Before you compare: who is going to use it?
- A caregiver who looks after colonies on their own: needs to record their colonies and cats at no cost and with their data kept private.
- A nonprofit or a rescue: needs to work as a team, with permissions for each person, and to prepare documents for grants.
- A local government: needs to see the whole municipality, coordinate volunteers and explain with data what it does (why, in Community cat management app: 7 keys to an effective municipal TNR program).
Which criteria should you check?
1. Census by colony and by cat
Each community cat should have its own record within its colony (sex, whether and when it was sterilized, ear-tip, photos and status), and the colonies should be on a map. Counting colonies alone does not tell you how much of each colony is sterilized.
2. Log of actions
Every trapping, sterilization, treatment or alert, with its date, and a history that is not lost when someone stops volunteering. That is what lets you explain later what was done and when.
3. Work with volunteers
Volunteers should be able to take part, and each one should see what concerns them. Ask how a person is invited, whether they can turn the invitation down and whether taking part costs them anything.
4. Reports for the local government and for grants
Reports that come from the data already recorded, without redoing them by hand: the state of the colonies, the actions in a period and the documents to justify grants.
5. Data export and import
You should be able to take out all your data in a format that opens without the tool, such as a spreadsheet, if you ever switch. And the provider should help you bring in the census you already have, so you do not type it again.
6. Privacy and data protection
Where the data is stored, who can see it and how the handling of personal data is governed (in the European Union, the GDPR). Colony locations are sensitive information: check that the map is not public unless you want it to be.
7. The rules that apply to you
In Spain, Law 7/2023 on animal welfare: we explain what it says about cat colonies in what Law 7/2023 says about cat colonies. Outside Spain the framework is different: in France, the “chats libres” scheme of Article L.211-27 of the Rural Code; in the United States, the rules of each state, county or city. Check with whoever advises you which data you are asked for and whether the software lets you record it.
8. Use in the field and in the office
It should work on a phone, where the colonies are, and on a computer, and in the languages of your team.
9. Support
Who helps you get started, train the team and answer questions. Software without support falls short: we explain why in community cat management requires more than software.
Checklist: questions for any provider
- Can I record each cat with its colony, its sterilization and its photos?
- Is every action recorded with its date?
- How do volunteers take part, and what does it cost them? Does each one see what concerns them?
- Which reports does it produce, and for whom: the local government, a grant, the nonprofit itself?
- Can I export all my data? In what format?
- Will you help me bring in the census I already have?
- Where is the data stored and who can see it? Is the map private?
- Does it work on a phone and on a computer? In which languages?
- How is the price worked out and what does it include? Is there a free option to start?
- Who supports me when I start, and afterwards?
What does Meow Metrics offer today?
Meow Metrics is a platform for managing cat colonies with the TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) method, in accordance with Spain’s Law 7/2023. This is what it offers today:
- Cat census with photos of the cats and the colonies, on a private map with map layers and critical areas.
- A log of alerts and actions, with statistics.
- Volunteers: associations and local governments can invite volunteers; whoever receives the invitation decides whether to accept it. One person on their own can use the free account.
- Team and reports: in the plans for associations and local governments, a team with roles, grant and technical documents and reports, and a monthly report by email.
- Your census, without typing it again: you send us your census and we enter it, or we give you a template to fill in.
- Private data: only the people authorized by the local government or the association can see it; in the free account, only the account holder.
- On your phone and on your computer: it is an installable web app (PWA), in 12 languages.
- Cost: the free account has no cost; for associations and local governments, the cost is presented after a demo.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best app for managing community cat colonies?
The one that fits who is going to use it: a volunteer caregiver, a nonprofit or a local government. Compare the options with the same criteria: census by colony and by cat, a log of actions, work with volunteers, reports, data export, privacy and use on a phone.
What should a city or county ask before contracting community cat software?
Whether it shows the whole municipality with the census by colony and by cat, whether every action is recorded with its date, how volunteers are coordinated, whether reports come from the data already recorded and who can see the data. We explain why a local government needs a dedicated tool in the post “Community cat management app: 7 keys to an effective municipal TNR program”.
How do I switch apps without losing my data?
Before you switch, export all your data from your current tool and ask the new provider how they import it. With Meow Metrics, you send us your census and we enter it, or we give you a template to fill in.
Which platforms track colonies, cats, actions and volunteers in one place?
It is the first thing to check in any option. Meow Metrics brings together colonies, the cat census, alerts and actions and, in the plans for associations and local governments, the team with roles and volunteers, who receive an invitation and decide whether to accept it.
Can I try before I decide?
With Meow Metrics, one person can use the free account, and an association or a local government can request a demo through the demo form.
