pet connection

Sue Cosby, CEO of the Pennsylvania SPCA, is here talking about ways to handle, socialize and rehabilitate cats to improve their chances for adoption. She’s really allergic to cats and got into sheltering because she loved dogs, but she realized that cats were second-class citizens and made it her mission to change their circumstances in shelters.

There’s so much stuff for dogs; everyone always talks about the dogs and knows the dogs’ names, but they don’t do the same for cats. There are fewer rescue groups for cats than there are for dogs. Cats are not disposable animals, and they shouldn’t be placed on a second tier below dogs.

Cats deserve care, comfort and safety. Cats who have these things will be less stressed, and cats who aren’t stressed are healthier because they respond better to vaccines and more adoptable because they’re not freaked out.

Care equals access to dry food at all times and wet food at least once daily; access to fresh, clean water at all times; access to a clean litterbox at all times; and vaccination on intake, plus ongoing health monitoring. Cosby likens “care” to traveling, when it’s important to know when and where you’re going to be able to eat and go to the bathroom. Everyone can identify with that.

I am really frustrated because I just saved this a few minutes ago and for whatever reason most of it has disappeared, so I apologize for the paucity of what is about to follow. Luckily, a lot of it was covered last year here, i.e., use disposable food and water dishes to prevent disease transmission (French fry cups are a great choice); get away from stainless steel cages and go to group cat rooms; use feral cat boxes or cardboard Hide Perch Go boxes so that the cat always has a familiar place, even if he’s being moved to another cage or going to a new home.

So anyway, getting back to what few notes I have remaining:

Comfort equals blankets and cushions; quiet time; a place to perch; a place to hide; and Feliway spray. Shelters can be very loud, especially if cat housing is near dog housing. Don’t walk cats through the dog area, even if that’s the most direct route to where you’re going.

What causes stress for cats? Moving from cage to cage; unfamiliar sights, sounds and smells; and feeling unsafe or insecure. All of these things can be addressed at least in part through the use of feral cat boxes or Hide Perch Go boxes.

We see a movie of “Snowball,” from intake through adoption, which shows all the mistakes that can be made in handling cats: sitting in a carrier for a long time, being moved from cage to cage, being rolled through the dog area. Cosby makes a case for group cat areas and against stainless steel cages.

During QA period, the concern came up about how to prevent adoptions to dog fighters or people feeding snakes. The response:

Stop creating policies based on worst-case possibilities or “What-ifs.”

The takeaway: when you have too many cats and not enough of anything else, focus on the cats!