CATS AT WORK: Alternative Placement for Feral Cats
Feral cat relocation is a last resort and is only considered in urgent situations; for one reason or another these unsocialized cats cannot be returned to their original territory. Because this population is not suitable for a traditional shelter-to-couch adoption, a need arose for residences or businesses willing to host an outdoor colony of cats as new Community Caretakers. For these circumstances, Tree House created the Cats at Work program! These are feral cats who wouldn’t thrive in a home or shelter environment. By placing them in Cats at Work colonies, we’re able to make sure they’re living their best lives. Cats are placed two or three at a time into residential or commercial settings. Property and business owners provide food, water, shelter, and wellness to their colony of cats and in return, they help keep the rodent population at a manageable level. In most cases, they become beloved members of the family or team and some even have their own Instagram pages!
Hire a Cat At Work
I am interested in adopting “working cats,” what is required?
- An area where the acclimation crates can be placed; a private, shaded area is preferred! We’ll work with you to determine the area most suitable for you and the cats!
- Owning the property the cats will be placed in or having permission from your landlord to place them.
- Neighbor support! Let’s foster good neighbor relationships and give our neighbors a heads up.
Due to food safety laws, we aren’t able to accept applications from restaurants at this time.
Page 208 6-501.115 Prohibiting Animals.
(A) Except as specified in Paragraphs (B) and (C) of this section, live animals may not be allowed on the PREMISES of a RETAIL FOOD ESTABLISHMENT. Pf (B) Live animals may be allowed as follows, if the contamination of FOOD; clean EQUIPMENT, UTENSILS, and LINENS; and unwrapped SINGLE-SERVICE and SINGLE-USE ARTICLES cannot result
4-8-031 Retail food establishment (b) No retail food establishment shall permit any animal, other than a service animal assisting a person with a disability, on any portion of the retail food establishment’s premises, unless all of the requirements in subsection (d) of this section are complied with.
I want to adopt “working cats,” what would my everyday look like?
Relocation is broken up into two major parts: acclimation for three weeks and release. The acclimation period is a crucial time for the cats. It’s when the cats become familiar with the scents and sounds in their new environment. By making bonding attempts and sticking to a consistent feeding routine, you strengthen the bond!
- Morning: Practice Pavlov’s Classical Conditioning Law: ring the feeding bell and feed the cats in the acclimation crate. We want the cats to associate the bell with food. While feeding the cats, make an attempt to bond with them by talking to them or sitting near them for a couple of minutes.
- 1-2 hours later, remove the food that was uneaten. Remaining food can attract other critters and we want the cats to get used to finishing their meal within a certain period!
- Early evening: ring the bell and feed the cats in the acclimation crate. And, you guessed it, make an attempt to bond with them! Sticking to a feeding schedule assists with seeing the cats at the same time each day.
- 1-2 hours later, remove the food that was uneaten.
When the cats are released after being in the acclimation crate for three weeks, practice the same feeding schedule! Consistency is key.
This sounds great, but I travel a lot for work. Can Tree House feed the cats while I’m gone?
Although we’d love to help and say hi to the kitties, we have hundreds of colonies in the city. Neighbor and family support to tackle feedings during trips is encouraged.
Where can I start?
If you’d like more information on the program, please join our waitlist. We’ll get in touch with you as applications open up.
Please keep in mind that joining the waitlist does not guarantee you’ll receive cats in the future. It’s simply a way for us to reach out and dive deeper into our program together, ensuring that your site is the perfect fit for hosting cats.
About the Community Cats & Cats At Work programs
We’re so happy one of our favorite programs is receiving so much attention! Catch us on WGN, Fox Chicago, and NPR’s Morning Edition, as well as in publications like People, The Hill, and The Independent. We even got made fun of on Stephen Colbert (a huge honor, to be clear) and ended up on Reddit. When they told us cats were big online, we weren’t expecting like this! That said, we understand these programs bring up a lot of questions. Our vision is a world where every cat thrives, and that means making sure they’re placed and cared for somewhere that’s best for them. Free-roaming cats, and especially free-roaming cats without safe habitats, have frequently been overlooked in the past, often resulting in long stays at animal control or even euthanasia. Our Community Cats and Cats at Work programs help us save cats in every environment. Read our blog post with everything you ever wanted to know about our feral and free-roaming cat programs!