the million cat challenge: can we count you in?

The Million Cat Challenge

Can we count you in?

A brief trip back in time

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MVC 2008

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CROWDING

Underlying risk factor

Impact of reducing “wasted care days”

!!!

2013: Still making progress!

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But still…

2013 annual report

What does winning mean?

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What does winning mean?

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Summer 2014

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Summer 2015

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January 2016Sent: Tuesday, January 05, 2016 1:02 PMTo: Kate HurleySubject: And....

….the numbers are in: Euthanasia: Dogs: 2014=4,722; 2015=3,049. < 1,673 or 35.4%∆Cats: 2014=8,430; 2015=6,358. <2,072 or 24.6%∆

Imagine the possibilities for 2016 with a county wide cc program now allowed under our ordinances! We haven’t even sent our 2015 annual report to the printer yet and I already can’t wait to see the 2016 report.

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Mission Possible

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What does winning take?

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Confession

Plan A

The problem

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74-86 million pet cats 30-80 million community cats

> 95% NOT in colonies

What can our superpowers control?

• Whether people have or care for cats?• Whether there

are free roaming cats in the world?

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The limits of our superpowers

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Where it matters most

HSUS Pets for Life Report 2014

The limits of our superpowers

Reality Check

• 11 by 7 miles; 2500-3000 cats • 96 cats trapped, infected with panleukopenia, released by

helicopter• 8 full time teams of 2 hunters hunting day and night• 5 full time teams of 2 trappers running 500 lethal traps• Poison injected into 30,000 day-old chicks• Cats eliminated after 14 years

“The eradication campaign on Marion Island hasbeen the largest and only successful one of its

kind.”

The bottom line

What can we really control?• Which cats come

through our shelters’ doors, and the outcomes for these cats

• The conditions in our shelters

• The messages that we share with the public

• Where we focus our limited resources

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If it’s not helping, we can stop

We can stop this too

Is this the way change needs to happen?

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Reality check

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Moral distress

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We need to stop this too

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What could we do instead?

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Parallel universe

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The 100,000 lives campaign• A peer-to-peer “support

group” for health care improvement

• 6 key evidence-based, field-tested initiatives

• Voluntary declaration of participation

• 18 month reduction compared to pre-campaign baseline

122,300 lives saved in 18 months

Hmmmm….Hmmmm….Hmmmm….

Why not go big?

Our values and vision

• Trust in the inherent desire of shelter professionals to improve care and outcomes for cats

• Create a fun and inclusive community that supports, enhances and celebrates shelters’ success in saving cats’ lives

Balancing intake, shelter care and outcomes Evidence based Proven in a variety of contexts Variable resource requirements Can be implemented in part, gradually or all

at once; singly, in sequence or in conjunction

The Big Five

Dear Million Cat Challenge…

Do we have to use all five initiatives to join the

Million Cat Challenge?

NO!

Strength in numbers

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http://www.millioncatchallenge.org/who's-involved/million-cat-challengers

Making our progress visible

A new day

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Co-curators

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• Shelters report baseline 2012 and current calendar year estimates at enrollment:– Live intake, euthanasia,

live release• Numbers, not rates• Updated annually

• We do the math– Euthanasia ↓– Live release ↑– No double counting

• No individual shelter data made public

• Every cat counts

Can we count you in? Join the Million Cat Challenge at www.millioncatchallenge.com Once you join the challenge, join the Million Cat Email Discussion Tell your colleagues, friends and community Become a regional mentor/recruiter Follow us on facebook at www.facebook.com/MillionCatChallenge Talk to us at info@millioncatchallenge.org

THANK YOU!!!

The Million Cat Challenge is made possible by an educational grant from Maddie’s Fund

US!

#ThanksToMaddie

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