Six cats are looking for a new home in the North Hills.

The cats are the last of more than 30 feral cats that need to be relocated from the former Eden Hall Farm in Richland, recently donated to Chatham University by the Eden Hall Farm Foundation.

And as the resident caretaker Bob Ewing most likely will have to relocate to a new home, so must the 30 or more "barn" cats on the property that he has cared for over the years.

Eden Hall Farm was established in the 1930s as a country recreational facility for H. J. Heinz employees. The foundation closed the resort and gave the buildings, its landmark barn and its 388 acres to Chatham, which plans to open a satellite campus on the grounds.

Mr. Ewing and his friend, Tina Lawther, have been looking for homes for the cats since February, when he first learned there would be changes at the farm. Although he didn't know what the changes would be until the foundation's announcement last month, he knew he needed to find new homes for the cats.

"My brother-in-law works with him and told me about the cats so I went and introduced myself and told him I would help,." said Ms. Lawther, a frequent volunteer with animal rescue organizations. "Since they are feral cats, they can't just go to a new home like other cats. They need to be placed at farms," she added.

Mr. Ewing has been trapping the cats, so Ms. Lawther could take them to Animal General in Cranberry, which has a feral cat treatment program,

There, they have been tested for feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus. "If they test negative -- which all of our cats have, thank God -- they spay or neuter them and give them all of their shots," she said.

To cover the $50 cost per cat, Ms. Lawther has received donations from the Critter Care program at the Petco in Cranberry, Apple Hill Farms in Adams, and other animal care organizations, she said. Ms. Lawther and Mr. Ewing pay for the food and other supplies needed until the cats are placed at new homes.

To complicate matters, Mr. Ewing recently had an accident at work and broke his foot and several ribs. Ms. Lawther will trap the remaining cats.

A couple of the remaining cats, according to Mr. Ewing, may be able to be tamed for house pets.

"When I hobble outside and call to them, a couple come over and one rubs up against my legs. But when I reach down to pet them, they take off," he said, "But I think if someone was willing to work with them, they could be house cats."

Mr. Ewing managed to place "probably about 20 of them" he said before he met Ms. Lawther. When she started to place them, her fellow volunteers at the Critter Care program and other friends helped to spread the word to find appropriate new homes for the cats. "The people at Apple Hill Farms have been great. They took four cats then helped us find homes for three or four more," she said.

Although Mr. Ewing will be remaining at Eden Hall to do general maintenance, he may be moving and time is running out for the cats to be relocated. "We want to find them good homes," said Ms. Lawther.

Those interested in adopting one of the cats may contact Ms. Lawther at 724-591-2836 or e-mail at raina827@yahoo.com.