[1][3][8] A lifelong Conservative, Lorraine Platt decided to start the CAWF when she and her husband were campaigning in their constituency of Esher and Walton, and some residents said that they would not vote for the Conservative Party because local MP Ian Taylor supported fox hunting.

Its areas of focus have expanded from fox hunting to a variety of other issues such as live exports, gestation crates, and cage-free eggs.

[3] In 2021, the CAWF argued that the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill should include invertebrates such as lobsters and octopuses.

The CAWF published a report estimating the quantity of invertebrates killed by UK fishing boats.

[2][11] Lorraine Platt described octopuses as "highly intelligent, sentient animals" and said that the foundation hoped that people would choose not to eat them.