Cats in Cages

[susan]

The shelter where I volunteer currently has over 70 cats and kittens up for adoption. Sometimes cats will be up for adoption for several months to even a year or more. They live in small cages and are let out only for a small amount of time each morning. Although the shelter staff and volunteers provide love and care to the cats, sitting in a cage for a year or more seems like a miserable existence to me, both physically and mentally. Is this normal or acceptable? How can I encourage my shelter to change to free-roam cat rooms instead of cages?

[Diane Wilkerson]

There may be many reasons why your shelter is not able to have a free-roam environment, i.e. space, infection control concerns etc. Some shelters simply do not have the staff available to conduct the disinfecting protocols required for cohabitating cats. Have you touched base with shelter management?