Welcome

Introductions

Sue

Bob

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Mission Statement Cat Care Society operates a cage-free shelter for homeless and abused catsthat provides adoption, counseling, humane education, and community outreach services to enrich the lives

of people and cats.

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About Cat Care Society

• We are not considered A ‘No-Kill’ Shelter• We are not an Animal

Sanctuary

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Part I: History• Founded in 1981 at the Linda East, DVM, Veterinary Clinic, 855 Lincoln

St. in Denver, by Dr. East and Lynn Rowe.

• Became an official 501(c)(3) tax exempt nonprofit organization in 1982.

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1985: 11th and Harlan in Lakewood

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The current property was purchased in 1994. A Capital Campaign was established to raise funds to build a new shelter. It took 6 years of fundraising to break ground. This shelter was built at a

cost of 1.2 million dollars and opened in 2001.

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In October, 2005, we were able to complete the lower level and open The Cat Clinic at Cat Care Society to serve both private pay clients and low income families. The building, clinic and property were paid off with funds from bequests, and are owned free and clear.

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● The small white house on the front of the property is the original farmhouse. ● Used as a thrift shop in the past. ●Later remodeled for office space and now hosts 5 administrative offices and three cats.

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Part II: How We Operate

Capacity at the Shelter:•50 adult cats•15 kittens•6 Temporary Care cats•Foster-care •Woofs ‘n Hoofs Cat Room

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PACFA: Pet Animal Care Facilities Act

• We’re periodically inspected by the State under PACFA regulations

• PACFA standards specify a specific # of square footage per cat

• Our standard is actually higher than PACFA’s

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Staff & Board Mgmt Team• Volunteer staff of approximately 100• Paid staff of 20, Including:

Front Desk Adoption Team……….Dave Genco, Karlyn Mendez, Linda Langsted and David Speckman

Veterinarian……………….Lynne Rooks, DVM• CCS is overseen and managed by a Board of Directors:

President & CEO….………………Diane StonerVice President………………… Maggie HolbenSecretary…………………………...Gail TinianowTreasurer………………………. Marggie Dassler

Director……………………………. Clyde Dawson

+ Additional Advisory Board Members

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• Cat Care Society Is Privately Funded

Funding

• Cat Care Society Receives No Taxpayer support, like the Municipal Shelters do

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• Donations• Bequests via a will • Need-specified grants• Direct Mail Appeals• Private pay care at The

Cat Clinic• Adoption Fees • Meow Mart• Memberships

• Community Shares (workplace giving)

• Colorado Gives Day

• King Soopers Cards• Fundraisers: Tails of the Painted

Cats Santa Paws Festival Feasting For Felines Other Events 15

Part III – Shelter Procedures

• Stray, abandoned and abused cats are given priority for shelter on a first come, first served basis.

• Residents include surrendered cats and abused cats.

• Cat Care Society also works with other shelters to assist in emergency rescue, as space allows.

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Entry Decisions• Based on space as well as circumstances. • CCS gets many calls a day from people wanting to

surrender their cat(s). Arrangements are usually made by phone.

• Owned pets are not our priority; these callers are frequently given advice on how to place their cats themselves, or referred to the Denver Dumb Friends League (DDFL).

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Upon Acceptance• Each adult cat is given a name, a collar and a tag, and a microchip.

Each file includes their surrender form, a photo and a medical history form which serves as a record for any treatment the cat may have while at the shelter. Files also include a Personality Profile which is available to all staff to make comments and observations, thus enabling the adopter to be sensitive to habits and needs.

• Each cat under the age of 10 receives a FeCVR booster and routine treatment for parasites.

• All adults are spayed or neutered upon entry to the shelter. • Medical needs are assessed and addressed, including dentals.

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Pregnant Cats• Gestation for a cat is 63 days.• March through September is generally regarded as the breeding

season for cats…or “kitten season,” as well call it here at the shelter.

• We only take in pregnant cats if we have a foster home available to accept her and bring her to term. When the kittens are weaned, at about 6 weeks of age, the Mom cat comes back to the shelter for spay and adoption. The kittens remain in foster until 8 wks and at least two pounds.

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Placement At The Shelter

• There are 7 cat rooms, including a kitten room.• Plus, the big hall, used for cats needing more supervision. • Different rooms may be tried until a compatible situation is

found.• Temporary Care cats may also be found in the cat rooms

mingling with other cats. These cats are designated by wearing a tag that says “Not for Adoption”.

• Kittens, upon returning to the shelter, are spayed or neutered as well as micro-chipped prior to adoption. They are then placed in the kitten room for adoption.

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• We do have volunteer adoption assistants.• Only qualified staff members are permitted

to adopt out the cats. • Adopters go through a screening process. • If it isn’t a match, we will try to steer that

person towards another more suitable cat, or possibly decline the adoption.

Part IV – Adoptions

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Declined Adoptions• Potential adopter does not believe in keeping a cat indoors.• Potential adopter wants to adopt a young kitten, but has small

children in the home (only kittens 6 mo and up are recommended for children under the age of 5).

• A person who wants to adopt a cat/kitten as a gift for someone else as a surprise.

• Potential adopter has other animals in the home which are not neutered.

• Potential adopter rents and we are unable to verify pet permission with the landlord or manager.

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Regular Adoptions• $90.00 for all cats and kittens. Specials at this time include: • Cats over ten years old may be adopted for a Name Your

Price donation. • Seniors may adopt a cat 5 years + for $65.00. • Pairs of cats (min 6 months old) are $150.00 • The price includes leukemia/FIV testing, spay/ neuter,

microchip, shots (kitten or booster, no rabies), treatment for internal parasites, collar & ID tag, 15-day health care assistance and a cardboard cat carrier.

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Follow Up

All adoptions are followed up after one week with a phone call from our staff. Any cat

adopted from CCS is guaranteed acceptance back into the shelter if the owner is unable to

keep it for any reason.

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Reasons for euthanasia include:•Feline Leukemia/FIV positive•Aggressive toward humans•Feral•Terminally ill/suffering•Psychologically unsuited for shelter life (severely stressed)

Part V – Euthanasia

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• Don’t feel you have to save them. They are well cared for here, and they are awaiting homes. Kindness and attention will help them toward that end.

• Don’t adopt on a whim. Consider the balance of your pets at home, and consider what’s best for them. (Many volunteers decide to sponsor their favorite cat at $25.00 per month to help with the upkeep until they are adopted.)

Part VI – You & Shelter Cats

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Cat Fights• Stay calm. • Look for a water bottle, and spray the aggressor. Then call

for staff. • Do not try to break a fight up with your hands or leg. • Another way to deter a fight is to toss a blanket or towel

over the aggressor to disorient him, and slow things down. • Always get staff involved because they are trained to

handle cats.

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If A Shelter Cat Bites You

• If you are bitten while in the shelter, you are required to report it to staff. Be sure to let them know, to the best of your ability, if it was prompted by over-stimulation or sudden stress caused by another cat nearby, or unprovoked.

• If you are bitten, flush the wound with peroxide and monitor it for infection. If you see swelling, pain and possibly red streaking, please see your doctor.

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Helpful Tips• Always read cage signs and act accordingly. • Always keep closed doors closed. • The cats are separated for reasons.• Disinfect your hands frequently, and change your

clothes before handling your cats at home. • If you notice unusual behavior, or vomiting or a cat

being threatened by another cat, report it to shelter staff.

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• Our volunteer staff currently averages at about 100. The program is designed to accommodate the needs of the shelter as well as provide structure and flexibility to what we hope is a rewarding volunteer experience.

• Please review the Volunteer Task Sheet to see what volunteer opportunities are available at this time. If any of the jobs listed appeal to you and work for you time- wise, you are welcome to apply for that position by filling out a contact sheet and leaving it with us today. You will be contacted to discuss your interests, qualifications and to set up a time for a personal interview.

Part VII – The Volunteer Program

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Time Commitment• You will be expected to commit to up to 25 hours over a 6

month period, roughly 4 hours per month. Some of you will prefer a weekly or monthly schedule. If you commit to a schedule you are obligated to work your shift or find a replacement by trading. If you travel a lot, or if you do not like driving in winter conditions, please avoid schedules that would conflict.

• All volunteer staff is required to log their time after a shift is completed. The hours are transferred and used in statistic reports for grants and funding.

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Team ConceptWhen you assume a scheduled volunteer position you will most likely be part of a team of volunteers trained to do

the same thing. This gives you shift trading flexibility, and you must be prepared to either work your shift or trade it

off for another. When you fill a hole on an existing schedule, the schedule is redone to include you, and each

team member gets a copy of the new schedule and current roster.

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Reporting Process• According to the task you are assigned to, you will have a staff

supervisor, however, our volunteer coordinator is your liaison with Cat Care.

• If you become stretched too thin, let our volunteer coordinator know. If you must drop out of a scheduled task, we will need to replace you and advance notice is greatly appreciated.

• If you have any problems with staff, other volunteers, or concerns regarding policy, or if you would like to change tasks, please come in and talk to the volunteer coordinator about it.

• We will do whatever we can to make your volunteer experience with CCS positive.

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Staying Connected• Purr-Forum newsletter. We also have a special access area

for volunteers on the website. • Cat Care Quarterly. • Constant Contact e-newsletter - “Cat Care Society Mews”

• Plus, we are active on all the social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Flickr, Pinterest, Google Plus, Tumblr, Instagram and Blogger.

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Part VIII: Community Outreach

• Nursing Home Visits • Nibbles & Kibbles Cat Food Bank• Veterinary Care for Qualifying Low-Income Families, including low cost spay/neuter programs• Humane Education for Young People• Temporary Care for Cats• Behavior Counseling• Lost & Found • Humane Trap Rental• Monthly Educational Seminar Series

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Part IX: Foster Care Program

• Annual training/update meeting is held in March or April each year. • We have approximately 20 foster care families and currently use 15 to

16 at any given time. • The average number of cats in any foster home is a family of 4. The

average stay for the cats at the home is 4 weeks, but can range from 10 weeks to as few as 2 weeks.

• Foster homes are managed carefully and monitored for necessary space and consistency of socialization.

• All cats and kittens are adopted at the shelter, never through foster homes. Foster homes are not used for “extra space”, i.e. temporary homes for cats waiting adoption.

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Next Steps• Please fill out your Contact Sheet, if you haven’t

already done so and turn it in today. • We will contact you to arrange for a convenient

interview time. • We will be in touch with you periodically for

feedback about your volunteer experience.• Please take time to tour the shelter today.

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