Working Cat Program At NH Humane Society

LACONIA – The New Hampshire Humane Society (NH Humane) is rolling out a new Working Cat Program which will place fully vetted cats into safe, independent living settings across New Hampshire. NHHS will look for adopters who are interested in having a cat to serve as a natural rodent deterrent for enclosed properties such as barns, churches, factories or other facilities.
Most people know about service dogs or emotional support animals, but fewer people have heard about “working cats.” A working cat is a cat not suited for an indoor-only lifestyle. Working cats thrive in environments with more space, a job and prefer less pressure from humans and other pets. The concept exists at shelters across the country, as well as in a few communities in New Hampshire.
The Working Cat Program will adopt out cats that are spayed or neutered and fully vaccinated. While donations are welcome and crucial to animal welfare organizations, the adoption fees will be greatly reduced or waived for working cats. In exchange for their services, the cats are to receive a place to live, food, water and vet care as needed.
Candidates for the program usually fall into one of the following categories:
•Under-socialized cats who prefer to keep their distance from humans
•Feisty cats that play too rough when kept indoors only
•Cats whose litterbox habits make them unsuitable to live indoors (and for whom medical issues have been ruled out)
•Cats who previously lived as outdoor pets or indoor/outdoor pets
The Working Cats Program is the first of several new initiatives planned for 2021 that are part of the new Community Response Initiative. NH Humane is looking to evolve its services in tandem with the work that Stanton is involved in with the national initiative called Human Animal Support Services. The consortium is evolving the way animal welfare functions and this will be reflected in new initiatives such as the Working Cats Program.
The program launches later in 2021 and will be a permanent fixture at NH Humane along with numerous new or expanded programs. This program is made possible through a grant from the Alex and Elisabeth Lewyt Charitable Trust. For more information, contact Charles Stanton at charles@nhhumane.org.