Free spreadsheet to keep your colony census
A free spreadsheet without macros to record colonies, cats and interventions. The summary is calculated automatically: per colony, cats alive, sterilized and percentage, with a traffic light when 80% is reached; and for the municipality, totals, colonies at 80%, spending per year and average cost per female and per male. It includes an example. It does not make projections: it only counts what you record.
What is in the workbook?
| Sheet | What you enter or what it calculates |
|---|---|
| Start here | What it is for and how to fill it in, step by step |
| Colonies | One row per colony: code, name, area, coordinates, registration date and notes |
| Cats | One row per cat: code, name (optional), colony, sex, whether it is sterilized and when, ear tipped, color, approximate date of birth, microchip, status and exit date |
| Interventions | Date, cat, colony, type (sterilization, vaccine, deworming, veterinary care or trap), cost and notes |
| Summary | Calculated on its own: cats alive and sterilized, percentage and traffic light per colony, colonies at 80% or more, spending per year and average cost of a sterilization per female and per male |
| Example | Made-up data and the result the summary should show, so you can check everything works |
It is free and has no macros. The summary counts up to 200 colonies, 3,000 cats and 3,000 interventions.
How do you fill it in, in five steps?
- In “Colonies”, add one row per colony with a short code (C01, C02…) and a different name for each one.
- In “Cats”, add one row per cat; you pick the colony from a drop-down list.
- In “Interventions”, log the date, the cat, the colony, the type and, if you like, the cost.
- Look at “Summary”: it updates on its own.
- Open “Example” if you want to see how it looks: sample data to paste in and the result the summary should show.
What does 80% per colony mean?
It is the benchmark many colony management programs use: having at least 80% of the cats in each colony sterilized. The summary works it out colony by colony, with the cats still in the colony, and marks it green (80% or more), yellow (between 50% and 80%) or red (below 50%).
What data should I not enter?
Personal data about people: names, phone numbers, emails, ID numbers or home addresses. For colonies, use an area or a landmark, never a home address. For a cat, you may note its name and microchip. The spreadsheet does not connect to Meow Metrics: what you type stays in your file. If you are going to share it, check what it contains first.
What if a spreadsheet is no longer enough?
A spreadsheet is a good way to start, and it only counts what you record: it makes no projections. With a free account on Meow Metrics you keep your colonies, the map, the cat census and alerts and actions, with no limit on cats or colonies. For local governments, Meow Metrics adds reports, a simulator to project how the population may change and a management plan for the municipality, with details for each colony: learn more in Meow Metrics for local governments.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free?
Yes. You get it after a short form: email, town or city, job title, organization and country.
Is it for associations and for people who care for colonies?
Yes. It is designed for a town or an association, and it also works for keeping track of your own colonies.
How is it different from the calculator?
The spreadsheet records what you have and only counts what you enter. The calculator projects how a colony may change depending on the sterilizations you do: it is a projection, not a prediction.
Can I change the lists or the formulas?
The drop-down lists (sex, yes/no, color, status and type of intervention) are on a hidden sheet called “Lists”, which is not protected: you reach it by showing the sheet (right-click a tab > Unhide). Be careful: the “Summary” sheet relies on the values in those lists, such as “In colony”, “Yes”, “Sterilization”, “Male” and “Female”; if you change them, the summary stops working properly. The “Interventions” and “Summary” sheets contain formulas and are protected without a password (Review > Unprotect Sheet).
