Rodents Running Rampant? Our Cats Can Help!

*must be within 50 miles of our East Side or North Side Shelter

Working cats are cats that cannot thrive in a shelter environment. These cats would love to spend their lives helping to control your barn, warehouse, corporate campus, plant nursery or other places with a rodent and pest population. All they ask for in return is shelter, food, water and care. Best of all, when you give our cats a job, you’re saving the lives of homeless pets who otherwise would not have been suitable for adoption!

For more information on our Working Cats Program, please contact our Community Cat Team at communitycats@humaneanimalrescue.org or call us at 412.345.7300 ext. 221

“We love our working cats. Selina and Noxy have been a wonderful addition to the barn. They get along well with the dogs and horses and have provided us with a great deal of entertainment as they’ve adjusted to and explored their new home. The staff are helpful and supportive, and they clearly believe in what they do.” – Kristen

“Being a part of this program has been an awesome experience! We love having the cats at the barn, and it gave us a great alternative to using harmful chemicals to deal with a rodent issue. Plus, our horse Margo loves having the companionship!” -Meghan

Where can Working Cats be hired?

Lots of places! Our working cats are eligible to work in a number of environments and are happy to relocate to wherever you need them. They would love to help with pest control in barns, stables, breweries, wineries, hardware stores, warehouses, factories, churches, greenhouses, nurseries, and more.

What does a Working Cat need?

  • Shelter in a permanent building or structure where they will be safe. Their shelter could be in a barn, stable, garage, warehouse, or shed. It is ideal that this shelter is away from busy roads. You wouldn’t want a worker’s compensation claim on your hands, would you?!
  • Fresh food, clean drinking water, and litter supplied daily.
  • Everyone needs a little bit of time to adjust to a new job, right? Our working cats are no different. They’ll need a 3 to 4 week acclimation period to ensure they like their new job, and boss! Humane Animal Rescue will provide all supplies during this acclimation period.

What is their salary requirement?

There is no adoption fee for Humane Animal Rescue’s Working Cats. All working cats are spayed/neutered, vaccinated, ear-tipped and micro-chipped prior to relocating for their new position. Donations are appreciated to help us continue and grow this life-saving program.

How do I hire a Working Cat?

Just complete the application below! We’ll transport the cats to you* and provide all the supplies you need to help your cats adapt to their new environment including:

  • Enclosure
  • Food
  • Bedding
  • Litterbox & Litter

The Working Cat Program is a win-win for both the cats and you! Cats enjoy safe outdoor homes with shelter and you enjoy having healthy, sterilized cats that can happily provide green pest control and aloof companionship!

*Minimum of two cats. We will deliver within a 50-mile radius of our North Shore or East End locations.

How does a cat become a Working Cat?

Our Community Cat team receives input from the medical and behavior staff to decide if a cat is eligible for work. Working Cats are often community cats who come to our shelter through our Return-to-Field program, but cannot be re-released to their original environment. This can happen if the original environment is not suitable or safe for a cat or the cat’s medical condition was not ideal and needs to be monitored. These cats are not eligible for adoption because they are under-socialized and would not thrive in a shelter environment or a traditional home placement.

Please note that we cannot accept cats from the public specifically for this program. This program is designed to save cats who are already in our care.