INS AND OUTS OF SHELTER ADMISSION WHOLE CAT WORKSHOP MARCH 2016 PRESENTED BY STACEY PRICE

INS AND OUTS OF SHELTER ADMISSION WHOLE CAT WORKSHOP MARCH 2016 PRESENTED BY STACEY PRICE

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Overview Shelter Types What Factors Contribute To Admission Decisions How Are They Determined How Do These Factors Contribute To Saving More Lives, Organization Success and Creating An Animal Friendly Community Ways To Evaluate Your Admission

ANIMAL SHELTERS Municipal Shelter Open Admission or Traditional Shelters Limited Admission

No Kill Definition Misconception No Kill Origin Term Impact On Public Perception Effects On Admission

Common Ground Maximize Your Life Saving Capacity No One Ever Wants To Say No No One Ever Wants To Euthanize

Sample Community Shelters Limited Admission Shelter 1 Open Admission Limited Admission Shelter 2 Accepts: Friendly, Vetted, No major medical issues, Only handful over age 9+ Admit Everyone Accepts: Friendly, Unvetted, FIV+, minor medical Issues

Sample Community Shelters Limited Admission Shelter 1 Open Admission Limited Admission Shelter 2 Accepts: Friendly, Vetted, No major medical issues, Only handful over age 9+ Admit Everyone Accepts: All healthy, Unvetted, FIV+, Minor medical Issues Denies: Timid, Unvetted, Strays, Major medical issues, FIV+ and Seniors Denies: Cats with Behavior Issus, Major Medical and a large amount of seniors

Are you ill? What medical issues do you have? Do we have the resources? Do We Have Space? What kind of space and where is it? Who is on the waitlist? Is this an emergency? Are there alternatives to shelter placement? Do you have any behavior challenges? Do we have a program or people to support your needs? Estimated length of stay?

INTERNAL FACTORS ORGANIZATIONAL Mission & Values Policy Strategy OPERATIONAL VARIABLES Financial Personnel Capacity for Care Length of Stay Programs ADMISSION Space Admission Profile Alternatives

ADMISSION LEVEL SPACE Quarantine Area, Hold Times & Holding Kennels, Waitlists or Managed Admission, Adoptions, Illness & Recovery, Fast Track, Medical Appts., Community Cat Rooms PRIORITY - Trapped Cats, Contract Obligations, Returns, Emergencies, Abuse, Unexpected Drop Offs CAT ATTRIBUTES Social or timid, bonded pairs, cat friendly, stray or owned, age, indoor/outdoor, FIV+ or ALTERNATIVES TO ADMISSION

OPERATIONAL VARIABLES PROGRAMS Foster Program, Kitten Nursery, Behavior Training & Enrichment, Animal Hospice, Humane Education SHELTER DESIGN - Community Cat Rooms, Condos, Kennels, Holding Area, Isolation EXPERTISE Vets, Vet Tech, Trainers POPULATION MANAGEMENT CAPACITY FOR CARE # of Cats Adequately Cared For With Current Staffing Levels LENGTH OF STAY Level of Adoptability & Impact on Shelter Space or How Many Additional Lives Saved PHYSICAL HOLDING CAPACITY Designated Areas and The Number of Cats It Can Hold POPULATION BALANCE Dependent Upon Mission FINANCIAL Average Cost Pet Cat, Budgets, Special Needs Funding, What Decisions Allow for The Highest Life Saving Impact of $ s

ORGANIZATIONAL MISSION & VALUES Why Do You Exist? POLICY Written & Transparent Admissions Policies Defining: Priority Adoptability Scales or Euthanasia Criteria Determining Population Balance* STRATEGY The Programs That Are Going To Get You There

Seasons Laws EXTERNAL FACTORS Standards of Care

Cat Profile: In May, 9 yr. old lap cat, owner surrender in need of major dental Shelter 1 Has 35% of their population already filled with senior cats They have a special needs dental fund Shelter 2 Does not have vet on staff Shelter guideline to admit between 3 6 senior cats at a given time currently full

When Admission Policies Fail When The Animal or Person Is Left Without An Alternative Admission Guideline Doesn t Exist Created Arbitrarily Not Followed or Too Rigid No Gray Area Not Reviewed For Relevance

NEXT STEPS Analyze Admission Policies In Respect To Operations & Mission Are They A Reflection of One Another? Identify Who Is Not Being Helped & Why Explore Best Practices Can You Utilize Your Resources Differently or Collaborate To Save More Lives Implement & Continue To Evolve

FINAL POINTS Community Approach To A Community Problem Many Factors Contribute To Admission Decisions When You Say No or Need To Euthanize (aside from unhealthy/untreatable) There Is A Need To Be Addressed

Questions??? Contact Information Stacey Price Animal Welfare and Development Professional Email: staceyrprice@hotmail.com Phone: 617.767.1350