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Cats in the workforce

post #1 of 10
8/18/11 at 8:11pm
Thread Starter 
I have heared that some companies employ cats as a form of rodent control in warehouses and shops. What kind of other jobs would cats be suitable for.With the overcrowding of shelters, would it be a good idea to allow companies to take care of the sheltered cats while the cats keep the mice out of the employer's warehouse/building?
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post #2 of 10
8/19/11 at 5:25am
Are the companies going to pay for the cats vet bills, if/when 1 of them get sick from eating a mouse (or other rodent)?
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post #3 of 10
8/19/11 at 11:25am
I wouldn't trust businesses to properly care for cats without a motivated responsible individual, as they would need veterinary checks at times, ensure they aren't carrying fleas or other diseases or urinating and defecating where the workers are creating a health hazard, and I would wager that with OSHA it would just take one employee to complain of a cat allergy to require reasonable accommodation and remove the cats. Leaving out food and water for the cats with limited supervision, might itself also attract pests (ants/roaches/racoons).

So personally, I'm a bit skeptical it would work well on a large scale, and replace current rodent control techniques that focus on sanitation, eliminating food supplies, mouse-proofing breeding areas/water sources, and standard extermination using baited traps.
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post #4 of 10
8/19/11 at 2:16pm
Oliver said he would like to find a position pruning catnip plants.
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post #5 of 10
8/19/11 at 6:43pm
I'm not so sure a company would take good care of "hired out" cats. There are 3 barn cats at the stable I board my horse at. They have a strict feeding schedule, are vetted on a regular basis and do a great job mousing But they are taken care of out there. I don't know how many large businesses would actually feed and vet them on a routine basis. In theory it sounds good but in reality... who knows
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post #6 of 10
8/21/11 at 8:09am
I guess it would depend on how well the business plans on taking care of and responsibility for the cats.

We have a bunch of cats outside where I work, but one of the women there either TNRs or re-homes a lot of them. They do boost a lot of people's morale when they go outside and see some kitties, but there are also cruel people where I work (one threatened to poison them - HR sent out and email telling people to leave them alone as they were being taken care of by a person with knowledge of how to TNR/care for ferals/strays). Most of the friendly ones have been re-homed, now its strictly ferals roaming around. They do definitely keep the rodent population down around the area there - they haven't had to call anyone to trap any since the cats started coming around.
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post #7 of 10
8/21/11 at 9:57am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tory_canuck View Post
I have heared that some companies employ cats as a form of rodent control in warehouses and shops. What kind of other jobs would cats be suitable for.With the overcrowding of shelters, would it be a good idea to allow companies to take care of the sheltered cats while the cats keep the mice out of the employer's warehouse/building?
We have a group in our area called "Barn Cats, Inc." They provide cats to horse barns, etc., but with some pretty strict rules about feeding, heat, cooling, etc.

I need to upload a photo I took at a truck junkyard a couple of weeks ago.

Ah, here it is. This is the owner/boss of the company. Look closely...you may miss it at first! There are also a number of cats out on the property, in the shop, etc.

But when you do this, you have to quit the rat poisoning program most businesses have in place.

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post #8 of 10
8/21/11 at 12:52pm
Ah yeah, how did I forget, my dad always had 2 cats and a dog at his auto repair shop. Strays that we took in and kept as "shop pets" (with regular feedings, veterinary care, and shelter).
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post #9 of 10
8/21/11 at 1:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrblanche View Post
We have a group in our area called "Barn Cats, Inc." They provide cats to horse barns, etc., but with some pretty strict rules about feeding, heat, cooling, etc.

I need to upload a photo I took at a truck junkyard a couple of weeks ago.

Ah, here it is. This is the owner/boss of the company. Look closely...you may miss it at first! There are also a number of cats out on the property, in the shop, etc.

But when you do this, you have to quit the rat poisoning program most businesses have in place.
LOL so instead of junkyard dogs he has a junkyard cats? Cool, but I only see two cats in the picture. I noticed the one right away and the one on the back of the chair later.
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post #10 of 10
8/21/11 at 1:35pm
Those are his favorites. I saw several younger ones out in the shop, etc. I suspect they live a lot rougher, but perhaps more useful, and truer to the original role of cats in human society.
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