TRANSPORTING CATS

There may be times that you need to arrange transport for a cat, from a shelter to your rescue, from your rescue to an adopter, etc. Locally, you may be able to rely on your membership, but for further distances, you may need to transport or arrange shipping. Arranging transport is far easier if you have a transport coordinator who knows how to use the email lists and plot a "Run Sheet". There may be potential transporters available on Breed Lists or Breed Rescue lists, but for long distance transports, or areas where there are few fanciers or Purebred Rescuers, you may need someone to coordinate the transport. A good Rescue Coordinator is a true blessing for the rescue and the cats.

BASICS OF COORDINATING A TRANSPORT

To be a transport coordinator, you will need:

• An Atlas

• Online access to Mapquest

• Membership in lots of transport/rescue groups

• Lots of time & patience

You may also need unlimited long distance phone service.

You will need to know how to post to transport groups, which groups to join, and how to put together a run sheet.

Beginning the "Run Sheet":

If a transporter is stopped and cannot provide required information, the transporter can be ticketed and the dogs/cats confiscated. Transport Coordinators should also put all this information in emails when looking for transporters, as well, and on the final "Run Sheet" that they distribute to all parties involved.

The URL below can be very useful for those that coordinate transports. It lists the import requirements for each state. Much of the info pertains to livestock but scroll down past all of that and you will find domestic animals.

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/sregs

VERY IMPORTANT TO NOTE: Many states require a health certificate and/or proof of rabies vaccination when crossing a state line. All transports need these for the protection of the transporter.

The Transport Request and the Final Run Sheet should include:

Date of Transport:

Reason for transport:

(i.e. foster to forever home, shelter to rescue, etc.)

Name of rescue organization responsible for the transport including:
city and state:
Rescue website:

Transport Co-ordinator:

(This person should be available for the drivers to contact at any time during the run)

Email address of Co-ordinator:

Phone number(s) of Coordinator:

Name of Animal:

Breed and Species:

Age:

Weight:

Gender:

Altered:

Health cert:

FIV/FELV status:

UTD on Rabies and other shots:

Dewormed:

Advantage, Frontline or Program:

Other health information:

General temperament and how animal rides:

Special needs:

Water dish:

Crate:

Include whether the transporters will need to bring carriers (i.e...required) or whether the cats are coming with carriers (i.e.. supplied) and size of carrier required if not supplied.

How to transfer to vehicle, and what breaks are needed:

Other items accompanying cat:

(Example: Water from initial area for cat or bottled water)

Food - especially if there is an overnight stay on the run

Medications and schedule to dispense

Toys, bedding, etc.

Complete Vet records

If the information is unknown, please state that and try to have the rest of the information for the next update. The idea is to give drivers all the information they need to determine if they can fill a leg or not.

Remember that drivers have limited space, some travel with another animal or with children.

The more information you can give, the more likely that you will fill the legs with a minimum of trouble.

Setting up a Transport

You now need to set up your route and break it into legs beginning from the current location of the animal. Break the legs up into approximately 50 mile segments.

Use your atlas to get an approximate route. Focus on towns about 50 miles apart. Write it down, start to finish, then go to Mapquest. Enter each town in the box on the start page. On the next page, enter the next town on the route. If they're approximately 50 miles apart, your next step is to find meeting places for each town.

On the page Mapquest provides for the town you entered, in the blank box above the map, under "FIND NEARBY", next to the starting town, key in businesses that may be along the interstate, by name or category. Suggested businesses to look for:

• Truck Stop

• Motels

• Cracker Barrel

• McDonald's

• Any other place along an interstate that has large parking lots.

Click search, then locate a meeting place closest to the interstate. This may take a lot of searches & sometimes you won't find anything at the town you picked. In that case, locate another town, in the same general area & start again. When you find a meeting place, the directions will give you the interstate, exit number, address & phone number. Copy all of this into an email & save it for your run sheet.

You need to have your meeting places before you post. There may not be a meeting place at one of your stops, which could throw your whole transport off, if you aren't prepared in advance

When you've finished mapping the route out with all of the meeting places, put your "Run Sheet" together for adding the transporter information as they sign up. When you add the transporter information, be sure to include the color, license number, make and model of their car, and their cell phone numbers. Transporters who do not have cell phones pose a serious problem and should probably not be used.

Then, take a copy, without all of the meeting places on it, and post to the groups asking for transport help. Include the states traversed (for instance, NJ/NY/CT/RI/MA), the dates for the transport and the type of anima in the subject line. Always include "Permission to crosspost" before the details of the transport request. It helps to put times (Depart & Arrive) for each stop on your posts, allowing for 10-15 minutes between legs, for the hand-off, so potential transporters have an idea of how it fits in their schedule.

Contacting Transport Lists

There are many, many groups on Yahoo that you can join to post your transports requests. You can join them and choose "read online only". If you do, do indicate on your postings that volunteer transporters should contact you privately since you don't want to miss a post. You can use the search function on Yahoo! Groups to search for those in your area, just search for "animal transport [name of State]". As transporters contact you, you will want to get this information:

• Name

• Address

• Email address

• Home phone number

• Cell phone number

• Make of primary vehicle

• Model of primary vehicle

• Color of primary vehicle

• License plate and State issued

CLICK HERE for a few transport groups to start with.

The "RUN SHEET"

Once you have transporters for each leg of the trip, put together a final "Run Sheet" with the meeting places,  names and contact information of all concerned, including any directions for care and how and when transporters should check in with the transport coordinator. Share it with all concerned so that they have all the information they need and the transport goes smoothly.

HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF A FINAL "RUN SHEET": (.doc)  (.pdf)

Transporters are very special people.  Even with the high price of gasoline, it's very rare for them to ask for gas money unless  they are doing a very long transport leg, preferring that their efforts be their donation to help the cats. Do point out to them that they can get credit for a donation if your group is a 501(c)3 charity and they provide the receipts

BE SURE TO THANK ALL TRANSPORTERS!