The Community Cats Podcast

Have a diabetic cat, or know someone who does? JaneA describes her experience with her own cat plus the work she does as a member of the "virtual" team that runs Diabetic Cats in Need. (DCIN). DCIN assists cat owners with education and financial assistance to better support their cat's needs. Since its founding, DCIN has assisted over 700 cats — and loving cat owners. JaneA also discusses how medication and diet can go a long way to assuring that cats have long and happy lives after their diagnosis. She also talks about her blog (written by her cats!) that helps cat owners understand behavior and medical issues. To find out more visit the paws-and-effect.com online.

After reminiscing about their early work together, Bonney and Stacy discuss fundraising strategies and the importance of focusing your message on successes and future opportunities. It can be overwhelming to think about thousands of animals in need, but inspiring to tell the story of an individual cat or situation. Bonney also talks about how to put together an effective non-profit Board of Directors, which she sees as essential to meeting a group's mission. It's important, she notes, to make sure Board members have a clear understanding what is expected of them, and to use their time wisely during meetings. To find out more visit the Humane Network online.

Marlan leads a "boots on the ground" initiative to go into Kansas City's underserved communities to provide education, wellness and other resources to keep families and pets together. These efforts include a pet food pantry that distributes more than 40,000 pounds of dog and cat food a year, a MASH-style high volume spay/neuter clinic that aims to treat 10,000 pets a year, and other ways to "make cats better neighbors for us." He is a big believer in making sure 100% of every feral colony is fixed and describes the feeling of getting that last cat trapped: "you feel like a superhero!" To find out more visit the Spay and Neuter Kansas City online.

The State of Delaware has legislation in effect establishing a spay/neuter program for non-profits and low-income individuals, which is funded by a $3 surcharge on rabies vaccines. Shauna talks about how those funds are put to work through with participating veterinarians and local shelters. She notes that all types of individuals are necessary to create change for cats: "there are a lot of people do the really hard work on the ground for animal welfare…trapping, foster, feeding" but that she felt her journalism and legislative skills could be put to work to help make these individuals' jobs easier. To find out more visit the The State of Delaware Office of Animal Welfare online.

Shelby describes the challenges of helping community cats in the rural South, where 40% of residents have no access to the internet. So, she reaches out to local social services organizations to get information to individuals who don't even know what spay/neuter is: "you have to assume that people don't know and start there." Her "street team" also distributes flyers at laundromats and supermarkets, noting that you need to reach out to the public in places they normally go. Shelby also talks about her "stray-dar" for finding outdoor cats and the persistent problem of feral dogs in Mississippi. To find out more visit the Mississippi Spay Neuter online.

After TNR'ing 43 cats and fostering multiple litters of kittens, Ashley became "addicted" to trapping and decided that a career in animal welfare was inevitable for her. She speaks about her communications efforts to educate individual neighborhoods about the importance of spay/neuter and the resources available to help them with community cats.. Her staff at Scituate Animal Shelter plays the role of "hotline" for callers concerned about cats, going through a checklist to help them arrive at the right solutions. She also shares her "top tips" for trapping moms and kittens. To find out more visit the Scituate Animal Shelter online.

When Scott accepted the challenge of joining the Washington Humane Society, their live release rate was 28%…today it is 90%. Scott outlines the various programs that have moved the dial, including improved coordination and cooperation with animal control, their Pets for Life program, and targeted TNR that fixed over 2500 cats last year alone. Today, he's working with local authorities on helping more low income individuals keep their cats to reduce abandonment with a "Pets in Housing" program. Plus, he lovingly shares his passion for socializing feral kittens, and his foster failures, the "Gang of Four." To find out more visit the Washington Humane Society online.

Kit reflects on the "bad old days" 30 years ago when "cats were third class citizens, who came in and went out the back door" and there was no formal way for rescues or shelters to share information and build community regarding programs to help them. She describes the kitty she met who changed her mind about cats living outdoors: "When I met his eyes, I realized he was a cat who had his own world and his own way of surviving." She stresses the importance of organizations celebrating every small change they make and building on them. To find out more visit the PetSmart Charities online.

Rachael started her career as an academic scientist and brings disciplined thinking to her cageless cat shelter and TNR efforts. She and her mother founded Here Today, Adopted Tomorrow after attending a Best Friends workshop. She describes how the cats in her care stay healthier because their stress levels are lower and notes that it's important to have an optimal number of cats: "people get overwhelmed if there are too many cats and they can't choose and walk out without a cat." TNR wasn't her initial interest, but she but began becausel "I saw that it needed to be done." She's a big believer in asking questions and learning from others: "Don't reinvent the wheel…look at what others are doing and do exactly the same thing." **Please excuse the sound quality of this interview. The information is so valuable it's worth sticking with it! To find out more visit the Here Today, Adopted Tomorrow online.

Nancy, who has been involved in the start-up of community cat TNR programs in Florida and now in Delaware, identifies several of the critical factors for building a successful effort: educating and developing working partnerships with community entities, concentrating on cats in a small area first, and keeping detailed records of the number of cats affected. "Numbers, numbers, numbers…getting grants is all about the numbers." She also shares her experience mentoring different size groups seeking to build their TNR capabilities, and the different challenges they face. To find out more visit the Brandywine SPCA online.

In this episode, Stacy's in the interview chair and speaks about her motivation for launching the Community Cats Podcast, the wide array of volunteers, services and skills necessary to support cats, and her four biggest priorities for making big picture difference. Among those priorities is fundraising, which Stacy calls "an everlasting challenge" for supporting spay/neuter initiatives: "we're at the point where we need to offer free spay/neuter, a 20 pound bag of food, and transportation" to get some cats into a clinic…and that requires financial support." She also introduces us to the concept of the "kitten free zone" that was achieved by the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society with its efforts on the Newburyport, MA waterfront. To find out more visit the The Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society online.

Jessica has had broad exposure to many different functions necessary to helping community cats: TNR, high volume spay/neuter clinics, and even managing a pet food pantry. When she joined Indy Humane, there were nearly 800 cats on the waiting list for spay/neuter services and describes her efforts to shorten these waiting times. She also talks about the "trapper's rush" she experienced watching three kittens walk into a trap together: "trapping requires a lot of strategy...it's a game of you against the cat." She also detail her efforts to provide services and support to community cat caretakers, and the amazing increase in live release rates for cats in her area. To find out more visit the Indy Humane online.

Julie applied her for-profit experience and strategic mindset to the issues facing Community Cats in her years at PetSmart Charities and Executive Director of the Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Program in Washington State. She points out how important it is for all groups — no matter their size — to figure out what they do best, and focus on those skills to build sustainability. Rather than try to "do it all," she recommends that every organization find like-minded partners who complement their expertise. She also shares great ideas about how to personalize fundraising for spay/neuter initiatives. To find out more visit the PetSmart Charities online.

Volunteering at the Gifford Shelter, and helping socialize fearful, shy and semi-feral cats launched Rachel into her role today as a certified cat behaviorist. She describes the cat behavior and retention program she founded at Gifford, and has shared with other organizations as well as the Humane Society of the United States. Her passion for helping those in need extends beyond cats to developing a program for shelters to bring developmentally challenged children in as volunteers, and advocacy for nursing homes to embrace allowing seniors the therapeutic benefit of owning cats. Finally, she counsels Stacy on how to keep her cat Hooch from waking her up every night! To find out more visit the Gifford Cat Shelter online and click here to check out the presentation Rachel mentions in the episode!

In this episode, Karen describes how she went about determining what type of efforts and program might best solve the community cat problem in Louisville. She's a big believer in planning and patience; when founding Alley Cat Advocates, she spent a whole year developing organizational infrastructure so that its future activities would have a sound base to build on. She also talks about coalition building with both public and non-profit animal control and rescues, volunteer engagement, and the importance of partnering not only with community cat caretakers, but respecting and assisting those who prefer to have cats out of their yards and neighborhoods. "We must have a culture of caring," she notes. To find out more visit the Alley Cat Advocates online.

In this episode, Katie chronicles her wide-ranging activities as a proponent for improving outcomes for cats and communities. She details her work helping improve public policies relating to cats, advocating for coalitions to join together in a community to address their cat issues, and the many resources HSUS makes available to interested individuals and groups who want to work on behalf of change. "The HSUS works to protect all animals," notes Katie, and then talks about the ways that the cat community and wildlife community need to listen to each other, rather than fight it out. Ultimately, she says, "if you keep the population of free-roaming cats down, you have fewer issues with the birding community." To find out more visit the The Humane Society of the United States online.

Stacy interviews Bridget about some of the thorniest questions surrounding community cats: how do you assess whether a cat is owned, feral or a community cat, when should you intervene with a cat versus letting it be, and how to help rescues and shelters make smart choices about which cats to take in. She describes the unique mission of the Missing Pet Partnership: educating owners on prevention and recovery of lost pets. As she puts it, "losing your pet is a once in a lifetime event…no wonder owners freak out and have no idea what to do." MPP's Operation Rescue is a program that seeks to help shelters do a better job reuniting pets and people. To find out more visit the The Missing Pet Partnership or Path Ahead Animal Shelter Consulting online.

Christy and Stacy have a wide-ranging discussion about low cost spay/neuter, developing a successful TNR effort by building community coalitions, and Christy's experience with the Pets for Life program, which she states changed her mind completely about the pets of the underprivileged: "everyone deserves to have love in their lives." She also describes the inspiring work she's involved with at the Jackson Galaxy Foundation, where clicker training for cats (yes, you read that right!) is changing the game for shy and fearful shelter cats. To find out more visit the The Jackson Galaxy Foundation online.

Nationally recognized expert Bryan Kortis talks with Stacy about all things TNR: his beginnings trapping a colony of cats on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, the founding of Neighborhood Cats.org to help teach TNR to others in New York and around the country, the critical importance of targeting one area until you've reached 100% sterilization and what the future looks like for community cats. Learn about CatStats.org, a new online tool for tracking the impact of TNR programs on cat populations, and where Bryan and his wife are headed for their next challenge. To find out more visit the Neighborhood Cats online.

Stacy talks with veteran trapper Laura Burns about her experiences, advice and resources for those seeking to make a difference for cats. Laura discusses the use of box traps versus drop traps, her approach to feral kittens and relocating colonies, and her "Hail Mary Pass" trap bait. She underscores the importance of training motivated individuals how to successfully trap cats, as opposed to relying on others, and the importance of having caretakers invested in taking care of their colonies: "as soon as you turn your back, the clock is ticking and other cat is going to show up." To find out more visit the Habitat for Cats online.

Formerly a "true blue dog person," Betsy tells about the kitten on a woodpile outside her house that fueled her interest in assisting community cats. She also addresses the challenges found on the human side of the equation in animal welfare and rescues: small organizations often lack the infrastructure that would allow them to best benefit from their volunteers' capabilities, rely too much on their founders, and overworked volunteers frequently "burn out". A better solution, she says, is match peoples' ability, skills and passion in a way that will best help the organization's mission and the cause. To find out more visit the The Human Society of the United States online.

Dr. Newman describes how the Barry County Animal Shelter implemented a TNR program — with the help of the MRFRS Mentoring Program and PetSmart Charities — that has resulted in a drastic reduction in unwanted litters among unowned cats. She describes her humble beginnings as a spay/neuter advocate — "fixing 12 cats a month wasn't going to cut it" — and how she sought advice and then, the cooperation of local officials and volunteer vets to help address the problem. Her advice to those facing similar challenges? "Just do it." To find out more visit the Barry County online.

In this episode, Mike describes the profound improvements and progress for cats he has seen in his 20+ year career at the MSPCA. By implementing programs to reduce the stress of cats in the shelter, aggressively targeting communities with low cost spay/neuter services, and implementing creative adoption promotions, Mike's adoption center has achieved a 92% live release rate, and can now focus on the challenge of finding homes for "hard to place" cats. He also discusses his views on pediatric spay/neuter, and how barn cat programs can be a winning solution for cats with aggression or house soiling issues. To find out more visit the MSPCA Nevins Farm Adoption Center online.

Marnie tells Stacy about her commitment to increasing the survival rates for neonatal kittens through education, information sharing, cooperation and hands on learning. Her organization, the National Kitten Coalition, specializes in helping shelters, rescue organizations, the veterinary community and individuals, better understand how to manage these tiny felines through a critical part of their life. Marnie talks about the critical need for more foster homes equipped to handle "bottle babies" and how rewarding that work can be. To find out more visit the The National Kitten Coalition online.

Kit, the founder of the largest TNR group in the greater Boston area, provides insights on how to develop an effective TNR program. Because 50% of the cats found by Charles River Alley Cats are "friendlies," the group sha developed important relationships with local shelters to serve as adoption partners. In terms of building TNR capabilities, Kit cautions that it's important to put resources — equipment, transportation, veterinarians and space — into place before starting to trap. She shares her group's astonishing impact on shelter intakes and euthanasia, and also how she brought her passion for helping animals to her vacation home in Mexico, where 90% of cats are unowned and a local veterinarian takes braided bracelets and fish in exchange for fixing local animals. To find out more go to www.charlesriveralleycats.org.

Sarah Hess, Founding Member of United Coalition for Animals (OH), Grant Manager at TwoMauds.org Sarah describes the "aha" moment when she realized that aggressive spay/neuter efforts were a necessary partner for rescue activities. She also discusses how cooperation and inclusiveness among organizations is essential to reducing animal homelessness and how mentoring can benefit new organizations seeking to implement spay/neuter programs in their areas.

Learn how Jen determined that pet food was missing from local food banks and started an all-volunteer effort to get dog and cat food to families in need. She recommends a "simple, scalable model", shares some resources and software that have helped her grow her efforts, and discusses her goals for growing PAWSitive Pantry to support food shelves across all of Vermont. Learn more about PAWSitive Pantry at their site www.pawsitivepantry.org.

Sandy reflects on her long career in animal welfare, why working with people might be more effective than hands-on work with animals, and the Jackson Galaxy Foundation's current initiative to improve conditions and adoptability for shelter cats. To find out more go to www.jacksongalaxyfoundation.org.

Frank describes how one outdoor kitty named Blackie motivated him and his wife to found the Animal Coalition of Tampa, whose spay/neuter efforts have transformed feline welfare in one of Florida's most populous regions, and how others can learn from his experience. To learn more visit actampa.org.

Julie explains the challenge of overcoming entrenched attitudes about animals and lack of resources in rural Tennessee, and the county-by-county approach that's helped make spay/neuter services available and affordable for the state's residents. To find out more about Spay Tennessee go to www.spaytennessee.org.

Laura talks with Stacy about the importance of patience, how to build a successful TNR organization, and why the biggest challenge you face may be educating people, not trapping cats. To find out more visit Lowell TNR Collation online.

Get to know Stacy LeBaron, hear a bit about her life's work with cats and non-profit organizations, and learn more about the show and it's mission.