Kate F. Hurley, DVM, MPVM Koret Shelter Medicine Program Director Center for Companion Animal Health University of California, Davis

Kate F. Hurley, DVM, MPVM Koret Shelter Medicine Program Director Center for Companion Animal Health University of California, Davis www.sheltermedicine.com www.facebook.com/sheltermedicine sheltermedicine@ucdavis.edu

Uh oh

Spay/neuter and educational efforts targeted at owners and pets will reduce shelter intake Animals admitted to the shelter have owners who might come looking for them Animals admitted to the shelter could be adopted if not reclaimed Extent of application to cats will vary by community

and it s a BIG but

Graphic picture ahead

California animal care and control shelters: 2000-2010: 2.5 million cats euthanized Ohio animal care and control shelters, 2004: 92,168 ~5,650/day in the U.S. Financial, human, opportunity cost?

Why?

Abide by all relevant laws Resolve citizen complaints and concerns Reunite lost pets with owners How does admitting healthy cats to shelters, in excess of the number released alive, serve these goals? Maintain health and welfare in shelter Find new homes for pets Euthanize suffering or dangerous animals Mitigate harm associated with free-roaming animals Reduce pet over-population

The warden and deputies shall patrol their respective counties and seize and impound on sight all dogs found running at large and all dogs more than three months of age found not wearing a valid registration tag. (http://codes.ohio.gov/orc /955.12 )

Abide by all relevant laws Resolve citizen complaints and concerns Reunite lost pets with owners Maintain health and welfare in shelter Find new homes for pets Euthanize suffering or dangerous animals Mitigate harm associated with free-roaming animals Reduce pet over-population

A 2007 national telephone survey asked: What would you do about un-owned cats in the street? 1

Only ~ 2% of cats reclaimed by owners nationally 12 Cats are > 13 x more likely to return home by non-shelter than by shelter means 13 66% of lost cats found because they return home. Only 7% found via call or visit to shelter.

Less disparity with dogs than for reclaim and euthanasia Adoption numbers increasing in many communities Flatter trend, increasing intake result in increasing euthanasia in many regions despite adoption efforts

Source of cats, American Pet Products Association, 2012

< 1% of > 100,000 cats at TNR clinics euthanized for humane reasons 8 < 10 % of cats entering shelters are sick/injured 15 Median body condition score ideal 17 Annual survival of semi-owned cats up to 90% (un-owned ~50%) 18 6.8 years in managed colony

Risk for some diseases is higher in ferals than pets, and vice versa Many conditions also carried by other species How could we protect public health if killing cats was not an option?

Studies show mixed effect of cats22,23, 24 Micro-habitat specific effect How could we protect wildlife if killing cats was not an option?

Most shelter intake is concern/complaint driven rather than targeted Capture, transport, holding, lethal injection and disposal is time consuming and costly Scope is insufficient to reduce overall population

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/05/06/4469067/suggestions-in-changing-wildlife.html

50% permanent removal or 75% sterilization required to reduce population 9,10 Less than 5% of outdoor cat population admitted to Ohio shelters annually << 1% in shelters on any given day Estimated 1 un-owned cat per 6 people 7 ; 1pet cat per 4.2 people (AVMA), 40% allowed out Lord, L. K., T. E. Wittum, et al. (2006). "Demographic trends for animal care and control agencies in Ohio from 1996 to 2004." J Am Vet Med Assoc 229(1): 48-54.

+ = Using a tool that s mismatched to the job is hurting cats, shelters, and communities, and distracting us from finding real solutions

Expand the options for live release via TNR Limit intake to only those cats that can be released alive, or for whom death is clearly the best alternative Invest resources not spent on killing cats on programs to benefit cats, wildlife and communities

Targets healthy cats brought in to shelter by citizens Neuter/vaccinate/return to location found Direct impact on shelter population and euthanasia Shelter or partnership operated http://www.bestfriends.org/uploadedfiles/content/resources/resources_for_rescuers %281%29/Community_Cats/FeralFreedomGuide.pdf

Percent of Intake Impact on Feline Live Release Rate 100 LRR (%) w/ff LRR (%) w/o LRR FF (%) w/o FF 80 60 40 20 0 JUL 07 JAN 08 JUL 08 JAN 09 JUL 09 JAN 10 JUL 10

City shelter does intake, s/n, vaccination, chip, tip and recovery during hold period Non-profit rescue group takes cats from shelter and releases cats to area found No releases to environmentally protected areas Non-profit manages educational material, website, and phone line for questions/concerns www.catcenter.org

Sometimes we just have to laugh because it almost seems impossible that one program can impact the numbers so significantly. This was one of those areas of the operation that we didn t even know would improve until after we started the program and realized what a positive impact it was having on the incidence of URI and our capacity to handle URI.

What if TNR for every cat is not an option?

TNR-town Just-deal-ville Shelter intake and euthanasia Find-the-ownerland Humanedeterrent-burg

Close night drop boxes Discontinue healthy field pickups Schedule stray and owner surrendered intake Limit/decline intake of healthy unadoptable cats Develop and use intake evaluation tool Feel free to have a slow track Fee for stray and surrender especially if other options limited Night drop closed April 2008

May be a good choice when: The outcome if admitted will be euthanasia of that cat or another Shelter capacity (including for TNR) Cat characteristics The cat is not suffering, at immediate risk, or causing danger in the community

Feline euthanasia Sept-October 2011: 337 Feline euthanasia Sept-October 2012: 31

After the cataclysm, out of the mounds of heaped-up earth, the piles and wrecks of half-buried cities, the desolated fields of grain, and the tortured orchards, the cat will stalk, confident, selfreliant, capable, imperturbable, and philosophical. He will bridge the gap until man appears again and then he will sit on new hearths and again will teach his mighty lesson to ears and eyes that again are dumb and blind. The Tiger in the House, Carl Van Vechten

Julie Levy Director, Maddie s Shelter Medicine Program University of Florida Jon Cicirelli Director, Animal Care and Services City of San Jose Kathie Johnson Director of Animal Services Animal Humane Society Minneapolis, MN Barbara Carr Director, Erie SPCA Buffalo, NY

Any questions? News of success or fiascoes? Email me at kfhurley@ucdavis.edu

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