Most of us know how to feed a cat, fill the water bowl, and scoop the litter box. Far fewer of us know what our cat’s behavior is telling us, or how to help when a stray shows up on our front door. In this episode of the Diary of a Cat Mom podcast, host Dagmar talks with Sean-Patrick Malloy, Behavior and Enrichment Specialist at the SPCA Finger Lakes, about the practical side of helping animals.
Sean-Patrick has worked in shelters his whole life. In this episode he walks through five segments: getting to know your local shelter, adoption, fostering, volunteering, and donations. You’ll come away with clear next steps whether you’re a new cat parent, thinking about adopting, or just want to help.
What is Diary of a Cat Mom?
Diary of a Cat Mom is a gentle, diary-style cat podcast about everyday life with cats, created especially for cat moms 35+ and pet parents in multi‑cat households who see their cats as family.
Quick Summary
Sean-Patrick Malloy, Behavior and Enrichment Specialist at the SPCA Finger Lakes, explains how cat parents and animal lovers can help shelter animals. He covers essential cat products, microchipping, spay/neuter, and what to do with a found stray. On adoption, he advises looking at your space first, meeting every pet, and leaning on shelter staff as “matchmakers.” He then explains foster-to-adopt, which animals need fosters most, ways to volunteer, and what to donate or skip. His closing message is that shelter pets need patience.
Watch This Episode
If you’d like to experience this diary entry as a video, press play below. Sometimes seeing the quiet moments adds another layer to the reflection. You can also browse all episodes on Vimeo.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Learn
- What a behavior and enrichment specialist does and why a cat’s emotional health matters
- Which products keep cats safe and engaged: breakaway collars, ID tags, interactive toys, and varied scratching posts
- Why microchips help reunite lost pets, and how to keep your contact info current
- How spay/neuter affects cat health and behavior, and where to find low-cost services
- The steps to take if you find a stray animal
- How to report suspected animal abuse, and why photos or videos help
- How to prepare your home and choose the right pet, including for multi-cat households
- How adoption applications, wait times, and fees work
- What foster-to-adopt is and who needs foster homes most
- How to volunteer and what to donate (and not donate) to a shelter
Takeaways
- Enrichment is emotional as well as physical. Checking in on your cat’s body language builds connection and helps you spot changes early.
- Use a breakaway collar and an ID tag, and microchip your cat. Keep the microchip registration up to date.
- Spay/neuter supports health and calmer behavior. Sean-Patrick says it removes the risk of reproductive-organ cancers and reduces heat-related behavior and spraying. Keep an eye on food intake afterward.
- Found a stray? Take a minute before rushing to the shelter. Photograph the animal, look for a collar or tags, ask neighbors, post on lost-and-found pages, and contact your local shelter.
- Reporting abuse works best with proof. Tips matter, but photos or video carry more weight.
- Picture the pet in your space, then meet everyone. Don’t fall for the first cat you see. The quiet wallflower may be your match.
- Foster-to-adopt is a low-pressure trial. Two to three weeks is a good window.
- Foster homes need a “say goodbye” mindset. Kittens, bottle babies, shy cats, and hospice pets need them most.
- Donate smart. Food, toys, and bedding are always needed. Call first, and skip open food bags and items that can’t be cleaned and disinfected.
- Give shelter pets patience. They need time to settle in.
Timestamps & Chapters (57:24)
- (00:00) Intro: From Stray to Stay
- (00:16) What a Behavior & Enrichment Specialist Does
- (04:12) Why Cat Parents Should Learn Cat Behavior
- (06:42) Segment 1: Must-Have Pet Products (Collars, Toys & Scratchers)
- (08:36) Microchipping & Updating Your Info
- (11:00) Spay/Neuter: Health, Behavior & How Fast Cats Multiply
- (15:23) Found a Stray? What to Do (and How to Check for a Microchip)
- (18:49) Reporting Animal Abuse Anonymously
- (20:29) Segment 2: Why Adopt from a Shelter & How to Prepare
- (26:45) How the Adoption Process & Fees Work
- (29:35) Picking the Right Cat (Including Multi-Cat Homes)
- (34:42) Segment 3: Foster-to-Adopt Explained
- (37:53) Fostering Requirements & Who Needs Fosters Most
- (44:40) Segment 4: Volunteering (Cats, Dogs & the Barn)
- (47:55) Segment 5: Donations, What Shelters Need & What to Skip
- (55:26) Where to Connect & Sean-Patrick’s Message
About Sean-Patrick Malloy
Sean-Patrick Malloy is the Behavior & Enrichment Specialist at Finger Lakes SPCA, where he’s spent his career on the animal welfare side of shelter work. He runs behavior assessments, builds enrichment programs for the shelter’s animals, and helps nervous pets settle in and find their people. Outside the shelter, he’s fostered hospice pets and calls himself a happy matchmaker for adopters and their future cats. His message to pet parents: shelter pets need your patience. Reach Sean-Patrick.
Read his full guest page: https://diaryofacatmom.com/podcast-guests/sean-patrick-malloy/
Thank you for listening.
And thank you for caring about cats the way you do.
Resources for Cat Parents
Everything I use and trust for my cats is here: https://diaryofacatmom.com/cat-care-resources/
Gentle Note
Diary of a Cat Mom is a personal storytelling and reflection podcast. Everything shared is based on my own life and experiences with my cats.
This podcast is created for connection, comfort, and companionship. This content is not veterinary advice and not meant to replace professional veterinary advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Every cat is unique. If you have concerns about your pet’s health or wellbeing, please contact your trusted veterinarian.
Most of all, please remember:
You’re not alone on this journey. We’re learning, loving, and growing together — one paw print at a time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a behavior and enrichment specialist do at an animal shelter?
Sean-Patrick says the vet team handles the medical side, while he focuses on the emotional side, plus physical exercise. He provides enrichment items, does behavior assessments, and checks in with shy pets to see what helps them settle, such as a covered bed, a quiet space, or a buddy.
Should I microchip my cat?
Yes. Sean-Patrick says microchips help lost pets get back home. Keep your information updated with the microchip company, and consider an ID tag as backup.
What should I do if I find a stray cat or dog?
Take a moment before rushing to a shelter. Bring the animal to safety if there is danger or bad weather. Otherwise, take photos, check for a collar or tags, ask neighbors, and post on lost-and-found pages. Vet hospitals can often scan for a microchip. Contact your local shelter so they can guide you.
How do I report animal abuse anonymously?
You can give a tip, but photo or video evidence is much stronger. Multiple reports about the same situation also help.
Does spaying or neutering change a cat’s behavior?
According to Sean-Patrick, yes. Cats often calm down because hormones stop driving mating behavior such as heat cycles and spraying. He also notes possible weight gain, so monitor food intake.
Where can I find low-cost spay/neuter services?
Start with your local SPCA. The SPCA Finger Lakes offers low-cost feline spay/neuter, and Sean-Patrick mentions that the ASPCA keeps a database of other providers.
What should I do before adopting from a shelter?
Look at your space and picture where the litter box, bed, and food bowls will go. Then visit with an open mind, meet as many pets as you can, and ask shelter staff and volunteers about each pet’s personality. Be ready for an application, ID, references, and your vet’s information.
What is foster-to-adopt?
It’s a trial period, often two to three weeks or up to a month. You care for the pet as if adopting, without legally taking on full responsibility.
Which animals need foster homes the most?
Sean-Patrick lists bottle babies, under-socialized kittens, older kittens, shy or scared adult cats, sick or post-surgery cats, and senior or hospice pets.
What should I donate to a shelter, and what should I avoid?
Food, toys, and bedding are always needed, but check what food your shelter uses. Avoid open bags of food and items that can’t be cleaned and disinfected. Call ahead about bigger items like cat trees.
Do I have to walk dogs to volunteer at a shelter?
No. Sean-Patrick says he needs cat socializers every day. Shelters also welcome help with cleaning, laundry, data entry, and greeting visitors.
Conclusion
Helping animals doesn’t require a big gesture. It can be a microchip update, a quick lap around the shelter before you adopt, two weeks of fostering, or a bag of cat food you bought on a BOGO deal. Sean-Patrick Malloy’s message runs through the whole conversation: shelter pets need your patience, and that patience can save lives. To learn more about adopting, fostering, volunteering, or donating, visit fingerlakesspca.org. Then listen to the full episode and share it with a fellow cat lover.
Disclaimer: The guest, Sean-Patrick Malloy, is solely responsible for the content, opinions, and advice shared in this episode. This episode is for informational purposes and is not a substitute for professional veterinary advice.
Show Notes
- Who this episode is about: Sean-Patrick Malloy, Behavior & Enrichment Specialist at Finger Lakes SPCA, who spends his days helping shelter animals settle in, feel safe, and find the right home.
- The setup: The interview is broken into five segments: getting to know your local shelter, adoption, fostering, volunteering, and donations, so listeners can jump to what’s useful for them.
- The specialist’s role: While the vet team handles medical care, Sean-Patrick focuses on emotional enrichment and behavior, from providing toys and activities to evaluating shy pets and figuring out what helps them settle, a covered bed, a quiet space, or a buddy.
- Everyday essentials: Breakaway collars, ID tags, interactive toys, and a mix of scratching posts, plus a strong case for microchipping every pet and keeping the registration current.
- Spay/neuter matters: Beyond preventing litters, Sean-Patrick explains how it affects health and calms behaviors like spraying and heat cycles, and points listeners to low-cost SPCA and ASPCA resources.
- Found a stray? Take a minute before rushing to the shelter: photograph the animal, check for a collar, ask neighbors, post on lost-and-found pages, and let a vet hospital scan for a microchip.
- Reporting abuse: Tips help, but photo or video evidence makes the strongest case.
- Before you adopt: Picture the pet in your space, meet every animal with an open mind, and lean on shelter staff as matchmakers rather than picking the first cute face.
- Foster-to-adopt: A low-pressure trial, usually around three weeks and sometimes up to a month, that lets you live with a pet before committing.
- Who needs foster homes most: Bottle babies, under-socialized kittens, shy or scared adult cats, and senior or hospice pets.
- Volunteering isn’t just dog walking: Shelters need cat socializers every day, plus help with cleaning, laundry, data entry, and greeting visitors.
- Smart donating: Food, toys, and bedding are always welcome, but call ahead, skip opened food bags, and only give items that can be cleaned and disinfected.
- Episode takeaway: Helping a shelter animal doesn’t require a grand gesture. A microchip update, a foster stint, or a bag of cat food all count, and every shelter pet just needs a little patience to find their footing.
- Listener prompt: Have you adopted, fostered, or volunteered at a shelter? Dagmar wants to hear what surprised you most about the experience, and whether Sean-Patrick’s tips change how you’ll help next time.
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Full Podcast Transcription – From Stray to Stay: A Guide to Helping Shelter Animals with Sean-Patrick Malloy
Dagmar (00:02)
From Stray to Stay A Guide to Helping Animals with Sean Patrick Malloy. This interview is broken down in five segments. So stick around until the end to find out how you can make the biggest impact.
Hi Sean Patrick. Welcome to Diary of a Cat Mom. You’re the behavior and enrichment specialist at the SBCA Finger Lakes. For our listeners, could you share what a behavior and enrichment specialist does and how you got started with your animal welfare journey?
Sean-Patrick Malloy (00:33)
Hello. And yeah, it’s it’s kinda like what I like to put it as where the veterinarian and the veterinary technician handle the medical side of it, where I am focusing on the what you would call maybe like the emotional side of it, while tying in some physical exercise. So enrichment, yeah, it’s really important. It’s a requirement in shelters.
As is exercise, socialization. It’s important for the pet’s mental health. So, what I do is I ensure that we are supplying all of our friends here with enrichment items, whether they be something edible, something moving, something sitting still, something that smells nice, something that tastes nice, and I’m making sure their their mind is engaged, they’re happy.
Someone said something to me one time working at a shelter that you approach them and and you say, What can I do for you today? How can I make today a good day? And it’s always stuck with me. And I believe that is the basis of enrichment. And then for behavior, you know, most people can kind of have an idea what that is.
So I’ll do behavior assessments evaluate our shy pets that come in and maybe aren’t settling in right away. You know, our kittens come into the shelter and they’re ready to go. They’re bouncing off the walls sometimes. And then you’ll get a litter who’s maybe hiding and unsure of where they are. I’ll spend some time with them. The same thing an owner surrender cat or a stray cat. Sometimes they come in and they’re like, I know what this is. This is fine.
And other times we’re putting them in a quiet space visiting them several times a day to check in, what would help them. Is it a covered bed? Is it a you know nice quiet space to hide, or is it a buddy to sit with them? So I like to kind of say that’s all encapsulates my role. and then how I got started, I’ve been working in shelters my entire life, always working in the operation side of it.
So working directly with how everything flows from when pets start and come through the door to when they leave with their new life, their new family, the new brothers and sisters. And I’ve worked at multiple organizations and I’ve learned a lot. I’ve worked for some really amazing people that helped me grow along the way. And I have found that everywhere I go I gravitate towards the behavior and enrichment and supporting that and teaching others, you know, how to facilitate the beneficial enrichment, the beneficial behavior that will allow these pets to then graduate into going into homes.
Dagmar (03:20)
That’s beautiful. You know what you described. It’s also emotional enrichment. It’s not just behavior or the physical enrichment. And I find that beautiful that you and the SPCA Finger Lakes make that a point. Because at the end we all living beings. Subconsciously, we react to emotions more than any practical or any logical responses.
Sean-Patrick Malloy (03:50)
Yeah, it can be. And honestly my job can be emotional at times ’cause when you have that scared little one come out of their shell and they start to show you personality and maybe they’re a little sassy actually or maybe they’re a cuddle bug, whereas when they first came in they wanted to put a hole in your shirt. You can’t help but just wear a smile right out right out the door and really enjoy that.
Dagmar (04:12)
Yes. In advance of our interview I thought about what do cat parents, cat moms and cat dads, most of us, really know about cat behavior or cat enrichment except the experience we have on our own, right? And not to compare you from the mechanical perspective, but it’s really like if I have a car and I drive a car and I know I have to put gas in the car and I learn how to drive the car, it’s like when I have a cat and yeah I know I have to feed the cat, I give the cat water, I change the litter.
But I’m not familiar with the symptoms. I’m not familiar with the behavior in my mind is perhaps just I want a lap cat, right? And that’s all that I really can see in this moment. And if the cat is not sweet for different reasons, if the cat doesn’t want to eat, if the cat makes noises, sounds, and perhaps I’m a new cat mom. or was something I never heard before.
It’s like what I would do with my car, I would bring it to a mechanic. And the mechanic would instantly, depending on how his experience and expertise is, instantly know exactly what it is where I have no clue about what it could be. And I think that’s a little bit what you describe and that’s what I adore and what I look up to what you do. This is not a theoretical thing to do. This is actively executing it every day and growing with it.
Sean-Patrick Malloy (05:47)
No, I I really couldn’t agree more. It’s very important for all pet parents to be able to understand some aspect of the you know, the emotions that our pets go through because sometimes they just always appear happy or when they’re feeling a little shy or nervous, it’s because this happened. It’s like sometimes that’s a day to day thing.
It is important to check in, we should really check in with ourselves more often. That’s a lot of people will say, check in with our loved ones, check in with our pets, ’cause, it can be little things, but if you start to really, really keep an eye on and keep and watch, you might start to see a little body language changes and go, huh. Hmm. And that can really help you form a a really important connection.
Dagmar (06:35)
So what you’re saying is really practicing having the awareness.
Sean-Patrick Malloy (06:39)
Yeah. I think that’s yeah, that’s a great way to put it.
Dagmar (06:42)
Yeah. And I think that’s a great start with our first segment, getting to know your local shelter. What from your experience would you recommend on pet products?
Sean-Patrick Malloy (06:56)
Yeah, I think the broad spectrum things that I recommend is a good consistent flea and tick and vaccines, which are more or less just like, keeping track of that ’cause that can really help your pets. But I couldn’t say enough about making sure we’re using collars.
Breakaway collars are great for your active cats. but making sure you have an identifying feature, just forbid they get outside. We deal with it every day here. My tabby cat got outside and that’s kind of all the information we have. They’re kind of big, maybe they have a spot on their nose, but if they have a bright green collar on, it’s like, well, we could find that.
But something that’s comfortable for them as well, because your game planning for them getting outside or running away is not always what you want to do. But toys, keeping their mind active, their emotions. I recommend and a lot of shelters will both automatic toys and fishing pole toys, keep moving, keep active. That’ll keep them healthy.
Realize how sedentary your pets can be even when they’re young, if you’re not kind of motivating them to run and play. And then especially for our cats, I recommend having both those cardboard scratching posts as well as, your standard either the rope material or the carpet material ones, just a variety of scratching posts because it is really good for their nails to scratch on those different surfaces plus you’ll avoid some of that scratching up things they’re not supposed to. So those are my big recommendations.
Dagmar (08:30)
So what you’re saying is you’re guiding them in advance, understanding their behavior. Which totally makes sense. Are you recommending micro tagging?
Sean-Patrick Malloy (08:39)
Yes, microchips huge. All of our pets here before they leave are microchipped. And I know a lot of shelters, as time goes on, more and more of them are are using that practice. Some shelters will microchip them as soon as they come in. They’ll scan them for microchip. And it is really helpful. All of my pets in my home are microchipped. If anything was to ever happen.
And someone found them, they’d scan, they’d come right back to me, I’d get that phone call. My heart would feel very full in that moment that I didn’t lose my pet fully because I have a microchipped. And again, you know, this is just me tooting my own home, but my pets are pretty cute, so I’m glad they’re microchipped because if they weren’t, somebody would end up keeping them.
Dagmar (09:21)
Yeah. So is microchip all I need to do or is there anywhere I have to register them or update my contact information?
Sean-Patrick Malloy (09:30)
Definetely good practice that if any of your information changes, the similar way where you’d update, personal accounts, you should be. A lot of the microchip companies have their own website or their own dashboard to put your information on. That way your information will come up as soon as they’ll scan the microchip, a number will come up and then they type that number into a search engine and your information will come up as well as like the brand of the microchip and everything. But it’s good to keep that updated. And hey, it doesn’t hurt to have a tag with your name and phone number on it. I know it kind of seems redundant because the microchip is inside and the collar could technically come off, but there’s nothing wrong with a little double duty there.
Dagmar (10:13)
And there is no risk with the collar when the cats go outside that they could hang on bushes or something.
Sean-Patrick Malloy (10:22)
That’s why I recommend the breakaway collars. If they an adult cat can pop open that collar if it’s stuck on something. There’s lots of different brands of breakaway collars. I can’t tell you a specific brand, but I always kind of search and do a little bit of my research to make sure I’m picking one that will not break if if they turn their head left, but maybe will pop open if they do get stuck on something.
And that way you don’t have to worry about that. yeah, the standard collars for cats who do end up outside, it is a big danger ’cause they try to slip through small spaces. Whereas the breakaway will just pop open and then it’ll fall on the ground. They won’t have it anymore, but they won’t be stuck.
Dagmar (11:00)
Yeah, totally makes sense. What are the low cost spay and neuter services available for cats and dogs at your SBCA or others?
Sean-Patrick Malloy (11:09)
A lot of local SPCAs will offer spay neuter services for cats and dogs. Right now we are offering services for cats, which definitely is very helpful for our area because we have a lot of cats here. It’s a beautiful thing. It’s hard work, you’re setting up everybody’s appointments.
Hundreds spay neuters are getting done on the weekend. It’s busy, it’s kinda crazy. After that you can kind of think about how much you’ve impacted the environment and the people in it, as well as those pets are now healthier as well. So it’s really important. We offer the feline low cost spay neuter, here at Finger Lakes.
Check in with your local SPCAs because they’ll likely offer services. And if they don’t, looking through ASPCA has a database of places that will do that as well. It’s really important, especially if you have cats kind of lingering around, you’re not sure they’re male or female get fixed ’cause it’s just healthier for them as well as you’re not gonna have to worry about the overpopulation, the babies and the struggle that comes with that.
Dagmar (12:15)
What does happen to a single indoor cat if you don’t neuter or spay? Does it change the behavior or their health if you do it or not?
Sean-Patrick Malloy (12:26)
There is definitely a behavior change. Some folks will say that my pet got lazier after they’re spayed and neutered. There’s some truth to that, right? ‘Cause when their hormones are active, if you’ve ever had a cat in your house in heat, they’re like hot and cold. You go over to pet and they’re hissing and wailing at you and then they’re rubbing up on you.
Similarly with male cats, especially tom cats that are outdoors and maybe they’re indoors now. They’re spraying, that’s the biggest thing that folks will run into is with their cats spraying, the in heat. So that’s more hygiene type stuff. But behaviorally it’s their hormones are kind of not changing their behavior.
So they do calm down because the hormones were guiding their mind and body towards something specific. whereas without that guidance, they’re kind of more just enjoying their environment, not looking for something, looking for a mate or so yeah, and and it is healthier for them. Some folks will say their cat became overweight after they’re spayed or neutered. keep an eye on the food intake.
Keep an eye on dry food, wet food, find a ratio that works for you. But it is healthier because you’re actually eliminating the potential for cancer in those specific boy parts or girl parts, whatever pet you have, later on in life, you’re taking that chance away. So it is in the long run giving your cat a longer lifespan, potentially.
Dagmar (13:54)
Yeah. Totally makes sense. For our listeners who are not familiar with how often can female cats get pregnant. Could you share a little bit input.
Sean-Patrick Malloy (14:09)
It’s really the utmost importance because they can get pregnant from two different males. They can have their babies and usually babies hang around the mom, we’ll use outdoor cats as an example.
Between feeding the babies she’ll leave them in a safe, secure area and she’ll go hunt for herself to get something to eat, or maybe someone leaves out food and she goes and eats from those food bowls. That span of time, she can be mating and getting pregnant again.
And basically her babies can be still really not cats. They still could be like kittens by the time she’s starting to get ready to have another litter. So it’s really important the amount of kittens one female cat can produce. And I’ve seen litters of ten kittens. Some folks would tell me
Dagmar (15:01)
Wow.
Sean-Patrick Malloy (15:02)
they’ve seen litters of more. If you have a healthy female cat outdoors, she could have a lot of kittens in one litter and then just do that again. I wouldn’t even call them teenage cats at that point. You can become inundated with cats so quickly. That’s why it’s really important to spay and neuter.
Dagmar (15:23)
What steps should I take if I find a stray animal in my neighborhood?
Sean-Patrick Malloy (15:28)
Yeah, so what’s most important is to take a minute, not to immediately like I have to bring them to a shelter or I have to bring them inside my home. Although if there’s safety or inclement weather, yes, of course, bring them to safety. But a lot of times when pets get out, they kinda hang out in an area that might be familiar to them, unless something spooked them and they ran.
You’d be surprised how often folks will just knock on doors near where they found the pet and someone will either know whose pet that is or you end up knocking on the person’s home and my goodness, I left the window open and they jumped out, things like that. however, if there’s not a clear, no one really knows in the area, and of course you don’t have to bring the pet to the door. You can take a picture of them, show it to folks, post it on Lost and Found page and no one kind of steps up right away.
It’s important to look for identifying, a collar or tags, that’ll help you find the owner. Any sort of identifying features and searching those lost and found pages. ’cause again, it would be a shame if you ended up going through all of this and like the area found them, the house was on the other street next door and, you know.
So, if you do decide that, you cannot handle that pet for a long period of time or take your pictures, keep an eye in for the identifying features and then contact your local shelter, let them know that you found a pet, because also folks could have went in there and looking for their pet or they could have called, hey, if you see a missing black and white cat, black and white dog, I lost them in this area. There’s a lot of times folks will just kinda rush them to the shelter real quick.
But if you have the time to take a few minutes to kind of ask around, take a picture, show it to folks, post it. you might find that you don’t have to take that trip to the shelter and they might be a loving home who just left a window open, a kid opened a door or a gate things like that. So take a minute, see what you can do, and of course contact your local SPCA or shelter and let them know what’s going on because they’ll also guide you.
Dagmar (17:39)
Is there a way the microchip could be checked for the animal you find?
Sean-Patrick Malloy (17:43)
So yeah, that’s a great question.
Yeah, a lot of times veterinary hospitals will have microchip scanners. So folks will just have their pet scanned at the front desk of a veterinary hospital and then they can use the veterinarian’s phone and call the owner. My goodness, I’m over here. Or the vet hospital, if it’s in the area, might just know the pet. They might be like, yeah, we saw him last week. We put in the microchip.
That’s a good way to do it. I’ve heard in some areas, firehouses and police stations will have microchip scanners for obviously lost dogs is a big one for them ’cause they’re usually called in to help out. Or cat in a tree, the firefighters will help out sometimes, police will help out. But if not every area from what I understand, but some areas that’s starting to be something, it’s that they can have. So if you know that, that’s also a good outlet to use. So yeah. That’s why it’s
Dagmar (18:36)
Yeah.
Sean-Patrick Malloy (18:36)
really important to microchip your pets.
Dagmar (18:38)
Yeah, and hold the data updated.
Sean-Patrick Malloy (18:41)
Mm-hmm.
Dagmar (18:42)
Or fill the data out in the first place if the SPCA or the vet where you do the microchip doesn’t do it.
Yeah, absolutely. How do I report animal abuse anonymously in my area?
Sean-Patrick Malloy (18:57)
So that’s a big question I get working in shelters, because you’ll get people calling and they’re not sure if their neighbor is doing this, they’re not sure if the person down the road is doing that. The biggest thing is you can, of course, give a tip, but ultimately, that’s just calling someone to come observe something. If you’re able to provide some sort of photo, video evidence that’s much stronger. It is very helpful because you’re already kind of starting the conversation. You’re starting the account, the record, not to get into police work, but it is like sometimes it needs to be multiple reports of something before, they can go at it full force.
So that’s kind of, obviously that’s scary in itself when you’re trying to be anonymous and then you’re trying to take pictures. but I’ll tell you that’s the biggest thing is the proof. But of course tips help if you cannot get proof. I’m not discrediting them at all. Because if multiple folks make tips of the same thing, that’s of course gonna get investigated at all. It’s just if you are able to gather proof, it it holds a lot more weight.
Dagmar (20:10)
Yeah, I think that’s a great tip what you just said, not to rely on reporting it only, but also doing your best to make sure you have the pictures or video to show it.
Sean-Patrick Malloy (20:25)
Yeah.
Dagmar (20:26)
Yeah. So I think that’s really crucial to do. Let’s move on to the second segment, adoption.
What are the benefits of adopting a pet from an SPCA organization?
Sean-Patrick Malloy (20:40)
Boy, that’s my favorite. it’s adopting a pet from a shelter or SPCA, a lot of times, you’re adopting a pet who was lost and had to be caught or found. You’re adopting a pet whose owners may have abandoned them or had to give them up for very fair reasons that were out of their control, but they were loved at one time.
So I find that there’s such an appreciation for the emotion that goes into meeting their new friend and spending time with them and then taking them home. A lot of times these pets are familiar with what a home is for some period of time. Whether it was a big chunk of their life or whether it was, a little while, sometimes stray pets aren’t familiar with what a home is.
But that space that’s not the shelter, right? That space that’s just those owners. We’re putting our energy and emotion into you. Hey, this is your space. Here’s some things we got you. There’s such an appreciation for that by the pets. We have a nice shelter over here. The pets are not crammed into small spaces. They all have very nice spaces with lots of toys and stuff.
But even then, it’s not a home. Our pets are very happy here. But I don’t wanna see here. I wanna see on a Christmas card. You with everybody smiling and being held. Maybe I see that they’re a little bit chunkier ’cause they get lots of treats and love now. You know, that type of thing. So it is really a beautiful thing.
They love it, they appreciate it. Some of these pets are familiar with what a home is, so they’re scared in the shelter and then they go to a home and they’re like, this I love this. This is the best. So it’s really it’s the best.
Dagmar (22:33)
Yeah, that’s beautiful. Adopting an animal in need, like there’s nothing better you can do.
Sean-Patrick Malloy (22:39)
Mm-hmm.
Dagmar (22:39)
What do I need before considering adopting from a shelter?
Sean-Patrick Malloy (22:44)
So one of the biggest things I tell people is look at your space and this is like pre going into the shelter or maybe go into the shelter, you pick someone out that you don’t take home right away. But before you go to the shelter, just look at your space, right? Picture that pet in your space. All right, where does the litter box go? Where does the bed go? Where am I feeding them? Where are the food bowls? Are you using a crate or confinement in the beginning or throughout their life?
So I always say look at your space, picture the pet in your space. It’ll mentally kind of prepare you because sometimes you gotta move furniture around, right? Sometimes you’re deciding how you’re gonna live your life that is very different from what’s going on right now. So you need to look at that and then come into shelter, open minded, take a look at everyone.
When the people who come into a shelter look at one pet and are like, I want to take this one home. I’m always like, Hey, I won’t let anyone take that one right now. But I want you to just take a do a lap. Take a look around. Don’t fall in love with the first one that you meet. But if it is fate, I’ll make sure that is reserved for you. But it is important to kind of see everybody because you’d be surprised how many folks come in.
And they see the outgoing cat jumping around and we had a cat in the front who was like very vocal and everyone’s like, I want that one. And then they make their way to the back and they see like a wallflower, a little shy cat. And they’re like, hey. You know, complete opposites, introvert, extrovert, and all of a sudden they find themselves drawn to the quiet, calm cat, whereas the loud cat who was kind of reaching out to them, they thought was calling to him. But it’s
Dagmar (24:23)
Yeah.
Sean-Patrick Malloy (24:24)
it’s important to go into it open minded, try to meet ever everyone you can, and then picture them in your space.
Dagmar (24:32)
I think what you just said is so important.
It’s like humans, right? Human relationships. You meet somebody, you feel attracted to them because of chemistry or same interests, but you don’t know anything about them. And then over time you figure out if it’s really working or not, and especially if they’re fitting into the phase of life you’re in or your life situation with this friendship.
And I think what you just said with the kitty, it’s the same. When you come in don’t let your emotions only lead you but really what you made me think about how is my own life situation, what do I want to do in the future, what are my plans and how does this kitty fit into it but also what is the life quality I can provide to this kitty.
And I think the other thing what you said made me think of it also is so important when somebody’s coming into the shelter, depending on their own state of mind, state of emotion, right? Nervous system, what the situation are they in? Is it after a divorce? Is it after a loss of a partner or is it I’m moving to the city or I’m moving into a rural area.
I think that’s what you just said is such a key in adopting because what we have as a vision and mind is so influenced by so many things, our attachment style, do we have an anxious or an avoidant? Or do we have a secure one? Are we internally balanced and hold our inner peace or are we anxious, right? Are we easily stressed out or not? And I I think it’s important to listen then to you as an expert to help me so that it’s not just the happy pick, then you bring the cat home.
And then you figure out perhaps it’s not the cat for where you want to be in a year. So what happens then? Yeah you can make it work, you love the cat but is that the best life quality you could give to the cat and yourself?
Sean-Patrick Malloy (26:35)
I love that. I absolutely do. It’s planning your future includes that pet and that’s a huge part of.
Dagmar (26:45)
Yeah. How does the adoption process work at different shelters?
Sean-Patrick Malloy (26:49)
So yeah, I’ve worked at several different organizations and everyone’s done things very similar but also very different. The thing I will say is there’s usually always an application, so be ready to fill one out. Usually always ID is required. Have some references, your veterinarians information ready to go.
But be patient because there are some shelters where adoptions will take a little while and it will be worth it in the end. I’ve worked at organizations that’ll basically just do same-day adoptions, and then there are organizations where the application process is a little bit longer, and you might have to wait a little while. Additionally, too, some shelters will have a backlog of spays and neuters.
So you may come in and go to adopt from one shelter and everyone’s spayed and neutered. You got to bring your new furry friend home and then you come to another shelter and you fill out the application, you fall in love, but they’re like, Okay, surgeries are like a month out. So we’ll try to get an appointment in as soon as we can, but you might have to wait a couple of weeks.
So it is very different at each location, but I promise you a lot of the time reasons that a shelter will have a longer wait before adoption is the amount of people to do their due diligence to make sure that this is right, to make sure the pet is healthy, and to make sure that all the boxes are checked.
So that’s kind of where your larger scale organizations where they have a ton of people working for them, a ton of volunteers might be a bit quicker doing that, whereas your local SPCA might only have a few folks and they’re working their butts off doing ten different things. But I promise you are part of those ten different things. So yeah.
Dagmar (28:43)
That’s good to know. What do the adoption fees I pay when I adopt cover?
Sean-Patrick Malloy (28:48)
So this is something I’ve talked about with lots of different adopters over the years. So a lot of times shelters, what they put into these pets in terms of the medical care, the spay and neuter, doesn’t end up equaling the adoption fee. It’s usually much, much more. So yeah, the adoption fee it covers some of the care. It allows us to give back to the other pets we have here.
So don’t think it’s one way or the other. A lot of times that adoption fee is going to cover food or vet food or and some veterinary care for the next pet. So it is an important part of the process and lots of different shelters have different adoption fees. Just know that it does go right back to the pets in the care.
Dagmar (29:35)
That’s good to know. What are some tips on picking the right fit for you, especially if you already have a multi cat household?
Sean-Patrick Malloy (29:45)
That’s a really good question. I love playing matchmaker. It’s one of my favorite things. When someone comes through the door, I’m like ready to see are they here to adopt? Are they here to donate? Are they here to ask us questions? So yeah. There’s a lot of data that goes into adopting, I like to say. So one, is this your first pet? You experienced the owner?
Let’s see you have another cat in the home a dog in the home a big house a little house you know those will factor into who you select but there’s also what’s your life like what’s your day like what’s your energy like and I think that’s important questions to ask yourself. I will build a rapport with folks and I’ll ask them like that. Are you an energetic, busy person?
How’s your cat? How’s your pet at home? Are they kind of more dominant? Are they pushy? Do you think either space in your lap for another furry friend? Or do you want to pick someone who’s a little bit more submissive and good being off to the side? So all of that is really important too. And then coming into the shelter, looking at the pets, right? That’s the last part of the data. Is there information on this pet? Were they from a home? Okay, what were they like in the home?
Are they stray? That’s okay. We’re not gonna have that much information. How have they been in the shelter? And that’s your shelter staff, your volunteers, right? They’re that other piece of the puzzle. Because they might tell you something that’s really helpful to you in terms of knowing whether or not that is gonna be a good fit for you. So there’s a lot that goes into it.
Your home and the pets in it, yourself and then the pet themselves. It’s important to be ready, like I said earlier, to kind of meet everyone that you can, everyone that you think is a good fit, or everyone that you maybe you don’t even know that you were looking for something.
Like I said, don’t sleep on the wallflower cats or shy cats that don’t greet you at the door. I tell you, we have a couple of rooms here we got a cat your greeting committee.
And then if you sit down quietly in the room, someone else will come up from the back of the room who is very sweet, but they’re just not greet you at the door kind of friend. So you might find yourself being like, I also don’t like when people come to my door. Maybe this cat is kinda like me.
So it’s really it’s collecting all that data, making an informed decision, but absolutely lean on that shelter staff, those volunteers, because they likely spend a lot of time with these pets and they can kind of give you a little bit of a rundown of a profile and it’s helpful for decision making. And also if you’re talking, building a rapport with a shelter staff member or a volunteer and they’re like, Hey, I think you’d like this one, get take out a flyer on it.
They might be right, they might hit it right on the nose, cause I do that all the time where I’m like, everything you’re describing leads me to believe that Jojo might be a really good fit for you. It just feels like you’re gonna match really well. And that might be true. I might be way off. Who knows? But it’s definitely a fun experience no matter what.
Dagmar (32:58)
Yeah. You know what you just described. It’s like the shelter specialists they become the dating app and they swipe for me to the left or to the right,
Sean-Patrick Malloy (33:08)
Yes.
Dagmar (33:09)
depending on if it’s a good fit or not. So I think that’s a great approach because we do it in human relationships, right? So we put ourselves out there and described who we are.
And then we allow somebody else to find the best fit for us. And that’s what it sounds, really in reality, what gets the best matches when adopting an animal from the shoulder too.
Sean-Patrick Malloy (33:37)
I actually love it when people do exactly that where they’ll email me with interest in a pet and they’ll then which is fine. Email interest is great. But the folks who give me a little bit about themselves, they’ll be like, and a little bit about me. You know, it’s me and my wife and my two kids. We’re pretty active family. We like this, that, the other thing. And like that dating app thing where I’m like, Okay, nope, that’s wrong, we’re gonna swipe right on that one, you know, that type of thing.
It is very helpful when folks do that. I offer that all the time. Even friends and family members adopting at shelters that aren’t even my shelter. They’ll be like, Hey, who do you think would be a good fit? And I’m like, I already know a little bit about you.
I’m gonna ask you a few questions and then I’ll be like, Go in and look for kind of this and it’s more of a guiding point ’cause they could end up adopting something completely opposite of what I’m saying, but at least, I tend to be close, at least if not exactly on the money.
Dagmar (34:30)
Yeah, and that’s it’s input, right? It’s the same with dating, no matter what the dating app recommends, you still have to feel a connection. I think that’s for sure a key point. If somebody is not ready to adopt yet, let’s move on to the third segment, fostering. What is a foster to adopt?
Sean-Patrick Malloy (34:49)
Foster to adopt is great. I love it. I can’t recommend it to shelters enough. But some shelters will be a little bit more hesitant. A foster to adopt is essentially like a trial period. So some shelters will have a trial period built into their adoption. I’ve worked at shelters where they, had a thirty day period and if it didn’t work out, you could bring the pet back and it’s no fuss, no mus. And then they’d be like, Hey, we’ll help you adopt another pet.
Foster to adopt is a lot of times a little more mild version of that where you didn’t legally sign over responsibility for this pet. They’re essentially like you’re fostering them with the intention of adopting. So a lot of times it’s like two, three weeks, maybe a month, of trying it out. Three weeks is usually a good span of time.
And during that time you’re treating this pet like this is your adopted pet to see if they’re a good fit. You’re not treating them like a foster. Aside from buying them a ton of stuff and taking them to the vet and things like that because they’re not quite yours yet. But I love it. I think it’s a great thing because sometimes I will sign off on that and be like, yeah, we’ll do a foster to adopt.
Knowing full well it’s probably not even necessary for the pet, but for the person who’s a little hesitant, a little nervous, understanding the big step involved, it’s a good like, hey, don’t worry about it. This is just a foster period. If things don’t work out, bring back. And it’s just like you went to a foster home for a couple of days, a couple weeks, and just didn’t work. They came back. They came back from foster. Pets go to foster and come back all the time.
And I kind of say that and that’s usually very calm for folks, a lot of times when newer people foster pets from shelters, they end up keeping them anyway. So that’s probably where this came from. But I love that. If your place that you’re adopting from is open to that, I think it’s a good one for folks who may be a little nervous or newer at adopting, or have lots of variables in their home, kids and other pets and stuff like that. But it’s definitely been a a tool I’ve used for years.
Dagmar (37:00)
I think it’s absolute beautiful from the perspective to how our nervous system or a state of nervous system is when we thinking about adopting.
If we foster first and we are in the flight mode or in the freeze mode or in the fight mode, right, and not peaceful, calm and loving, by fostering it we can experience it on our own. So the kitty has a great option if it’s not working out to come back, right?
And the person who is in the fight, flight, or freeze mode doesn’t feel stuck in it, but has an opportunity to regulate their nervous system and get over into the peace and calm mood and enjoy the love and companionship of a living being.
Sean-Patrick Malloy (37:52)
Absolutely.
Dagmar (37:53)
What are the requirements for fostering?
Sean-Patrick Malloy (37:56)
So a lot of folks who regularly foster will have a dedicated foster space. Different than a taking home a pet for adoption, I usually recommend having a foster space. So like a room, an area, that’s your foster space, that’s your command center. Because again, your home owned pet who is yours.
is gonna have free run of the whole house. But your foster pet might not be as ready for that whole house experience. Might need a slow introduction period. And again, adopting a new pet, they also are gonna need a slow introduction period. But your fosters are typically you’re doing that over and over again. So it’s a little bit easier to have essentially your station.
Some folks will set up a bathroom to be the foster, part or a bedroom as this is my foster room. Lots of folks who do that. The most important thing, I would say, is a requirement, is a mindset to be prepared to hand that pet off to the shelter, to another adopter, and not just keep them because it is tough. I will tell you right now.
I did some fostering and then I’ve ended up thinking I’d do some fostering and then kept some pets. It is not for everybody, but there’s lots of heroes out there who foster over and over again. And the work they’re doing is amazing. The responsibility and the emotional weight I cannot imagine.
But it is from the other side of it when I have a person who’s like a lifetime foster and maybe eventually they adopt something, but in the meantime they are saving lives. So it is huge. I will say the mindset of being ready to say goodbye. And again, like the kittens that I’ve fostered that I did then hand off to get adopted all went to great homes and I was happy that I got them ready for those homes. So that was a little piece of their story.
So that’s a huge part of it. There’s an emotional aspect in addition to a physical area requirements.
Dagmar (40:12)
I think what you just shared is especially important when the cat who gets fostered is not as socialized as it could be or didn’t experience a loving home before.
So the foster really has the total opportunity to make a huge difference in this cat’s life. I think that’s a great bridge to the last question about fosters I have. What pets need foster homes the most?
Sean-Patrick Malloy (40:40)
So that is important because there’s definitely some folks who will walk in and be like, I want to be a foster and they’ll look at just your friendly, healthy adult cat and be like, I’m gonna foster this guy and it’s like he sure would benefit from a home, right? Not being in the shelter.
However before him, there’s lots of other individuals who would need those homes. And again, your itty biddies, right? Your kittens, let’s start real small bottle babies. That’s a tough fostering. I give people credit. I’ve done bottle babies for a while. It’s a lot. So it can be very time consuming, very energy consuming.
You’re waking up in the middle of the night. so definitely those little Bobby babies, but we know that. Under socialized kittens who don’t need it bottle feeding is another one. You’ll find a litter of kittens, someone will find a litter of kittens outside and they’re a little bit hissy spitty. They’re so cute. They try to act to me, but they’re like making the cutest face in the world, trying to hiss at you. But if no one does any socialization, those cats will grow up to be unfriendly teenage cats, and then they can be a little bit unruly, right?
So those ones I tell people are not as scary as you think. A lot of times you’re picking them up even though they’re doing little hisses at you and you’re just showing them that, hey, I’m never gonna hurt you. You show them, hey, I’m handing you the food, I’m handing you the water, I’m cleaning your litter box. Do wanna play with a toy?
And you’re just creating like you are the sun in their solar system where everything kind of goes through you and really sometimes without even trying you’ll see two days in, one of them’s the most confident one will be climbing on your lap and being I’m curious about you because I kinda like what you’re doing. Those are not as time consuming as people will think they are. And then of course, just older kittens, bigger kittens, just getting them out of the shelter while their immune systems go out.
And then our adult cats are shy, are scared adult cats will need foster homes. Those are all really important. Then of course, it’s open to whoever else. Could you need a foster home in the shelter? However, some shelters will be like some organizations will be foster based and they can kind of advertise them. We have friendly, adoptable cats all over the place here.
We actually have a lot of them. And taking one out of the shelter and then putting them into a foster home might actually take an extra step to get them adopted. Whereas if they’re really friendly and outgoing, they’ll do fine in the shelter. They’ll find an adopter. They’ll kinda advertise themselves a little bit. So it’s like those ones I kinda that might be a situation where I might be like, mm, that might not be the best.
But certainly our kittens, our adult, fearful cats who maybe just need a a quiet place that isn’t the shelter, and then cats recovered from surgery as well.
Dagmar (43:36)
No. How about cats who need hospice? Do you have fosters for that too?
Sean-Patrick Malloy (43:40)
Yeah, hospice I did hospice for dogs. It’s really emotional. I don’t regret doing it, but definitely after my pet passed after my family hospice pet passed. I was like na if another one walked through the door, I don’t know that I would have done it back to back right away. I would have gave myself some time to grieve.
But yeah, that’s definitely needed because we have senior cats here. And if someone came in and wanted to we have cats who are like fifteen, thirteen years old, and if someone wanted to come in and foster them, I would absolutely let them leave the shelter they should. That gonna be depending on their health, is that gonna be the end of their life in that foster, I wouldn’t necessarily be wanting them back at the shelter if they’re happy and healthy.
So yeah, there’s definitely lots of organizations who are looking for hospice folks. Typically that’s not the fostering that a lot of people are wanting to jump in and do. So if you find yourself that you have a big heart like that, it’s definitely needed.
Dagmar (44:40)
Definitely. Getting over to segment four, volunteering. How do I volunteer at the Finger Lakes SBCA or at my local shelter?
Sean-Patrick Malloy (44:50)
Yeah, so a lot of organizations have moved to online applications or you can go right to their the door. We have physical applications here, but you can also inquire online. There’s a lot of especially in New York State, there’s a lot of training that volunteers have to do that is very quick and easy training. It’s not like taking time off work to do it or anything like that.
But it’s helpful training that will lead you to be really successful volunteering for your organization. So be ready to learn lots of really fun and interesting things.
Dagmar (45:27)
What types of activities can I do while volunteering at a shelter?
Sean-Patrick Malloy (45:31)
I feel it’s a kind of misconception where lots of folks will be like, if I volunteer at the shelter, they’re just gonna make me walk dogs. And that couldn’t be further. Truly I need cat socializers because I want them every single day, all day. I want people in my cat rooms socializing and making friends. Obviously dog walkers are needed, but also folks that could just sit with the dogs similar to the way we sit with the cats and play with them.
You don’t necessarily have to be a strong man walk that dog who’s pulling. But yeah, I mean, spending time with the cats is really important at any shelter that has cats, so don’t think that you’re gonna go in there and have to sign up for dog walking. But a lot of shelters that I’ve worked at, if you wanna come in and clean, if you wanna come in and fold laundry, if you want to do data entry, if you wanna be a greeter, I would say no to none of those things. I would love all of them.
Yeah, even someone to come in and say hi to folks and guide them where they need to go, be a little bit of a buffer, a friendly face, that would help out a lot. I wouldn’t mind that. There’s a million ways you could help out a shelter and you don’t have to be one way to help out a shelter.
Tech savvy folks can help out shelters or data entry, like I said. It’s cleaning, folding laundry, it’s truly all of that stuff is really helpful. But of course, me as the behavior enrichment, I’d love to see some faces in my cat rooms of fishing pole toys. I’d love to see my my dogs getting out more and more. So there’s lots of different ways to help out shelters.
Dagmar (47:00)
Cool and hey, don’t you have a barn at the SBCA Finger Lakes?
Sean-Patrick Malloy (47:05)
We do have a barn and we have volunteers come and help us with that. That’s true, yeah.
Dagmar (47:11)
So what animals do you have in the barn?
Sean-Patrick Malloy (47:14)
We have some roosters, ’cause you know they’re a lot of times roosters are kept for bed purposes and our roosters are happy and healthy. We have a few bunnies in the barn and a few ponies and a bunch of hotbelly pigs.
Dagmar (47:30)
And you would appreciate forsters for your barn animals too, right?
Sean-Patrick Malloy (47:35)
Yeah, we actually have a bunch of horses who are in a foster home which is just funny to me. I’m trying to find a foster for a kitten, but I got a bunch of horses in a foster home. But yeah, all of my barn animals, please, foster come adopts. Truly, I’d love to see them in homes.
Dagmar (47:55)
The last segment for today is our segment five about donations. What supplies are most needed by local animal shelters?
Sean-Patrick Malloy (48:05)
Ooh. Food, toys and bedding. You can never give us too many toys. We need toys. We have lots of toys here, but we have pets here who play with and use those toys. So they get worn out, they get beat up.
Kinda like our toys at home, right? And we will discard them. But we also have to deal with something different here and that’s cleaning, right? If they get need to be cleaned and disinfected. So there’s lots of that. If they’re in a room with cats who or dogs who have upper respiratory infection, there’s a separate isolation period for that stuff.
And a lot of times that stuff will get discarded if it can’t be thoroughly disinfected and cleaned. So toys are big one, help your local shelters do enrichment by providing them with enrichment. And of course bedding is always needed and then food. But I would say my caveat there is checking with the shelter to see what kind of food they use.
Dagmar (49:03)
And I would think checking with the shelter what kind of bedding, right? I don’t know
Sean-Patrick Malloy (49:08)
Yes.
Dagmar (49:08)
how the SPCA Finger Lakes has that for the doggies and the cats, but I could envision that every little apartment needs a bed for the cat or a bed for the doggy or a blanket so that the cat has something cozy and cuddly and feels comfort with.
Sean-Patrick Malloy (49:31)
Yeah, absolutely and the beds are really important too. Because I love putting a dog sized bed in the communal cat rooms we have. So there’s a handful of cats in a room and you give one of those big beds and they use the heck out of it. That way a lot can lay on one space. But then we also have our blankets and our little beds dispersed throughout more beds than number of cats in there.
But it is really important to have all that bedding ready.
Dagmar (50:01)
What shouldn’t I donate to an animal shelter?
Sean-Patrick Malloy (50:05)
So this is something I try to guide folks with. Open bags of food are oftentimes discarded at shelters. I’m just gonna say it. I know lots of folks have donated open bags of food they find that out and they get a little upset. There’s a contamination problem, right? We don’t know if bugs or mites or things got in there.
Additionally, if your pet was sick and maybe they got their face in there. But also just ’cause one bad apple can ruin the batch, there’s definitely been cases where folks have donated an open bag of food but had done so putting something in there to harm pets. So that’s the more severe reason why shelters will not accept that. But it’s also kind of the food can be contaminated by bacteria. So that things are very difficult to clean and disinfect, I will say a lot of shelters will have a hard time using.
If it’s complicated and something where it can’t be scrubbed, it likely won’t be the best thing to donate. That being said, something that can be used once and then discarded after the pets in that area had been adopted is fine. That’s perfectly fine. But try toys, try to keep it to toys that can be cleaned and disinfected. yeah, that’s the biggest thing is cleaning and disinfecting.
There’s some shelters that have lots of issues with disease control and will have to discard lots of things if they have an outbreak of something. It’s important to have things that can be sprayed down and cleaned and disinfected. If you have an overly complicated or permeable thing that if it got wet, it would just get ruined. That’s also probably not the best thing to have in a shelter. Where like for even the cat areas where we’re not like the room’s not gonna be super wet, someone is gonna knock over.
Right. Someone is gonna get their feet wet and jump up and down on something. So, and then of course when we clean, we do use water, we use pet safe chemicals to clean and disinfect. So keeping that in mind.
Dagmar (52:18)
No makes sense. So no use cat trees then because they’re not easy to clean and with the smell and perhaps urine on it or throw up.
Sean-Patrick Malloy (52:26)
Yeah. Those are tough because someone will donate some gorgeous ones. We have gotten ones that someone donated like in a box, they ordered one, it came like the wrong color and the company just sent them another one, so they just sent us one. In those situations we’ll use it. But knowing full well that unless the scratching post areas can be removed and replaced, we likely will have to keep it with a group of cats in a communal room.
And then if the majority of those cats get adopted, we’ll likely discard it before we add new cats to that room. It’s a little complicated, but it is there. But I would recommend if you do have a cat tree you want to donate, call a shelter, because there will be some folks out there that will look for that type of stuff. And they can use it. Some folks will even use it with outside cats, like feral cat community colonies.
They’ll use cat trees under an overhang and stuff like that. Sure it won’t last long being outside for more than a season or two. But those cats will probably really enjoy it. So it creativity is out there. If you do have something that is really nice that you want to donate, but you know might not be the best, give the shelter a call. See what they think about it. They might just be, hey no, bring it in, we’ll use
Dagmar (53:40)
Yeah, that’s a great tip. Where does the pet food supplies I donate to the SBCA get used?
Sean-Patrick Malloy (53:48)
So it’s important to note that there’s lots of shelters out there that actually do pet pantries for folks who are struggling financially. So sometimes if you do have that bag of food, right? Maybe you had an auto ship and unfortunately your pet passed away and then all of a sudden they shipped you another bag of food and you’re like, do I return it? You know what, this is actually kind of nice food. You could bring it to a shelter.
It might be something we use here, but if not, it could be used to feed someone who is struggling and really looks forward to the ability to be able to feed their pets while they’re working to get back on their feet. So, like I said previously, call in the shelter and figure out what type of food they eat, that way you can donate that bag.
But that’s not always in the cards, right? You might just get a bag of food. You buy two bags ’cause that’s the pet especially with cats, right? You buy a case of canned food for your cat that your cat loves, you pop open one of the cans and like, I don’t really like this anymore. You spent way too much money on buying a giant pack of it and now I don’t want it. Right? That’s what our cats do sometimes. So if they’re really not gonna eat that can food you could donate to the shelter. If it isn’t something they will use for their pets there, that might really help someone in need.
Dagmar (54:57)
Yeah. Or bogos. If the supermarkets offer bogos on cat food, we could get the bogo and bring it to the local shelter.
Sean-Patrick Malloy (55:06)
Absolutely. That’s a great idea. I love that. Everybody should do that.
Dagmar (55:10)
Yeah. Just thought about it and I will never forget it again.
Sean-Patrick Malloy (55:14)
PetSmart will as you check out, they’ll ask you to like donate a toy and they’ll charge you a couple bucks and they’ll put a toy in a bin. As you’re shopping you can just facilitate a donation.
Dagmar (55:26)
Sean, Patrick, thank you so much. That was an incredible interview. How can our listeners connect with you or the SPCA Finger Lakes directly?
Sean-Patrick Malloy (55:39)
Yeah, so they can go to fingerlakesspca dot org to check out our website. I’m open to folks emailing me, whether it’s adoption questions, playing a little matchmaker through email. I love that. I like helping people. They can email me at Sean, that’s S-E-A-N, hyphen, P A T R I C K. That’s Sean dash.
Patrick at fingerlakesspca dot org.
And yeah, I’d love to I just like to help people. Like to help pets.
Dagmar (56:13)
Great.
Sean, what’s your message for our listeners?
Sean-Patrick Malloy (56:19)
My message is your shelter pets need your patience. And that could be the best thing for them. It could save lives. Snap decisions, snap judgments on a behavior they showed in the moment. We all do things real quick and then we go, I regret doing that. Your pets will do the same thing.
So have patience if you take a pet home, give them some time to acclimate, give them some time to think about that thing they did that you didn’t really appreciate. And you might see that they also regret doing it. So have patience with your shelter pets, please.
Dagmar (57:02)
That was beautiful. Thank you so much, Sean- Patrick, to come
Sean-Patrick Malloy (57:05)
Thank you.
Dagmar (57:05)
on to our show of Diary of a Cat Mom today. And everybody
Sean-Patrick Malloy (57:09)
Mm-hmm.
Dagmar (57:10)
else, thank you so much for listening in. There’s always another lesson, always another insight, another story waiting to be shared right around the corner. Join me for my next entry. Bye.
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