Founded by Koret Shelter Medicine Program Director Dr. Kate Hurley and Fran Marino Distinguished Professor of Shelter Medicine Education at the University of Florida Dr. Julie Levy, the Million Cat Challenge rested on Five Key Initiatives, which together represented a holistic approach that addressed the “before, during and after” for any cat at risk of shelter entry. Alternatives to Intake and Managed Admissions helped keep cats out of shelters and safe within the community, Capacity for Care allowed shelters to ensure the welfare of all cats in their care, while Return to Field and Removing Barriers to Adoption smoothed the pathway for cats to leave shelters alive.
During the course of the Challenge (from 2014-2020), these five initiatives were refined and adapted to shelters of every size and type throughout North America and proven by over 3.5 million more cat lives saved by over 1500 Challenger Shelters. Then, we as a movement and a profession were invited to think even bigger. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the field to rethink business as usual. At the same time, the call came for animal sheltering to shift focus from shelters to the surrounding community, with an increasing recognition that racial and social justice must be central to every aspect of our work.
As of March 2024, Million Cat Challenge shelters had saved over 5 million more feline lives.
Paralleling this (r)evolution, the Million Cat Challenge grew into Maddie’s® Million Pet Challenge (MMPC). The cat-oriented methods embodied in the Five Key Initiatives have been expanded to include other species at risk in shelters, and a greater focus has been placed on ensuring the people who care for and about those pets can access affordable veterinary care. However, while the methods have evolved, the same holistic “before, during, and after” approach has been maintained: community safety net services, humane care within the shelter, and appropriate outcomes for the animals that do come in, all work in concert to support one another. Borrowing from our colleagues in human healthcare, we were inspired by the vision of providing every patient with the Right Care at the Right Time in the Right Place. Because it has not always been a given for animal shelters, we added the Right Outcome to round out the Four Rights. These replace the Five Key Initiatives to form the foundational commitment of the Maddie’s® Million Pet Challenge.
The Koret Shelter Medicine Program contributes to the MMPC through outreach, shelter consultations, and most of all Maddie’s® Million Pet Challenge Shelter Learniverse. Stocked with curated resources, tools, and learning modules, the MMPC Shelter Learniverse offers a flexible, on-demand growth and development experience for shelter staff at all levels. The Learniverse also provides an industry-leading event calendar and weekly newsletter. And it’s all offered for free #ThanksToMaddie.