Calculating Your Humane Capacity

Calculating Your Humane Capacity Cynthia Karsten, DVM Koret Shelter Medicine Program Center for Companion Animal Health University of California, Davis www.sheltermedicine.com www.facebook.com/sheltermedicine

C4C = Capacity for Care Need to consider: Housing Staffing Pathways Procedures or activities (usually involves staffing) Live outcomes

What you need AND what you have Requirements and ability to provide care MUST be balanced

How are you doing?

Your shelter?

Your shelter!

Confession

Really good goals Get lost animals back home Find great new homes for homeless animals Protect free-roaming cats from harm Mitigate people, pets and wildlife from harm caused by free-roaming cats Reduce animal over-population

Do we realize these goals through unchecked admission of healthy animals to shelters, in excess of the number released alive?

The limits of our superpowers

The limits of our superpowers 13

What can we really control? Which animals come through our shelters doors, and the outcomes for these animals The conditions in our shelters The messages that we share with the public Where we focus our limited resources 14

Capacity for Care Match the number of animals cared for at any one time with the capacity required to assure the Five Freedoms of animal welfare for all animals in the shelter

#1 - Freedom from hunger and thirst Overall average of food intake and stress score (n=55) Consistent high quality food 5 4 Cage setup that prevents spilling or contamination of food and water 3 2 1 0 day1 day2 day3 day4 day5 day6 day7 food intake stress score At least 3 feet (90 cm) of separation between food and litter Calm, quiet feeding time Adequate monitoring daily and long term Freedom from chronic stress or illness 37/58 cats lost average 6% body weight in first 7 days

Problem

Partial fixes https://theanimalrescuesite.greaterg ood.com/store/ars/item/37626/hideperch-and-go-habitats-for-sheltercats http://www.crijopets.com/kittycribs.html

Real solution

Problem

Solution

Problem

Time for daily monitoring

Solution This monitoring sheet is available at http://www.sheltermedicine.com/docu ments/daily-monitoring-sheet-withbehavior-check Other monitoring sheets available: Dogs: http://www.sheltermedicine.com/node /305 http://www.sheltermedicine.com/node /306 Cats: http://www.sheltermedicine.com/node /304 http://www.sheltermedicine.com/node /307

#2 - Freedom from discomfort 8 cm (3 inch) thick soft surface Cool hard surface Sufficient to stretch out 15 by 36 clear space Comfortable ambient temperature (60-80 F) Clean, sufficiently large litter box Ability to urinate/defecate away from food and bed Dry, clean cage most of the time

28 in 15 in 28 in 12 in

UC Davis Housing Research Municipal shelter Cage Size Project Health adult cats Strays or surrender Handleable Randomly assigned Small 103 Large 91

Small Cage 2 x 2 cage Hiding Box Small litter box Food dish Water dish

Large Cage 4 Double Compartment Two shelves Two pass through portals Hiding Box Small litter box Food dish Water dish

Data Collected Behavioral stress score Daily Appetite Daily Weight Weekly Uri Incidence Outcome

Stress Score Stress Score by Day & Outcome ½ the number of housing units + ½ the LOS = same number of animals helped Day in shelter

Portals! http://www.sheltermedicine.com/node/68 www.tinyurl.com/portalproject

Coming soon!!!

UC Davis Housing Research Dog Elimination Study 100% Urination/defecation and location Side with bed, food and water Other side Defecation probability opposite bed side 72.5% (95% CI 69.05-75.69%) Urination probability opposite bed side 77.3% (95% CI 74.33-80.07%) 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Feces on bed side Feces opposite bed side Urine on bed side Urine opposite bed side http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3adoi%2f10.1371%2fjournal.pone.00 96254

Evidence

More Evidence

#3 - Freedom from fear and distress Hiding place/visual protection No dog sight or sound Limited noise in general Protection from hostile interactions Limited environmental change Stable caretakers

Problem

Solution

Solutions Hiding/place to retreat Elevated bed with towel Hide, Perch and Go Feral cat den or carrier

Quick partial fix for small cages http://www.sheltermedicine.com/cage_covers

Another solution?

Sufficient space in group housing At least 18.3 square feet (1.7 square meters) floor space per cat Vertical space does not count But it s good! Outdoor space can count in clement weather Small enough groups for some stability/ complete turnover Single housing option for non-cat-social cats

How many cats? http://www.sheltermedicine.com/documents/handy-dandy-group-housingcalculator-for-cats

Dog Solutions Hiding/place to retreat Carrier High sided bed Cover part of kennel front

#4 - Freedom from pain, injury and disease Vaccination on intake starting at 4-6 weeks, and every 2 weeks to 20 weeks Treatment for external and internal parasites Intake screening and daily health monitoring Effective, safe cleaning and disinfection Reasonable protection from disease exposure Periodic complete turnover of group rooms, if used Isolation and appropriate, effective treatment for sick animals Freedom from stress sufficient to maintain health

Problem Animal ID Age Intake date Date of: FVRCP #1 Clinical Signs (Y/N) Parvo test date Parvo test + (y/n) A030632 1 yr 9/2/2010 9/10/2010 Yes N/A A030633 4 wks 9/2/2010 9/9/2010 Yes N/A A030728 2 yrs 9/16/2010 9/19/2010 Yes 9/24/2010 Pos A030377 4 wks 07/22/10 08/01/10 Yes N/A A030375 4 wks 07/22/10 08/01/10 Yes N/A A030681 3 mo 09/11/10 09/12/10 Yes N/A A030682 3 mo 09/11/10 09/12/10 Yes N/A A030772 8 wks 09/21/10 09/22/10 No N/A A030774 8 wks 09/21/10 09/22/10 No N/A A030730 4 mo 09/16/10 09/19/10 Yes 9/24/2010 Pos A030731 4 mo 09/16/10 09/19/10 Yes 9/24/2010 Pos A030587 4 wks 08/26/10 09/10/10 Yes N/A A030588 4 wks 08/26/10 09/10/10 Yes N/A A030589 4 wks 08/26/10 09/10/10 Yes N/A

Vicious Cycle

Solution?

Solution Drum roll please Greater than 9 square feet of floor space but not 6-8 compared to < 6 Limited movement in first 7 days All large cages were compartmentalized

Solution! I am starting to sense a theme

#5 - Freedom to express normal behavior Snooze Hide Stretch Walk Run Jump Pounce Rub Climb Lounge up high Lurk down low Scratch Play Explore Look out windows Go outside Seek and avoid visual contact with animals and people Seek and avoid physical contact with animals and people Plot world domination Make choices all day long

Freedom to Express Normal Behavior

Available solutions?

More solutions

Partial solution http://www.sheltermedicine.com/node/389#time

One more freedom? The 5 Freedoms plus 1

Population Planning Room Cat Count Room A 38 Room B 46 Room C 48 Room D 55 Room F 48 Adoption Hall 21 Adoption Hall 2 32 Recovery 50 Room G 54 Iso 1 18 Iso 2 18 Iso 3 6 Total 422

Estimated care days costs Daily Population Monthly care days 422 422 * 30 = 12,660 Care day cost Monthly care day costs $10 $126,600

What kind of capacity do you need? Holding capacity: how many animals you can care for at once Flow capacity: how many animals you can care for over time

Algebra! Capacity = Intake x length of stay (LOS) 1. Increase physical and/or staff capacity 2. Decrease intake 3. Decrease LOS Income = (appropriate outcomes * C4C) Expenses = (intake* length of stay)

Effect of LOS

A Tale of Two Shelters We get to stay a month each! We only get to stay two weeks Intake: 1200 (100/month) Live release rate: 80% Intake: 1200 (100/month) Live release rate: 80%

LOS effect on LOS LOS is single greatest risk factor for disease LOS increases risk for chronic stress Every day of LOS increases costs Decreasing LOS reduces disease risk, lowers stress for animals and staff and reduces cost Less disease, less stress and more money can be used to further decrease LOS

Housing, stress and LOS Adequately sized, double compartment housing reduces stress and encourages friendly, active behavior Adopters respond to friendly, active behavior Reduced stress and friendly, active behavior reduces LOS

Housing, staff time and LOS Adequately sized, double compartment housing takes less time to clean and helps reduce disease spread Staff that spend less time cleaning and more time interacting with adopters can help reduce LOS

Can you do it? Without fooling around with numbers at all: If current length of stay in the shelter from intake to adoption is ~21 days or more, you can almost certainly double space per cat and drop population o Decreased LOS will be self sustaining If current LOS < 21 days, then let s get out the calculators

Ideal LOS pre-adoption/other outcome Legal hold Short as possible to live outcome for unidentified cats IDEAL PRE-ADOPTION LOS Time for evaluation Don t wait for friendly and healthy to get friendlier and healthier Needed services Are you sure? Max vaccine wait 3 days Time for transfer/transport USUALLY < 7 days

Ideal LOS to adoption This is not a time limit!!!! Usually < 7-10 days Long end if not visible during pre-adoption hold or for very small shelters Cats that move faster make time and space for cats that move slower

Let s try it!

Let s try it! E.g. 60 cats admitted on average in June MDA intake =? MDA intake = 60/30 = 2 Pre-adoption LOS: 7-10 Pre-adoption C4C =? Pre-adoption C4C = MDA intake * LOS Pre-adoption C4C = 2 * 7 = 14, 2*10 = 20 Pre-adoption C4C = 14-20

Let s try it! E.g. 45 cats adopted on average in June MDA =? MDA = 45/30 = 1.5 Adoption LOS: 7-10 Adoption C4C =? Adoption C4C = MDA adoptions * LOS Adoption C4C = 1.5 * 7 = 10.5, 1.5 * 10 = 15 Adoption C4C = 11-15

The Capacity 4 Care Pathway Calculator Month: Oct-14 UC DAVIS KSMP BASIC MONTHLY CAPACITY FOR CARE CALCULATOR Shelter name: Cindy's House of Well Behaved Cats Intake Adults Kittens MDA adults MDA kittens Capacity recommendations based on expected parameters 2 years ago 40 25 1.3 0.8 Last year 31 18 1.0 0.6 Pre-adoption/hold Adults Kittens Total cats Adult housing Kitten housing Total housing Average 36 22 1.2 0.7 On-site adoption track holding 8 2 10 8 1 9 Expected 55 20 1.8 0.7 Other outcome holding 5 1 5 5 0 5 Total pre-adoption holding C4C 13 3 16 13 1 14 On-site adoptions Adults Kittens MDA adults MDA kittens Actual pre-adoption inventory 15 20 35 15 7 22 2 years ago 30 18 1.0 0.6 Over or under? 2 17 19 2 5 8 Last year 24 16 0.8 0.5 Average 27 17 0.9 0.6 Adoption on site C4C 11 3 15 11 2 13 Expected 25 20 0.8 0.7 Actual on site adoption inventory 40 20 60 40 10 50 Over or under? 29 17 45 29 8 37 Total outcomes (including foster care) Adults Kittens 2 years ago 42 30 Total moving towards outcome C4C 24 7 31 24 3 27 Last year 36 25 Total moving towards outcome invento 55 40 95 55 17 72 Average 39 28 Over or under? 31 33 64 31 14 45 Expected 39 28 Time needed for daily care Parameters Adults Kittens If at C4C LOS in pre-adoption/hold 7 5 Actual LOS in adoption 14 5 #/housing unit pre-adoption 1 3 # /housing unit adoption Assume 1 2 Minutes of time for daily care per cat 15 10 On-site adoption rate 64% 71% Hours needed 7.1 20.4 http://www.sheltermedicine.com /documents/capacity-for-carepathway-calculator or type capacity into search box

Counting cats Live Intake Last year and 2 years ago to get average By cat vs. kitten if you have it Err on the side of categorizing cats as adults if you re not sure Think about trends Intake Adults Kittens 2 years ago 40 25 Last year 31 18 Average 36 22 Expected 35 20 PetPoint Report oanimal: Intake Age/Species Crosstab orun once for each year

Counting cats On-site adoption Last year and 2 years ago to get average By cat vs. kitten if you have it Think about trends PetPoint Report Animal: Outcome Age/Species Crosstab Parameters Y1: Outcome Subtype Required Outcome types reflect onsite vs. offsite adoptions On-site adoptions Adults Kittens 2 years ago 30 18 Last year 24 16 Average 27 17 Expected 25 20

Counting cats Total outcomes (including foster) Last year and 2 years ago to get average By cat vs. kitten if you have it PetPoint Report Animal: Outcome Age/Species Crosstab Parameters Y1: Outcome subtype Total outcomes (including foster care) Adults Kittens 2 years ago 42 30 Last year 36 25 Average 39 28 Expected 39 28

Parameters Parameters Adults Kittens LOS in pre-adoption/hold 7 5 LOS in adoption 14 5 #/housing unit pre-adoption 1 3 # /housing unit adoption Assume 1 2 Minutes of time for daily care per cat 15 10 On-site adoption rate 64% 71%

Inventory = how many cats in the shelter today? How many cats in the shelter today? Cats vs kittens PetPoint Report Animal: Animal Inventory Species: Cat Group by: Stage Pre-adoption/hold Adults Kittens Total cats On-site adoption track holding 8 2 10 Other outcome holding 5 1 5 Total pre-adoption holding C4C 13 3 16 Actual pre-adoption inventory 15 20 35 Over or under? 2 17 19 Adoption on site C4C 11 3 15 Actual on site adoption inventory 40 20 60 Over or under? 29 17 45

How s it looking? Capacity recommendations based on expected parameters Pre-adoption/hold Adults Kittens Total cats Adult housing Kitten housing Total housing On-site adoption track holding 8 2 10 8 1 9 Other outcome holding 5 1 5 5 0 5 Total pre-adoption holding C4C 13 3 16 13 1 14 Actual pre-adoption inventory 15 20 35 15 7 22 Over or under? 2 17 19 2 5 8 Adoption on site C4C 11 3 15 11 2 13 Actual on site adoption inventory 40 20 60 40 10 50 Over or under? 29 17 45 29 8 37 Total moving towards outcome C4C 24 7 31 24 3 27 Total moving towards outcome invento 55 40 95 55 17 72 Over or under? 31 33 64 31 14 45

Flow and prevalence Adoption LOS fast track/slow track (adults) Fast/slow track Percent LOS average Fast track 75% 3 2 Slow track 25% 20 5 Overall 7 Daily population predictor based on fast track/slow track LOS Fast track Slow track 31% 69% Even if slow track cats are only a minority of the population moving through, they will tend to be the majority of the cats in the shelter

Get animals on the right path Start at intake Match with housing Adoption, transfer, return to field (SNR), euthanasia when appropriate Don t load the train with more than can get off on the next stop Schedule intake by pathway Provide alternatives in the meantime

If <100% live release Example - Every Monday 100 cats in the shelter Over the course of the week 75 cats are adopted Need thoughtful process for other 25 TNR/SNR Transfer Admit 25 few cats Euthanasia OR cats will continue to stack up 25+25+25 This is not going to end well

Feedback Here are our stats for July, and as you know we did hold an adoption event for our male cats and male kittens, which is going well and we have found if folks don t see the male cat or kitten they want to adopt they are adopting another one We have reduced the fee on some of our other cats as well. We realized our mistake in this, as we need to check our stats half way in the month and if we find we are getting close to our projected intake then we can discuss what we need to do, ie: stop taking owner surrenders for a week or longer.

Getting on track Define your goal and track progress Wait for slow season One big push Or a few smaller pushes Fast track/open selection Schedule intake/wait list Serve more over time! Reconfigure housing to support C4C as space opens up

Engage the community: explain what and why http://catadoptionteam.org/news-events/stories/cat-adoption-teamreduces-adoption-fees-to-empty-the-shelter-for-constructi/435/

Fast track/slow track to reduce population

Fast track/slow track Prioritize movement of highly adoptable E.g. juveniles, super friendly, special look (or use scoring system) Skip to the head of the line to move up to adoption and/or Keep fast trackers in view during stray hold Prioritize promotion and enrichment for slow trackers Cat care day total in 2009: 43,004 Cat care day total in 2010: 32,459 Admitted 179 more cats, adopted 182 more http://home.arlboston.org/ 94

Win, win, win, win! It is working so well I am completely blown away. The response from the public with regard to the lack of crowding has been very positive, and our volunteer retention for cat volunteers has improved with the improved housing conditions for the cats. It is a win, win, win, win program - I wish we would have started years ago! ASPCA PRO: Fast Tracking to Save Lives http://www.aspcapro.org/node/78849 95

Warning: Adoption promotion still needed Promote adoption early, often and by a variety of means Do not wait for crowding! Population special efforts Historic patterns Special occasions Individual special efforts Characteristics/slow track score rather than time

Adoption Promotions A new, proactive approach to the monthly cat promotions will target cats with low FT scores needing the most promotional support. to help get them adopted BEFORE they become long term cats.

Scheduled intake: controlling the front end Short term to get to C4C or ongoing Allows thoughtful balancing act Needs of cats in the shelter Needs of cats outside the shelter Allows opportunity for alternatives to be found By the shelter By the community members Limited intake http://www.maddiesfund.org/documents/institute/cats%20by%20appointme nt%20only%20waitlist%20guide.pdf

Resources for owners while waiting Spay/neuter Medical Behavioral Cost/other issues Resources for rehoming Help with posting and personality profiles Readiness for intake Spay/neuter/vax http://www.animalhumanesociety.org/ 139

Not just for owner surrenders www.yourspca.org

Resources for finders/worriers while waiting Scan for microchip Lost and found listing and fliers Resources for keeping Spay/neuter/vax Resources for coexisting TNR and nuisance control Resources for rehoming Spay/neuter/vax Help with posting and personality profiles Readiness for intake Spay/neuter/vax 141

Which would you choose?

Scheduling In PetPoint

Take Credit! Communicate to staff & stakeholders Still helping animals, just in a different way Still using resources Do NOT want the budget cut

Track in PetPoint

Matching housing with C4C Fine housing but too many cats: Drop the number of cats in each group room Open existing portals Repurpose extra for special needs animals Plenty of too-small housing: Portalize side-to-side in holding areas, up-and-down ideal in adoption Closable doors for maximum flexibility/no risk www.tinyurl.com/portalpr oject

Matching housing with C4C Not enough slow track housing? Break large group rooms into smaller groups 3-5 cats ideal Periodically adopt down to zero Create some large single units, e.g. repurposed dog runs Use a good disinfectant and feel free to use coated wire, wood, other cost effective, lightweight material

Staff has capacity too Our veterinarian is working on our Cat Fast Tracking Plan. She gave the management team a reading assignment: A Matter of Measurement Defining capacity and detecting crowding We have 36 available cages for stray hold, and most months, we need 48. We have 36 hours of care time needed and staffing for just 28 hours a day. A real Aha moment for us for what our staffing and space needs are. http://www.sheltermedicine.com/calculating_shelter_capacity

What counts as Staff time? People available to do the task With the appropriate training, skill, and supervision Staff Volunteers Inmate programs Community service hours

Staffing Intake Basic care Behavioral evaluation Euthanasia Medications and treatments

Staffing Basic calculation How long x how many times = Time required

Staffing Basic calculation (in reverse) Time available / How long = How many times it CAN get done OR Time available / How many times = How long it CAN take

Capacity for Basic / Minimal Care Staffing Guidelines NACA and HSUS = 15 min. / animal / day 6 min. for feeding 9 min. for cleaning On site observations / timing Based on adequate procedures Capacity for Minimum Care example: 40 animals x 15 minutes = 600 minutes = 10 hours of staff time o Three staff members o 3 ½ hours to get the job done o Done by 12:30 pm (if you start at 9 am)

300 Staffing for care relative to inventory 50.0 45.0 250 40.0 200 35.0 30.0 Non-Foster Inventory (left axis) 150 100 25.0 20.0 15.0 Min. Recommended Care Staff Hours (right axis) Current Minutes of Care per Cat Curent Staff Hours for Cat Care 50 10.0 5.0 0 0.0

Staffing Number of animals Basic care Staffing minutes Total staff hours 422 15 6,330 105.5 26 101 15 2,250 25.25 9 Staff members Total staff hours Hourly Daily costs Monthly 105.5 $8.50 $897 $27,807 25.25 $8.50 $227 $6,817

Staffing Time needed for daily care If at C4C Actual Hours needed 7.1 20.4

Spay / Neuter How many need to be done? Based on Adoptions / LR and % unaltered When? Timing during week How long does it take? Include ALL staff Include ALL parts Prep / collecting animals Surgery Clean-up Scheduling? Returning animals?

Simple Summary Required Time x Avg. Daily Number = Holding Capacity Avg. Daily LR Numbers * Target LOS = LR Capacity Required time x # of repetitions = Staffing requirements

Feedback Afternoon Ladies - This month (August) I did our projected intake and adoptions right now our adoptions are higher than we projected, BUT, when I did our intakes for the month we had projected 66 adult cats and 64 kittens to come into the Shelter, BUT this was based on our last 2 years of intakes. Right now we have taken in 24 adults and 34 kittens and we are FULL, so I was saying to myself (yep you already know I talk to myself ) why is that? Then I realized in the last 2 years when we were really full, we would have cat carriers on the floor, wire cages and cats and or kittens in really small cages and in offices.

C4C at BC SPCA Calculated C4C target ( Adoption Driven Capacity ) Put healthy strays straight into adoption Eased response to sneezing cats o No more one sneeze rule Waiting list for owner surrenders and strays o Not without exception Portalized or opened portals, dropped group room population to recommended levels http://cfhs.ca/athome/cat_overpopulation_crisis/ page 47

Vancouver pilot project results 2012 vs 2011: #cats 2012/2111=803/880 Decrease of 9% Average total length of stay in shelter decreased from 40 days to 22 days Average # cats in isolation ward decreased from 12 to 1

Engage public and staff Cats in Canada report: http://cfhs.ca/athome/cat_overpopulation_crisis/ (page 47)

The power of less is more Fewer, better quality housing units means fewer choices presented more attractively 10 fold increase in purchase % with 6 choices compared to 24 (Iyengar and Lepper 2000)

This is full

Putting it all together Staying within C4C Less illness and more, quicker adoptions Shorter length of stay, reduced costs More resources to build community capacity Fewer animals needing shelter in the first place Repeat as necessary Repeat as necessary

Thank you for all of your hard work every single day! clkarsten@ucdavis.edu