Feline Animal Care Specialist
Reports To: Operations Manager
Hours: Hours vary based on the organization's operational needs, including weekends and holidays as required.
Position Summary
The Feline Animal Care Specialist is responsible for the daily care, housing, monitoring, recordkeeping, and adoption support of cats and kittens. This position plays a vital role in maintaining animal welfare, supporting disease prevention efforts, ensuring accurate documentation, and facilitating successful adoptions through appropriate matchmaking and adopter education.
The Feline Animal Care Specialist must be able to recognize signs of illness, injury, stress, and behavioral concerns; maintain clean and sanitary housing; .administer treatments as directed; and ensure all animal records remain accurate and up to date. This position requires strong observational skills, effective communication, sound decision-making, and the ability to work safely and efficiently in a physically demanding, fast-paced shelter environment.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Animal Care & Welfare
- Provide daily care including feeding, watering, monitoring, medicating, litter box maintenance, grooming, and enrichment.
- Ensure all cats and kittens receive care that meets or exceeds shelter standards and ASV Guidelines for Standards of Care in Animal Shelters.
- Utilize safe, humane, low-stress handling techniques, including Fear Free principles.
- Observe cats daily for signs of illness, injury, stress, behavioral concerns, or abnormal conditions.
- Monitor appetite, hydration, litter box habits, activity level, and overall health status.
- Immediately report any medical or behavioral concerns to the Operations Manager.
- Ensure all cats are properly identified with accurate cage cards, warnings, and other required labeling.
Housing & Animal Movement
- Assess and house cats according to health, behavioral, and operational needs.
- Assist with receiving cats brought into the shelter while maintaining appropriate animal flow and minimizing overcrowding.
- Safely transport cats throughout the shelter, including surgery, medical, adoption, and housing areas while minimizing stress and ensuring safety.
- Monitor housing assignments and communicate concerns regarding compatibility, stress, or medical needs.
Medical Support
- Assist with routine processing and preventative care, including:
- Vaccinations
- Blood testing
- Deworming
- Flea prevention
- Nail trims
- Ear cleaning
- Bathing when appropriate
- Administer medications according to shelter protocols.
- Accurately document all treatments, observations, and medical concerns.
- Monitor cats recovering from illness, injury, surgery, or other medical conditions.
Recordkeeping & Documentation
- Maintain accurate animal records in the shelter's data management system.
- Document medical treatments, behavioral observations, weight changes, location changes, and other relevant information.
- Complete daily health observation records and intake/output documentation as required.
- Photograph cats and maintain current records for identification and adoption purposes.
- Ensure all records remain accurate, complete, and up to date.
Adoption Support
- Match cats with potential adopters based on lifestyle, household composition, activity level, and compatibility.
- Educate adopters on common feline medical conditions, behavioral concerns, litter box management, enrichment, and transition into the home.
- Obtain and maintain a working knowledge of common feline behavioral and medical conditions.
- Advocate for the best interests of each cat while supporting positive adoption outcomes.
- Provide accurate and professional communication regarding each cat's needs, history, and personality.
Sanitation & Facility Maintenance
- Clean, disinfect, and organize adoption center areas, cat housing, equipment, and common shelter spaces in a timely manner.
- Follow established disease prevention, sanitation, and biosecurity protocols.
- Maintain clean litter boxes and appropriate sanitation standards throughout feline housing areas.
- Assist with general shelter duties including:
- Laundry
- Dishes
- Trash removal
- Supply stocking
- Facility organization
- Monitor inventory levels and notify management when supplies require replenishment.
Teamwork & Professionalism
- Build collaborative and respectful working relationships with staff, volunteers, adopters, and community members.
- Maintain professionalism and composure in fast-paced and emotionally challenging situations.
- Participate in ongoing training, continuing education, webinars, and professional development opportunities.
- Perform additional duties as assigned to support shelter operations.
Qualifications
- Passion for animal welfare and commitment to the shelter's mission.
- Ability to safely handle cats and kittens of varying ages, temperaments, and medical conditions.
- Strong observation, communication, organizational, and customer service skills.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
- Comfortable working in a physically demanding environment.
- Ability to lift up to 50 pounds and perform frequent bending, standing, walking, cleaning, and animal handling tasks.
- Prior animal care, veterinary, rescue, or shelter experience is preferred but not required.
- Fear Free, feline handling, or shelter medicine experience preferred.
Work Environment
This position involves regular exposure to animal waste, cleaning chemicals, noise, odors, allergens, and potentially fractious animals. Employees must be able to work safely while maintaining a high standard of animal welfare, sanitation, and customer service.
Pay: From $14.00 per hour
Work Location: In person
