About The Mayhew Animal Home
For more than 100 years The Mayhew Animal Home has been successfully re-homing unwanted, abandoned and abused companion animals with responsible caring guardians.
Today, it is one of the busiest animal sanctuaries in London, helping thousands of animals in need each year.
- It works to prevent unwanted animals both through the promotion of neutering and, where appropriate, by lending assistance to existing owners to enable them to keep their animals
- It works to promote respect and compassion for animals in all sections of the community and beyond through activities, campaigns and education programmes
- It ensures that no healthy animal in its care is ever put to sleep.
The Mayhew runs a range of programmes under this mission statement:
Adoption
Animal Outreach
The Mayhew’s mobile Animal Welfare Officers patrol London and beyond, ministering the community and animals that don’t make it to The Home. This work ranges from dealing with multi-cat households to giving advice to an owner whose dog won’t stop barking, to helping the animals of the homeless.
Prevention
this is another essential part of the charity's work, and it is proud of its progress in raising awareness and educating the community on the importance of prevention.
As one of the biggest catteries in the UK, The Mayhew operates MEWS – The Mayhew Emergency Welfare and Spaying programme - that was launched to deal with the increasing number of stray and feral cats in the capital.
The Mayhew runs a very successful NVQ Training Programme that covers all aspects of animal care. Its list of NVQ applicants continues to grow each year.
Mayhew International
This programme was born out of the need to pass on what Mayhew has learned as an inner-city animal welfare centre to those in similar circumstances, a world away. Its recent programmes in Afghanistan, Turkey and Russia have been extremely successful and added a new dimension to the reach of The Mayhew.
With uncertain times ahead for the world as a whole, The Mayhew faces a year filled with new challenges. It depends more than ever on your generosity in order to meet them.
Our history
The Mayhew Animal Home has been rescuing and caring for animals in London since 1886.
Established in 1886 by the Mayhew sisters “for the benefit of the lost and starving dogs and cats of London so that they should have a sanctuary from the cold inhumanity they are being dealt outside”, The Mayhew is today one of the busiest animal sanctuaries in London, rescuing thousands of animals from abandonment, cruelty and neglect.
The Mayhew operates a strict non-destruction policy, which means that no healthy animal is put to sleep.
Today, The Mayhew's activities reach far beyond conventional animal welfare initiatives. Its mission to take in and care for abused animals and re-home them with responsible caring owners, prevent unwanted animals through advocacy and neutering and by lending assistance to existing owners has made The Mayhew into one of the capital's key players in the alleviation of animal welfare problems.
As one of two inner London animal homes, it is committed to promoting respect and compassion for animals in all sections of the community through activities, campaigns and education programmes.
The animals that arrive at The Mayhew are not all carefully brought in by concerned people. Many are tossed over the boundary walls at night, or are dumped on the doorstep - and not just cats and dogs, but snakes, foxes, ferrets, chickens - and even a couple of goats!
The Mayhew is seen by many as a local institution. However, recent developments reflect a flourishing organisation with international links.
The Mayhew is an active partner in animal welfare initiatives across the UK, and abroad.