Behind the Scenes
Total Animal Care staff (including all caregivers and other support staff, maintenance, administration, etc.) is 175.
Cat World:Cat World uses about 700 pounds of litter per day!
2012 YTD we have admitted 81 kittens.
The oldest cat ever adopted was Antoinette. Not only was she more than 21 years old, but she was also FIV+!
In 2011, 15 FIV+ cats and 11 FeLV+ cats were adopted
2012 YTD: 9 FIV+ cats and 7 FeLV+ cats have been adopted
Our average monthly population for kittens is 36.
Over 1,800 feline sleepovers have taken place since the Cat Sleepover program began in December 2008.
There are currently 154 cats approved to go on overnights.
Clinic:228 animals have received hydrotherapy since mid-2005 - including 1 cat, 1 horse and 1 pig
Yearly averages clinic – not including the department satellite clinics (estimated):
Patients per year: 15,000
Surgeries: 3,894 (Includes spay/neuter and misc surgeries)
Appointments: 2,288
Hospitalized patients: 3,285
Dentals: 330
Total spay/neuter surgeries as of/(since?) May, 2007: 13,000+ and counting
Emergency Response:Since Katrina, we have rescued almost 9,000 animals via 15 response efforts, including Hurricane Katrina, Reno, Pahrump, South Dakota floods, recent wildfires, and dogs on cliffs, etc.
Dogtown:2,377 pounds of food per week (average)
123,604 pounds of food per year (average)
In 2011, we averaged 432 dogs at the Sanctuary (monthly average)
In 2010, we used 4,434 bags of dry food and 3,160 flats of wet food
Between 87 and 122 loads of laundry are done every day in Dogtown
Cat World:How much food do we go through a week?
Approximately 1,520 cans of wet food and 390 pounds of dry food per week
Approximately 79,150 cans of wet and 20,120 pounds of dry food per year
In 2011, we averaged 576 cats at the Sanctuary (monthly average)
Bunny House & Rescue Village Rabbits:Per day: 60 cups of pellets & 250 cups of greens per day
Per year: 21,900 cups of rabbit pellets 91,250 cups of greens
In 2012, we averaged 250 bunnies at The Sanctuary
Horse Haven (Horses and Pigs):Horses are fed at least twice a day.
Average population per month: 39 horses, 2 mules, 1 donkey, 2 sheep, 7 goats.
Our pigs go through two boxes of Romaine lettuce each day. Each pig gets 2 salads a day.
Although pigs are omnivores, they don’t require meat in their diet. So at Best Friends, they eat a vegetarian diet.
The average horse eats about 20 lbs of hay per day. For horses with dental issues or other special dietary requirements we will with supplement concentrated feeds that contain other things such as beet pulp, grains, etc.
Parrot Garden (Birds):6000 pounds of pellets per year
$2000 worth of fresh and frozen vegetables
In 2011, we averaged 89 birds at the Sanctuary (monthly average)
Birds do not live on seeds alone. Diets of too much seed cause liver problems and they should actually have lots of fresh fruit and veggies.