- 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟗: 𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬 - 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬
One of the most common questions we get is "How do I surrender my cat?" So today, I thought I'd walk you through exactly how our intake process works - and why it's designed the way it is.
𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭
Our intake process starts with an application filled out online. Contact comes in many different forms - people will show up at our doors with cats or questions, they'll email our info box, or they'll reach out on social media. No matter how they find us, we always lead them back to the intake form on our website. This ensures we gather all the information we need to make the best decision for that cat.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞
Once the intake form is filled out, the person gets a call or email back. What happens next depends entirely on the cat:
*𝐊𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬 (𝟑 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫): We can usually take them right away if there's space in the medical suite.
*𝐀𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬: Unfortunately, we have at least a 2-year waiting list.
*𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐬: Shorter waiting list, though we've had an influx lately.
*𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 (FeLV+, diabetic, allergy cats): Shorter waiting list, but it can still be pretty lengthy.
If we're unable to take the cat or the person cannot wait, we provide a list of all other no-kill shelters.
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦
Besides owner surrenders, we receive intakes from many different sources: stray drop-offs, other rescues, sometimes vet offices who have a cat dumped on them that they cannot house. We even have relationships with a couple of rescues in Puerto Rico.
𝐀𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐚𝐲
Once a surrender request is accepted, we schedule their arrival date. When they arrive at the shelter, the surrender fills out paperwork while the medical team assesses the cat.
*𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 get full bloodwork including disease testing and baseline x-rays.
*𝐊𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐬 get their first vaccine if they're old enough, dewormer, and we collect a fecal sample. Kittens go out to foster to grow until it's time for their spay and neuter. They continue to come in for vaccines and dewormer every 3 weeks until their alteration surgery.
*𝐀𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐬, 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 stay with us in medical until they get examined by a veterinarian. We use that time to get to know them, observe their eating and bathroom habits, and simply try to help them adjust. At their DVM exam, they get their vaccines and a microchip if needed. We verify alteration status on all cats.
𝐃𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
All cats get entered into two different systems - one where they may be adopted from in the future, and the other where we annotate their medical record for their duration with us.
𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐈𝐭 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞
As you can see, this is a time-consuming process. But it allows us to ensure we are only putting healthy cats on the floor. As an open shelter where all the cats mingle by room, it's important to make sure we are not introducing anything contagious into the shelter. When you're managing up to 400 cats at any given time, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
This thorough intake process is how we protect not just the incoming cat, but the hundreds already in our care.
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