Fort Wayne’s feline unemployment rate is at an all-time low as Allen County SPCA is celebrating the placement of the area’s 500th Working Cat!

Working Cats are felines that are not suitable for life inside of a house or are accustomed to the outdoor life. An alternative to euthanasia, the Working Cat Program is designed for cats that have been deemed “un-adoptable” through traditional means.

In partnership with Fort Wayne Animal Care and Control (FWACC) and H.O.P.E. for Animals, this program matches cats with cat lovers who have a barn or other secure outdoor structure and are interested in adopting a “working” feline for their property.

The Allen County SPCA’s Community Outreach Coordinator, Melissa Osborn, oversees the Working Cat Program. “Each Working Cat has a committed caretaker who pays an adoption fee and agrees to provide daily food, water and shelter. The caretaker also commits them to providing veterinary care when needed. In return, they get a feline who is gainfully employed patrolling their property as organic rodent control and doing, well, whatever else cats do,” explains Osborn.

Boots, the 500th cat hired through the Allen County SPCA’s Working Cat program, was brought to FWACC with a severe injury to her back leg. FWACC treated the injury and updated her vaccines, but Boots’ recuperation period would be lengthy, and returning this lifelong outdoor cat to her previous residence wasn’t possible. Near the end of her recovery time, FWACC reached out to the Allen County SPCA to see if a Working Cat placement was available. As it happened, a local family was hiring! Boots, along with two other feline colleagues, started work on September 9, 2020.

The Allen County SPCA’s Working Cat adoption fee is just $15 ($10 each for three or more) and each Working Cat is spayed/neutered, vaccinated, microchipped and ear-tipped prior to placement.

If you’d like additional details about the Working Cat Program or hiring a feline for your property, visit www.allencountyspca.org to learn more.

The Allen County SPCA, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, has been providing shelter to northeast Indiana’s homeless cats and dogs for over 60 years. Our mission is to promote the prevention of cruelty to animals by providing a safe haven for animals, an effective and comprehensive adoption program, education and outreach programs for the community and deep and broad membership and volunteer programs.