Put Feral Cats to Work, Not to Sleep

Today is Blog the Change 4 Animals and tomorrow is National Feral Cat Day so I'm gonna combine them into one post. I hope no one minds and if they do *pfffttttt*. I once was a feral street cat but—not to worry—I'm not really in the bag. We did some photoshop magic. Thanks to my Pop, I learned about some working cats in NYC and I'd like to share their story.

Javits Center photo ©Jim Henderson via Wikimedia Commons

Sylvester, Mama Cat, Alfreda and Ginger are feral cats. They're also "employees" at NYC's Javits Center. At the Javits Center, located in the Hell's Kitchen section of Manhattan, they were having a problem with rodents on their loading docks. Exterminator costs were adding up so they used their heads and contacted the NYC Feral Cat Initiative of the Mayor's Alliance for NYC Animals.

As their website explains, the NYCFCI offers

• Free TNR certification workshops in the five boroughs and online
• Free specialty training workshops, such as bottle-feeding, taming kittens, shelter building, and neighborhood relations
• Free loans of traps, dividers, and cages
• Free transport of traps and cats to and from clinics and holding/recovery space via the Alliance’s Wheels of Hope vans
• Free community outreach materials
• Advice, outreach, public education, and resources via phone and e-mail help desks, and on their website
• Help building relationships among members of the TNR community
• Administration of spay/neuter and adoption support grants for community cats

Two years ago, the NYC Feral Cat Initiative started bringing potential employees from their TNR (trap-neuter-return) program who were rescued from construction sites where it was too dangerous to return them.

Photo ©Saaaaa via Depositphotos

Once the cats arrive at their new "job," they're kept in enclosures on the dock for several weeks to get acclimated to their new territory. The cats get free shelter and grub, in addition to any rodents they catch. Actually, just the cats' scent reminds rodents that this is not the place they want to hang. Working on the loading dock isn’t much different from living out on the street with the added benefits that it’s safer, they have protection from the elements and know where their next meal is coming from.

This is not only a chance for those cats to find work and food, but six of the cats, including Mama Cat's kittens, brought to the Javits Center have been adopted by employees and visitors. While the cats aren't totally socialized, they come running when dinner is served.

As you can see, this is a win-win for all: the Javits Center gets rid of its rodent population for only the cost of feeding the cats and the cats, who normally would go to a death sentence at an over-crowded shelter, get a place to be sheltered and call home. It was an even bigger win for those who got forever homes.

If you work with feral cats and have a colony in a dangerous location, like a construction site that need to be relocated, start calling your local businesses and offering low-cost pest control. Cats will work for food—and treats—plus there’s no toxic chemicals to endanger employees and guests.

Today is also the Caturday Art Blog Hop hosting by Athena Cat Goddess Wise Kitty so not to stray (no pun intended) far from the message of this important post, I did an impressionistic painting of the lead image using Autumn colors. That image is also art since we took out the background, photoshopped me into the bag and added the BtC4A badge.