This lecture was presented by Dr. Kate F. Hurley at the Midwest Veterinarian Conference in February, 2016. The Million Cat Challenge is a five year, shelter-based campaign to save one million cats from euthanasia by standardizing five initiatives in North American shelters. This presentation is focused on Capacity for Care, the heartbeat of the Million Cat Challenge. This presentation assumes some familiarity with the topic. If you'd like to learn more about Capacity for Care, the slide deck titled The Million Cat Challenge will provide a nice overview of the Challenge and the five initiatives.

1. The Million Cat
Challenge:
Diving deeper with
Capacity for Care

2. Capacity for Care (C4C)
“Match the number of cats
cared for at any one time with
the capacity required to
assure the Five Freedoms of
Animal Welfare for every cat.”

3. Problem
3
Minimal disease
control…treatment is
poor….employees do
not scan animals for
microchips…

4. Still a problem almost 10 years
later
4

5. Solution?

6. Reality check
6
0.0
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10.0
15.0
20.0
25.0
30.0
35.0
40.0
45.0
50.0
0
50
100
150
200
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300
Staffing for care relative to inventory
Non-Foster Inventory (left axis)
Min. Recommended Care Staff Hours
(right axis)
Current Minutes of Care per Cat
Curent Staff Hours for Cat Care
Actual staffing
level: 2.5
minutes per
cat
Recommended
staffing level
for number of
cats

7. Solution
I may not be a good photographer,
but this is what a panorama shot of
empty cat cages looks like! We have
3 cats in our adoption building. Fast
track, transfers, and adoptions make
the world go round!

8. No win situation

9. Working within the limits of our
superpowers
• Thoughtfully admit cats that
truly need shelter
• Manage length of stay to
maintain capacity at a level
staff can reasonably handle
• Use the resources saved to
better protect/mitigate the
vast majority of cats that
will always remain in the
community
• Better serve cats,
stakeholders and staff
9

10. Theory into practice
I am a dedicated advocate for C4C. I have noted a significant
increase in LRR (last year 86%) and we have not seen URI at
the shelter for a couple of years. With the reduced LOS, less
illness and reduced euthanasia cost we are now able to
help cats we previously would not have had the budget for.
We have also been able to turn our resources towards the
local feral population and have begun a TNR project that
has received overwhelmingly positive public support.

11. Capacity for Care basics
• Matching the number of
cats in the system with:
– The number of good
quality housing spaces
– The amount of staff time
available
– The perfect number to
move each cat to the right
outcome as fast as
possible
11

12. Opposite of a vicious cycle
• Keep cats healthy and
reduce stress to minimize
length of stay
• Identify and stay within
your optimal number to
maximize adoptions and
staff time for care
• Present cats well so they
fly out the door
• Good housing is the
foundation

13. Good housing basics
Double compartment with at
least ~ 9 ft2 of floor space or
at least 18 ft2 of floor space in
group housing
http://www.sheltermedicine.com/library/handy-dandy-group-housing-
calculator-for-cats

14. Housing, health and LOS
• Adequately sized,
double compartment
housing for newly
admitted cats reduces
risk of URI
• Reducing URI reduces
Length of Stay (LOS)

15. The biggest surprise with C4C was going
from isolation being full all the time…

16. To Isolation looking like this –
ALL THE TIME
Kim Monteith, BC SPCA, Vancouver, BC

17. Housing, stress and LOS
• Adequately sized,
double compartment or
group housing reduces
stress and encourages
friendly, active behavior
• Adopters respond to
friendly, active behavior
• Reduced stress and
friendly, active behavior
reduce LOS

18. “Everyone is less
stressed…euthanasia is down
40%...we can now take in
more surrenders and strays”
BC SPCA, Quesnel Branch, BC, Canada

19. 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 will reduce
LOS

20. “Adoptions are up,
sickness is down, staff
have more time.”
BC SPCA, East Kootenay Branch, BC, Canada

21. Number of animals housed and
LOS
 More individuals waiting does not change the rate of outcome
 For a given rate of outcomes, length of time waiting is determined by the
number of individuals waiting
 Self sustaining at any level
 Fewer, better quality housing units means fewer individuals waiting
Decreasing the # in line at any one
time is the most powerful way to
decrease the length of time in the
line

22. “Euthanasia down by
15%...length of stay
decreased by an
amazing 63%”
BC SPCA, Kelowna Branch, BC, Canada

23. What’s your magic number?
• Determine your optimal
average LOS pre-adoption
and in adoption
• Obtain for last 2 years:
– Monthly intake
– Monthly on-site adoptions
– Cats versus kittens
• Multiply daily average for
the month by target LOS
• Create a monthly plan

24. More details
http://www.millioncatchallenge.org/resources/capacity-for-
care/adoption-driven-capacity

25. Yet more details
http://www.animalsheltering.org/resources/magazine/, May/June issue
Info@millioncatchallenge.
org for more help

26. Impatient with math?
• Average LOS to adoption
> 14 days? You can almost
certainly do this!
• Invest in good housing
and see how far you can
get
– Create a safety net as
needed
– Managed admission
– Foster care for healthy
adults
– Doors that can close
26

27. Dear Million Cat Challenge...
If you have a lot of cats in
the shelter, how do you
bring the numbers down
to get started without
euthanasia?

28. Getting started
• One or more of:
 Hold an adoption special
 Limit intake short term
 Fast track/slow track to C4C
 Wait until winter
• Self sustaining at new
level
• Serve and save more
over time
• Repeat on smaller scale
if you get out of whack

29. Pick your timing
• “We are always low on
cats this time of year and
do not have kittens on
site. So, for us, we did not
really have to do much to
reduce population except
limit intake and move cats
to other locations. I only
stopped intake on two
days to make this happen
(12 cats total).”
Kristi Brooks, Cat Adoption Team, Portland, OR

30. Ask for help
http://catadoptionteam.org/news-events/stories/cat-adoption-team-reduces-
adoption-fees-to-empty-the-shelter-for-constructi/435/

31. Fast track your way to C4C
 Fast track score assigned
based on pre-determined
criteria
 When 1 cat adopted, left
condo open
 When another cat
adopted, opened portal
between two condos and
moved up fastest track
cat by score
 When all fast track cats
moved up, moved up
slow track cats
Placer SPCA, Roseville, CA

32. Results
• All cats moved up
within a month with all
portals open
• Adoption ↑ from 66%
to 71%
• LOS ↓ by ~ 25%
• Cats on meds ↓ 40%
• 49 fewer cats in the
shelter daily
WOW!!!

33. More details
33http://www.aspcapro.org/webinar/2013-10-08/fast-tracking-save-lives

34. “Take that leap of faith and
START. ”
THEN you can evolve and make it your own.
Monica Wylie, Humane Society for Tacoma-Pierce County

35. Dear Million Cat Challenge...
I still don't see how we can
keep fewer cats on hand
but still save more cats... it
seems like magical
thinking. How does it
work?

36. The math behind the magic
• Most adopters want a
friendly, healthy-looking cat
• Good housing keeps fewer
cats at a time, friendlier and
healthier
• With fewer, healthier,
friendlier cats to choose
from, each cat has a better
chance of getting chosen, so
they leave faster to make
room for the next one
• Super bonus: volunteers
love happy healthy cats!
36

37. It worked and our cats are so happy!
We all wanted it to work, but we didn’t
know how it was all going to happen.
We have fewer cats on-site, more
adoptions, and our cats are so much
happier.
Kristi Brooks, Cat Adoption Team, Portland, OR
Surprise

38. From: SAWAnetwork@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, January 21, 2015 3:34 PM
To: SAWAnetwork@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [SAWAnetwork] Anyone want to send us cats or kittens?
Hi everyone,
No, this is not a cruel joke. It is the real deal.
We are looking for transfer partners who have young cats and kittens who are
healthy and friendly that you would like to transport to us in Oregon. If you are
interested and have a way to get them to us, please let me know, and I will send
you our guidelines.
Happy Wednesday!
Kristi
Kristi Brooks
Director of Operations
Cat Adoption Team
About a year later…

39. Matching housing with C4C
• Fine housing but too
many cats:
– Drop the number of cats
in each group room to
the recommended max
or below
– Open existing portals
– Repurpose extra for
special needs cats, small
animals, reading rooms…

40. Matching housing with C4C
• 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
– Make your own or
purchase pre-made

41. Portals!

42. Want to try this at home?
• Learn to make your own at:
http://www.sheltermedicine.com/shelter-
health-portal/information-sheets/cat-cage-
modifications-making-double-compartment-
cat-cages-
• Order premade portals at
sheltermedicine@ucdavis.edu
or call 530-752-3369

43. Still not enough housing?
• Condos/cages with 30”
compartments with up/down,
side/side portals for maximum
flexibility
• Kittens per 30” compartment
at peak
• Cat per double or quadruple
at trough
• Open-ish fronts for interaction
and ventilation

44. 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

45. Other elements of great housing
http://www.sheltermedicine.com/library/how-to-make-
partial-cage-covers-aka-curtailments
http://www.sheltermedicine.com/library/building-an-elevated-bed-for-use-in-
shelter-cat-housing

46. Dear Million Cat Challenge...
We’re a small shelter
with a budget to
match…how can we
afford better housing?

47. You can keep it basic
We were able to keep our costs for implementing
C4C to a minimum. Our biggest expense was the
actual purchase of the portals which was roughly
$700.00. We had wonderful volunteers install the
portals; our only installation cost was the rental fee
for the plasma cutter which was $100 over 2
weekends. Our “curtails” ― curtains that curtail cat
stress! ― were made by a neighbor who works in a
fabric store, so our only cost was for notions. We
used bed sheets that we already had for the
material. Total cost for curtails was $15. In total it
cost us less than $1000 to implement C4C.
47

48. Let the community step up to
help

49. Can you afford not to get to
C4C?
“The investment we made was well worth it. Our
length of stay in itself and reduced URI has saved the
shelter thousands over the years.”
- Kathie Johnson, Animal Humane Society, Minneapolis, MN

50. Our neighbors to the North
50
Our cats are happier and healthier in body, mind
and spirit. Our isolation room is now being used
more as extra space than for sick cats. Our costs
for medications have decreased, also. Our
chubbier cats use the portals as exercise
equipment, getting in their daily workouts. -
Guelph Humane Society
An 84% decrease in URI meant the savings on
medication were considerable. We have also
saved almost $40,000 in labour costs due to
the decrease in intake numbers. – Kitchener-
Waterloo Humane Society
http://cfhs.ca/athome/capacity_for_care/

51. Dear Million Cat Challenge...
Other than better
housing, what are some
of the things you can do
to shorten length of
stay for cats and get to
C4C?

52. Keep cats moving!
 Limited or no intake
quarantine
Careful exam and daily
monitoring instead
Maximum 3 days to verify
health and allow for
vaccine protection
Don’t wait for booster
vaccines

53. Keep cats moving!
 Place adoption
candidates straight into
adoption
– Owner surrendered and
friendly unidentified strays
– Allow interaction and
adoption holds
– Fast track to outcome
 Promote adoption early
and often
– Population: don’t wait for
crowding
– Slow track cats: don’t wait
for long LOS

54. Keep cats moving!
 Minimal or no stray
hold to live outcome for
unidentified cats
Especially litters of kittens,
return to field candidates
Support microchipping and
identification to help pets
get home
Double check your local
hold requirement for cats;
advocate for change if
needed

55. Want to try this at home?
http://www.pawschicago.org/news-resources/news-features/paws-chicago-
news/paws-chicago-news-item/showarticle/new-chicago-stray-animal-ordinance-
saves-lives/
“Key benefits include
prevention of disease,
quicker release for life
saving, no increased speed
for euthanasia, and
promotion of
microchipping”

56. More support
56
http://blogs.bestfriends.org/index.php/2
016/01/19/why-shorter-hold-times-save-
lives/
http://chewonthis.maddiesfund.org
/2015/06/decreasing-shelter-
length-of-stay/

57. Keep sneezy cats moving too
 Consider leaving
occasional, mildly
sneezing cats in place
 Flag cage, handle last, wash
hands after
 If antibiotics needed,
isolate and treat to
resolution of signs
 No need to treat for set
time for routine URI

58. Keep cats moving!
 Consider spay/neuter/adopt
for kittens at robust 1.5
pounds
No scientific basis for 2 lb
tradition
Kitten socialization different
than puppies
Weight/week rule is not exact –
1.5 lbs often 8 weeks
Capitalize on max cuteness
factor and bypass foster in some
cases
I’m so cute I can
hardly handle
myself!

59. Seriously?
Our Vets have been going down to 1.3 lbs on a
healthy robust kitten for the last couple
years. We have not had additional compilations
as a result.
I've told our vets that at this rate they'll be doing
these in the womb before long 😉
Jon Cicirelli, San Jose City Animal Services, San Jose, CA

60. Stay on track
“A month ago things slipped. In the madness, we didn’t do
our monthly 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. Cats started getting sicker.
The energy in the Shelter was of slight panic with a twinge of
running around like a chicken with your head cut off. I
couldn’t keep up and every day, more and more were starting
to present with behaviour issues stemming from kennel
stress. The volunteers were beside themselves. The
treatment room was getting overworked with constantly
rechecking sick cats. Surgeries got backed up due to this, and
cats that were adopted had to wait for their surgeries before
they could leave the Shelter.”

61. 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.”

62. Back on track!

63. More questions for the Million
Cat Challenge?
???
http://www.millioncatchallenge.org/resourc
es/dear-million-cat-challenge#cat5
Info@millioncatchallenge.org

64. #ThanksToMaddie!
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