Help! cats need sheltering too

When we think about animals who need help in shelters, most people picture a sad-eyed dog behind bars. But the animals most at risk of dying in shelters worldwide are feline.

In the United States, the ASPCA estimates that 17% of shelter cats are currently being euthanized, compared to 13% of shelter dogs. A lot of this discrepancy is because people don’t come to pick up their cats – perhaps because many cats are loosely owned by the community.

So what can we do to help more of our shelter cats leave the shelter via the front door?

1.      Make their lives better while they’re in the shelter!  

This seems like an obvious one, but cats are small, and don’t complain much. This means many of us are able to keep them in vastly substandard housing while they’re in our care. Think about it. What would you do if someone reported to your agency that a local hoarder was keeping cats in ovens? Unplugged, old ovens, with ventilation, a litter box, food, and water, but ovens nevertheless. That sounds like 6:00 news material – that person should be in prison, right?

This cat is being housed in a cage the size of an oven. Do you think this is enough space?

Here is a standard, cold, metal shelter cage. I challenge you to look at one and not see it as an oven, from this moment forward. It’s metal, it’s a similar size, and it’s not enough space for a cat to have a good life.

The very least we should do for our shelter cats is give them a portal between two of these cages, so that they don’t have to eat in their bathroom and poop in their kitchen. One side has food, water, and a bed, the other holds the litter box, so that cats can at least get away from their toilet area.

Cats should also have enrichment, social time, and, if they desire it, the company of their own species. Imagine how much happier these cats in the photo below must be, compared to the ones in the metal cage - with friends, many levels to climb on, and lots of toys and soft spots to nap, as well as scratchers and natural light.

Meeting the needs of cats to have access to perches of differing heights, soft beds, natural light and the opportunity to either interact with or avoid members of their own species is paramount to good welfare for the cat in care.

2.      TNR, RTF

In the old days, cats who appeared “feral” were just euthanized – they’re not going to make good pets, and there were just so many coming in that the standard solution was to just end their lives. But we’ve seen that as fast as you euthanize cats from the streets or from colonies, new ones will step in to take their places. Trap, neuter, return has become the best standard of care for cats who were born in the wild and do not have the desire to live with humans. It is also really hard to tell the difference between a fearful, socialized cat and a truly wild-born one in the first day at the shelter.

Many shelters have stopped taking in stray cats if they are clearly healthy and well-fed. They might spay/neuter and vaccinate, but then return the cat to where they came from. Although this program is called “return to field,” (RTF) we are not actually letting cats loose in a random field; we are sending them back to the area where they were clearly thriving.

3. Working cat programs

Many shelters have “working cat programs” that allow  our less social cats to have access to care: food, water, shelter, and veterinary care in exchange for working as rodent control. This has been a traditional job for cats for thousands of years, and even if well fed, many cats will deter rodents from taking up residence on farms or in warehouse. I have two working cats at my farm, and I haven’t seen a live rat or mouse scurrying around in a really long time!

Less social cats can end up having incredibly enriched lives on farms, in warehouses and granaries, just as their ancestors have for thousands of years.

4.      Don’t make it so hard to adopt cats!

Sadly, I find I am unqualified to adopt a cat from many rescue groups. I have a Master’s degree in animal behavior, and I believe my animals all have great lives and excellent care. However, not every animal on my farm is spayed or neutered (I do like getting eggs from my intact chickens, and my rooster fends off predators…) and I also allow my cats to choose whether they want to be indoors or outdoors. My two extremely geriatric pets don’t get every annual vaccine any more (only rabies). So if I wanted a cat from a local rescue with tons of adoption restrictions, I would have to choose between lying and facing rejection.

What happens when you say “no” to someone like me, who is trying to do the “right thing” and get a cat from a shelter or rescue? Well, they will likely find a cat and kitten for free online, or from a friend, neighbor, or farm. Will this cat be vetted and vaccinated? Will this new cat owner be able to afford spay/neuter before their new pet creates more cats?

My female barn cat was going into heat when I took her in for her spay at four months old! Many people don’t know cats can get pregnant so young. The local low-cost clinic had a two month waiting list – she would have been impregnated by her brother very soon if I hadn’t been able to afford a full-price surgery.

5.      Free and low-cost adoptions

Many shelters, rather than looking for excuses not to adopt their animals out, are now offering free or low-cost cat adoptions, and are doing away with strict adoption rules. Letting the perfect get in the way of the good is going to cause more cats to suffer and die than being a little more flexible on who is “good enough” to adopt, and providing people with what they need to keep their pets happy and healthy.

Do you have any pets right now that you didn’t pay for? Do they get any less care than the ones you bought with a fee? Why not believe the same of our adopters?

In conclusion

Fortunately, there are lots more options for live outcomes for cats than for dogs.

Let’s try not to stand in the way of cats getting placed in appropriate ways!