Suffolk cat rescuer's frustration at Nextdoor continual bans

It is not unusual for Georgina Jay to receive calls in the early hours of the morning from the police or social services. A person may have passed away, or been forced to leave their property suddenly, leaving a cat without a home. She also encounters animals suffering from neglect and mistreatment.

Ms Jay runs the cat rescue and neutering charity Animal Relief Neutering, finding homes for cats with the help of her dedicated fosterers, and offering a neutering service at much lower prices than a veterinary surgery would charge.

The platform Nextdoor has become a vital tool for Ms Jay. This is a “hyper-local” social media site which connects people who live in the same neighbourhoods, allowing them to share news and information.

Ziggy has become something of a celebrity on Nextdoor. (Image: Michelle Wright)

Ziggy was just hours old when he landed in Michelle's care. (Image: Michelle Wright)

A cat brought to Ms Jay in a broken carrier with no air holes held together with Sellotape. (Image: Georgina Jay)

A rescued cat, Tom, who was 16 when Georgina took him in. He was starving and suffering from infections. (Image: Georgina Jay)

Tom after having been living with Georgina, in much better health. (Image: Georgina Jay)

Ms Jay uses Nextdoor to find homes for cats, receive requests for help, and to spread awareness of her work. She has also built a loyal community of well-wishers who enjoy seeing her ‘tongue in cheek’ posts and photos giving updates on her cats.

However, last week she received her third temporary ban. Nextdoor said this was because it classed her activity as ‘spam’ and that she would be reinstated after one month.

For Ms Jay, this explanation for the site’s heavy-handed course of action falls short, for each ban results in a huge drop-off in the number of cats she is able to help.

“The animals suffer, not me,” said Ms Jay, 65.

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She continued: “I’m not doing any harm – in fact, I think I’m doing a lot of good. If people don’t like it, they can block me or scroll on.”

One of Ms Jay’s fosterers is Michelle Wright who was also banned, although she has since been reinstated. Ms Wright’s posts on ‘baby Ziggy’, a kitten found in a ditch, won the hearts of many Nextdoor users. Her returning post attracted hundreds of interactions and thousands of views.

Michelle Wright holding 'baby Ziggy' as he has become known on Nextdoor. (Image: Michelle Wright.)

While Georgina said she will continue to use Nextdoor, she remains concerned at the effect further bans will have on her ability to help cats in our county.  

Nextdoor was approached for comment.