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Feral cats put to work at Newport News Shipbuilding

The feral cats at Newport News Shipbuilding are put to work and protect the shipyard from rodents.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va., (WVEC) -- Some furry friends are calling Newport News Shipbuilding home.

Workers care for the hundreds of cats, and treat them like their own. It not only helps the cats, but the shipyard as well.

There's a point to why Crane Operator Ken Bell ensures they're fed.

"Any area that has buildings and a lot of stuff like that has a rat problem," said Bell. "Now there's cats, not rats."

Dawn Morris oversees all the cats from the shipyard to the scrapyard.

To prevent overpopulation they've come up with an ethical solution.

"We have about 500 or so cats on the property. We try to make sure they are all trapped and spayed and neutered," she said.

They release them to do their job and take them to the vet if sick.

If kittens are born, they know how to handle that too.

"We have people that will tame them down, get them adoptable and the shipyard has its own adoption program," said Morris.

Not only do they keep rats out, they're also therapeutic.

"I look forward to seeing him every morning," said Bell of the cats.

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