Cat rescue and shelter management requires specific welfare knowledge to prevent chronic stress and disease in feline residents.
Cat shelters present specific welfare challenges: cats stressed by confinement, proximity to unfamiliar cats, and loss of territory become immunocompromised and disease-prone. Effective welfare management requires individual space, hiding opportunities, and careful population management. Overcrowding — driven by good intentions but overwhelming intake — often leads to worse welfare than managed intake with appropriate euthanasia thresholds. TNR programs for feral cats prevent the cycle of suffering that shelter-and-kill creates.