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Working cats: Purrfect jobs for felines · The Hissing Feline

• 0:01
  SPEAKER_03: Cats that live outside can be difficult to domesticate and are not the type of cat to have at an indoor pet.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_03: But those feedlines can still have meaningful lives by becoming working cats in settings where they feel right at home.
• 0:15
  SPEAKER_03: This edition of the Hissing Feline focuses on Camp Purr at the Animal Rescue League in Des Moines, Iowa, to learn about how feral or semi-feral cats can fill valuable positions as mausers in barns and similar environments.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_03: Stay with me for an intriguing show about Camp Perr.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_03: Coming next.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_03: Hi, I'm Clark Greer, retired communications professor, a full-time cat dad, and host of the Hissing Feline, a podcast that is about everything cats.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_03: Each week, cat specialists share their expertise in everything from feline health, training, and adoption to fostering community cats and kittens.
• 0:58
  SPEAKER_03: Now let's get started with today's show.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you for joining me on this episode of the Hissing Feline podcast.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_03: My guest this week to talk about Camp Perr is Carol Griglione, Executive Director of the Animal Rescue League in Des Moines, Iowa.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_03: Carol, it's always a pleasure to have you on the show.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you so much for joining me on the Hissing Feline to talk about an outreach of the Animal Rescue League that ensures even difficult cats can have a home and a purpose.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for having me.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_03: Appreciate it.
• 1:31
  SPEAKER_03: Let's start by talking about the background of Camp Herr, which I think is a great title.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_01: You know, uh being in shelter work for as many years as I have, you know, you really start to see that there are cats that really don't want to be living in homes with us humans.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_01: And there's a big number, a very big number of those cats in any community.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_01: And so what happened with a lot of those cats, what we really started seeing at the Animal Rescue League was those cats would come in, they really do not enjoy being around people.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_01: They didn't enjoy being in temporary cages while we were looking for homes for them.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_01: And then you really don't see people come in and go, hey, give me the cat to adopt that really doesn't want to be in my house and is going to be, you know, hiding and climbing walls and all of that.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_01: So we were kind of trying to look for options for those cats that were going to be humane and would make those cats happy and successful to live their lives out.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_01: And the brainstorm of Camp Fur came along.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_01: So we set about building facilities here at the Animal Rescue League that were more like camp outside for these cats.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_01: And so this whole project started a few years back with a couple of what you would look at as like garden sheds.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_01: And we fenced around a tree, put a top on it, had inside and outdoor um facilities for them.
• 2:59
  SPEAKER_01: They would live with others, so it wasn't like we had a single camp for one cat.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_01: So we would fill up one of those camp areas with about ten cats and and look for adopters that were looking for what we call working cats now.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_03: And it's almost like they could be in a colony when you have the cats together so they can kind of connect and bond things cats do.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_01: And what's really fascinating, which I think you would find interesting and your listeners will find interesting, is that when you do that, you take all of these cats that came in from different locations, different situations, and you put them into a colony like that.
• 3:37
  SPEAKER_01: Some of them will bond up immediately with other with another cat from that colony.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_01: They still don't want to be in your house, but they're become friends with this cat or this cat, and maybe not with this cat.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_01: And you really did see those bonds between them develop as well.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_03: The building that the camp purr is in currently, we're going to talk a little bit about the future, is called the Caddy Shack, which I think is another interesting name.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_03: Tell us something about it.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_03: I know right now that you have quite a few cats in there, and and the description and how does that go about when you get cats to put in there?
• 4:11
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_01: So um we have about 29 cats that are living in our two caddyshack locations right now.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_01: And so if a cat comes in, and it it's interesting, it's tied more to the whole idea of trap neuter return is where it really starts.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_01: So if somebody brings a cat into us that it they've had to live trap in a trap and they want to get this cat out of their neighborhood, we really do start by talking to them about would you be willing to TNR this cat?
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_01: You've tried already trapped it, let us spay and neuter it, let it give us vaccinations, get its rabies vaccination, let us tip its ear so we can tell it was spayed or neutered, and then would you take it back to the location?
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_01: And I know, Clark, we've talked about that whole TNR process before.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_01: But what happens is there are people that are like, nope, I can't do that.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_01: I'm moving, I've put out food for this neighborhood cat for a long time.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_01: I'm moving, there's nobody to care for it.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_01: And so those cats have to have someplace to go.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_01: And a caretaker.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_01: And so those cats come in and we put them into our caddyshacks and do, you know, do that kind of phase in, so we have 10 or 12 in each of the two caddyshacks, and um they acclimate to that so we can keep them too in the same weather conditions that they were in when they, you know, came into us.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_01: So instead of taking a cat that, you know, came in in the winter and we are, you know, sticking them in a place that's not conducive to what the fur has and that sort of thing has developed too for the weather, um we put them right into those caddy shacks so they come in from the outside to the outside, just in a in a new environment while we look for a place for them.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_03: So that's it's pretty close to what they lived in or when it when they had a caretaker, and now you're the caretaker.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_03: That's right.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_03: And then we're gonna talk a little bit about how those cats actually uh can go to work.
• 5:58
  SPEAKER_03: You have some special plans for Camp Purr coming up.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_03: You you have some other acreage, some other places here that are uh fairly close to us.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_03: Uh what's gonna happen with uh with Camp Purr?
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_01: So Camp Purr is relocating to our um second chance ranch location that we acquired a couple of years ago and have been developing.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_01: And thanks to uh generous donors who wanted to fund Camp Purr being at the ranch instead of here at our main location, we have built out uh new facilities for them at our second chance ranch, and the whole Caddyshack Camp Purr program is gonna move to our ranch now.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_03: We were talking a little bit ago about the cats and like their demeanor.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_03: What types of cats does Camp Purr have in it?
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_01: So shockingly, sometimes we get a cat brought in in a trap and we take it out of the trap thinking it's gonna go to Camp Purr, and it actually is a nice, friendly house cat that ended up in a trap, but it sure isn't giving you nice and friendly when you've caught it in a trap.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_01: It wants out.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_01: But a lot of those cats, they really they'll start running back and forth in the trap.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_01: We have a room that we will open the trap up in to get the cat out of the trap.
• 7:07
  SPEAKER_01: It they'll start to try to climb the walls, they'll these are not domesticated cats at all.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_01: We all love cats, and you look at them and go, it's a cat, it should be living in my house, but they're not domesticated cats, and they are not going to be successful living in a house.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_03: The purpose of the camp program itself is not just for the cats to find work, but also helps humans.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely, yes.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_01: I think any of us that live with cats or care for cats, we benefit even mentally and physically just from being around those wonderful creatures.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_01: May not be able to hug them, but they're they're still there.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_03: We have one at home, and uh she was astray and we adopted her several years ago, and uh she's very affectionate rub against her legs, but not a lap cat and not a hugging cat.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_03: She'll put her paws out when trying to hug her, you know, those types of things.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_03: So it's one of those types of cats.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_03: It's like, oh no.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_03: Maybe she needs to go to camper.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_03: That's not very nice.
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_03: I don't think I don't think Maddie would like it.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_03: We were talking a bit about TNR, which is trap new to return.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_03: If people aren't familiar with the type of concept, it's a program all across the country and around the world.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_03: They do those types of things.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_03: What is the difference between a TNR cat that somebody might be involved in trapping and releasing?
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_03: Is there a difference between TNR cats in general and working cats that that you would have in camper?
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_01: Not generally.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_01: They're very similar.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_01: The working cat concept probably is more of a cat that maybe it has lived in a barn as opposed to just on the street.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe it's lived in a warehouse, an empty building, a shed, and so we call those working cats because they're going to help with rodent control in those locations.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_01: But you can you can take a TNR cat and if you do the introduction right to the environment that the cat is in, and we can talk about that I know in a little couple minutes, but if you do that introduction right and they will stay in that location, a lot of them will become working cats just by nature.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_03: Cats having jobs is just it just blows my mind to think a cat's actually going to work because I watch ours and they just lay around most of the time.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_03: You know, that they'll play.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_03: Enrichment is good for cats, and uh they'll that's kind of them eat and and sleep and do their paying thing and whatever.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_03: What are the best types of cats to have jobs?
• 9:30
  SPEAKER_01: Best type of cats to have jobs barn, you know, for your barn or your warehouse or whatever are cats that are these cats that we're describing that are coming from Camp Purr.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_01: They are focused on their natural beings of catching rodents, keeping other cats and other animals, even raccoons and opossums and our other wildlife out of certain places because they establish their own this is my area and I'm gonna keep them out.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_01: And I actually have one of these cats at my house that actually came up.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_01: And like if he sees another cat or a raccoon or an opossum, he like gets them out of there.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_01: So working cats from that end.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_01: He'll also, you know, catch mice and help with rodent control.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_01: And so a lot of kind of some of these programs across the country, some of them came from the standpoint of people with warehouses, businesses with warehouses that had rodents, um, would have working cats come and live at those warehouses to help with that rodent control.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_03: And historically, that's how a lot of communities and towns for hundreds of years is because the cats would come in as stray animals and it would help with the rodent control.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_01: And that and that's part of the, you know, if people bring a cat into us and be like, you know, I need to give up the cat, and it's clearly uh a working cat, a caddyshack cat.
• 10:50
  SPEAKER_01: The environment itself, if you take there's the vacuum effect of what they call on the TNR cat, and if you take that cat out of there, uh another cat or other animals are going to come into that area.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_01: So leaving those cats where they are successful and where they know is a great idea.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_01: We just happened with this program to recognize there are some situations that those cats are not able to stay in the situation in the environment they were in and they have to be moved.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_01: And we wanted to give a positive outlook and a positive answer to those cats that had to be taken out of their area.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_03: If you're having move a cat, it's not just because neighbors and say, I don't want those cats around.
• 11:25
  SPEAKER_03: You move the cat, and the cat all they're gonna do is get replaced by other cats, and it doesn't really solve the problem.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_03: And Campbur takes cats that are not gonna be able to go back to where they were trapped, and it gives them it gives them some meaningful work to do in an environment that they would really like.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_01: You bet.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, I've talked to a couple people that have adopted Campbur cats and they like are in their warehouse with them or they're out in their barn with them, and they actually, even though they can't hold these cats, they can't pick these cats up, they appreciate the company also.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, they have this living cat creature there with them who's working, but they actually like having the company.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_03: And they're kind of like watch cats, I kid about our cats looking out the windows like the little tabby is like, oh, are you gonna guard the house?
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_03: She'd probably if somebody came in the house, she'd probably show them where to go, or they'd hide someplace, you know.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_03: So but it's nice.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_03: It really is nice, and we we have that experience when we come home if we've gone on a trip or something, is I can't wait to get home to the girls.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_03: And it just makes the house so much warmer.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_03: You know, I could I could see that even if it's a barn cat.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_03: You bet the farmer would really enjoy having the cats around.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 12:35
  SPEAKER_03: Do all feral and semi-feral cats fit as working cats?
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_01: No, no, uh not.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_01: You know, that's kind of like the whole nature.
• 12:44
  SPEAKER_01: Everybody's different, personalities are different, genetics uh are different.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_01: I laugh because at one point I had seven cats that lived in my house, and I do live in the country, and a mouse would get in once in a while, and not one of my seven cats, they were like, no, I'm not gonna do that.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_01: Nope, I don't do that.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_01: So I was catching them in live traps and re-releasing them, and because my cats wanted nothing to do with it.
• 13:08
  SPEAKER_01: But I have had situations where that cat does want to do something about it.
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_01: So they're all different.
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_01: You just gotta be ready for that.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, that's r that's really interesting.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_03: So you you wait, it's almost like you have to, I was gonna say the word triage to figure out is this cat gonna go here and which one's the best to be a barn cat or a working cat, those types of things.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_03: So you have to really know the cats.
• 13:29
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_03: Let's talk a bit about the types of jobs and locations for the working cats.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_03: You mentioned uh barns, but these types of cats can actually be in any place where somebody might need to deal with rodents.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_01: Warehouses, even old buildings that you may be working in and doing stuff in, they've had openings and maybe mice or rats have taken up residence there.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_01: Definitely around acreages, farms, and it really is a matter of making sure you're introducing these cats to the location if they've had to be moved.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_01: So those working cats maybe came from, as we were talking about, somebody couldn't keep the cat and we had to bring it into our program, and then we're gonna put it in a new place.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_01: It doesn't necessarily know where food sources are and shelter sources are, it's going to a brand new place.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_01: It's like taking us and going, dropping you in the middle of uh New York City and going, good luck to you.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_01: What?
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know what's happening, you know.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_01: So we do have a whole introduction process and acclimation process we require of adopters of our working cats as well.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, you want to get them acclimated.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_03: It's it's like socializing kittens, and this is why one of the things that uh we've talked a bit about before is adoption and and the idea of fostering.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_03: And basically, you're doing the same thing with older cats that are that are gonna be gonna be the working cats.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_01: And we still recommend you need to put out food and you need to have water.
• 14:54
  SPEAKER_01: You definitely need to have a safe place for them to be so that you know with predators that come out, but they get in they can get definitely get into routines.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_01: I've got a friend who's got working cats, and he has a shed that when it starts to get dark, he goes out, he calls them, he puts down wet food for them as their like reward.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_01: They come and they get shut in their cat area at night, and then they get let back out in the morning.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_01: And it's just been that acclamation, this is what we do, this is where you go, and the humans are still providing food and care for them.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_03: Which is really important, you have to think about the health, is if you had a domestic cat, it's kind of the same.
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, so you still need to make sure that they're especially in you know, we're in Iowa, and the winters get very cold between December and February, and so you've got to think about where can the cats go, where it's gonna be warm, where they're sheltered and taken care of, and their health is very important.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_03: So you have to really think about that.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_03: You do uh you know, having a born cat, a working cat is really a great idea for farmers, and at the same time is is being aware of the responsibilities that go along with it.
• 16:01
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm glad you bring that up.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_01: It's not just a matter of you get these cats and okay, I'll take them and I'll leave them and they'll help with my mice problem.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_01: You're still responsible for taking care of these cats.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Powell What are some of the benefits of working cats for both the humans and the cats?
• 16:16
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think it's some of what we've kind of talked about a little bit, is just the the companionship, the friendship is definitely a benefit to us humans, I think, in most all environments, even if you can't pick them up.
• 16:28
  SPEAKER_01: So that's a benefit that's more emotional, um, which I do think probably relates to physical health in a way.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_01: The cats benefit, these cats are happy in those working situations.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_01: They don't want to be in shelters and cages, but they deserve to be able to have the life that makes them happy as well.
• 16:47
  SPEAKER_01: So it can be a win-win situation and beneficial to all of us.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_03: You have a requirement that if somebody is going to adopt a working cat and they adopt them in pairs, tell me something about that.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so one of our things with our program is, and we talked about it a little at the beginning, you know, these cats do form friendships with each other, and it will help to keep them, say, in their new location when adopted if they have their friend with them, if they have a friend, a familiar other cat with them.
• 17:15
  SPEAKER_01: So we do require that somebody adopt at least two.
• 17:19
  SPEAKER_01: We have people that come in and they're just like, we just want a couple, you can even pick them out, just tell us which two are bonded.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_01: And so when we also have people that meet them and are like, okay, I really love that cat, who's his friend, and those are the ones I take.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_01: And the idea is that when you adopt them, you shut them into a shed, a barn, a garage, something for you know, actually up to four or five weeks, even.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_01: And you're feeding them and giving them water and getting them used to okay, this is home, this is where you're gonna find the food, this is where you're gonna find the water.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_01: And again, if they have that cat other cat companion, they will stay around hopefully more than they would if they're just by themselves again.
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, do they do they need to be bonded?
• 17:59
  SPEAKER_01: Uh I don't think they need to be bonded.
• 18:01
  SPEAKER_01: I think that the bond definitely helps because it's just like us, you know, you're bond with somebody, you want to stay around to be with them.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_01: Uh but there are some cats that don't necessarily need to be bonded, but they have that familiar other cat with them.
• 18:14
  SPEAKER_01: Now we have had people that have come in and they have like one cat and they wanted to get another cat, or they had two or three and they want to add to it.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_01: And again, it's that locking them, putting them in the same location for a period of time.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, these are my cat, my cat community, and we all hang out here together.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_03: Uh let's talk a bit about some success stories.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_03: We've been talking generally about uh Camper and and working cats.
• 18:39
  SPEAKER_03: What are some really interesting success stories that you've heard over the years?
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_01: Recently I got contacted, they had come out and adopted, they had built a uh live in the country, had built an outside like workshop for the husband to work out of, and they came out to get a couple of working cats.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_01: So picked out a bonded pair from Camp Perr, put them in the warehouse, and their idea was trying to keep they had garden things in there, they had bird food in there, they wanted to keep the mice out of it.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_01: And so, and there were mice, they had seen some mice, and they didn't really want to do the trapping thing and whatever.
• 19:11
  SPEAKER_01: So they come out and get cats, and within like two weeks, she calls me and she's like, Oh my god, these working cats, like we haven't seen a mouse, nobody nothing's happening in our bird seeds not getting eaten, the whole deal.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_01: And the cats lived in that heated, air-conditioned warehouse and took care of that that issue.
• 19:30
  SPEAKER_01: And so they never they actually didn't ever go farther and let the cats out amongst their acreage, they just live in this big warehouse.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_01: And it was interesting because her husband wasn't sure about this whole thing, but he really loved, like he'd be out there working on the cars and projects and stuff, and the cats would be hanging out there with him, and he it just was really comforting to him.
• 19:50
  SPEAKER_03: Reminds me of pictures I've seen of like farmers, they'll be milking the cow, and there'll be cats or I guess they're probably working cats.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 19:59
  SPEAKER_01: And let's face it, I mean, we're in Iowa.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_01: We've really grown up with lots of cats in farms and workshops and warehouses and hanging out with us in our state for years and years and years.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_03: How should adopters prepare for having a working cat?
• 20:15
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think the biggest thing is making sure you have an area, a shed, a barn, a garage, uh, someplace that you can keep these cats confined for that period of time while they're getting acclimated or learning that that's their new space, um, and having that set up for them when you get there, when you get them back home, and having food, water, litter box even when they're locked in there, and just making sure you're ready in that situation.
• 20:42
  SPEAKER_01: Uh one of the worst things that would happen is you take them home and you just open up the cat carrier and off they go.
• 20:48
  SPEAKER_01: They have no idea where they're supposed to be or where they can find food.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_01: So having that ready for them is number one.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, you've got to think about where they're gonna be released and that's right.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_03: If you're gonna bring a kitten home, we've talked about the four areas, you gotta think, okay, where am I gonna do this?
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_03: And but it needs to be a safe area, it needs to be something where their the temperature is somewhat regulated, I guess.
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_03: That's a really important thing.
• 21:12
  SPEAKER_01: For sure.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_01: And you definitely have to going back to what type of personalities these cats have where if you took them and they're climbing your walls in your house, you have to make sure those places are secure that they can't get out.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_01: Because if they get out at the beginning and they have no idea where they're at, they're probably gonna run off.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_03: What can adopters expect from working cats?
• 21:31
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I think they can expect help around their house or their farm or their acreage, but I think the most thing they can accept expect is that they're gonna have some company of a really cool animal.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_03: Are there qualifications to adopt working cats?
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_01: Just making sure that they understand that these cats aren't going to be cats that are gonna want to sit on your lap so they understand the types of cats these are, and making sure you are set up and committed long term to have a safe place for these cats.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: To go at night and food to get constantly, and just make sure you're ready for that commitment because it is a commitment.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_03: Having a cat is a long-term commitment.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_03: It's very important to think.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_03: I'm in this for the long haul.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_03: If I bring a working cat in to work in my barn or whatever uh storehouse, whatever it happens to be, is you gotta get ready to uh to take care of this cat for the rest of its life.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_01: You do.
• 22:21
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, I've had a story had a friend call me and she adopted three working cats actually.
• 22:27
  SPEAKER_01: Take them home and she had them for she had them for years, a long time, and she would always go out and she had them named and talked to them and the whole deal.
• 22:34
  SPEAKER_01: Well, one of them eventually, when it turned about six, started looking in her door and looking in her windows.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_01: So she opened the door one day and was like, okay, you know, came in and now it is moved into her house and it lives in her house with her.
• 22:48
  SPEAKER_01: The other two still want nothing to do with it.
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_01: But the third one had developed this interesting relationship where it eventually was like, I just want to be inside.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_01: So she now has that house cat and then the two that are also outside.
• 23:00
  SPEAKER_01: So that to me is also a great story and demonstration that these cats eventually may have those bonds with the human that's been talking to them for years.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_01: And the cat's not gonna still doesn't let her pick it up, it still doesn't sit on her lap, but it's fine around her house.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_01: It's using a slitter box, it's laying on the couch, and she's happy to you know accommodate that.
• 23:20
  SPEAKER_01: So there are those stories too.
• 23:22
  SPEAKER_01: And she would have said she wasn't a huge quote unquote cat person when this all started.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_01: Uh she was a dog person, and now she loves cats like you and me love cats.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 23:32
  SPEAKER_01: Well, it happens.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_01: It does.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_01: That's a number of things.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_03: We were thinking years ago.
• 23:37
  SPEAKER_03: It's been it's been probably what 20 or 25 years ago, we're thinking, oh, we can get a little dog.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_03: We got a little stray feral type cat.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_03: There it is.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_03: All we do now is cats.
• 23:47
  SPEAKER_03: It's like the what do they say?
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_03: The cat universe, the cat finds you, how does that work?
• 23:51
  SPEAKER_03: Exactly.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_03: So if people want more information about Camp Perr or just the idea of barn cats in general, they can go to your website.
• 23:58
  SPEAKER_01: Definitely.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_01: We have uh lots of information on our website on Camp Perr, those cats, and also TNR and www.arl-Iowa.org.
• 24:10
  SPEAKER_01: So much information there.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_01: If there's more questions after that, we do have a TNR coordinator, and that email is on our website.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_01: We do have a meow manager who manages the Camp Perr program.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_01: That email is on our website, and you can send us questions.
• 24:24
  SPEAKER_01: And we do have people that will stop out, they're interested in it, and they learn they ask questions and learn about it and get ready and come back and adopt.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_01: We're happy to answer.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_01: We want it to be a good match, not only for the people, but definitely for the cats.
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_03: I think some education on that would be really good.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_03: So if somebody's interested in that, whether they live in the I in Iowa or the Des Moines area where they can they can come in the ARL anytime.
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_03: But uh this is a great place.
• 24:50
  SPEAKER_03: You do a lot of different types of things.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_03: We've we you and I have talked before about that on different episodes.
• 24:55
  SPEAKER_03: But just educating yourself about barn cats, especially if you're a farmer or if you have need of a cat uh to do something like that, the whole idea of working cats is very important.
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_03: So even if you don't live in Iowa in this immediate area, in I would check out maybe in in wherever the l you are as a listener to see if a uh maybe a shelter or some type of uh rescue has an opportunity to uh to adopt a barn cat or working cat for your facilities.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_01: Definitely.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_01: I would always encourage people to check out their local shelters.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_01: And the nice thing about these two is these animals they're all updated on the shots and vaccinations and rabies vaccinations, and they also are already spayed and neutered.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_01: So you're not gonna get these cats and one day wake up and you have 30 cats.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_01: So uh it's really important when you get these cats, definitely given they're gonna be outside, uh, that you get them both spayed and neutered, male or female.
• 25:47
  SPEAKER_03: This episode of the Hissing Feline Podcast is focused on Camp Purr at the Animal Rescue League in Des Moines, Iowa.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_03: I want to thank ARL Executive Director Carol Griglione for telling us about how feral and semi-feral cats are playing an important role on farms and other settings.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_03: It's really been fun to talk about working cats.
• 26:07
  SPEAKER_01: Thank you for having me on.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_03: Be sure to tell your friends about the Hissing Feline podcast and click on the follow button on the platform where you listen to this program.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_03: Next week on the podcast, Brian Cortis of Neighborhood Cats will join me to talk about how to prepare for winter when caring for community cats.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_03: You'll learn about building shelters and meeting the needs of outdoor cats during cold weather.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_03: And remember, keep purring.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_00: Content on the Hissing Feline Podcast is for information and entertainment purposes only, and is not intended to provide medical, veterinary, or legal advice.
• 26:47
  SPEAKER_00: Please consult your veterinarian and local and state authorities before dealing with feral and stray cats.
• 26:54
  SPEAKER_00: Opinions expressed are those of the hosts and guests and not necessarily those of Doratio Cat Media LLC.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_00: References to products or services do not imply an endorsement.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_00: The Hissing Feline podcast is a production of Doratio Cat Media LLC and has been blessed by our rescue cats, Bridget and Maddie.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_00: All content is used with permission or under fair use.