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Disneyland really is the happiest place on Earth for all beings, cats included. I’d heard rumors of this but I never thought it was true: Disneyland employs an “army” of feral cats to keep the park rodent-free. Alley Cat Allies, a national organization for the protection/understanding of feral cats, reports on the details.
No one knows exactly when the feral cats moved into Disneyland; they weren’t put there intentionally. They’ve definitely been there for at least 25 years, and some think they’ve been there since the park opened in 1955. Perhaps it was built on land on which feral cats already roamed. Park execs made the decision to leave the cats on the property, rather than chasing them out, because they help control the rodent population.
If you’ve been to Disneyland are surprised you didn’t know about the kitties, don’t be: the chances of you catching a glimpse of the cats are rather slim. They tend to hide during the day, coming out when the park is closed to sweep the park with the overnight maintenance staff. The cats are given few restrictions; they’re free to come and go as they please. “We view them as partners,” says Gina Mayberry, the woman who oversees Circle D Ranch (and thus many of Disneyland’s animals). “It’s kind of a symbiotic relationship with them.”
Mayberry has been with Circle D for 25 years and the cats have been around the whole time she’s worked there. In the last 7 years, however, her team and other Disneyland employees have taken a more active role in the cats’ lives. They still don’t coddle or play with the cats; they want to keep them feral, continue to discourage them from wanting to play out in the open with humans. But for the past 7 years the park has engaged in a Trap-Neuter-Return program, with the aid of outside organizations like FixNation (a Los Angeles-based spay/neuter program).
Now all the cats are caught, fixed, given a health/wellness check, and released. The cats are also provided meals in five locations around the park, all chosen because they’re in discreet areas not easily noticed by guests.
Disneyland doesn’t actively monitor their cat population, despite Trap-Neuter-Return. But they adopt out kittens when necessary (to great success), and between that and Trap-Neuter-Return they’ve been able to keep the park from being overrun. It still contains plenty of its historic cats, but the place isn’t crawling with them. As stated, few guests ever see the feline patrol.
It would be neat if Disney World could have a similar program, but it can’t be replicated. Part of what’s so cool about Disneyland’s relationship with its feral cats is that it was organic; the cats were there, Disneyland allowed them to remain, and took care of them. Also, I don’t think it would work to give cats free reign at Disney World; if nothing else, they’d have to be kept out of the Animal Kingdom.
I know I haven’t revealed many Disney Park secrets yet, but this one might be my all-time favorite. It’s going to be hard to top a secret army of rat-catching kitties.
Have you ever seen one of Disneyland’s elusive feral cats? Let us know in the comments.
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Disneyland: The Most Sued Place on Earth
*(The above image by gnuckx is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License.)