What can your shelter do to ensure disease-control success? Have a veterinarian evaluate your current disease-control protocols to suggest any revisions and additions necessary for communal housing. The recommendations will probably be similar to the ones listed below, though modified to fit the needs of your shelter. Examine and quarantine all incoming animals. Isolation periods should be at least 48 hours for owner-relinquished cats with medical history, and ten to fourteen days for strays. It’s essential to isolate new cats in traditional cage housing out of view from visitors; this gives their immune systems time to respond to vaccinations and gives you time to make sure they are not harboring any conditions that were not detected when the cat was examined upon intake. Test all cats for feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Also perform fecals and deworm all felines. Other recommended tests vary by community and region. For example, test for ringworm if it is prevalent in your area. Provide the following “core” vaccines: feline rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, and panleukopenia (FVRCP). Others, like the feline bordetella vaccine, are optional and best recommended by your consulting veterinarian, who can customize vaccination protocols based on your facility’s needs and the risks posed in your community. Your consulting veterinarian may change the type of vaccine (killed or modified-live) based on whether cats go into single or communal housing. For example, the San Diego Humane Society and SCPA uses “killed” vaccine for panleukopenia because cats shed it in their stools. “When you have a communal housing situation with multiple cats shedding virus from the vaccine, it might be enough of an overload for them to get sick from it,” says the shelter’s director of veterinary services, Katie Kangas, DVM. Perform periodic tests. Perform periodic tests in case a cat has been incubating a virus not previously detected; some cats who are incubating FeLV/FIV may test negative the first time, so most vets will recommend retesting for these diseases. (Timeframes for administration of successive tests varies.) Train staff to monitor for signs of sickness and behavior problems. Staff should develop a written “watch list” so employees can collectively keep tabs on eating routines and other habits. A staff member (preferably a veterinary technician) should sit with the cats for 15-minute periods at least twice a day (ideally at feeding time), making careful observations of appetite and elimination patterns; behaviors; and symptoms of potential illness (such as sneezing). Perform periodic weight checks. Even careful monitoring won’t pick up on every nuance of a cat’s overall health, so routine weight checks can help you ensure cats are maintaining good body condition. Weekly weight checks are recommended; those shelters holding cats past typical holding-period times may want to check weights about every 10 days. Immediately remove and quarantine any cat with obvious or suspected signs of illness, such as sneezing or vomiting. Frequently monitor other cats who’ve had direct contact with the sick cat. If resources allow, perform a necropsy on any cat euthanized for illness. It is important to identify what caused the illness so other cats who may have contracted the virus can be properly treated, quarantined, or euthanized if necessary. Make sure rooms are self-contained using materials that are easy to clean (concrete, Plexiglas, etc.) That way, if a sick cat is inadvertently introduced to a particular colony, the disease will at least be contained—and isolated from cats in other colony areas. Ventilate the room. Many of the diseases that shelter cats encounter can be transmitted through the air, making adequate ventilation and air purification critical. Your system should exchange fresh air at a rate of at least 12 to 15 times per hour. Ideally, each cat area should have a separate air system. Keep the numbers down. The more cats you put together, the more cats get infected should an outbreak occur. (Too many cats in one colony also creates a stressful environment for the cats and makes it that much more difficult for staff to monitor an individual cat’s behavior.) Never mix “life-stage groupings.” For example, never place kittens with adult cats. (See "Selecting The Residents" section on page 3 of this issue's feature article for more information.) Make sure that everything can be washed and disinfected Make sure that everything can be washed and disinfected—from the soft beds and towels to the tiny toy on the floor. This is critical to controlling the spread of disease in the cat community. Thoroughly clean and disinfect daily Thoroughly clean and disinfect daily—don’t just “spot clean.” (For more information, see "Keep it Clean, Guys" section on page 5 of this issue's feature article or refer to “Keeping Your Cats Healthy” in the May-June 2001 issue of Animal Sheltering.) Monitor visits to the colony room Monitor visits to the colony room to prevent adopters from transmitting germs from visits with other shelter animals. Provide good-quality food. Not only is premium food better for the cat’s immune system, it also results in less fecal matter—and thus easier cleanup and less odor (often a problem in cat-colony housing). Keep hand disinfectant in the colony room. Install a hand sanitizer dispenser in the colony areas, and ask visitors, staff, and volunteers to use the gel each time they handle a new cat. | 
