Cat population explodes at Texas prison after ‘working’ felines deployed to hunt rats

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A Texas prison adopted a pair of barn cats to remedy a rat issue. Now, a few of decades later, the prison has a cat trouble, much too.

The Texas prison, which requested not to be named, contacted Austin Pets Alive! animal shelter about a feline infestation trouble on their premises. The prison begun with two or three cats that weren’t spayed or neutered and now has just about 20, team stated. 

Doing work cats are normally employed in barns, houses or prisons to aid mitigate rat infestations.

“It’s a terrific concept,” explained Kelly Holt, a senior supervisor for APA!’s cat program. “Where the situation commenced was that the cats weren’t spayed and neutered. So they ended up procreating and dealing with an overpopulation issue now.”

When shelter staff previous went to the prison, they had been in a position to nab five of the cats roaming about the grounds, and Holt reported they system to go again to get more. 

 “We wanted to help out and bring some of the cats [to the center)] exactly where we could get them the professional medical notice that they need and position them in endlessly properties,” Holt reported. 

Holt added that some of the cats had professional medical situations that essential expert treatment. A single cat, for example, has Cerebellar Hypoplasia (CH), at times named wobbly cat syndrome, which is a neurological problem that leads to a cat to — you guessed it — wobble when it walks. This situation is neither contagious nor unpleasant for the animal.

Some of the cats rescued from the prison are up for adoption, Holt claimed. She included that the felines not outfitted for indoor dwelling might go into APA!’s working cat system, wherever they will be deployed to other areas that require rodent populations managed.

Holt explained APA! will spay and neuter all functioning cats so clients who undertake them won’t have an situation like the jail has. 

“I imagine it’s wonderful that prisons are making use of doing the job cat plans,” Holt said. “I imagine it is just crucial to take note that spaying and neutering the cats is truly vital to producing individuals systems work very best.”