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What Is a Working Cat?

When community cats — i.e., cats who live outdoors and are sometimes cared for by community members — are unable to be returned to their previous outdoor home and aren't good candidates for traditional adoption programs, they might become what we lovingly call "working cats." They're part of a group of community cats who don't live in homes as pet cats.

Working cats are healthy, independent cats who act as natural pest deterrents in businesses and other properties. They go by many names, including:

Nearly 2 out of 3 US shelters are now no-kill graphic

See how your community is doing

We've seen tremendous momentum and success so far, and we are so close to achieving no-kill around the entire country. Knowing where each shelter and community stands not only helps determine the best way to move forward, but it also helps track the progress we’re making together.
Is your community no-kill?
  • Barn cats
  • Farm cats
  • Bodega cats
  • Ship cats
  • Warehouse cats
  • Brewery cats

Here's an example of working cats in an auto shop:

While some working cats are friendly with people, many are not entirely comfortable with human interaction, though they can be happy living in close proximity to people.

Caring for working cats is easy. After a proper acclimation period, you simply let them roam in their space and give them food and water.

Adopt a working cat near you »

Issues:
Community Cats Cat Training
Tags:
Community Cats Cats Feral or Stray
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About Best Friends Animal Society

Best Friends is working to end the killing of dogs and cats in U.S. shelters in part by getting more pets out of shelters and into loving homes.

We’ve come a long way since the first known city reached no-kill in 1994, and now we’re closer than ever to making the entire country no-kill. Today, roughly 2,500 shelters are no-kill throughout the U.S. — and 700 more are just 100 pets or fewer away from reaching that milestone.

Best Friends is committed to working with passionate people like you to save homeless pets through adoption, volunteering, fostering, and advocacy. In addition to our lifesaving centers around the U.S, we also founded and run the nation's largest no-kill sanctuary for companion animals.

Working together, we can save homeless pets in our communities and secure a better future for our best friends. Together, we will bring the whole country to no-kill.