Cat Care Posts
2009-04-22: Security
Note: Since this article was posted yesterday, the lead vet tech's description of the incident has been pulled from his personal blog, but we have posted a link to a copy at the end of this article. The Hermitage has also removed the text from its homepage indicating where to click to read their official blog articles on the incident, whose most recent headline read "Cat Death at the Shelter." However, you can still get to their blog by clicking here, or on the cat in the tophat underneath the list of links on the left-hand side of their homepage. And since I'm sure they'll take that down as soon as they figure out removing a title is not the same thing as removing a link, I'll go ahead and post MS Word copies of their own articles here.
Mike, a lead vet tech at the Hermitage, has a personal blog in which he has written first-hand about how Abe the FIV cat was mauled to death by two dogs at the Hermitage. It is not the sanitized version printed on the Hermitage's official blog, or released to the press. It is distressing reading for anyone who loves animals, especially those who knew Abe "personally", and there are in addition greater social concerns about why 8 year-old boys would commit such an act. Indeed, when I worked at the Hermitage, there was a poster on the wall in the very room where the attack occured, on the connection between violence against animals, and how it progresses to violence against humans.
I bring up this sad event here, because there is an important question that has not been asked publicly in all the Hermitage official blogs, memorial articles, and news coverage. It is this: how were two fairly young children able to just walk into the Hermitage when it was closed, with two dogs, go all the way back to the FIV area, prop open doors, and in addition to turning the dogs loose, beat the cats with sticks (this was in another article), without setting off any alarms, or having to break windows or doors to gain access? The Hermitage closes at 4 PM. Mike says he was the last staff person to leave, and that Mary Jo Spring, the Executive Director, and Dick Blanchard, a volunteer, and now a member of the board, were the only ones there. The Executive Director's office is in a building separate from the cats, and she does not go over there to provide animal care, so why weren't the animal areas locked and alarmed? It is clear from Mike's blog that it was common practice for the shelter to be left unsecured after closing. In order for the children to gain access, multiple locks and alarms were not set, even though it was more than 2 hours after closing, on a Friday night, and since it was after 6 PM in January, presumably dark. There were multiple levels of security that should have been in place to protect the cats, and just one of them would have been sufficient to prevent this tragedy, but the Executive Director didn't use any.
Ms. Spring did not cause the two 8 year-olds to seek out helpless targets for their anger, but better decision making on her part would have prevented the tragedy. But she dropped the security ball, Abe paid for her mistake with his life, and no one is acknowledging this. I think this is another consequence of having an Executive Director whose background is in fundraising, not animal care. Anyone who has worked in a shelter environment will tell you all animal shelters are sadly targets for this type of behavior by disturbed persons, and therefore security is a special issue that becomes second nature. When I worked at the Hermitage, we kept the front door locked all the time, to make certain we knew when we had visitors, and visitors were always accompanied by a staff person. And the Hermitage is a unique place in that the cats are uncaged, and allowed to go between rooms, so locking the door to prevent cat escapes is paramount in a way that is not true at PACC or the Humane Society. But even there, I can guarantee you that when the head of the Humane Society, or PACC works late after their shelter is closed, they do not leave entry doors unlocked, or the entrances to animal care areas unalarmed. Ms. Spring's learning curve is too steep.
Since I'm sure they'll try to pull his article off the internet once they read this, here's a pdf copy.
Mike, a lead vet tech at the Hermitage, has a personal blog in which he has written first-hand about how Abe the FIV cat was mauled to death by two dogs at the Hermitage. It is not the sanitized version printed on the Hermitage's official blog, or released to the press. It is distressing reading for anyone who loves animals, especially those who knew Abe "personally", and there are in addition greater social concerns about why 8 year-old boys would commit such an act. Indeed, when I worked at the Hermitage, there was a poster on the wall in the very room where the attack occured, on the connection between violence against animals, and how it progresses to violence against humans.
I bring up this sad event here, because there is an important question that has not been asked publicly in all the Hermitage official blogs, memorial articles, and news coverage. It is this: how were two fairly young children able to just walk into the Hermitage when it was closed, with two dogs, go all the way back to the FIV area, prop open doors, and in addition to turning the dogs loose, beat the cats with sticks (this was in another article), without setting off any alarms, or having to break windows or doors to gain access? The Hermitage closes at 4 PM. Mike says he was the last staff person to leave, and that Mary Jo Spring, the Executive Director, and Dick Blanchard, a volunteer, and now a member of the board, were the only ones there. The Executive Director's office is in a building separate from the cats, and she does not go over there to provide animal care, so why weren't the animal areas locked and alarmed? It is clear from Mike's blog that it was common practice for the shelter to be left unsecured after closing. In order for the children to gain access, multiple locks and alarms were not set, even though it was more than 2 hours after closing, on a Friday night, and since it was after 6 PM in January, presumably dark. There were multiple levels of security that should have been in place to protect the cats, and just one of them would have been sufficient to prevent this tragedy, but the Executive Director didn't use any.
Ms. Spring did not cause the two 8 year-olds to seek out helpless targets for their anger, but better decision making on her part would have prevented the tragedy. But she dropped the security ball, Abe paid for her mistake with his life, and no one is acknowledging this. I think this is another consequence of having an Executive Director whose background is in fundraising, not animal care. Anyone who has worked in a shelter environment will tell you all animal shelters are sadly targets for this type of behavior by disturbed persons, and therefore security is a special issue that becomes second nature. When I worked at the Hermitage, we kept the front door locked all the time, to make certain we knew when we had visitors, and visitors were always accompanied by a staff person. And the Hermitage is a unique place in that the cats are uncaged, and allowed to go between rooms, so locking the door to prevent cat escapes is paramount in a way that is not true at PACC or the Humane Society. But even there, I can guarantee you that when the head of the Humane Society, or PACC works late after their shelter is closed, they do not leave entry doors unlocked, or the entrances to animal care areas unalarmed. Ms. Spring's learning curve is too steep.
Since I'm sure they'll try to pull his article off the internet once they read this, here's a pdf copy.
2008-11-18: Disinfectant Use Related to Cat Deaths?
One of the things the executive director (Mary Jo Spring) has touted as an improvement at the Hermitage has been the bringing in of commercial cleaners and virtually eliminating general staff.
The first group that came in were dressed like a hazmat team—rubber gloves, masks, and foot coverings. However, after a couple of weeks, they were replaced by a group that used no protective gear.
Both groups use "891 Husky Arena Disinfectant". The label explicitly states that animals are to be removed from the area until the chemical has completely dried. It also warns that the product is “corrosive” and “may be fatal if absorbed through skin.”
Click here to view the label
In actuality, the shelter staff would start putting down the cats' canned food as soon as the cleaners were done with an area. Canned food feedings consist of putting the food on paper plates. These were frequently placed on floors still wet with this cleaner. Since canned food is something of a treat (and for some cats, the only thing they can/will eat), not only was this risking contamination of the food, but functionally luring cats into the area.
Below are links to pictures showing puddles of disinfectant and cat food left near such a puddle (with food trailing into it).
FeLV
Renal
Village
Food/Disinfectant
A volunteer sent an e-mail to the shelter's official address with concerns about this disinfectant. The response stated that they did not use such a cleaner. It also stated that the shelter wouldn't be using volunteers over the next few weeks and that he would be contacted when he could come back. This last statement is known to be untrue. The only change following this exchange was that the volunteer's name was crossed off the “Allowed” list and added to the banned list. Both e-mails are linked below.
Initial e-mail
Shelter response
Since the cleaners were not following protocol, a complaint was filed with the Industrial Commission of Arizona/AZ Department of Occupational Safety & Health (complaint #206582629).
In responding to the complaint, the Hermitage's executive director stated:
"The chemist [for the disinfectant manufacturer] went on to explain that there was no special protective equipment needed because it does not cause harmful fumes or does not cause skin problems. I was assured if cats got product on their paws and licked them they would not get sick."
Full copy of the response
Finding it hard to believe that a representative of the company would have blatantly stated that the product could be used in a manner so contradictory to its label, the manufacturer (Canberra Corporation) was contacted, asking for clarification.
A response from the VP of Research & Development was received stating:
"We field many questions regarding use of our products and our standard procedure is to refer the end user to label directions, especially in the case of disinfectants which are regulated and label wording reviewed by the U.S. EPA. As misuse of these products are considered a violation of FIFRA, we again, as standard procedure, do not recommend off-label direction or applications."
Full copy of the company's response
Dr. Karter Neal, veterinarian at the Humane Society of Southern Arizona (and the Hermitage's vet since June) recently sent a message to the "Save the Hermitage Coalition". In that message she states:
"Because their stomatitis seems more a result of calicivirus then from auto-immune disease related to plaque on the teeth; our attempts at doing full mouth extractions have not been able to clear the stomatitis in several of these cats."
She also talks about feral cats having "open ulcers on their mouths".
Full copy of Dr. Neal's message (certain sections highlighted and paragraph breaks added, but otherwise unedited)
The above statements shed new light on the "stomatitis" outbreak.
The four active ingredients of the Husky Arena Disinfectant are known as "quaternary ammonium compounds". Exposure to these chemicals are known to cause oral ulcers and is known to potentially be misidentified as feline calicivirus.
Below is an excerpt from an information sheet available at UC Davis' Shelter Health Portal (http://www.sheltermedicine.com/portal/is_vsfcv.shtml) showing the similarity of lesions caused by feline calicivirus and quaternary ammonium exposure.
Excerpt from article
Based on this evidence, we have to wonder how many of those cats put down because of "stomatitis" allegedly as a result of calicivirus may have been suffering from exposure to toxic chemicals. The tragic twist to the story is that the previous shelter care is blamed for the deaths of cats that may actually be a direct result of the new management's policies.
The above information has been turned over to Pima Animal Care Center.
The first group that came in were dressed like a hazmat team—rubber gloves, masks, and foot coverings. However, after a couple of weeks, they were replaced by a group that used no protective gear.
Both groups use "891 Husky Arena Disinfectant". The label explicitly states that animals are to be removed from the area until the chemical has completely dried. It also warns that the product is “corrosive” and “may be fatal if absorbed through skin.”
Click here to view the label
In actuality, the shelter staff would start putting down the cats' canned food as soon as the cleaners were done with an area. Canned food feedings consist of putting the food on paper plates. These were frequently placed on floors still wet with this cleaner. Since canned food is something of a treat (and for some cats, the only thing they can/will eat), not only was this risking contamination of the food, but functionally luring cats into the area.
Below are links to pictures showing puddles of disinfectant and cat food left near such a puddle (with food trailing into it).
FeLV
Renal
Village
Food/Disinfectant
A volunteer sent an e-mail to the shelter's official address with concerns about this disinfectant. The response stated that they did not use such a cleaner. It also stated that the shelter wouldn't be using volunteers over the next few weeks and that he would be contacted when he could come back. This last statement is known to be untrue. The only change following this exchange was that the volunteer's name was crossed off the “Allowed” list and added to the banned list. Both e-mails are linked below.
Initial e-mail
Shelter response
Since the cleaners were not following protocol, a complaint was filed with the Industrial Commission of Arizona/AZ Department of Occupational Safety & Health (complaint #206582629).
In responding to the complaint, the Hermitage's executive director stated:
"The chemist [for the disinfectant manufacturer] went on to explain that there was no special protective equipment needed because it does not cause harmful fumes or does not cause skin problems. I was assured if cats got product on their paws and licked them they would not get sick."
Full copy of the response
Finding it hard to believe that a representative of the company would have blatantly stated that the product could be used in a manner so contradictory to its label, the manufacturer (Canberra Corporation) was contacted, asking for clarification.
A response from the VP of Research & Development was received stating:
"We field many questions regarding use of our products and our standard procedure is to refer the end user to label directions, especially in the case of disinfectants which are regulated and label wording reviewed by the U.S. EPA. As misuse of these products are considered a violation of FIFRA, we again, as standard procedure, do not recommend off-label direction or applications."
Full copy of the company's response
Dr. Karter Neal, veterinarian at the Humane Society of Southern Arizona (and the Hermitage's vet since June) recently sent a message to the "Save the Hermitage Coalition". In that message she states:
"Because their stomatitis seems more a result of calicivirus then from auto-immune disease related to plaque on the teeth; our attempts at doing full mouth extractions have not been able to clear the stomatitis in several of these cats."
She also talks about feral cats having "open ulcers on their mouths".
Full copy of Dr. Neal's message (certain sections highlighted and paragraph breaks added, but otherwise unedited)
The above statements shed new light on the "stomatitis" outbreak.
The four active ingredients of the Husky Arena Disinfectant are known as "quaternary ammonium compounds". Exposure to these chemicals are known to cause oral ulcers and is known to potentially be misidentified as feline calicivirus.
Below is an excerpt from an information sheet available at UC Davis' Shelter Health Portal (http://www.sheltermedicine.com/portal/is_vsfcv.shtml) showing the similarity of lesions caused by feline calicivirus and quaternary ammonium exposure.
Excerpt from article
Based on this evidence, we have to wonder how many of those cats put down because of "stomatitis" allegedly as a result of calicivirus may have been suffering from exposure to toxic chemicals. The tragic twist to the story is that the previous shelter care is blamed for the deaths of cats that may actually be a direct result of the new management's policies.
The above information has been turned over to Pima Animal Care Center.
