Case Managers are volunteers who have significant experience with undersocialized cats, and are adept at offering both practical advice and emotional support to a cat guardian when they need it most. Program Manager Dilara and volunteer Gina B oversee this program together, ensuring that the cats and adopters who need an extra helping hand can receive guidance during the first few weeks or months with their new cat — a transition period that can sometimes be quite stressful.
We spoke with Gina about the program to shine some light on how it helps the cats of Cat Town stay adopted, and how it helps Cat Town serve as a trusted source of advice.
“Since starting the Case Manager program, the return rate for Cat Town’s hard-to-place cats has lined up with what you might see at an organization helping young, healthy, confident cats.”
Volunteer Gina helps Cat Town alum Roger learn to play gently with people at Cat Town’s Adoption Center. Photo by Erica Danger.
Why does Cat Town have Case Managers?
Once upon a time in 2016, we had a bunch of cats returned by various adopters who felt overwhelmed, and feared that their cats would never bond with them the way they’d hoped for. We wanted to find a sustainable way to keep these cats in their homes, and help them thrive, so I dug into the problem with Cat Town’s staff.
One way our volunteer Case Managers help our adopters is by offering advice on how to introduce their new cats to their resident cats, so they can become lifelong BFFs. Pictured: Misty and her new Cat Town companion, Major.
We found that 1) adopters were so excited during the adoption process that they didn’t retain the information being shared about their care, and 2) for many adopters, it was more emotionally difficult to experience their new cat being afraid in their new home than they’d imagined. We needed to do more to help them succeed.
Our solution was twofold. First, we doubled down on setting expectations during the adoption process: emphasizing what types of behaviors to watch for, timelines for anticipated progress, and the ideal set up for each cat to be uniquely situated for success. The second part was creating the Case Manager program.
How has the Case Manager program helped Cat Town's cats and adopters?
When an adopter takes on a cat we know may be challenging, they’re assigned a dedicated Case Manager, while a separate group of volunteers check in with our other adopters to make sure things are going smoothly. The Case Managers help reiterate the importance of staying patient, and consistently following the guidance offered during the adoption counseling process. We give adopters the encouraging feedback they need to keep trying until they succeed — and a little bit of reassurance can go a long way!
When cats with a history of rough play or biting get adopted, like Chattanooga, our Case Managers check in to make sure adopters are successfully picking up on the cat’s cues to respect their boundaries — helping everyone build loving (and respectful) bonds. Photo by Grace Fujii.
We check in during the first few days to reinforce the key points made during the adoption process, offer to answer any questions they have, and let them know we are there to support them as the cat adjusts. Sometimes adopters initially feel confident about progress being made, but later reach back out to us for support.
Our goal with the program is to meet and support adopters on their terms. Some adopters will want lots of contact and support, while others want only minimal contact, or none at all. Often when we provide support, it’s a quick and simple fix, but other times these issues take a lot of time and guidance to resolve.
Cat Town also brings fairly challenging cats into our foster program, so sometimes staff call on our Case Managers to provide additional support to our foster cats.
What kinds of skills, experience, or talents do our Case Managers need to be good at what they do?
Case Managers have a high degree of familiarity with Cat Town’s dual philosophies: “Love + Time = Magic” and “At-risk cats aren’t ‘broken’ — they’re simply responding to their environment, and it’s our job to help them realize they’re safe.” Knowing that our Case Managers not only take these beliefs to heart, but can guide adopters on putting them into action, ensures that different volunteers don’t offer adopters contradicting advice.
Many of our Case Managers get to know the cats well before they’re adopted, making it easier to offer their adopter personalized support. Pictured: Gina gives Cat Town alum Levi some TLC before he heads to his new home.
They’re also good at understanding both cat behavior and human behavior, and navigating which of these might be driving the problem at hand, all while using aa straightforward but gentle approach. That makes it especially important for Case Managers to have strong listening and communication skills, and a solid understanding of cat behavior. Really, a lot of the work is centered on the human and the cat not understanding one another, and diagnosing what the cat is trying to say from the way the person talks about the situation. Sometimes, just reminding adopters that we can take the cat back if it isn’t working out is enough to help them keep trying. They don’t worry that the cat will be euthanized no matter their choice, which can take some pressure off them.
Case Managers need to be highly mindful of their own limitations. It’s so important not to guess at how to resolve these issues, or we could steer the adopter in the wrong direction and slow the cat’s progress — so case managers have to be comfortable saying, “I don’t know, but I’ll get the answer and circle back.” They also need to be conscientious, highly responsive, and must follow our written protocols to ensure no time-sensitive issues slip through the cracks.
Most of all, our Case Managers are genuinely caring and compassionate people, curious by nature, and able to gently ask questions to determine the best course of action, without making adopters feel interrogated.
What types of cats get support from Case Managers?
When Forgotten Kittens like Tina and Fey get adopted, they often regress at first in their new home. Our Case Managers support their adopters in offering consistent routines and patience, so their new little ones can feel safe quickly, and start bonding with their new guardians.
When a cat needs a Case Manager, they’re likely to be undersocialized cats, Forgotten Kittens, cats with a history of behavior issues, or cats who have been returned before. The vast majority are shy cats who we expect will hide for extended periods of time. Sometimes there are litter box issues to help with, sometimes there are behavior issues linked to stress (like hiding or hissing), fear (like crying or not eating), or aggression (like rough play or even biting). Other times they need help introducing their new cat to their resident cat — which can require a lot of patience from both cats and people.
Staff members select which cats will have a Case Manager, and then I assign Case Managers to various cats based on their area of expertise — we have some that are well versed in cat-cat introductions, others who love working with newbie adopters, and still others who are amazing litter box detectives. If an adopter is really having trouble helping their cat acclimate to their new home, we loop in Cat Town’s Program Manager, Dilara, for extra support.
What should folks know about this program?
There’s a good chance that if you adopt from Cat Town, you’ll have support from a volunteer Case Manager. About one quarter to one third of our cats have Case Managers assigned — which is a fairly large amount of work. But we know it’s worth it, because it’s working! Adopters feel supported and develop deeper cat skills. Cats are staying adopted. In fact, since starting the Case Manager program, the return rate for Cat Town’s hard-to-place cats has lined up with what you might see at an organization helping young, healthy, confident cats. That means we can help even more at-risk shelter cats find homes!
Currently, our Case Managers focus a lot on helping adopters who need support introducing fearful or stressed cats to their home, but we are hoping to expand the program to better support senior cat adopters, as well.
Even well-socialized cats can have shy personalities, and our Case Managers keep adopters from getting discouraged if their new cats hide a bit longer than expected. Photo by Erica Danger.