Working Cats are feral or semi-feral cats (ages 6 months to 3 years) rescued from LA city shelters. In LA city, you see, feral cats only have two outcomes - placed in a Working Cat situation or euthanized. Our program allows these cats to live out the rest of their lives by doing what they do best, getting rid of unwanted critters! These cats want little to no human contact and they live outside. All they need from you is a bit of food daily, fresh water, and a place to stay out of the elements. They get to live out the rest of their lives in a safe place and you get a hard-working employee!

Glue and snap traps are inhumane and don’t always result in quick deaths for the rats and mice, but rodent control products sold for commercial use can be harmful to children, pets, and the environment. Rodenticides are made up of anticoagulant compounds that, if ingested by pets and children, can cause serious illness or death. In addition to the harmful effects rodenticides can cause if directly exposed to them, animals that consume poisoned mice or rats can suffer similar effects. The toxins accumulate in their bodies over time and can have devastating effects on the population. Studies done in California found that rodenticides were found in 84% of San Joaquin kit foxes, 92% of raptors in San Diego, and 78% of mountain lions. Adopting Working Cats eliminates the need for using traps and toxins which can have devastating and lasting effects to pets and wildlife.

Adopting a Working Cat is completely free. We only ask for you to provide the necessary supplies to continue to care for the kitty for the remainder of its life. Working Cats come fixed, vaccinated, and microchipped. Any donations you want to make to help us support the work we do would be appreciated!

1. Fill out an application to adopt a WC: You can fill out the application by clicking HERE. 2. Schedule a phone interview: A WC specialist will get back to you to set up a time to do a phone interview. The interview will help to answer additional questions you may have, determine the amount of cats ideal for your location, and assess the space/equipment needed for a “transition” enclosure, and set up a time for “installing” your WC. 3. Set-up your space: We set-up appointments for installing cats to give you time to get ready for them; at least two week lead time. This includes setting up your escape-proof enclosure, bowls, litter boxes, food, and anything else that your kitties will need to make themselves at home. A WC specialist will give you examples of what types of enclosures will work for a “transition” space. 4. Wait for your WC to arrive: Kitty Bungalow staff will deliver your new employees to you and help set them up. We will give you detailed instructions on how to proceed with their “transition” time. We will process the adoption on-site and go over their medical paperwork. 5. Help them “transition” into their new space: Once set-up in their escape-proof enclosure, WC should be fed in their enclosures at the same time every day for at least two weeks. We call this the “transition” period. This establishes a routine for them but also helps them understand that they are home and will always have a source of food. 6. After 2-3 weeks, open the door to the enclosure and let them start to roam and explore! Continue to feed your WC at the same time every day.

Prior to placing the cats, we do ask that adopters have a secure area for the cats to transition into their new homes. This can be a garage, a covered crate, large dog enclosure, shed, etc. If you are local and we have supplies on hand, we may be able to loan you an enclosure too! The cats will remain here for 2-3 weeks. After that time, adopters can open the doors to allow the cats to roam. The 2-3 transition period is CRUCIAL to a successful placement of Working Cats. In addition to a secure area, adopters need to provide basic care supplies (food, water, bowls, litter, litterbox, and a few old towels).

We have found that Working Cats do better when adopted with at least one other Working Cat. A new environment can often be scary so having a buddy to hang out with makes transitioning into a new home much easier! A WC specialist will suggest a number of cats based on your properly size, distance we have to travel, and extent of rodent problem.

We can try to accomodate gender, age and color as best we can, however, the cats selected for this program are some the kitties that need to be saved right away so we may not always be able to fulfill requests. Working Cats are generally between 6 months to 3 years of age - at the age where they will be most effective at their mousing job.

As mentioned above, Working Cats are pull from LA city shelters, thus not in our care. We work with LA city shelter staff to select cats at greatest risk. The population of cats changes from day to day so there is no way for us to show adopters the cats available. If available, we can try to accomodate gender and color but we make no guarantees that you will receive the cat with the characteristics you want.

We have had successful Working Cat placements in homes/businesses that have dogs. Kitty Bungalow is staffed with employees with a background in dog training. We are happy to assess your individual situation and make recommendations!

Once placed, adopters are responsible for any aftercare necessary. Usually, it’s little to none. Cats come fixed, chipped, vaccinated and given flea preventatives so there is no immediate need for any kind of veterinary care. Working Cats can live for years without the need for subsequent medical treatment. However, if any of your Working Cats becomes injured, we can help with loaning you a trap to take them to a vet. Your vet will be able to make recommendations on the best treatment for your Working Cat.

We understand that this is a sensitive subject. Working Cats are feral cats from the mean streets of Los Angeles that made their way into an animal shelter. These cats are used to urban dangers such as vehicles, dogs, and people. They have learned to avoid such dangers by finding places to hide-out. The more time the feral cat has spent on the streets, the better it has learned to survive and stay safe. We also work with adopters to find ways to mitigate the coyote issue such as providing year round, predator-proof enclosures. Remember, these cats are ferals that won’t make it out of shelters unless placed in Working Cat situations. Adopting them gives them a second chance at life and allows them to live out the remainder of their days in relative peace and comfort.