Working Whiskers

"Working cats” and "barn cats” are interchangeable terms. Our Working Whiskers program helps these less-social & feral cats, as well as business & homeowners.

Many Working Whiskers cats do not like to be handled, but may not be adverse to lingering around people and their property. Cats in this program are adopted by individuals (at no charge) for the intent of keeping them at their business, farm, barn, or residence for rodent control.

Our staff will teach an adopter how to acclimate a Working Whisker cat to their new home. Adopters are required to provide food, clean water, & shelter from the elements. The acclimation process takes a few weeks. During that time, the cat will learn the sights, sounds, & overall atmosphere of their new home environment.

Shop owners, as well as barn, factory and agricultural property owners are just a few who may enjoy the services of one of our Working Whiskers.

Benefits of a working cat program             

• Rodent control
• Saves otherwise unadoptable cats
• May provide companionship to other animals
• May generate positive feedback from customers   

Both of these programs are popular & widely recommended throughout the animal control & sheltering community. These types of programs are quickly becoming industry standards.

Similar cat programs

Here are some other similar successful cat programs. (All communities will differ slightly in policies and procedures.)

• Barn Cat Family
• Alley Cat Allies
• Operation Catnip
• FAQs about trap-neuter-release from the Best Friends Network

If you know of community cats in need of our SNR services or would like to adopt a Working Whisker, please email us or stop by our center.

Shelter Neuter Return

Marion County implemented a new shelter neuter return (SNR) program in 2019. The purpose of this program is to address the overpopulation issue & reduce unnecessary euthanasia of cats.

"Community Cats” is a term which refers to cats who are free-roaming, with or without a caretaker. These cats may be social or feral. They might be fed by humans or fend for themselves. People may refer to them as “strays” or “feral.”

Community cats are humanely trapped, sterilized & ear-tipped. Ear-tipping is an industry-wide identification procedure for sterilization. The tip of the left ear is removed, serving as an indicator that the cat has been spayed or neutered.

Benefits of an SNR program

• Reduces mating behaviors such as yowling, fighting, roaming, & spraying
• Significantly reduces euthanasia of cats
• May improve quality of life
• It can provide neighborhoods relief to cat overpopulation

Review more information about the SNR program.

Cost is free for community cats - no owned cats. 

No appointment necessary.

Drop off between 10am-12pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. 

Pick up next day- staff will call when cat is ready. 

Cancellations and changes in service will be posted on our Facebook page.

Check it first before trapping and transporting cats to shelter. 

Cats must be in traps or cat carriers. No dog carriers nor larger wire cages will be accepted. Cats in larger cages present a safety issue for our staff and cats often escape from this type of housing. 

When people find kittens outside, they often think that the best thing to do is to take them to shelters or rescues. Sometimes it is! Very often, though, there are better options.

Learn more about dealing with found kittens.