Yesterday afternoon, the sun shone on the Terrace of the House of Commons, and it felt as though the whole place was full to bursting with people speaking up for cats.

Cats Protection’s Parliamentary Reception was, quite simply, a joy.

There was afternoon tea. There were games. There were cat-shaped biscuits. And there was one of our splendid giant cats, making sure nobody forgot quite why we were there.

But much more importantly, there was a room full of parliamentarians, policy makers, charity partners, animal welfare colleagues, volunteers, staff and friends, all united by a shared belief that cats matter.

That may sound simple. It is anything but.

Cats share our homes, our routines, our families and, often, our most difficult moments. They bring companionship, comfort and a very particular form of joyful tyranny to millions of people across the UK. They sit with us when life is hard. They make a house feel like a home. They help people feel less alone. And they remind us, daily, that affection and independence can live quite happily side by side.

But cats also need us to speak up for them.

They need us to speak up when renters are denied the chance to share their lives with a cat. For too many people, renting has meant having to choose between a secure home and the companionship of a much-loved animal. That is not a choice anyone should have to make.

They need us to speak up when kittens are smuggled, farmed or bred without proper regard for their welfare. Behind too many online adverts are animals who have been treated as commodities rather than sentient beings.

They need us to speak up when extreme breeding creates cats whose appearance comes at the expense of their health, comfort and ability to behave as cats should. No one sets out to buy a kitten knowing it may grow up unable to jump, climb, groom, pounce or live a normal, happy life. Yet too often, appearance is being prioritised over welfare.

They need us to speak up when electric shock collars are still being used on cats. Cats do not need electric shocks. They need understanding, patience and care.

And they need us to speak up when fireworks cause fear and distress, not only for cats, but for other animals, wildlife and people too. This is not about stopping celebration. It is about making celebration safer, kinder and more considerate.

There has been real progress.

The Renters Rights Act is an important step forward. Work on cat and kitten smuggling continues. The conversation on fireworks has shifted significantly. None of that happens by accident. It happens because people care, organise, campaign, listen, persuade and keep going.

That is the extraordinary power of Cats Protection.

We are not driven by one person, one office or one team. We are fuelled by the compassion and courage of more than ten thousand volunteers and staff, working in partnership across the country.

That partnership matters.

It is there in the fosterer caring for a frightened cat until they are ready for a new home. It is there in the volunteer helping at a branch event. It is there in the team member answering a call from someone who does not know where else to turn. It is there in the campaigner making the case for stronger protections. It is there in those working quietly behind the scenes to make sure our services, our evidence, our communications and our advocacy are as strong as they can be.

At our best, we work as one. Volunteers and employees. Local and national. Practical care and public policy. Compassion and evidence. Head and heart.

And yesterday, you could feel that collective power.

You could feel it in the conversations taking place across the Terrace. You could feel it in colleagues explaining our work with such knowledge and pride. You could feel it in the support from parliamentarians and partners who understand that animal welfare is not a side issue, but a mark of the kind of society we want to be.

I am hugely grateful to Johanna Baxter MP for sponsoring the reception, and to everyone who joined us. I am grateful, too, to the many partners and friends who continue to stand alongside us on issues where progress requires persistence, patience and shared purpose.

Most of all, I am grateful to the volunteers and staff of Cats Protection. Their compassion, courage and partnership make our work possible every day.

The sun shone yesterday. The Terrace was full. The biscuits were cat-shaped. And cats had a very strong voice in Westminster.

That feels like something worth celebrating.

And, more importantly, something worth building on.