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Respect for the Working Cats And they love where they work
Anne A. knows this well; she has adopted a number of animals from HSHV. Most recently, she was looking for some working feline tenants for her two barns. She adopted three unsocialized kittens and one cat who wasn't interested in the human touch. Anne carefully acclimated the barn cats to their new environments placing two in each structure. While the two kittens immediately took to their new home, the cat yearned for yonder territories, leaving one kitten now alone. "We recommend adopting working barn cats in pairs," says Jess Vankoningsveld, Cat Behaviorist at HSHV. "They keep each other company and can huddle together for warmth in cold weather." Worried about her unintended solo kitty and wondering what to do, Anne called HSHV. "We found another kitten who had been sitting here, waiting for months. He was continually being passed up by adopters because he was really unsocial," Jess says. "So the day before Anne called, we had just made the determination that this kitten would make a good working barn cat. And, as it turns out, he was actually from the same litter as Anne's other ones!" Siblings now reunited fast became friends. Anne reports "the cats did beautifully through their first winter. They are all perfect in their environments." Flash and Pepper are pictured here. If you or someone you know has a need for a working cat, we provide free barn cats to qualified adopters. See our Barn Cats page for more information and to apply. |
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We love our lap cats, laser chasers and newspaper-keeper-downers. But what about cats who have never lived inside -- nor would ever want to be "house pets"? What about cats who are more interested in real mice than in fuzzy ones? What about cats who really don't care for people and are equipped to care for themselves? There's a place for them, too.