It’s been quite a summer already. With a couple of heatwaves behind us, the team have been working hard to keep everyone comfortable, and the animals, naturally, have taken it all in their stride. As we pass the halfway mark of 2026, here’s what’s been happening at the Sanctuary: the animals, the numbers, and a few stories we think you’ll love.
2026 so far, in numbers
By the end of June, 337 animals had left us for loving new homes: 256 cats, 53 dogs, and 28 rabbits. That keeps us tracking alongside our two busiest years on record, a record-breaking 750 animals rehomed in 2024 and another 690 in 2025. Nearly 1,450 second chances in two and a half years, and there’s no sign of things slowing down.
The waiting list: good news, with a catch
Last year our cat waiting list topped 100 for the first time in our history. Today it stands at 49, down from 91 just a few weeks ago, and typically sits between 60 and 80. Numbers remain high, but here’s the encouraging part: we’re now rehoming cats at a faster rate than in 2024. That’s over 40 cats and kittens finding homes every month, and around 60 in each of the past two months.
The catch? The animals arriving need more from us than ever. We’ve seen another wave of pregnant cats this year, most of them strays, and we’ve had to triple our number of cat fosterers to cope. Pregnant cats need to be away from the cattery to stay comfortable before and after birth, and their kittens develop far better social skills in a home. Foster care also frees our staff to focus on the trickiest cases, like Jinx (below), whose multiple lifelong conditions needed round-the-clock treatment.
What else has been happening
- Foster homes. We now have 24 foster households, up from just 8 two years ago, giving pregnant and vulnerable cats the space, food, and unlimited vet care they need away from the cattery.
- Keeping everyone cool. This summer’s heatwaves mean we’re investing in air conditioning for three of our buildings, including both catteries. Our cattery staff wear boiler suits to prevent germs passing between rooms; the name has never felt more accurate.
Meet Bolo
Among this year’s arrivals was Bolo, a French Bulldog who came to us with eyes so swollen and crusted from poor breeding and years without treatment that he couldn’t close them.
He’d been in pain for a long time, and the vets expected him to lose both eyes. Instead, a specialist eye centre gave us a plan of medications and procedures that needed attention every two hours for weeks on end.
Bolo’s eyes have recovered. He’ll need careful management for the rest of his life, but he’s no longer in pain and has kept around half his vision. We will find you a home, Bolo.
Care like Bolo’s is only possible because of donations from our supporters.
More of the animals behind the numbers
Paddington, a kitten, suffered serious spinal injuries in an accidental fall while in foster care. Her specialist surgery was complex, but the prognosis is positive, and after weeks of cage rest at the vet she’s beginning to move again. She still has a way to go before she’ll be ready for adoption.
Lucy, a Cane Corso, swallowed a rubber ball and needed emergency surgery to remove it from her intestine. Her recovery has been slow but encouraging. The hard part is that she isn’t allowed any toys or enrichment in her kennel while she heals, so our staff are giving her extra one-to-one time to keep her spirits up.
Beau and his ever-growing family. One spring Sunday, eight adult rabbits and three newborn kits arrived in the back of a van, all in a single dog crate. Beau had fathered litters with every female in the group, despite his owner’s attempts to keep them apart, and one had given birth just two days before arriving. Caring for this one family has already cost over £1,500 in vet bills. Neutering Beau, at around £100, would have prevented all of it.
And they’re far from alone. McNugget, a three-week-old kitten, arrived with a broken leg that had healed so badly it needed amputating; she’s since been adopted, along with all three of her siblings, by one of our volunteers. Betsy, an adult cat, needed specialist surgery to remove a polyp that was causing a severe head tilt, and is now looking for a home.
These were costly procedures, and we’re seeing more cases like them with every passing month. Every animal arrives with costs we seldom know about in advance, and it’s our donors who absorb those bills. We’re still the same small, dedicated team, stretching every penny and relying on our brilliant volunteers more than ever.
Be part of the second half of 2026
There are six months of arrivals, recoveries, and rehomings still to come this year.
If you’d like to be part of them, a monthly gift from just £6 a month helps us keep the waiting list moving, fund urgent medical care, and give every animal that arrives at our gates the chance of a loving home.
If monthly giving isn’t for you, a one-off donation makes just as real a difference, and if you’re a UK taxpayer, ticking the Gift Aid box adds 25p to every £1 you give at no extra cost to you.
You can see exactly how every donation is used here: Where does your donation go?
Thank you for everything you do for our animals. Here’s to the second half of 2026.
🐾 The Team at Oxfordshire Animal Sanctuary