Cats Count In Canada

Thank you for investing in improving the welfare of cats across Canada.

We wanted to provide you with an exciting update to the work that is being funded through donations to this project.

To recap, the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies introduced Capacity for Care in 2014 to our member shelters in Canada. This innovative program is a new way of managing a cat’s journey through the shelter system, providing improvements to meet their needs at the shelter and managing their length of stay.

Our first three test sites showed a remarkable decrease in the number of sick cats at the shelter, a decrease in length of stay and a decrease in euthanasia rates.

We’ll be releasing the results of the next three pilot sites in April. Stay tuned! We are seeing the same great results for cats in those communities, based on the reports we’ve received. 

One thing we are hearing that was a bit of a surprise is that the positive results for shelter cats achieved through Capacity for Care are also having a positive impact on the humans who work so hard to care for these cats and find loving homes for them! Traditionally, shelter staff have high burnout rates, and sometimes feel overwhelmed, reporting they just can’t keep up with the influx of cats into their shelters. They are heartbroken seeing otherwise healthy cats languish in the shelter for long periods and become sick. Being able to change the outcomes for these animals has staff reporting that they are happier, resulting in better staff retention rates. 

So now we want to ramp up this great work and make it accessible to as many shelters as possible.  We’ve recruited 4 organizations to take part in an online training program we’re calling a Boot Camp.  Each of these organizations has made the commitment to change their shelter management system to provide improvements for cats and to make sure each animal’s needs are best met. 

And the work starts this week with the first video conference call!  During the next six weeks they’ll take part in a training course that will allow them to improve their shelter operations. If successful, this approach will be a key part of the plan to take Capacity for Care across Canada allowing us to help even more homeless cats have a good outcome!

Your support is making this Capacity for Care Bootcamp possible. Please share our project with your family and friends to help us reach our goal to fully support this program.