South Jersey Regional Animal Shelter takes in around 3,000 homeless cats annually. Many of these cats are social and have no problems finding new, loving homes as companion animals. Although we aren’t able to adopt out all of the friendly ones ourselves, our sister shelters and rescue partners help find homes for the overflow.

You don’t even have to be a “cat person” to have one or two, because the truth is, working cats aren’t really into you either! All they want from you is safe shelter and regular food — otherwise, they’ll mind their own business and take care of your pest problem in the process. Some of these cats may become a little more social in time if they get used to lots of people around, but mostly they keep to themselves and just show up for dinner.

So let’s get down to the details of the contract; we know what’s expected of the cat, but what exactly is expected of the boss? There is no perfect environment for these cats, but there are a few common requirements.

Being relatively unsocial, they need enough space to separate themselves from people, noise and activity. They’ll need shelter that will protect them from cold or wet weather but they’re not fussy about décor or design. The shelter can be simply constructed from inexpensive materials or made to be pleasingly aesthetic to blend in with your property.

The working cat program is offered to interested businesses and property owners. If you’d like to know more, go to our website at sjras.org and check out the “Cats In Action!” page under the programs tab. If you’re not able to take a working cat but still want to save lives, you can do so by making a donation towards this program. Your support will help provide veterinary care essential to the lives of these cats.

Source: Working cats can help protect property against rodents