Success for Cats with Capacity for Care

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1 Success for Cats with Capacity for Care C4C in Canadian Shelters What the data shows! Toolika Rastogi, PhD Policy and Research Manager, CFHS Cynthia Karsten, DVM UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program 1

2 Overview 1. How did we get here: CFHS s Cats Count in Canada program 2. C4C pilot shelters 3. What exactly is C4C 4. What the data shows! 5. What the pilot shelters said 6. Get involved 2

3 Cats Count in Canada! 1. CFHS Cat Task Force and 2012 report 2. Provincial stakeholder meetings 3. Promoting accessible spay/neuter, as a root solution to overpopulation 4. Elevating the status of cats, celebrating the human-feline bond, and raising awareness of welfare issues 5. Capacity for Care - C4C 3

4 Capacity for Care (C4C) pilots Funding from the Summerlee Foundation 6 pilot shelters to implement C4C and gather data : Guelph Humane Society PEI Humane Society : Kitchener Waterloo Humane Society Montreal SPCA : Calgary Humane Society Edmonton Humane Society 4

5 Capacity for Care pilots First report: pilots Update with additional data from pilot shelters Final report to be published when data from all pilots received 5

6 What exactly is C4C? Variably defined/understanding Per CFHS: A management model that helps shelters better meet the needs of the animals in their facilities Per ASV Guidelines: Every sheltering organization has a maximum capacity for care, and the population in their care must not exceed that level. Factors that determine capacity for care include: The number of appropriate housing units Staffing for programs or services Staff training Average length of stay The total number of reclaims, adoptions, transfers, releases, or other outcomes 6

7 The Shift Changing the culture Within the shelter Leadership, staff, volunteers, patrons In the community Municipal leaders, concerned citizens, angry folks My journey 7

8 The Shift Student - A mentor mentioned I d have to think long and hard about taking a cat to a shelter Intern For a cat entering our shelter it was not a matter of IF they got sick but rather WHEN Resident What we re doing for cats does not actually seem to be helping 8

9 The Shift Outreach Veterinarian What does the cat want? Prevention Million Cat Challenge Seeing it work! 9

10 Critical Elements/Initiatives Optimizing the cat population in the shelter Right sizing Decreasing length of stay (LOS) Fast-tracking cats to the adoption floor Some LOS happening outside of shelter Identifying bottlenecks Removing barriers to adoptions Quality Housing Portalization of cages Group housing 18 ft 2 /cat 10

11 Process of the consult Collected data from previous 2 years Kick off conference call 3 day site visit with 2-3 veterinarians Recommendations Orally on site Written Remote follow-up Phone 11

12 C4C Calculator This calculator and instructions can be found at:

13 Portals! 13

14 Portals! 14

15 Portals! 15

16 Tracking C4C is unlikely to be successful if projected intake, LOS and adoption targets are not adhered to every month 16

Stay on track A month ago things slipped here. In the madness, we didn t do our numbers for the half way point so we didn t know when to stop taking in cats; we just kept accepting them.

17 Stay on track A month ago things slipped here. In the madness, we didn t do our numbers for the half way point so we didn t know when to stop taking in cats; we just kept accepting them. We got totally backed up with cats. They started getting sicker, more diarrhea and inappetance. The energy in the Shelter was of slight panic with a twinge of running around like a chicken with your head cut off.

Stay on track It felt like old times all over again, and it was not a good feeling. Honestly, looking back, how did we ever get by like that? And really we didn t.

18 Stay on track It felt like old times all over again, and it was not a good feeling. Honestly, looking back, how did we ever get by like that? And really we didn t. We worked day-to-day with no bigger picture to aim for. Every day was a crisis. Every day was stressful. Every day cats were being euthanized. Every day the staff left exhausted. Without a doubt, hands down, in my seven years here, Capacity for Care is the best program that has ever happened to the shelter.

19 Back on track!

20 Data! Shelter A May 2015 Before After Calculated Cats/housing units May /75 June July August September October November December January February March April / / / / / / / / / / /47 20

21 Allowing all animals to be who they are to help them find the best outcome What C4C really means

22 What the pilot shelters said: Overall Participating in the pilot of C4C has been so rewarding for the staff, volunteers and mostly the cats. GHS An 82% decrease in URI, 32% decrease in intake and $40,000 labour costs saving are huge and were realized that [first] summer. KWHS The biggest concern was reducing the capacity of the shelter in half. The immediate thought was that we would be forced to euthanize more cats during summer months because of lack of space. We were able to reduce our LOS, reduce our intake and reduce euthanasia, all at the same time. Montreal SPCA 22

23 Re. The impact on the cats: The cats are all very happy with the new program. They have more space to move around, and they can hide if they are shy or just not feeling up to being handled. GHS The cats seem physically and mentally happier, less stressed and healthier with the portalized kennels. PEIHS The portals work very well; cats are much more comfortable during their stay at the shelter. Montreal SPCA Cats are happier and healthier! Fewer cats in the shelter equals less stress, and there are many fewer upper respiratory infections. KWHS 23

24 Re. Organizational culture: Through managing intake and length of stay, the population is much better managed, which has made a tremendous difference in the health of the cats and, therefore, the feeling in the shelter. Even though similar numbers of animals are coming in and being adopted out, there are now empty cages at times. The staff feels comfortable that the right euthanasia decisions are being made. In addition, cats are not coming in healthy and then getting sick. Individual medical cases can be better managed. Overall, both the staff and volunteers have been very enthusiastic. The general feeling is that we are now working smarter. PEIHS 24

25 Re. The impact on staff: The internal response is also very positive. The staff time to clean cages has been reduced drastically, leaving staff with more time to spend socializing with the cats. GHS Internally, the staff have never been happier. They enjoy what they do because many of the stresses (such as overpopulation) no longer exist in the shelter. KWHS The internal response is very positive as employees and volunteers see that cats stay less time at the shelter because they get adopted. Employees see that the euthanasia rate for cats is lower and that cats look more comfortable in bigger cages. Montreal SPCA 25

26 Re. Speed of seeing results: The time and energy needed to implement these changes was an area of concern. Many of our goals were realized quickly with the ease of implementing the C4C program. This gave everyone confidence in the program and the desire to continue. We were surprised at how easily and quickly the program was up and running. PEIHS It s one of the best things we ve ever done here! It had the biggest impact we have seen in such a short time with the best results. We definitely didn t expect to see results as soon as we did. We expected to see some changes over a 2-year period, not within months. KWHS 26

Key lessons and recommendations: Make improvements at a manageable pace Ensure that everyone at the shelter is in the loop communication is the key to

27 Key lessons and recommendations: Make improvements at a manageable pace Ensure that everyone at the shelter is in the loop communication is the key to success Remove tight restrictions and shorten application requirements for adoption Have faith in the program: it has been proven to work at many shelters! 27

28 Key lessons and recommendations: Remember that when there are fewer cats on the adoption floor, the public is more apt to adopt them than if the shelter is crowded because the cats are displayed better, the public is not overwhelmed and each cat has better odds of being adopted. 28

29 You can do it too! It just goes to show that you never know what you are capable of doing until you have to do it. C4C has been a huge success for everyone involved at GHS. We highly recommend any shelter who is considering it to go ahead and jump right in. You won t regret it! GHS 29

You can do it too! Sign on to the Million Cat Challenge!! http://www.

30 You can do it too! Sign on to the Million Cat Challenge!! Visit the conference booth to learn more! 30

31 The Big Five Key Initiatives

32 Can Canada s Cats Count on you? Cats in Canada 2017 research is underway! 5-year evaluation of how situation has changed since implementing cat welfare programs Shelters, Municipalities, Vets, TNR groups, Rescues: Participate in the survey! We need your data! Get in touch: toolika@cfhs.ca 32

33 Thank you!! Our contacts: Toolika Rastogi, CFHS Cynthia Karsten, UC Davis 33

The Road to Capacity for Care (C4C): What it truly means to provide the best care & services for all animals (& people!) in your community

The Road to Capacity for Care (C4C): What it truly means to provide the best care & services for all animals (& people!) in your community Kathy Innocente Director of Operations Animal Welfare Agency South