What are working cats?

Sometimes, we help cats who aren’t suited for traditional indoor life. These cats are often feral—meaning they aren’t socialized to humans and don’t want to be approached or receive attention from people.

In some cases, we pull these cats from communities where local ordinances don’t allow Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR). That means if a cat who can’t be adopted into a typical home ends up in a local shelter, their options for a safe outcome are very limited.

That’s where our Working Cat Program comes in. Through this program, we place cats who aren’t suited for indoor life into safe, managed outdoor homes. Nurseries, greenhouses, barns, farms, workshops, and breweries are just a few of the places these cats can be adopted to.

Working Cat adopters provide shelter, food, and water. In exchange for a second chance, these cats offer organic pest control—and they’re very fun to watch as they patrol their jobsites!

All working cats adopted from OAR are spayed/neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, dewormed, and treated for fleas/ticks.

Interested in adding a Working Cat to your family?

Working cats need access to suitable shelter—a barn, shed, warehouse, or garage. This shelter will be their homebase, and provide a safe space when they need it.

They also need daily fresh food and water—cats cannot survive on hunting alone! But don’t worry, feeding them will not decrease their work ethic when it comes to rodent control.

Working Cats need to be acclimated to their new home for the first 4 weeks—think of it as their “orientation” to the job! This can be done in a smaller room inside the permanent shelter they will be using, or an extra large dog crate. This acclimation period is imperative to their success in their new role; it teaches them where their new home is, where their food is, and who brings their food.

Ready to save a life?

We make every effort the ensure there are truly no other options before placing a cat in this program. The cats in our program need you!

If you’re ready to welcome working cats onto your property, you can complete a Questionnaire to start the process, or send an email to our team at [email protected] if you have questions!