Cats in Prison
Allendale Prison in South Carolina run a program called Meowmate (and Muttmate) in which inmates have the opportunity to be an interim home for 4 legged friends from local shelters, which would otherwise have been euthanized.
They socialize the cats but they also look after the health of the animals, bathing them and diagnosing common issues. The program is very successful. Many of the cats end up being adopted directly from the prison.
The inmates speak about this program with affection, gratitude, pride and sometimes through tears:
“We’re not just saving 4 legged lives here. We’re saving 2 legged lives.”
“Having to dedicate yourself to this animal and this animal relying on you, there is a shift inside of you where you begin to feel empathy. Nothing has changed me or had this effect on me that caring for these animals has had.”
“I’ve been incarcerated since I was 17 years old in environments where the only thing I need to look out for is self. So to put everything that I want to do to the side and say that I have to focus on this 4 month old kitten—it melts all the selfishness out of guys.”
“I have a life sentence. The possibility of me getting out is extremely slim. But if I have to spend the rest of my life taking care of these dogs and cats, that’s all right with me.”
“If not for the second chance afforded these animals by this program, every single one would have been euthanized. And without the second chance afforded the men in our prisons, we’ve wasted all of their lives. Wherever you are, you deserve a second chance.”
“I look at her like I do me… I’ve been through a lot of things and abused. She’s been abused. So we relate. Now I’m helping her get over her abuse and she’s helping me get over mine.”