subcommittee. This includes overseeing budgets, monitoring financial performance, reviewing financial and operational risks, and providing assurance on internal control systems to support financial decision-making.

Trustees will play a pivotal role in ensuring Migrateful can continue to grow and deliver meaningful impact for migrant and refugee communities. They will help support the continued expansion of our cookery class programme, which provides vital training, employment and integration opportunities and a platform for migrant-led cultural exchange. 

For more information please see our trustee recruitment pack. 

We are now looking for someone with an interest in Charity Communications/Social Media who can take on the responsibilities of the direct social media output. The successful candidate will join us in our office or other locations mainly in North London once a week. We are looking for someone with a passion for social media and an understanding of how important it can be to a charity and the people we help.

Core Responsibilities

• Create content to be attractive, informative and inclusive.
• Post across Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to promote the organisation
• Support the Operations Manager to utilise social media to thank and engage our supporters, donors and funders.
• Form key relationships with organisations, influencers and brands
• Create new ideas to make the best use of our social media to improve our engagement with families we support, and existing and potential volunteers.
• Collaborating with other team members and external consultants to contribute to and adhere to the wider communications strategy.
• Maintain strict GDPR and confidentiality practices at all times.
• Monitor and report on the engagement rates of each post/platform to inform our messaging.

Person Specification

• A good understanding of the best practice for maximum social media engagement (ie: best time of day to post, how to write comments and captions that will gain engagement) and a willingness to learn more about this
• Awareness of latest social media trends and etiquettes
• Proactive and excited to take on their own project
• Creativity and Canva skills
• A keen interest in social media
• An interest in our work with families in crisis
• Strong communication skills

Fundraising team leader volunteer

Our vision for volunteering

Volunteering is and always will be at the heart of Cats Protection. It is joyful and inclusive. As a charity, working in partnership, together we transform the lives of cats, people and communities.

The difference you will make to cats and people

As a charity we are able to help thousands of cats each year thanks to the generous donations we receive from members of the public. Our fundraising team leaders have the exciting and varied role of inspiring our fundraising volunteers to plan and deliver local fundraising events. Using their passion and imagination, they oversee a small team of fundraising volunteers who come together to raise the vital funds needed to cover costs such as veterinary bills and food. Our fundraising team leaders support their team of volunteers in all aspects of their roles, making sure our volunteers are happy, confident and supported.

You can expect us to

• make you feel welcome, included and respected in line with our values and behaviours
• support you in having a positive and impactful experience at Cats Protection
• cover agreed out-of-pocket expenses in line with our Expenses Policy
• provide you with access to learning, development and engagement opportunities

What we need from you

You’ll be:

· supporting and encouraging a team of fundraising volunteers

· planning fundraising events and activities with your team

· allocating tasks before and during fundraising events

· keeping financial records from fundraising events

· encouraging and promoting a professional image of Cats Protection 

· following policies and guidelines and ensuring licences and permits are obtained for events

Time expectation

Our fundraising team leaders usually spend three to four hours per week in this role, which is flexible and can be shared by more than one volunteer if needed.

You may be just the volunteer we’ve been looking for!

We are committed to building a diverse, compassionate and inclusive organisation where everyone can be themselves and do their best. We are courageous and compassionate in our purpose of helping people see the world through cats’ eyes. Together, we can make a difference. Together, we are all for cats. Join the UK’s leading cat welfare charity and help make a better life for cats, because life is better with cats.

We are looking for one Trustee & Deputy Chair to join our Charity Trustee Board to support the Union through its next steps. A strong and active Board is crucial for us as we develop and implement our strategy, face challenges, maximise opportunities and endeavour to create an even better Union; one that continues to be flexible and agile enough to react quickly to the changing needs and interests of our student members and achieve our vision.

The Person

The right candidate will thrive in a student led, highly responsive environment and have an enthusiasm for supporting and guiding a student organisation. They will command confidence, have sound judgement and strong communication and leadership skills. We are looking for a trustee with the following skills/experience

Finance Experience: 

• Preferably financial experience from a charity outside of the SU sector
• Understanding of financial oversight
• Ability to interpret financial information to support strategic decision-making
• Awareness of charity finance and regulatory requirements

Chairing Experience: 

• Ability to deputise for the Chair, and chair meetings of the Board
• Ability to build a strong and effective working relationship with the Board of Trustees Chair
• Ability to foster, maintain and ensure that constructive relationships exist with and between the Trustees
• Assist and support the Chair in providing leadership to the Board, through the governance arrangements, and also acting as a ‘sounding board’ and confidante to the Chair in the execution of their role

Due to the current make-up of our Trustee Board, we are not actively searching for candidates with skills, knowledge and experience related to the Student Union and HE sector and we would welcome candidates from other sectors or regions to apply. That said, we would very much like to encourage anyone who feels that they could bring something to our Board to apply, regardless of experience - our purpose and values also lead us to welcome first time Trustees too!

We are strongly dedicated to embedding equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) within our community and we are passionate about creating a welcoming and inclusive environment which supports everyone from recruitment through to appointment, regardless of your background. We welcome applications from all talented people and as part of this commitment, we are working to improve the diversity of our Trustee Board to ensure that it is as relevant and representative of our student community as possible and are actively encouraging applications from underrepresented groups.

Further Information

Application is via a comprehensive CV plus a supporting statement (of no more than two sides of A4) detailing why you are applying for the position and what requirements you meet to carry out the role

Fundraising events helper

Our vision for volunteering

Volunteering is and always will be at the heart of Cats Protection. It is joyful and inclusive. As a charity, working in partnership, together we transform the lives of cats, people and communities.

The difference you will make to cats and people

As a charity we can continue to help cats and kittens in need thanks to the donations we receive at fundraising events from generous members of the public. Our fundraising event helpers have the exciting and varied role of helping at local fundraising events - such as cakes sales, barn dances, quiz nights – and everything in between!

You can expect us to

• make you feel welcome, included and respected in line with our values and behaviours
• support you in having a positive and impactful experience at Cats Protection
• cover agreed out-of-pocket expenses in line with our Expenses Policy
• provide you with access to learning, development and engagement opportunities

What we need from you

You’ll be:

· help set up and/or man stalls at events

· help on collection days like supermarket collections events or street collections

· help at fundraising events such as quiz nights, cake sales and dances

· promoting a professional image of Cats Protection at events

Time expectation

This role is really flexible! You could choose to volunteer at one event for a couple of hours or attend multiple fundraising events.

We’ll keep you up to date with upcoming local events where volunteers are needed. You’ll then be able to choose which events you’d like to volunteer at and how many hours you’d like to give. However much time you can give, your contribution will help raise much needed funds to continue the work of Cats Protection.

You may be just the volunteer we’ve been looking for!

We are committed to building a diverse, compassionate and inclusive organisation where everyone can be themselves and do their best. We are courageous and compassionate in our purpose of helping people see the world through cats’ eyes. Together, we can make a difference. Together, we are all for cats. Join the UK’s leading cat welfare charity and help make a better life for cats, because life is better with cats.

Fundraising team leader volunteer

Our vision for volunteering

Volunteering is and always will be at the heart of Cats Protection. It is joyful and inclusive. As a charity, working in partnership, together we transform the lives of cats, people and communities.

The difference you will make to cats and people

As a charity we are able to help thousands of cats each year thanks to the generous donations we receive from members of the public. Our fundraising team leaders have the exciting and varied role of inspiring our fundraising volunteers to plan and deliver local fundraising events. Using their passion and imagination, they oversee a small team of fundraising volunteers who come together to raise the vital funds needed to cover costs such as veterinary bills and food. Our fundraising team leaders support their team of volunteers in all aspects of their roles, making sure our volunteers are happy, confident and supported.

You can expect us to

• make you feel welcome, included and respected in line with our values and behaviours
• support you in having a positive and impactful experience at Cats Protection
• cover agreed out-of-pocket expenses in line with our Expenses Policy
• provide you with access to learning, development and engagement opportunities

What we need from you

You’ll be:

· supporting and encouraging a team of fundraising volunteers

· planning fundraising events and activities with your team

· allocating tasks before and during fundraising events

· keeping financial records from fundraising events

· encouraging and promoting a professional image of Cats Protection 

· following policies and guidelines and ensuring licences and permits are obtained for events

Time expectation

Our fundraising team leaders usually spend three to four hours per week in this role, which is flexible and can be shared by more than one volunteer if needed.

You may be just the volunteer we’ve been looking for!

If you have any questions about the role, please get in touch.

We are committed to building a diverse, compassionate and inclusive organisation where everyone can be themselves and do their best. We are courageous and compassionate in our purpose of helping people see the world through cats’ eyes. Together, we can make a difference. Together, we are all for cats. Join the UK’s leading cat welfare charity and help make a better life for cats, because life is better with cats.

Overview of the role

This role involves leading on any and all Health & Safety issues, policies and concerns, ensuring that the Board of Trustees are aware and kept up to date in regard to the legal, regulatory, and governance responsibilities of the charity regarding health and safety.

Key tasks

Trustee (Health & Safety Lead) Responsibilities:

• to ensure that the trustee board understand their legal and regulatory responsibility on matters of health & safety (including manual handling & fire safety, etc.) for the charity

• to ensure, along with operational management support, that all health and safety policies and risk assessments are in place, relevant, and up to date

• to continuously keep up to date with all current health and safety legislation/regulations, informing the board of any changes needed to operational procedures relating to health and safety

• to be the allocated contact for health & safety as outlined on Health and Safety Executive (HSE) poster in each centre

• along with operational management support, to ensure that all relevant staff, trustees and/or volunteers are suitably trained and aware of the correct process to follow if any health and safety concerns arise, including the filling out of incident reports.

Other responsibilities, along with the Bboard of Trustees, include:

• to approve, support and guide the charity’s purpose, vision, strategy, goals and objectives 

• to manage the charity’s resources responsibly, including ensuring the charity’s assets are used only to carry out its purpose, avoid undue risk and not over-commit the charity.

• to ensure the effective and efficient administration of the charity, responding to changes in the local community as appropriate

• to ensure that key risks are identified, monitored and controlled appropriately

• to ensure appropriate financial plans are in place, budgets are monitored, and progress is evaluated

• to review and approve financial statements 

• to help promote the organisation to key stakeholders and beneficiaries

• to ensure the charity has appropriate procedures to comply with current legislation and good practice, including employment, health and safety, equity, diversity and inclusion, safeguarding and GDPR compliance/data protection.

• to prepare for and regularly attend and participate in board and subcommittee meetings and any trustee away days.

About you:

• a knowledge of and commitment to the work of the Warrington Foodbank

• a strong knowledge of Health & Safety legislation and a charity’s responsibility

• an ability to lead on any health & safety matters in a supportive and confident manner

• add any further essential qualities the food bank is looking for, to fit in with any strategic objectives the food bank may have.

Benefits of volunteering:

• feeling you are making a difference whilst volunteering with us

• meeting new people and being part of a motivated team who share a passion to eradicate poverty in our community

• building a movement of change with our volunteers, staff, and the people who use our food bank

• bringing our staff, volunteers, and trustees together to achieve our vision

• gaining a greater insight and understanding of local agencies and partnerships.

Impact of your role

By leading on Health & Safety matters for the food bank, you are part of providing a vital holistic support function in your local community, ensuring a dignified experience to anyone visiting, or anyone who comes into contact with, Warrington Foodbank.

Support

A full trustee induction is in place to support the prospective candidate within their role, as well as access to local voluntary action trustee training. 

Please Note:

• You must be 16 or over and must not be disqualified from acting as a trustee and declare any conflict of interest while carrying out the duties of a trustee.

• Trustees are appointed for a three-year term of office.

• This is a voluntary position.

Fundraising volunteer

Our vision for volunteering

Volunteering is and always will be at the heart of Cats Protection. It is joyful and inclusive. As a charity, working in partnership, together we transform the lives of cats, people and communities.

The difference you will make to cats and people

As a charity we are able to help thousands of cats each year thanks to the generous donations we receive from members of the public. Our fundraising volunteers use their passion for cats and people to raise the vital funds needed to help more cats and kittens in need. As a fundraising volunteer we want to support you to fundraise in whatever way suits you best, whether that’s organising a fundraising event, fundraising online, promoting fundraising activities on social media, completing administration or supporting the development of new fundraising ideas! Whatever your skill set, this could be the role for you! 

You can expect us to

• Make you feel welcome, included and respected in line with our values and behaviours
• Support you in having a positive and impactful experience at Cats Protection
• Cover agreed out-of-pocket expenses in line with our Expenses Policy
• Provide you with access to learning, development and engagement opportunities

What we need from you

This is a really flexible role, you can choose what you’d like to get involved with, for example: 

• face-to-face fundraising. Organising or helping with fundraising events, running supermarket collections and fundraising stands, monitoring collection tins 

• online fundraising. Setting up online appeals and writing impactful cat case studies that maximise donations

• marketing. Spreading the word about our fundraising activities, for example on social media and with the local press  

• completing administration. Processing donations, sorting and recording donated goods, completing Gift Aid paperwork

● championing our work. Getting involved with developing new fundraising ideas and increasing community engagement

● photography. Capturing images of cats in care, cats we are helping, events and all things Cats Protection

Time expectation

This is a flexible role that can fit around your other commitments to suit you. You’ll be part of a team raising vital funds while having fun in the process!

You may be just the volunteer we’ve been looking for!

We are committed to building a diverse, compassionate and inclusive organisation where everyone can be themselves and do their best. We are courageous and compassionate in our purpose of helping people see the world through cats’ eyes. Together, we can make a difference. Together, we are all for cats. Join the UK’s leading cat welfare charity and help make a better life for cats, because life is better with cats