More than Housing

Let’s return to the DuGood shelter with the high incidence of feline URI. As the shelter veterinarian was evaluating cat housing, she observed the morning sanitation procedures for the cat rooms.

In the Cat Isolation Room, she saw this:

Here is the shelter’s protocol for daily sanitation of cat housing. Remember that the cat housing in this shelter is a single compartment cage with 4 sq feet of floor space.

• Remove the cat from the cage and put it in a cat nabber or wire trap
• Remove the litter box, bedding, and food/water dishes
• Wipe the cage down with Trifectant disinfectant
• Put new bedding, food/water bowls, and litter box in the cage
• Put the cat back in the cage.

The cat nabbers and wire traps are not disinfected between cats.

According to the ASV Guidelines, it is UNACCEPTABLE to house animals in an enclosure requiring use of forceful animal handling equipment such as control poles or cat nabbers for daily cleaning and care

The DuGood shelter veterinarian calls you for advice on the best practices for sanitation of cat cages. Before making recommendations, review the sanitation best practices.