Sanctuary Assistant (part-time)
Cat Alliance Team Sanctuary (C.A.T.S.) is looking to hire a sanctuary assistant to help care for our residents and keep our sanctuary in tip-top shape! Our new team member must be able to work Sunday -Thursday mornings from 7:00-12:00, occasional weekends and some holidays. This job will require you to feed the residents, clean rooms, administer medications, give baths, transport animals to vet appointments and much, much more. Experience would be great, but we are willing to help you learn the process.
Overview:
Do you love cats? Imagine an opportunity where you're surrounded by cats where every day you can improve the lives of these loving animals. Located in beautiful Sherwood, Oregon, the sanctuary is housed on 25 acres, shared with rescue horses, llamas and goats. With over 100 cats to care for, you can imagine there is a lot of cleaning that needs to be done and food to prepare. Many of these cats have special needs, and checking on their health as well as administering medicine is all part of the day. There are nails to trim and fur to brush and supplies to keep track of. You'll need to be communicative: asking questions as you get the hang of how things are done, and letting someone know if you notice something like a change in a cat's weight. Being willing to help, happy to cooperate and easy to be around are all great qualities to bring to this job. We also need someone who can be warm and welcoming to visitors. But most of all, please bring your love of cats! Because while these precious felines look for families to call their own, you're helping to provide their home-between-homes. We are looking for someone who can work for 25hrs per week.
Position Summary:
The Sanctuary Assistant primary role is to create a clean, organized environment for the sanctuary cats. This person will will be responsible for cleaning litter boxes, sweeping and mopping the floors, washing laundry using the on-site laundry machines, filling food and water bowls and socializing the cats. As a team member of C.A.T.S., the Sanctuary Assistant plays a key role in helping us maintain a healthy environment for the kitties by being a lookout for any unusual behaviors and reporting those to Management, and/or helping to identify cats that are gaining/losing an unusual amount of weight. This position is a active role requiring you to be on your feet throughout much of the shift and requires you to routinely lift 40lbs.
Responsibilities:
- Provide care and handling for animals that have significant behavioral issues which may include shyness, fearfulness and aggression
- Provide care for animals that have significant medical issues which may include a variety of zoonotic disease
- Prepare food for all cats in building to include pan meals and special individual meals
- Administer oral and topical medications to cats in building
- Monitor cat eating habits, make food adjustments as necessary and report to Sanctuary Manager if it becomes an issue
- Maintain accurate, organized, up-to-date records for all the cats in the building (keep records in easily accessible and visible location)
- Complete "fecal check" evaluations
- Check meds against med sheets for accuracy, document error(s), and obtain correct meds as applicable
- Observe medical/behavioral issues with cats. Insure all other building team members are aware of issue
- Perform basic grooming tasks, i.e., trimming nails, cleaning ears, combing
- Enhance the physical and emotional wellbeing of the cats. Activities include, but are not limited to: taking cats for walks, enhancing rooms to stimulate cats, and brushing and combing cats
- Clean in accordance with posted protocols
- Keep building supplied with all necessary cat food, medical supplies, and cleaning supplies
- Work with C.A.T.S. social media team to promote cats to potential adopters
- Report all maintenance/repair issues to Sanctuary Manager
- Ambassador of the brand for all volunteers and visitors, promoting the C.A.T.S. mission and living the values
- Responsible for the safety and training of volunteers: orienting them to assigned animal area, assigning work, answering questions, and assisting with their needs
- Display a willingness to learn by listening and asking questions
- Relate to employees, volunteers, and visitors in a friendly, informative, and professional manner
- Be attentive to others' needs and willingly assist as required
- Identify improvement to tasks
- Other duties as assigned
Skills & Experience:
- Strong desire to work with cats. Previous experience working with cats and basic grooming experience preferred
- Must be able to work with all cats, including those with health concerns/conditions, including but not limited to Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), feline leukemia virus (FeLV), and ringworm
- Experience in interacting with the general public (customer service) preferred. Demonstrates approachability when dealing with the general public
- Demonstrates ability to create and encourage a positive work environment
- Strong interpersonal skills, i.e., ability to develop positive relationships with others and demonstrate sensitivity to the thoughts, feelings and perspectives of others
- Demonstrates personal accountability to ensure that all responsibilities are completed effectively and in a timely manner
- Accurate, appropriate, clear and concise written and verbal communication skills. Strong listening skills
- Must be willing to work weekends and holidays
- Must have a valid driver's license
- Able and willing to professionally advocate C.A.T.S. position on issues
Physical Requirements:
- Must be able to routinely lift 40 pounds
- Must be able to perform strenuous physical activity on a daily basis, including, but not limited to: climbing up and down stairs, lifting and carrying, reaching, stooping, squatting, cleaning and bending