The Feral-to-Barn-Cat Pipeline
How we're building a system to track every feral cat from municipal shelter intake to their forever barn or farm placement.
Feral cats in municipal shelters face a grim reality. They can't be adopted as house pets — they're wild, and they want to stay that way. In most shelters, that means one thing: euthanasia.
We're changing that equation.
The problem
Municipal shelters are overwhelmed with feral cats. TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) programs help manage colonies, but what about cats that can't be returned to their original location? What about cats trapped in areas where they're in danger?
These cats need a different kind of placement — not a living room, but a barn, a farm, a workshop, or a stable.
Our solution
The Feral-to-Barn-Cat program matches feral cats with properties that need natural rodent control. It's a win-win:
- The cat gets a safe outdoor environment with shelter, food, and water
- The property owner gets a working cat that keeps rodents at bay
- The shelter frees up space and avoids euthanasia
Building the tracking system
We're developing a Supabase-backed tracking system that follows each cat from intake to placement:
- Intake records: Where the cat came from, health status, temperament assessment
- Placement matching: Matching cat personality and needs with appropriate properties
- Follow-up tracking: 30-day, 90-day, and annual check-ins with placement hosts
- Sponsor portal: Sponsors can follow "their" cat's journey from shelter to barn
This system will eventually be open-sourced so other rescues can implement the same pipeline.
How to get involved
If you have a barn, farm, or property that could use a working cat, contact us. If you'd like to sponsor a cat's journey from shelter to barn, visit our donation page.