This was in Apr 13th State Journal-Register newspaper and I just had to share.
The Animal Protective League of Sangamon County has found an innovative solution to a problem that animal control centers have been struggling with for years. What to do with unadoptable, feral cats?
Up until last year, practically all of the feral cats dropped off at county animal control centers were euthanized. The new APL program, however, puts the cats to work in barns on rural farms. The cats retain their independent streaks, are fed by the property owners and, best of all, aren’t euthanized.
Greg Largent, director of operations for Sangamon County’s Animal Control Center, said the APL’s barn cat program has created an outlet for otherwise unadoptable cats.
“The transition of the feral cat from urban nuisance to rural farmhand is a win-win proposition,” Largent said.
“If they’re at animal control, there’s a 100 percent chance they are going to die. If they are in a barn home, they have a really good chance of living a normal life, normal for them, for a number of years,” said Sarah Moore, the APL’s spay neuter clinic manager and barn cat manager.
‘From urban nuisance to rural farmhand’
The APL started its barn cat program in August. Since then, it has given out more than 300 feral cats. These are wild cats that have been dropped off at area animal shelters. They aren’t suitable for traditional pet adoptions, they are not social and have no desire to be touched by people.
“The (barn) cats almost exclusively come from animal control facilities where people have trapped them and brought them in for one reason or another,” Moore said. “I think most people probably think they are doing the right thing by taking them to a shelter. Unfortunately, the cats are never going to be adoptable, and so most of them are euthanized at animal control facilities.”
Moore added it isn’t feasible to attempt to tame an adult feral cat.
“You can tame two- to three-month-old feral kittens fairly easily, but, after that point, it becomes very difficult and very labor intensive,” Moore said. “Cats in shelters are not going to get enough socialization to become adoptable if they start out as feral. ... Most of them will never want attention.”
The APL has the adopters keep the barn cats confined, either to an outbuilding or to a cage inside the outbuilding for the first few weeks. That way, they know that the property is their new home.
Barn cat adopters are required to provide the cats food and water. In turn, the cats control the rodent population in barns and out-buildings.
When it comes to feral cats, Moore said the best thing people can do is trap them, have them spayed or neutered, vaccinated for rabies and other diseases and then return them to where they were found.
Barn cats are free to the adopters. All of the cats are neutered, vaccinated, treated for parasites and microchipped.
“We offer follow-up vaccinations if they can catch the cats,” Moore said.
Since the cats are feral, they are not on public view at the APL and people are not allowed to select their barn cats. If someone has a size, color or gender preference, the APL will try to find a match.
In addition to the barn cats, the APL has plenty of socialized cats up for adoption that would make great house pets.
“Usually, we do free adoptions for cats over a year old because they are so numerous. People pass them over for the kittens,” Moore said.
For more information on the barn cat program, call the APL at 544-7387 or visit bit.ly/APLbarncats.
Contact John Reynolds: [email protected], 788-1524, twitter.com/JohnReynoldsSJR.
The Animal Protective League of Sangamon County has found an innovative solution to a problem that animal control centers have been struggling with for years. What to do with unadoptable, feral cats?
Up until last year, practically all of the feral cats dropped off at county animal control centers were euthanized. The new APL program, however, puts the cats to work in barns on rural farms. The cats retain their independent streaks, are fed by the property owners and, best of all, aren’t euthanized.
Greg Largent, director of operations for Sangamon County’s Animal Control Center, said the APL’s barn cat program has created an outlet for otherwise unadoptable cats.
“The transition of the feral cat from urban nuisance to rural farmhand is a win-win proposition,” Largent said.
“If they’re at animal control, there’s a 100 percent chance they are going to die. If they are in a barn home, they have a really good chance of living a normal life, normal for them, for a number of years,” said Sarah Moore, the APL’s spay neuter clinic manager and barn cat manager.
‘From urban nuisance to rural farmhand’
The APL started its barn cat program in August. Since then, it has given out more than 300 feral cats. These are wild cats that have been dropped off at area animal shelters. They aren’t suitable for traditional pet adoptions, they are not social and have no desire to be touched by people.
“The (barn) cats almost exclusively come from animal control facilities where people have trapped them and brought them in for one reason or another,” Moore said. “I think most people probably think they are doing the right thing by taking them to a shelter. Unfortunately, the cats are never going to be adoptable, and so most of them are euthanized at animal control facilities.”
Moore added it isn’t feasible to attempt to tame an adult feral cat.
“You can tame two- to three-month-old feral kittens fairly easily, but, after that point, it becomes very difficult and very labor intensive,” Moore said. “Cats in shelters are not going to get enough socialization to become adoptable if they start out as feral. ... Most of them will never want attention.”
The APL has the adopters keep the barn cats confined, either to an outbuilding or to a cage inside the outbuilding for the first few weeks. That way, they know that the property is their new home.
Barn cat adopters are required to provide the cats food and water. In turn, the cats control the rodent population in barns and out-buildings.
When it comes to feral cats, Moore said the best thing people can do is trap them, have them spayed or neutered, vaccinated for rabies and other diseases and then return them to where they were found.
Barn cats are free to the adopters. All of the cats are neutered, vaccinated, treated for parasites and microchipped.
“We offer follow-up vaccinations if they can catch the cats,” Moore said.
Since the cats are feral, they are not on public view at the APL and people are not allowed to select their barn cats. If someone has a size, color or gender preference, the APL will try to find a match.
In addition to the barn cats, the APL has plenty of socialized cats up for adoption that would make great house pets.
“Usually, we do free adoptions for cats over a year old because they are so numerous. People pass them over for the kittens,” Moore said.
For more information on the barn cat program, call the APL at 544-7387 or visit bit.ly/APLbarncats.
Contact John Reynolds: [email protected], 788-1524, twitter.com/JohnReynoldsSJR.
