Adoption Center hours: Mon & Thu 3–5pm · Sat 11am–2pm
307-460-3775
Laramie Animal Welfare Society
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Barn & Working Cat Application

← Back to working cats

For barns, stables, workshops, and acreage. Working cats are placed in pairs wherever we can.

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Before you apply

Barn & working cat requirements

A working cat placement asks more of you than an indoor adoption does. Here is all of it, before you apply.

Which cats we place

  • Feral or semi-feral cats who prefer their independence, and timid cats used to colony life who do better with other cats around.
  • We do not place cats who are better suited to being house pets as barn cats.
  • Kittens under six months are generally not placed as working cats, unless they are unsocialized ferals with little prospect of becoming house pets.
  • A minimum of two cats are placed together, unless there is already a neutered barn cat on the property or we agree on an exception.
  • Availability varies with our TNR program, so we keep a waiting list. Applying is how you get on it.

What LAWS provides

  • Spay or neuter before placement.
  • Vaccinations, a microchip, and an ear tip.
  • Written instructions for confining, releasing, and maintaining your cats.
  • Someone to call. We stay available after placement.

What you provide

  • A warm, safe, dry barn, shop, or other structure the cats can always get into.
  • A confinement crate or pen with a wire top for the first four to five weeks.
  • A litter box cleaned daily during confinement.
  • Dry food and fresh water available at all times, for the life of the cat.
  • A small portion of canned food daily, which is what builds the routine that keeps cats coming home.
  • Daily eyes on the cats, so you notice injury or illness early.
  • A little daily conversation. Talking to them each day is what turns a stranger into their person.

Confinement & release

  • Cats stay confined for four to five weeks. This is not optional. It is what stops a cat from bolting and what teaches them that your property is home.
  • Release on a dry day. Do not release in the rain, which washes away the scent markers a cat navigates by.
  • After release, leave the crate or pen up as a safe place to retreat to, and keep feeding in the same spot at the same time.
  • Expect the cats to hide at first. Keep the routine and they come back to it.

Questions about any of this? Call 307-460-3775 or email hello@laramieanimals.org.