Have We Been Getting Cats Wrong?Rethinking Shelters, Community Cats, and Modern Feline Welfare
After attending many webinars, my perspective on the animal welfare industry and shelters has continued to change, particularly regarding the housing of animals in general and felines in particular.
It has only been about 80 years since cats became primarily indoor companions in our homes. With the invention of clay litter in the late 1940s, cats were introduced to a world vastly different from that of their ancestors. Prior to this innovation, cats were generally free to roam as they pleased.
You might ask, what does this have to do with shelters? Here's the answer. The changing role of cats in our society is closely connected to the evolution of the animal shelters we know today. Before the introduction of clay litter, cats were viewed very differently. Unlike dogs, cats were often regarded as free spirits. Even today, in many parts of the world outside the United States, cats still roam freely and are seldom confined exclusively indoors. They continue to serve as mousers and neighborhood companions.With the introduction of clay litter, however, cats' lives in our society changed dramatically.
Animal shelters were originally developed primarily to house dogs due to concerns about rabies outbreaks and to manage stray or runaway livestock. This model was never specifically designed with the unique nature and needs of cats in mind.
That is not to say that Totally Feline ™ do not support rescues and some shelters. In many cases, they provide invaluable services to animals in need. However, even with enrichment choice based rescues that offer cats more than one choice, enrichment that supports their innate natural and adequate amount of hiding spaces, we have to ask ourselves, are we really helping cats? Is a cat in a shelter doing additional stress and harm? Should we assume that all free-roaming cats are homeless? Should every cat found outdoors be taken to a shelter when many shelter cats never make it back to their original homes? Let’s not forget, shelter environments are unnatural environments.
Research indicates that only a small percentage of cats are reclaimed by their owners, and historically, cats have experienced higher euthanasia rates than dogs in most shelter systems.
Another question Totally Feline ™ often asks is this: How many people have adopted a cat from a shelter compared to those who have simply taken in a stray cat? Of the eight cats I have shared my life with, only one was adopted from a shelter. The others were “adopted off the street”.
Some research suggests that more people acquire cats through shelters than by finding them as strays. At the same time, studies and surveys also indicate that taking in cats “ adopted off of the street” continues to account for a significant portion of cat ownership. This latter observation aligns with much of what I have personally witnessed. While I certainly know many people who have adopted from shelters, I have encountered just as many, if not more, cat parents who simply opened their homes to a cat that appeared on their doorstep.
This leads Totally Feline ™ to a difficult question: Are animal shelters sometimes benefiting from the misfortune of animals? Or maybe they’re not? Should we reconsider how we approach the housing and care of cats within rescues and shelters? Because we've already determined that the earlier animal shelters were not built with cats in mind. And cats tend to have a much more difficult time acclimating into shelter life.
Most of these cats are accustomed to roaming as they please now confined into a small space. Compound this with the 3-3-3 guideline,(3 days-decompression, 3 week-learn routine, 3 months-feel at home ) that determines whether a cat will live or die. Cats adjust at different rates as humans do. And, the average cat takes more than 3 days to feel safe in a new environment. These things need to be taken into consideration.
And cage free rescues are a great idea and better fit for cats. However, when you're taking a whole lot of cats from different areas and placing them in one territory it creates an unnatural environment and also creates stress on the animals.
To be clear, this is not an argument against rescue, organizations, shelters, or the dedicated people who work tirelessly to improve the lives of animals. Many organizations save countless lives every day. However, learning more about feline behavior, community cats, and shelter outcomes has changed the way Totally Feline ™ views the animal welfare systems.
When cities conduct sweeps of neighborhoods, they may not only collect abandoned or stray cats but also feral colony cats that are part of established outdoor communities. These cats can suddenly find themselves entering a system that may ultimately lead to long-term confinement, or euthanasia.
The reality is that there are no easy answers. The
challenges surrounding community cats, sheltering, adoption, public safety, wildlife conservation, and animal welfare are deeply interconnected. What works for one cat may not work for another, and what benefits one community may create challenges in another.
Rather than viewing the issue through a simple lens of right or wrong, perhaps we need more thoughtful conversations, more research, and more innovative solutions that recognize the unique nature of cats and the complex role they play in our society. The question may not be whether shelters are good or bad for cats, but how we can create systems that best serve both cats and the communities in which they live. And, profits should never be placed above the life of a cat.
One last thing Totally Feline™ can add, no one is going to advocate like a cat parent is going to do. Even the most progressive rescues and shelters are unfortunately performing euthanasia on animals that the average pet parents would fight to save.
Understandably, it could be financial limitations and/or inadequate resources. Which brings Totally Feline back to the question that began this blog. Do we need to take another look at the concept of modern shelters in relation to cats and even dogs? What do you think?