Cats Behind Bars

An interesting solution to massive amounts of cat euthanasia in America

Every year 1.4 million cats are euthanized across shelters in America. Programs allowing prison inmates to foster cats have unexpectedly provided much needed aid in finding their forever homes and preventing euthanasia.

In the late 2000s, several non-profits for shelter animals–in search of a way to extend the time they are able to hold unadopted cats–began foster-like programs for prisons. Although many were, and still are, notably skeptical about the safety of the animals involved in these programs, they have several safety precautions in place to ensure the needs of the animals are always met. 

Orange tabby at Allendale Correctional Institution (image reprinted from the Augusta Chronicle) 

After careful selection, an inmate is paired with a cat who will sleep, eat, and use the bathroom in their cell. During the day, the cat is free to roam, socialize, and play. The inmate is responsible for all of the cat’s needs, and often goes above and beyond in making sure the cat is healthy and happy. After two months, the cats are put up for adoption again. 

At the Allendale Correctional Institution in South Carolina, hundreds of cats have been saved from euthanasia and instead, roam the halls and play all day thanks to the Meowmate and Muttmate program. 

Started in 2013, the program selectively pairs cats from shelters with extremely high kill rates (up to 98 percent) with well-behaved inmates. This allows the cats to become more socialized, and therefore better suited for adoption. 

The Meowmate and Muttmate program provides books about the care necessary for training/socializing cats, which inmates use frequently. Inmates end up spending most of their time learning how to better care for their cats, and better prepare them for adoption. They are even provided with microscopes and proper medical equipment to examine and care for the cats themselves. Inmates take care of clipping their cats’ nails, giving them baths, cleaning their ears, etc. Despite unease about the safety of allowing prisoners to foster cats, these inmates are more caring and thorough than most cat owners, even willing to sleep next to an open litter box. 

In 2017, the Bayside State Prison Cat Wellness Program in New Jersey was created by Alley Cat Allies to make sure that every cat has a microchip, annual checkup, and medical record. Additionally, the TNR program at Bayside State Prison spays/neuters and vaccinates every cat. They also have staff members visiting regularly, ensuring the cats are getting proper attention and care.

Foster cat wearing their new hat made by inmates at Pendleton Correctional Facility (photo from Pendleton Correctional Facility_FORWARD on Facebook) 

While these cats are being cared for and loved, they are simultaneously providing their foster caretakers with a level of therapy and purpose they otherwise wouldn’t be able to receive. Several anonymous inmates claim to have found purpose, and a reason to wake up in the morning because of their cat companions. 

“Having to dedicate yourself to this animal and this animal relying on you, you know there’s a shift inside of you where you begin to feel empathy. Nothing has changed me or had the effect on me that caring for these animals has had,” inmate and leader of the Meowmate and Muttmate program at Allendale Correctional Institution, Jeffrey, shared in a 2023 interview with Animal Planet. Because most cats in these programs have socialization and behavioral issues due to previous abuse or lack of care, many inmates empathize with their cat companions, feeling as though they have both received a second chance.

Inmate feeding newborn kitten at Allendale Correctional Institution  (Image courtesy of Vikki Scott)

McKendley Newton, the warden at Allendale Correctional Institution, noticed extensive change within the inmates’ behavior following the Meowmates and Muttmates program’s launch. 

“From everyday carrying of weapons to no carrying of weapons, from everyday having to run down and prevent a fight to almost none a day” McKendley Newton, warden at Allendale Correctional Institution said in a 2019 interview with WIS. Daily fights dwindled down to none, and inmates have stopped carrying weapons all together. Inmates who have fostered, or even simply just interacted with the cats have shown reduced rates of recidivism,with inmates being less likely to relapse into criminal behavior. Newton believes great importance lies in the rehabilitative aspects of prison systems. 

Inmates holding their foster cats thanks to The Animal Protection League’s FORWARD program at Pendleton Correctional Facility in Indiana  (photos from Pendleton Correctional Facility_FORWARD on Facebook)

These foster care programs provide much more than cats and supplies, giving inmates therapeutic enrichment in the form of arts and crafts. Materials to make their cats toys, little clothes, beds, and play areas are all provided to help build the relationships and trust between the foster cats and their temporary caretakers. Evidently, programs like the FORWARD program and the Meowmate and Muttmate program produce a win-win resolution to both the lack of space in shelters and therapeutic resources in prisons.