Madison Cat Project began as Dane County Friends of Ferals in 2001. Madison Cat Project is an Adoption Guarantee organization in Madison, WI. We focus our efforts on indoor and outdoor cat adoptions and being a resource for the public through the programs and services we offer.

That depends on which cat you’d like to visit! Our shelter is what we call a “working shelter.” It is not open to the public. You may visit a cat by appointment, but we ask that you do not simply drop in. We are not staffed to be able to handle such visits. We have cats in our main shelter but many are in foster homes around Madison. If you have a question about visiting any of our cats, please email our adoptions team at adoptions@madisoncatproject.org.

Feral cats are cats who do not welcome human contact. While we do have some feral cats, the vast majority of the cats who come into our program are not truly feral. Find out more about feral vs. stray cats.

Most of the cats who come to us are simply scared, nervous or shy and just need time to open up. If you have more questions about this, we’d be happy to chat with you. You can reach us by emailing info@madisoncatproject.org.

We have over 200 volunteers and our organization is built upon their service. They work alongside our several staff members in many different capacities, and we can only do what we do because of them. Our Board of Directors is made up of all volunteers as well.

Our Indoor Cat Adoption Fees (before sales tax) are as follows:

$150.00 for one kitten (up to 6 months)

$225.00 for a pair of kittens

$100.00 for one young adult cat (6 months to 1 year)

$80.00 for one adult cat (1 year or older)

$45.00 for a special kitty (FIV, FeLV, etc) or senior cat (7 years or older)

Adopting two cats? The second (lower) adoption fee is 50% off!

The adoption fee includes all age-appropriate vaccinations, dewormer, and a microchip. All cats have been altered (spayed or neutered) and given regular physical examinations by our veterinarian.

We rely on donations, service fees and other sales revenue for our funding. We apply for grants when appropriate, but the vast majority of our operating expenses are paid for through donations from individuals like you! We do not receive any government funding and are a registered non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. If you’re interested in supporting us financially, you can donate online.

The short answer is no. All cats who are found as stray cats should be taken to the Dane County Humane Society for the mandated stray holding period. This ensures the animal’s best chance of being returned to the owner as well. However, if the cat already has an ear tip, or seems quite at home outside, there are a number of things you can do for that cat to make its life better.

The best place for kittens is with their mom! If the kittens look healthy and in good shape, it is very unlikely that they have been abandoned. Mom could just be away at the moment and is coming back. It is a myth that the mother will no longer accept the kittens if they have been handled by humans, but you do want to stay out of sight so she feels safe coming back to them. If their eyes are open, give her 24 hours to return. If their eyes are not open, wait four to six hours.

When you do see mom around, make sure she has a safe place outdoors to nurse them or bring her inside if you can! If she does not return, try to determine how old the kittens are using the chart on kittenlady.org. If they are under 4 weeks, they will need to be bottle fed formula specifically for kittens (no other type of milk). If they are over 4 weeks, try offering them some canned food mixed with a little water to make it soupy.

You may contact us and other local rescues and shelters to give as much information on the kittens as you can and ask about availability for intake. Many shelters are using foster homes for cats that would normally be at adoption centers, so they may have a waiting list for kittens. Fostering is a very rewarding experience and it would be extremely helpful if you were able to foster them yourselves! Many rescues will be more than willing to guide you through that process and even offer you supplies in order to properly care for them.

Madison Cat Project operates a small shelter and we practice what is called Managed Intake. This means we choose which cats we let into our program. We have an intake policy and prioritization model that we must follow. Our first priority is cats who are out of time in other shelters and would otherwise be euthanized. Because of this, we are not often able to take cats from the public. Admissions of public surrenders are handled according to urgency (is the cat in danger, sick, injured, pregnant?) and shelter space/program needs. However, our space and availability changes daily. Please email us if you wish to discuss the surrender of an animal.

Please note that surrenders of owned cats will require a $40 fee.

We are limited by our resources. We would love to help every single cat that needs us, but that is simply not a reality at present. Because of this, we must allocate our resources to the cats who absolutely have no other option other than our shelter (cats who would otherwise be euthanized if brought to another shelter, or who are already slated for euthanasia elsewhere).

We euthanize only after a veterinarian has determined that the animal is in a state of terminal suffering. We do not euthanize for space or time issues. The word euthanasia translates from the Greek as “the good death.” While we wish we could save all animals, we do believe that in some instances ending a cat’s suffering with euthanasia is more humane than letting a terminal illness or injury run its course.

Madison Cat Project does not condone the declawing of cats. Our adoption contract prohibits it, and it is no longer legal in Dane County. If you need a declawed cat, please consider adopting one who has already been declawed. We would love to speak with you about alternatives to declawing and how you can encourage positive scratching behavior in your cats. Read more about our position on declawing.