A Day of Learning about shelter cat health, saving cats’ lives, and emergency response

Update: The original lineup of presenters was unavoidably changed.The information below reflects the final agenda.

Please join Maddie’s Professor of Shelter Medicine Dr. Julie Levy and Dr. Sarah Kirk at one of two free seminars, A Day of Learning about shelter cat health, saving cats’ lives, and emergency response. The first session will be held on Oct.11, 2017, in Vero Beach, Fla. Due to Hurricane Irma, the Sept. 14 event in Sarasota, Fla., will be rescheduled. Registrants will be notified of the new date as soon as it’s available.

The sessions will include:

  • The Million Cat Challenge: Florida’s Urgent Roadmap to Save More Cats. More than 155 animal shelters across Florida collectively take in a quarter million dogs and cats every year. New studies show that feline lifesaving is improving across the state, but still lags behind the progress made for dogs. We now know that euthanasia of healthy cats in shelters can be replaced with programs that are dramatically more humane and effective for cats and communities alike. Shelters are hungry for this change. Saving more lives, taking better care of cats, and eliminating shelter crowding . . . all without increasing your budget or asking more of your already overextended staff. Does that sound too good to be true? Hear what the shelters enrolled in the Million Cat Challenge have to say and why your shelter could be on the brink of revolutionizing its approach to cats.
  • Not Another Blue Dot: Advances in FeLV and FIV Management for Shelter Cats. Everyone wants to adopt a healthy cat, but where does that leave cats that have been exposed to FeLV or FIV? Should all cats be tested or are there times when a greater good comes from spending those resources elsewhere? This session will navigate the sometimes controversial topic of FeLV and FIV testing in animal shelters, including how to select the best test, sorting out test result discrepancies, and what to do when that dreaded blue dot appears. Bring your own testing horror stories and we will work through them together.
  • Medical Concerns with Emergency Sheltering. Disasters often result in the temporary housing of large numbers of animals. In this presentation, we will discuss the importance of proper preparation, shelter design, and staffing to best address the potential medical concerns which may arise. Recommendations from intake to discharge will be discussed.

The event will run from 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM.  Breakfast and lunch will be served. Vegetarian options will be available.

To register for the event on Oct. 11, 2017, at the Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County, visit their website.

Questions? Regarding the event in Sarasaota, please email claudiah@catdepot.org. For more information about the Vero Beach sessions, email jwinikoff@hsvb.org.

This course has been pre-approved for Certified Animal Welfare Administrator continuing education credits.

These workshops are made possible a generous gift from Arnie and Barbara Grevior.