Association RNA: W793005519
Our Mission
A healthier cat population. Fewer unwanted kittens. Less pressure on local wildlife.
Cat welfare
Making sure the cats already here receive food, veterinary treatment, parasite control, identification, sterilisation and appropriate homes.
Population control
Sterilising cats to stop the cycle of litter after litter and gradually bring the local stray population down to a manageable level.
Environmental protection
Reducing the impact that an unusually large population of free-roaming cats can have on birds, reptiles, insects and other local wildlife.
It started with three stray cats...
Mission Happy Cats began with a simple act of kindness.
A couple of stray cats found their way to Sam's home in rural France. She fed them, gave them somewhere safe to sleep and, naturally, they stayed.
But they weren't the last. More stray and unsterilised cats began to appear, and with them came kittens. Sam's own cats were sterilised, but as the number of cats relying on her grew, so did the cost of feeding them and providing essential care such as flea and worm treatments and veterinary attention.
Trying to meet all of these needs from her own limited resources meant that sterilising every new cat simply wasn't financially possible. The cycle continued, and before long Sam found herself caring for a growing colony that no one person could realistically manage alone.
She continued doing everything she could for them, but the scale of the situation had become far greater than one person could reasonably manage.
For the past two to three years, Sam and Amy (Sam's friend) had talked about creating an association that could give the cats the support they needed and, importantly, begin tackling the problem at its source through sterilisation.
The idea was there long before the association was.
What wasn't there were the time, resources or knowledge needed to turn that idea into reality. So, for a long time, we simply did what we could with what we had.
In 2026, the idea became a reality
By 2026, the number of cats had reached 38 and it was clear that something more sustainable was needed.
After years of talking, researching, planning and trying to work out how we could make it happen, we finally began the process of establishing Mission Happy Cats.
In September 2026, Mission Happy Cats officially became a registered French association.
That registration wasn't the end of the journey. It was really the beginning.
For the first time, we had a structure through which we could fundraise, organise sterilisation and veterinary care, find foster and adoptive homes, and begin building a more sustainable future for the cats.
Mission Happy Cats wasn't created because we had lots of people, money or resources. It was created because the cats needed more than one person and her friend from overseas could provide alone.
Protecting cats — and the environment they live in
Our work isn't only about the welfare of individual cats.
There is a significant population of stray and free-roaming cats in our region, and when cats are able to reproduce unchecked, their numbers can increase very quickly.
This creates an animal welfare problem, with more kittens being born than there are safe homes to care for them. But it also has consequences for the wider environment.
Cats are natural hunters. Birds, lizards, small mammals and the extraordinary variety of insects and other wildlife found in rural France can all become prey. When the number of free-roaming cats becomes unusually high, the cumulative pressure on local wildlife can be substantial.
We don't believe the answer is to blame the cats. The answer is to manage their population responsibly.
That is why sterilisation is at the heart of Mission Happy Cats. By preventing repeated litters, we can gradually reduce the number of stray and unowned cats, improve the lives of the cats already here and help protect the wildlife with which they share their environment.
Meet the people behind Mission Happy Cats
Samantha Alford
President
Amy Fletcher
Secretary
Alison Braddock
Treasurer
Our goal isn't to have 38 cats.
Success for us isn't rescuing more and more cats.
It's reaching the point where fewer cats need rescuing.
By sterilising cats, supporting responsible adoption and helping people intervene before a colony becomes unmanageable, we hope to prevent other situations from reaching the point that inspired Mission Happy Cats.
Help us give them their next chapter
Whether you adopt, foster, volunteer, donate or simply share one of our cats, you can be part of Mission Happy Cats.