Sunday, March 17, 2019

Cat Unemployment Awareness Week

We founded Cat Unemployment Awareness Week in 2015 to bring light to the millions of homeless and unemployed cats in  animal shelters.  The cat unemployment rate is still extremely high.  Approximately 3.2 million cats enter US animal shelters every year.  860,000 of those cats are euthanized.  Only 1.6 million cats are offered employment through adoption.



Experienced cats that are in the job market for best friend positions are concerned about the upcoming kitten season when the job market will be flooded with recent kitten graduates.  Experienced cats tend to have a harder time finding jobs compared to their younger kitten counterparts.  Potential employers have a habit of hiring based on age and playfulness rather than the knowledge an experienced cat brings.

If you are looking to hire a best friend, there are several reasons why you should consider employing a more experienced cat.

  • Recent kitten graduates require more training.  Kittens do not always understand employers’ expectations in regards to litter box usage or scratching.    
  • OCSA (Occupational Cat Safety Administration) has greater safety requirements for kitten employees.  All work places must be “kitten proofed”. 
  • Hiring an experienced cat, you know what you are getting.  Their work habits have already been established.  
  • Experienced cats require less supervision.  They can be left alone and even be in charge of the workplace when you are not there.
  • Experienced cats also know how to handle different types of people.  Cats can be more patient with younger children and have the knowledge to stay out from under the feet of the elderly.


If an experienced cat sounds like the best applicant for the job as your best friend, your local shelter or rescue will have many experienced cats that have been unemployed for quite a while and are very eager to get back into the workplace.

If adoption isn't an option for you right now, every day this week consider sharing on social media a cat that is available for adoption at a shelter near you.  Someone in your social circle may just fall in love with a cat you share.  Together we can help end cat unemployment. 



ASPCA (2019) Pet Statistics 
Retrieved from https://www.aspca.org/animal-homelessness/shelter-intake-and-surrender/pet-statistics

5 comments :

  1. Unfortunately it must be about the same in Belgium ! I don't know the exact number of homeless cats. Fortunately we also have shelters sometimes not enough !

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a wonderful idea. Did lots of kitties find jobs last week?

    ReplyDelete