Cats thrive in prison in the US

Yacolt, USA - When Princess Natalie was a kitten, it was abandoned in a cage with another cat for months. She was fed, but no more. So she started to be afraid of humans and other cats.

When the cat was finally adopted, she spat in the direction of his master and put the house upside down. She was finally given to a shelter. It had to be euthanized, but a minimum security prison in Washington State presented another option: the return of detainees.

Joey Contreras, 28, Princess Natalie's arrival in March, allowed him to move from a dorm with 40 beds
to a cell for two with a door. With his cellmate, and after a selection procedure, they are among four inmates selected for the program "Cuddly Cats" at the prison in Yacolt.

"Nobody wanted to adopt it," says Joey Contreras. "We welcome it and it's great."

Initially, it was not won. The cat with long black hair, aged six, was moody and prone to violence. But she literally blossomed in prison. It now accepts being stroked, brushed and even held in someone's arms for a few minutes. She always grumbling, but rarely spits. Joey Contreras and his fellow prisoner run it in turns.

The other cat of this program, Clementine, was entrusted to Richard Amaro, who says the experience has not only helped to escape life in a dorm. "we really come close to them," he said.

The prison hopes to adopt four new cats. Inmates accepted into the program must be exemplary, otherwise they return to the dormitory.

Monique Camacho, prison counselor, explains that this experience reinforces the concept of collaboration for inmates usually solitary. "In prison, they tend to think only of themselves," she says. "Now they need to be alert and take care of something else."

Article La Presse Canadienne.

fr-ca.actualites.yahoo.com/des-chats-cohabitent-avec-des-d%C3%A9tenus-aux-etats-103143014.html

Hello,

I find myself that this is a very good idea, this allows to save abandoned or abused cats, and this also allows prisoners of the penitentiary, to find an occupation, and to have the feeling of doing something good because taking care of a pet takes time and it requires patience.

This program must take their mind off it and time goes faster. They should have the feeling of doing something good, in helping a living being, in saving a life.

Leo

Picture taken on the website Wamiz.

wamiz.com/chats/diaporama/prisonniers-chats-abandonnes-vie-ensemble-photos-2359.html