There are a lot of reasons why a cat might be in a kennel, and it is very important that you always ask a staff member before opening a kennel. We prefer to have cats loose as often as possible, but sometimes it’s just not feasible.

They are new. When cats first come to the shelter they are typically kenneled to make sure their vaccines have time to kick in, as well as to be sure they don’t have any fleas or other parasites that could be spread to the other cats. We also want to give them some time to decompress. Coming to the shelter is really scary for most cats, and many of them benefit from some time to themselves before meeting the other cats. 

They are not fixed. We do not allow cats to roam the cat rooms until they are fixed. Not only does this prevent accidental litters, but intact animals tend to cause behavioral problems even with the fixed cats. Those hormones tend to make them more spicy, and the last thing we want is cat fights. 

They just got fixed. Whether its a spay or neuter, cats need some time to heal up before they are ready to run around with their new friends. 

They are injured. Some cats come to the shelter injured. Kennel rest is important to let them heal up. 

They are sick. Upper respiratory infections are very common at animal shelters. In order to prevent it from spreading, cats are typically moved to a separate room, but sometimes we will move them back to general population if we are low on space and they are starting to feel better. 

They are on a special diet. Some cats have to be on special food. If they so much as get one piece of the wrong kind of food, they can have serious medical problems or worse. This is also why we need people to ask before giving out treats.

They don’t like other cats. Some cats prefer to be your one and only and are not a fan of other cats. 

Miscellaneous. In the past we have had cats who would eat toys. Of course they need to be kenneled in order to prevent them from eating something they shouldn’t.

Do they ever get out of their kennels? 

Yes, as often as we are able to let them out. When we have other rooms available, we will often take the kenneled cats in there to get out and stretch their legs, play, and get some extra attention. Otherwise, if we don’t have too many cats, we will often put all the loose cats in the front room, so they can get out in the back cat room. With the ones on special food, if they like other cats, we will often pick up the food and put it in another room, so they can run around for a while. 

Our priority is always quality of life. We do everything we can to be sure our cats are living their best life possible while at the shelter.