Fall Outreach—What Is That?

As we approach Labor Day Weekend, I find this is a good time to begin to think about fall and your plans for reaching out into your community. Summer always seems to be a more reactive time in our business. We are loaded with kittens, lots of emergencies, incredible adoptions, and many people needing help. The end of August is usually when a final intake blip comes in as summer rentals close down and some final requests for help happen. We are always so very tired at this time. Our staff, volunteers and foster homes are all tired, but we continue on because we know that hopefully in a month or so, things will be quieter and we can recover and regroup. You all need a well-deserved rest!

However, I want to make sure that we don’t miss opportunities in the fall that may pay strong dividends of fewer kitties next summer. To get there, I really encourage you to focus on an active outreach campaign in the fall. What do I mean by an outreach campaign? Some of the basic components focus on these key areas: community cat colony management, diversion, and wellness.

Community Cat Colony Management:

If you have a managed cat colony program or you know folks that feed community cats, this is the time to reach out to them to make sure all is well in their colonies. Everyone should be tipped, snipped, fed, and sheltered. Do the folks need any supplies for winter shelter preparation? Are there any new friendly, un-owned cats in need of re-homing assistance?

Diversion:

I am recommending that you craft a press release for your local newspaper and online sites asking if anyone needs help with their cats. Now, you might think this is creating more craziness, but many of the calls you will get at this time won’t be panic calls but calls for supportive care. This means you are able to help before things get to an emergency point. I know at MRFRS, we used to get a spike of calls about surrendering male cats in November. Why? Because they weren’t neutered and it was getting cold and the cats were coming into the houses and spraying. So if we get them neutered in September/October, that uptick in panicked calls will go down. Also, if you have relationships with folks that from whom you’ve taken in many cats in the past due to hoarding or other situations, this is the time to check in with them and make sure that they are getting the support that they need too.

Wellness:

Reach out to the social service agencies in your community to let them know about the wellness programs you offer and how you can support cat guardians and their pets without the need for surrender to the shelter. Fall can also be a very good time to have your community vaccination/microchipping clinics. I recommend having your primary clinic in the spring (around dog licensing time) and another in the fall.

I believe that if you implement these three actions in your fall programs, you will dramatically change what you face coming in from your community next season. What programs do you use in the fall? Feel free to visit our Facebook page to add your comments and share your thoughts.

Congratulations—you are almost through another successful kitten season!