Table of Contents: IntroductionBefore you build: defining goals
and gathering informationAddressing the numbersComponents of the
shelter facilityNon-animal housing areasStrategies for noise
controlVentilationPlumbing and drainageThe primary
enclosuree-e!aluating the basics: "hat do animals need in primary
enclosures#$lements of single animal housingCost effecti!e
solutions for indi!idual cat housing$lements of group housingCats:
group housing%ogs: group housingConsiderations for &out of
cage' timeConclusioneferencesThe shelter facility and the housing
there-in has implications far beyond the shelter "alls( The design
of the facility "ill impact disease le!els) beha!ioral health)
staffing needs and the daily cost of care *and therefore ho" much
time and money is left o!er for other important programs+(Although
e,cellent husbandry can ma-e up for some deficiencies) a poorly
designed facility e,acts adaily toll in staff and animal stress and
illness( A "ell designed facility) on the other hand) pro!ides for
animal health and "ellness "ith ma,imum efficiency( It also allo"s
for fle,ibility in meeting the changing needs of a community and
the e!ol!ing mission of an organi.ation( It allo"s for successful
response to disastersand outbrea-s as "ell as ne" opportunities
such as foster) transfer) treatment or educational programs( /e no"
offer facility design consultation ser!ices if you0d li-e
customi.ed guidance for your organi.ation( 1ther"ise) read on for
more information2 Before you build: defining goals and gathering
information$arly in the process of considering a ne" or e,panded
facility) carefully articulate the goals for the pro3ect( Consider
current and future trends( A good "ay to start is simply by
brainstorming the reasons for the ne" building( Is the hope that
animals "ill be healthier and more comfortable# That the ne"
building "ill be more efficient and easier to -eep clean# That
facilities "ill e,ist to pro!ide education for the community or
shelter staff# Are there special populations that are not pro!ided
for by the current building design) such as puppies and -ittens)
sic- animals) or mothers and neonates a"aiting foster care# Are
shelter or rescue transfers anticipated) either as a recei!ing or
source shelter# These are 3ust some e,amples 4 of course each
shelter0s list "ill be different based on philosophy) resources and
challenges inherent to that particular community(1nce a list of
goals ha!e been established) choose the top priorities( $ach
possible in!estment in the ne" facility should be consciously
considered in light of ho" it "ill benefit the highest priority
goals( If it turns out you can5t ha!e it all) "ill additional
adoption housing ser!e the shelter0s goals better than an area for
animals a"aiting foster care or rescue or a ne" treatment area# Is
a big) impressi!e lobby or retail area "orth a trade-off of fe"er
units of animal housing#The ans"ers "ill !ary depending on your
current challenges and opportunities( The important thing is to
ma-e sure your plan truly matches your priorities( Sometimes
shelters are built or e,panded "ith the idea that simply increasing
thenumber of animals housed and ma-ing the en!ironment more
appealing on the surface "ill lead to great gains in sa!ing li!es(
6o"e!er) more space for animal housing and e!en a nicer loo-ing
shelter "ill not necessarily reduce euthanasia( $,tra cages 7uic-ly
fill and a more appealing facility sometimes leads to higher inta-e
as "ell as higher adoptions( The bottom line is that if 7uality and
efficiency of the space is not impro!ed) the results of e!en an
enormous in!estment in facility e,pansion are li-ely to be
disappointing(Addressing the numbersBefore you build) you5ll need a
good handle on the optimal number of animals to house at any gi!en
time( The daily shelter population determines o!erall operational
costs) staff time for care and has a profound impact on the a!erage
length of stay for each animal( In an undersi.ed shelter animals
must either be chronically cro"ded together) denied admission or
euthani.ed for "ant of space( Increased disease) endless stress for
humans and animals ali-e) and reduced chances for li!e release "ill
be the nearly ine!itable results o!er the long haul( Though it may
be less intuiti!ely ob!ious) too large a shelter can be e7ually
problematic 4 trying to build our "ay out of community
o!erpopulation is not only li-ely to be ineffecti!e) it can be
seriously counterproducti!e( An o!er-si.ed facilityresults in
ele!ated care costs and needlessly prolonged lengths of stay( 8ong
stays in turn increase ris- for disease and beha!ioral problems)
further increasingcosts and daily care re7uirements( In the "orst
case scenario an o!erstretched group of staff and !olunteers dash
around madly trying to -eep up "ith cleaning and care and become
less and less able to ser!e the public or do a good 3ob at 3ust
about anything( Again the nearly ine!itable result is disease)
stress and reduced li!e release( It5s important to get the number
right2Calculating optimal shelter capacity is a multi-step process
"hich can ta-e a little time but "ell "orth the in!estment(
Calculations need to ta-e into account seasonal !ariation) species
specific trends) inta-e le!els and re7uired9optimal holding times(
A detailed e,planation can be found in the &calculating shelter
capacity' notes*see additional resources section to the right of
the housing information page+( If you5d li-e personali.ed help)
feel free to contact us about our consulting ser!ices at
[email protected](Components of the shelter
facility:ultiple smaller animal housing areas rather than fe"er
larger housing areas are ideal in most shelters to allo" for
fle,ibility in segregating different groups "ith different needs(
Populations to house separately include: %ifferent specieso %on5t
house predators and prey in !isual) auditory or olfactory contact
"ith one another( This includes cats and dogs( Isolation for
animals "ith infectious conditionso About ;oung animals *puppies
and -ittens under ? months of age+o Because youngsters can5t be
protected completely by !accination) it5s !ery helpful to pro!ide
special housing areas that mechanically pre!ent e,posure to
infectious illnesses( That "ay staff and !olunteers can ta-e
special precautions in handling these youngsters and more casual
procedures can be in place for healthy adult animals(%epending on
the shelter) other desirable special housing areas include:
Treatment areas for animals "ith non-infectious medical conditions(
Nursery for moms "ith litters or orphans a"aiting foster care(
@le,ible 7uarantine space for animals possibly e,posed to a serious
infection( Areas to accommodate sudden influ,es of animals as in a
disaster or largescale legal case( Comfortable housing that meets
animals beha!ioral needs for long term care) e(g( for animals
caught up in a legal case or undergoing long term rehabilitation(In
all these areas) segregation by species should be maintained(Ases
of !arioussegregation areas should be fle,ible to accommodate
changes in housing needs o!er time( @or instance) during the summer
one area might be used as a nursery for 7ueens and -ittens a"aiting
foster care) "hile at another time this same area might house a
group of cats surrendered from a hoarding case( %ue to this need
for fle,ibility) ma-e sure most of your housing is easily cleaned
to accommodate ne"ly admitted animals but can also pro!ide humane
accommodations for medium- to long-term housing) 3ust in case
that5s "hat it ends up getting used for(Non-animal housing areasAn
e,hausti!e list of additional shelter areas is beyond the scope of
this document( Areas to consider include) but are by no means
limited to) animal areas such as inta-e) treatment) surgery)
euthanasia) beha!ioral e!aluation) foodpreparation) laundry)
grooming) and indoor and outdoor play spaces for dogs) cats and
other species( /hile some areas) such as laundry and grooming) can
be doubled up) some areas cannot be safely combined( It is
especially important to ma-e sure there5s absolutely no cross o!er
bet"een inta-e areas and sic- animal treatment9euthanasia areas( 1f
e7ual importance are people areas) such as a "elcoming
reception9adoption area) get-ac7uainted areas) and a brea- room for
staff and !olunteers( Areas for training) conferences and meetings
ser!enot only the shelter) but the "hole surrounding community(/ith
proper planning)these can also ser!e as temporary housing areas in
the e!ent of a serious disaster(Strategies for noise
controlControlling noise in a shelter is important for the
"ell-being of !isitors) !olunteers and staff as "ell as the
animals( @or cats) perhaps the most important noise to a!oid is the
sound of bar-ing dogs( It5s not surprising that !isual and auditory
e,posure to dog is a significant stressor for confined cats;($!en
one or t"o dogs present in the en!ironment can ha!e a significant
impact( In the figures belo" *decibels le!els are along the >
a,is) time along B a,is- each represents ; "ee- of noise le!els+)
the picture on the left depicts the sound measurements during a
"ee- "hen t"o small dogs "ere housed in a cat building( Noise
le!els routinely e,ceeded C< decibels during a large portion of
each day( In the picture on the right) both dogs "ere remo!ed from
the cat building at the time point indicated by the green arro"(
@ollo"ing their remo!al) noise le!els dropped and remained belo"
C< decibels for much of each of the follo"ing days *the sharp
noise spi-es that continue to be seen- occur during each days
cleaning time+(%og noise is not the only noise to be concerned
about in cat housing areas- any sudden or loud noises can cause
stress and ad!ersely affect cat health and "ell-being(In an
unpublished study e,amining sound le!els in cat inta-e housing
areas and AI rates in ? California shelters) the lo"est AI rates
occurred in a shelter "ith the lo"est noise le!els *;