shelter volunteer afraid of bringing home viruses,etc.

Hi all,
I'm new to the group. I've got two cats that I adopted from my
wonderful local shelter and now I'd like to volunteer there but wish to
take all precautions to prevent bringing home diseases to my guys. I
plan to keep a change of clothes and shoes in a bag and change in the
shelter restroom before and after visiting the cats there. I will
launder the clothes separtely with some bleach. Also I will wash my
hands of course and use the antibacterial stuff they provide for
between cats. I've just updated my cats booster shots.

I tend to be a bit germ-phobic but don't want to be too paranoid--one
has to live also. (Sound track: Madonna "We are living in a bacterial
world, and I am a bacterial girl!")Are there any other folks out there
who have done shelter volunteer work? What sanitation measures did you
take? What was effective? How worried about this should I be?

I can't help myself...I really love to pet them shelter kitties. Is
this selfish...should I just stay at home? Whaddaya think cat lovers?
Thanks,
Furfin

furfin wrote:
Hi all,
I'm new to the group. I've got two cats that I adopted from my
wonderful local shelter and now I'd like to volunteer there but wish to
take all precautions to prevent bringing home diseases to my guys. I
plan to keep a change of clothes and shoes in a bag and change in the
shelter restroom before and after visiting the cats there. I will
launder the clothes separtely with some bleach. Also I will wash my
hands of course and use the antibacterial stuff they provide for
between cats. I've just updated my cats booster shots.

I tend to be a bit germ-phobic but don't want to be too paranoid--one
has to live also. (Sound track: Madonna "We are living in a bacterial
world, and I am a bacterial girl!")Are there any other folks out there
who have done shelter volunteer work? What sanitation measures did you
take? What was effective? How worried about this should I be?

I can't help myself...I really love to pet them shelter kitties. Is
this selfish...should I just stay at home? Whaddaya think cat lovers?
Thanks,
Furfin

If you really love your own cats, then how could you do such an
insensitive thing by placing them at risk in this manor? Is it really
that important to your ego to 'prove' yourself by taking this chance?
Unbelievable that you would do this (and then come in here trying to
clean your conscience). What of your own family? Don't they deserve a
little of that same concern?


IBen

furfin wrote:
Hi all,
I'm new to the group. I've got two cats that I adopted from my
wonderful local shelter and now I'd like to volunteer there but wish to
take all precautions to prevent bringing home diseases to my guys. I
plan to keep a change of clothes and shoes in a bag and change in the
shelter restroom before and after visiting the cats there. I will
launder the clothes separtely with some bleach. Also I will wash my
hands of course and use the antibacterial stuff they provide for
between cats. I've just updated my cats booster shots.

That is sufficient. I did almost the exact same thing, and never have
transferred even a kitty cold to my own crew. And I worked with
extremely ill cats dying of things like FIP - nasty, nasty stuff!


I tend to be a bit germ-phobic but don't want to be too paranoid--one
has to live also. (Sound track: Madonna "We are living in a bacterial
world, and I am a bacterial girl!")

LOL...you sound just like me. I make up new lyrics all the time.

Are there any other folks out there
who have done shelter volunteer work? What sanitation measures did you
take? What was effective? How worried about this should I be?

I can't help myself...I really love to pet them shelter kitties. Is
this selfish...should I just stay at home? Whaddaya think cat lovers?
Thanks,
Furfin

The biggest thing to remember, as well, is to wash your hands and arms
between cats, if this is not a policy at your shelter. Also, report
any cats that you suspect might be sick.* I treated each cat as if
they had something communicable. If I got slobber on my shirt, for
example, I'd wash the spot with antibacterial soap before doing
anything else.

Good luck and have fun - it will be one of the most rewarding things
you have ever done in your life.

-L.

*One volunteer said she never reported cats she thought might be sick
because she didn't want the cat to be euthanized - dumb, dumb, dumb!
So she essentially put the entire cattery at risk because of her
ignorance.

furfin wrote:
Hi all,
I'm new to the group.

hello! hahaha

I've got two cats that I adopted from my
wonderful local shelter and now I'd like to volunteer there but wish to
take all precautions to prevent bringing home diseases to my guys. I
plan to keep a change of clothes and shoes in a bag and change in the
shelter restroom before and after visiting the cats there. I will
launder the clothes separtely with some bleach. Also I will wash my
hands of course and use the antibacterial stuff they provide for
between cats. I've just updated my cats booster shots.

Germophobic? Shelters?

Naw, you can't say that on here.
Believe me when I say, you have just wadded some fruit of the looms

Never say anything negative about a shelter: (true or not see...) :0

Some folk on here prefer to have their heads in the sand? hehehe

I tend to be a bit germ-phobic but don't want to be too paranoid--one
has to live also. (Sound track: Madonna "We are living in a bacterial
world, and I am a bacterial girl!")Are there any other folks out there
who have done shelter volunteer work? What sanitation measures did you
take? What was effective? How worried about this should I be?

Bacterial Girl, For shure.

I can't help myself...I really love to pet them shelter kitties. Is
this selfish...should I just stay at home? Whaddaya think cat lovers?
Thanks,
Furfin

Sounds like fun, I have never worked at a shelter, I think I would want
rubber gloves when handling a juicy cat.

Why not get a big can of lysol spray and keep it in the car, and when
you get in the car, just hit your pant legs, maybe a bottle of hand
sanitizer

I get that way after I have been around midgets

Your bottom of the shoes will be the biggest culprit. I wear latex gloves
when working with our sick or quarantined animals which we do in the
beginning till the cats get tested. Our shelter has the no water hand
cleaner in dispensers all over the place. Before I leave I give my face and
hands a through cleaning. Before I enter my house I take my work boots off
and take the antibacterial spray to them. Just in case I throw my work
clothes into the wash and take a shower before I mess with the children

"No More Retail" wrote in message
.. .
Your bottom of the shoes will be the biggest culprit. I wear latex gloves
when working with our sick or quarantined animals which we do in the
beginning till the cats get tested. Our shelter has the no water hand
cleaner in dispensers all over the place. Before I leave I give my face
and
hands a through cleaning. Before I enter my house I take my work boots
off
and take the antibacterial spray to them. Just in case I throw my work
clothes into the wash and take a shower before I mess with the children


You can also carry antiseptic wipes to wipe your shoes. My shelter keeps
these
just outside the door and just inside the door of the rooms where animals
who
are ill or quarantined are kept, and anyone entering or exiting has to wipe
their
shoes and hands.

Thanks for the feedback cat lovers! I think perhaps one of you is not
serious...to the others, I really appreciate your responses, tips and
experience. Purrr...
Furfin

furfin wrote:
Thanks for the feedback cat lovers! I think perhaps one of you is not
serious...to the others, I really appreciate your responses, tips and
experience. Purrr...
Furfin

purrrr?

i bet they'd like you reeeaalll good over in anecdotes, they so
saweeeet to each other!

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeee

Your right one was a troll but we either kill file them or ignore them and
get a good laugh.

Glad we could help you quite a few of us out here are active shelter
workers and volunteers

IBen Getiner wrote:

If you really love your own cats, then how could you do such an
insensitive thing by placing them at risk in this manor? Is it really
that important to your ego to 'prove' yourself by taking this chance?
Unbelievable that you would do this (and then come in here trying to
clean your conscience). What of your own family? Don't they deserve a
little of that same concern?


IBen

where'd you get your cat(s)

shut up then