Feral cats at Disneyland, please help me!

[JennysBabyBear]

I need to write an "informative essay" about something provocative so i picked the cute little kitties at DL!

ok, i know they are there(I’ve seen them myself). But i need like the actual story (if there is one) or like how they got there, why they're still there, etc. I have a few speculations (WHICH I CAN USE) but I just need more. I mean ill settle for what you personally think about them, I just need more information (or a web link)

I've been looking forever and I'm hoping this will be my saving grace.

PLEASE help me out guys

 

[Rapunsel]

Some say that they were put there to control a mouse problem. Ha ha!!

But then they never left. I have maily seen them on the edges of TSI and also on the abandonded mine car with the pop up gophers. Sunning them selves..

 

[Albort]

Well, you see, they had a rat problem. So Disney decided that cats must be put in the chase out the mouse. Great! but wait, now there are too many cats getting runned over so they brought in dogs to scare the cats away. Disney soon learn that the Dogs are too noisey so they bring in the snakes to scare away the dogs. oh no, snakes are too dangerous so they got the elephants to stomp them out. Now the elephants take too much space so they called in the mouse to scare them off. :\ well, the rats are eating away the food so i guess cats are the best to stick with.

and yeah, i totally made that up The previous poster is right, Disneyland had a rat problem.

 

[DisQueen]

I remember seeing something about cats in DL while reading the newspaper - quite a while ago. Try Orange County Register's website. They might have an archived story.
I have a friend who is an ex-CM. She told stories of the cats at DL. her story was the same as everyone else's - rat problem, especially on Tom Sawyer Island. That's the main reason it closes at dusk.

 

[tinkcollector]

Hopefully we'll get a CM to post here. I too remember a article in the Orange County Registar. My brother worked at DL years ago, the 60's. He too supports the rat problem. Tom Sawyer's Island has always closed at dusk due to the fact that there is a lighting problem, which leads to a liability problem. But, of course now it closes so that Fantasmic can be set up. I grew up in the area, and still have many friends and relatives there. They have told me that the stray or wild cat problem in the entire area is quite serious. And here's one that I was surprised to hear. Running over by the 91 fwy. is a river bed. I've been told that the coyotes follow this down into Anaheim to feed on the cats! My friends that live just off of State College Blvd. in Anaheim, have lost two cats this past year to coyotes.

 

[NVDisMom]

We were playing with some of those kitties at GC outside WhiteWater Snacks in Dec. Looked like a mama and a very brave kitty. We were eating at one of the picnic tables and he decided that he should join us for breakfast! My girls were in heaven. I had pics, but my DH decided there was a better use for memorycard space. I asked one of the attendants and they said they were originally brought to Disney to take care of rats, but kind of took over themselves.

 

[boristhedog]

We were playing with some of those kitties at GC outside WhiteWater Snacks in Dec. Looked like a mama and a very brave kitty. We were eating at one of the picnic tables and he decided that he should join us for breakfast! My girls were in heaven. I had pics, but my DH decided there was a better use for memorycard space. I asked one of the attendants and they said they were originally brought to Disney to take care of rats, but kind of took over themselves.

We just saw them last week! Definately rodent control.

 

[thedarksyde]

OMG! I have been many many many times and have never seen babies. I WANT TO PLAY WITH BABIES AT DLR OMG! I will keep an eye out.

 

[Pixieshouse]

There are some baby kittens at DCA right now. I am not sure where they are hiding but one of the CM said that at least two litters were just born.

 

[cruzindon]

Fed two cats at Hungry Bear restaurant last year.

Since the Country Bears are gone maybe they should change the name of the restaurant to Hungry Cats.

 

[Alex2kMommy]

I just googled: Disneyland +"feral cats"

I got quite a few hits. Some did not seem appropriate to what you were asking, but some did. I only checked the first few, but check out the one from Mouseplanet where people are discussing seeing the cats and what CMs told them. Hopefully there's another one about their history. I know I read a book (like the inside scoop on Disneyland) that mentioned the cats. Maybe you could find it at the library? I believe it was called Mouse Tales.

Everyone seems to agree that they were initially brought in to control the rat population, and then their population exploded.

Good luck!

 

[Dukland]

I've never seen cats at Disneyland. Why don't they humanely trap them, have them fixed, then put them back? That seems like a smart thing to do

 

[dreamcometrue]

here's what I found here: http://www.hiddenmickeys.org/disneyland/Secrets/General/General.html it's number 56

After months of rodent infestation, Disneyland finally sought to check the rodent population by natural selection. They brought in cats to hunt them down. Wild cats still roam the park to this day, appearing late at night and early in the mornings, wisely hiding from the public during business hours.
Disneyland has always had a problem with cats! If you look back to news reports, to when they went in to build the walk through attraction, in the Castle, they found almost 100 cats living there. Disney brass won't do much with the scary cats that are in park now, because they help solve the rodent problem.

They are even fed by cast members. The cats take care of rodent problems, as well as providing entertainment to those Cast Members taking their breaks in the backstage area. The cats also pick up and take care of any food dropped, or left laying around, they truly help out a lot.

Cats have seen on Main Street at Carnation Plaza Gardens, once a pair of pure white kittens with their white mother (in the bushes to the side and sort of behind the food counter area) and a grayish tabby playing and pouncing near the stream at Carnation Plaza Gardens. Definitely weird to watch the cats playing in what they call their home, while tourists are eating, shopping and riding rides at Disneyland. One of the best places to see them is in Thunder Ranch BBQ area. They have even stopped the Big Thunder Rail Road, by tripping senors and confusing the computers

lucky cats! They get to live at Disneyland!!!

 

[Tasmen]

OMG! I have been many many many times and have never seen babies. I WANT TO PLAY WITH BABIES AT DLR OMG! I will keep an eye out.

Heeee...that was my exact same reaction. I wanna see baby kitties while at DL!

 

[MomOTC]

LOL I have not seen cats at Disneyland but I have seen mice, real ones running around by the Matterhorn at sunset. I was waiting for DH and DD to get off the ride and these little mice were everywhere in the bushes and plant areas it was weird.

 

[AZMickeyfans]

LOL I have not seen cats at Disneyland but I have seen mice, real ones running around by the Matterhorn at sunset. I was waiting for DH and DD to get off the ride and these little mice were everywhere in the bushes and plant areas it was weird.

I'll try to remember not to look in the bushes next time I am there. I hate mice (except a couple of course!)

We've seen a ton of cats down by the hungry bear restaurant and bathrooms below.

 

[LukenDC]

I LOVE feral cats and the thought of them at DL is enchanting. Please share your findings and essay with the rest of us. I'd love to read it!

 

[funnygarcia]

Twice now I have lunched at WWS and had a calico cat approach me. I took pics both times.. same markings so likely the same cat (note... the visits were a year apart!). She won't eat french fries.. the hamburgers and chicken sandwhich are well received

They also hang out in DCA under the "train" that is a cafe and in the back areas outside Taste Pilot's Grill.

I think the past rat/mouse problem they had is metioned in an official Disneyland pod cast.. can't remember... something about Walt and some other Imagineers walked into a castle storage area (before all the shops were made) Walt picked up a burlap sack and it came to life.. hundreds of mice came crawling out.

 

[StephaBabe50]

Wow thats so cool, I've never been to DL but I'm going April..I hope I see some cute little kitties there! Anyone have any pictures?

 

[diznylnd]

I did not know that cats were at DL till I saw this one at DCA with a few other kittens. They were in the grass across from Soarin Over California. Here is a pic we took. It's kinda blurry but here you go!
Kirsty