General care of shelter cats with behavior issues can be challenging.
Like all shelter animals, cats require some species-specific general care on a daily basis. This general care includes cage setup, sanitation and feeding. In addition, shelter cats require veterinary care such as de-worming, vaccinations and spaying/neutering surgery. Shelter cats also require loving care and attention from volunteers to help them to transition smoothly to a new home. An understanding of the basic care shelter cats require can help an adopter to appreciate the role of the kennel worker.
Instructions
1. Know the cat. If you are not familiar with the animal, ask a co-worker to fill you in before you approach the animal. Find out if the cat is aggressive or shy and if it has any behavioral or health issues.
2. Visually assess the cat's health and behavior. If the cat is aggressive, recruit a co-worker to help you with the cage change. The ordeal of an escape and capture will be very stressful to the cat and should be avoided if at all possible.
3. Transfer the cat into a clean holding cage--an empty cage lined with clean newspaper.
4. Check the cage and litter pan for signs of vomiting or diarrhea. Check the food bowl to assess whether or not the cat has been eating well.
5. Remove bedding, shake any food or litter debris into the trash can, and place the old bedding into the laundry bin. Remove and empty (into the trash can) the litter box, food bowl and water bowl and stack them on the wash cart. Remove newspaper from the bottom of the cage and dispose in the trash.
6. Using a rag that is sopping-wet with disinfectant solution, soak down the entire cage. Be sure to soak the hinges, each bar of the door and food and water bowl support rings. Allow disinfectant to sit for 10 minutes while you move on to the next cat cage. Rinse your hands in the disinfectant solution or wash with antibacterial hand soap before touching the next cat.
7. Scrub the cage thoroughly with a scrub brush and disinfectant solution. Use a rag that has been soaked in disinfectant solution and wrung nearly dry to wipe down the clean cage. Allow the cage to air dry while you move on to the next cat cage.
8. Add clean newspaper, bedding, litter box, food and water bowl to the clean cage.
9. Return the cat to the clean cage, shut the door and then use the watering can to add clean water to the bowl.
10. Remove newspaper lining from the holding cage and use a rag damp with disinfectant to thoroughly wipe down the holding cage--again, take care to wipe the hinges, bars and bowl support rings.
11. Report any suspicious symptoms (e.g., sneezing, diarrhea, poor appetite) to the veterinarian.
Tags: disinfectant solution, water bowl, cats require, clean cage, shelter cats, bowl support