Dr Brad Crauer runs the shelter medicine program at K-State and is awesome at talking to shelter directors to help them make changes. He's a great resource for many things as well!
Original Message:
Sent: 12-21-2023 09:42 AM
From: Margaret Tompkins
Subject: Community Conversations - 12/18/23 - Government Contracts: Negotiating Fair Compensation
Thanks for responding to my question. I know that many shelters in Kansas have stopped testing for FeLV which is definitely saving the lives of many FeLV+ cats. However, many shelters in Kansas are still testing and then euthanizing healthy young cats just because they test positive for a virus. I wish HASS or Maddie's Fund would address this issue. The Department of Agriculture regulates animal shelters in Kansas and the governing law is KSA 47-624. This law was enacted years ago to prevent a diseased cow, hog etc. from infecting a healthy herd of animals and jeopardizing the food supply for Kansans. Until 2019, this law also covered FIV+ cats. Cats aren't a food source! Only 2-3% of all cats have FeLV. It's not nearly as contagious as once thought. We also know that regressively infected cats can live for many years as their immune systems are keeping up with the virus. Most FeLV is spread from queen to kitten. Adults can also spread the virus through deep bite wounds from fighting and mating. Just getting cats spayed/neutered substantially reduces the spread of FeLV. For fixed cats, the primary method of spreading the virus is long term mutual grooming and that's rare. The American Association of Feline Practitioners in their 2020 Guidelines for Cats with retroviruses like FeLV and FIV recommend adoption for FeLV+ cats. This is the guideance given by shelter medicine professionals. The time has come for the Kansas law to change! Please take up this issue in 2024!
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Margaret Tompkins
Tompkins Foundation for FeLV Advocacy
Original Message:
Sent: 12-18-2023 09:58 PM
From: Kate Meghji
Subject: Community Conversations - 12/18/23 - Government Contracts: Negotiating Fair Compensation
I'll let Katie pop in on this as well, but during my time running a shelter in Kansas, I found that the best way to navigate this issue was to stop testing. FeLV testing should be used as a diagnostic tool for symptomatic cats, not as a screening tool. The resources for testing are better used elsewhere. The percentage of positive cases was so low that we felt it wasn't a good use of resources.
We all worked very hard on changing this legislation, and we're able to remove FIV from the list of contagious conditions, but FeLV is still a struggle.
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Kate Meghji
Chief Operating Officer
Humane Rescue Alliance
DC
Original Message:
Sent: 12-18-2023 01:55 PM
From: Anonymous Member
Subject: Community Conversations - 12/18/23 - Government Contracts: Negotiating Fair Compensation
This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous
Unanswered question from the chat:
"For Katie Barnett, what can be done to change the Animal Law in Kansas to approve the transportation of FeLV+ cats?. Healthy young positive cats are still being euthanized throughout Kansas because of this law." - Margaret Tompkins
Original Message:
Sent: 12-14-2023 04:51 PM
From: Maddie's Pet Forum Admin
Subject: Community Conversations - 12/18/23 - Government Contracts: Negotiating Fair Compensation
Updated 12/18/23 at 1:32pm: Recording now available to watch on-demand!
We hope to see you on Monday, 12/18/23 at 11am PT for our final Community Conversations call of 2023! We will hear from Kate Meghji, COO of Humane Rescue Alliance and Katie Barnett, Founder of Student Animal Legal Defense Fund and Animal Cruelty Prosecution Clinic for a presentation on, "Government Contracts: Negotiating Fair Compensation."
Animal shelters continue to expand services without expanding compensation from their contracting local governments. We will discuss varying contractual models (flat rate, per animal, per capita) and tactics to ensure you get the financial support from your government that mirrors the dynamic work you do in the community. Legal issues covered include threshold for qualified immunity in certain states, open records/meetings acts, and educating local attorneys on shelter requirements.
If you are unable to make it live on Monday, this thread will be updated with the recording and resources so you can watch and share whenever you'd like. After you watch the recording on-demand or attend the call live, be sure to complete this December entry form to enter to win up to a $5,000 grant: https://www.maddiesfund.org/weekly-community-conversations-dec23-giveaway.htm. As a reminder, we will be taking a two week break after this call. If you plan to catch up on any of our previous Community Conversations calls, you can still complete an entry for the December grant giveaway each time you watch a call live or a replay during the month of December!
#CommunityPartnerships*
#EducationandTraining
#OrganizationalManagement
#PeopleManagement(includingVolunteerIntegration)
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Maddie's Pet Forum Admin
Maddie's Fund
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