Animal Welfare Professionals

Reply from discussion thread, "How Does Your Shelter Calculate Kennel Capacity"

Last year, our Veterinary Operations Director developed a system for us to monitor our capacity for care. All of our cats get flagged as C4C levels 1, 2, or 3 depending on the conditions they have and whether they've completed an intake exam. 1 is less time, 3 is more time. Our cats also get flagged separately if they have other conditions (i.e. chronic conditions, urinary concerns, behavior concerns, dental disease, etc.)  I've attached the spreadsheet we use. There are a few different numbers we look at:

• C4C levels 1, 2, & 3 and how many staff hours are needed for each per day.
• Number of cats with specific conditions and a max number of cats we like to have for each condition.
• Number of available spay/neuter surgery slots we have in the coming weeks.

This is updated weekly and discussed at our intake meetings. It's been really helpful for us to collect data and understand when there's a hard "no" for certain types of cats because we are at or over capacity. 

Not encompassed separately in this spreadsheet is our available kennels and rooms but it is discussed at the same time. We often run short on individual rooms and foster homes for cats that need them. This is somewhat reflected in the max number of cats for conditions such as being a senior or having behavior concerns. 

I hope this is helpful. Let me know if you have any questions.