The Community Cats Podcast

This episode is sponsored in part by Doobert.com's FosterSpace, C5, and The American Association of Feline Practitioners. In this episode, Stacy chats with Holly Ganz, Ph.D., a micro-ecologist who studies how microbes and mammals interact, with a specific interest in the role that the gut microbiome plays in gastrointestinal (GI) conditions in cats and dogs. In 2015, Holly founded Animal Biome to create better diagnostics and therapeutics for cats and dogs with GI conditions. She and Stacy discuss how she became interested in this field, and the Kitty Biome Kickstarter that began the whole thing. They review what the term gut microbiome means and how all this relates to animal welfare work. Today, Animal Biome offers microbiome testing and fecal transplant capsules for dogs and cats that can be given at home. Holly explains what a fecal transplant is, how it works, and what conditions it can be helpful for, and she discusses what's ahead for Animal Biome. To learn more, visit the Animal Biome website, where you can find all of their products, as well as a new article on a potential cure for FIP. You can also read a reporter's chronicle of using Animal Biome's fecal transplant capsules in his cat with GI lymphoma.

This episode is sponsored in part by Doobert.com's FosterSpace, Heaven Can Wait, and The American Association of Feline Practitioners. In this episode, Stacy catches up with Keith Williams of the Community Cat Coalition of Clark County (C5), based in Las Vegas, Nevada. Keith was featured previously on CCP Episode 297, ad in a CCP Trapper Tips & Trips blog post. Stacy and Keith review C5's mission and background, and they discuss how the coronavirus pandemic has affected their work. They talk about how they're bouncing back from that, and why it's so important for C5 that they focus solely on TNR. "Sterilization, spay/neuter is the way out of this," Keith tells Stacy. "It truly is the only way out of this." Keith also tells Stacy about their trapper training protocols, and about how he believes more resources must be directed toward spay/neuter. To learn more about C5 and the work they do, visit their website.

Anna Raines, currently a community cat program manager at Best Friends Animal Society, has been involved in animal welfare for about 10 years. She started her career as a wildlife rehabilitator, where she learned about complaint mitigation and the importance of spreading the message of coexistence. From there, she became an ACO, a role in which she learned about TNR and community cats. After taking over the Best Friends community cat program in Cobb County, Georgia, Anna helped bring the county's save rate for cats from 62% to 94%. Anna talks with Stacy about how she started out vehemently opposed to TNR and RTF after being introduced to it through her wildlife rehab work. "I was being fed a very different narrative on outdoor cats," she told Stacy, than the one she later encountered as an ACO. Now a passionate advocate for TNR and RTF, Anna is working to help change the ordinances in her area to make TNR and other community cat programs legal. To learn more about the work Anna is doing, you can email her directly. You can also visit the Best Friends Animal Society website, where you'll find lots of resources on community cat programming.

Anne Beall, CEO and founder of Beall Research, a strategic market research firm in Chicago, IL, is also an animal advocate who has written extensively about the human-animal bond. In this episode, she chats with Stacy about her most recent book, Heroic, Helpful and Caring Cats: Felines Who Make a Difference, and about how she came to be so passionate about cats after becoming the caretaker for several community cats. Anne and Stacy discuss why Anne decided to write her first book about cats, Community Cats: A Journey into the World of Feral Cats. "I think that they have a tremendous contribution that they make to the communities that they're in," Anne tells Stacy, "and I wanted to give them a voice." Anne also shares with Stacy the details of some research her firm did on TNR and people's perceptions of it and support for it. They talk about the importance of spreading the word about TNR. "[TNR programs] suffer for lack of awareness and for a lack of information," Anne says, "but most people are very in favor of them once they understand them." To learn more, or to purchase Anne's books, visit her website or her Amazon page.

Stacy chats with Julie Jacobson of Spay Tennessee, who is also the grants coordinator for CCP's Community Cats Grants program. Julie, a frequent CCP guest (check out Episodes 2, 92, and 268, talks about how great this year's grant program had been going—until the coronavirus hit. Julie and Stacy explain how the Community Cats Grants work: They are strictly for spay/neuter of community cats, and they are matching $1,000 grants that a group can earn by raising money through a new fundraising idea that they've never tried before. Julie tells listeners that there is a CCP webinar they can view about the grant application process, and she gives some helpful tips about live release rates, and also about Guidestar. Stacy and Julie go on to discuss the effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on animal transport programs, and on spay/neuter, especially in rural areas like the ones Spay Tennessee services. All in all, Julie has deep worries about the effect of many months without spay/neuter. "Here in Tennessee," she tells Stacy, "we're going to be set back years in a lot of areas." To learn more about the Community Cats Grants program (or to apply for a grant), visit the CCP grants page. To learn more about Spay Tennessee, visit their website.

Bonney Brown (CCP Episode 30 and Episode 181) and Diane Blankenburg, the president, and the CEO, respectively, of Humane Network, join Stacy to talk about the process of leadership recruitment in animal welfare. Humane Network assists organizations with this process and Bonney and Diane talk a bit about their process for going about a search and ways they can help throughout the process, depending on what their client needs. Stacy goes on to discuss with Bonney and Diane the best kind of interview questions to use in order to really get at people's core competencies, how to determine an appropriate salary range, and they discuss why the "lifespan" for executive directors and directors of development seems to be so short in animal welfare. Bonney and Diane also offer some advice for organizations that may not have paid staff but are still looking to recruit new leadership. For more information, visit the Humane Network website, or email them at [email protected].

In this episode, Stacy chats with Carrie Gillaspie, a television and podcast host from rural central Wisconsin with a huge passion for helping animals. Last year, Carrie began noticing larger than normal numbers of barn and community cats in her area, and hearing complaints from the farms around her, that the cat numbers were out of control. Taking matters into her own hands, Carrie convinced a local group, The Fix Is In, to bring their mobile clinic to her neighborhood—and she raised the funds to make the surgeries totally free of charge to those bringing cats. That event is now being used as a prototype for six other events planned for this spring and summer. Stacy and Carrie discuss Carrie's fundraising strategy for the event, as well as the logistics of the surgery day. They talk about what Carrie feels the impact will be on the local community, and how she is now spearheading The Fix Is In's effort to get this model out in other communities. The campaign is called The Year of the Cat 2020, with a goal of fixing 2,020 cats this year. Another of Carrie's goals is TNR outreach. "That's my cardinal rule," she tells Stacy. "If you feed them, you fix them." She encourages listeners to embark on similar projects in their own communities—and to feel free to reach out to her with questions or for encouragement. "I literally am just an animal lover who saw a need in my community and just decided to do something about it," she says, "and that's all you need to be; that's all you need to do." To learn more about Carrie—including about her podcast, Candidly Speaking, visit her website, or follow her on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.

In this information-packed episode, Stacy sits down with Dr. Bob Weedon, a retired veterinarian who is still going strong as a volunteer at the TLC PetSnip low-cost clinic in Lakeland, FL, a board member of the Alliance for Contraception in Cats & Dogs (ACC&D), and in other volunteer posts. Bob worked in private practice and also spent many years teaching in the shelter medicine program at the University of Illinois, including teaching high-quality high-volume spay/neuter techniques to veterinary students. He also holds a Master's degree in public health. Along the way, he also became involved in TNR. "I just recognized there was such a need," he says, "and that I had the tools that… could address that need." Stacy and Bob discuss why the "V" in trap-neuter-vaccinate-return (TNVR) is so crucial, both for the cats and for proving the value of TNVR programs to community leaders and officials. He discusses the concept of herd immunity in relation to rabies, and also goes into great detail about cats and toxoplasmosis—including how to talk with public health officials about it. Bob also discusses his work with ACC&D and with the National Feline Research Council (NFRC–an "unbiased central repository of evidence-based information"). He tells Stacy how gratifying it is to be able to provide vet care to folks who can't afford it, and how his own views have changed over the years from feeling like low-income pet owners shouldn't have pets at all to realize how important pets can be to those folks' mental health and well-being. To learn more about the organizations Dr. Weedon volunteers for, visit the ACC&D website, the NFRC website, and the TLC PetSnip website. You can also check out Dr. Weedon's presentation entitled "Better Together—TNVR and Public Health," or email him directly with questions or help with resources.

In this episode, Stacy sits down with Sterling Davis again (she talked with him before in CCP Episode 243) to catch up on what he's been doing for the last couple of years. Sterling is still living up to his nickname of Trap King, doing lots of TNR in Atlanta—but he has also been busy doing educational events and shows. He has been working with scout troops—and hoping to get a TNR badge in place—and he has been touching on the issue of diversity in rescue. He shares some tips with Stacy on dealing with "feral humans," as well as some trapping tips. Stacy and Sterling discuss fundraising, and the Patreon page Sterling has set up to assist him with raising funds for his one-man operation. Sterling likes the platform because it allows him to give a little something back to his followers in return for their support, and the proceeds have helped him out tremendously with traps, gas, and TNR surgeries. Sterling is available to travel for speaking engagements and he tells Stacy that his goal has been to make cat rescue and TNR "more fun and popular." In addition, he's been expanding on his "you don't lose cool points for compassion" idea lately, explaining that it's not just for cats—it's for people, too. To learn more, visit Sterling's website, check out his Facebook page, or follow him on Instagram. You can also visit his Patreon page to learn how you can become a subscriber and support Sterling's work in the process.

In this episode, Stacy sits down with Ashley Shoults, a principal w/ Animal Arts, an architecture firm in Boulder, Colorado that specializes exclusively in the design of animal care facilities, including animal shelters, veterinary facilities, and pet boarding facilities. Ashley is currently working on the design of a new facility for PAWS Seattle and she recently co-authored a book covering all aspects of animal care design, Practical Guide to Veterinary Hospital Design. Stacy and Ashley talk about the importance of design in every aspect of animal care, from feral cat feeding stations to the spaces we care for our cats in. As Ashley puts it, "We need to constantly be thinking about how the people use the space, and how the animals use the space and how do we make it an environment that the animals will also thrive in." They go on to discuss how community cats should be accounted for in design and planning, which Ashley sees as a big area for opportunity and growth in our shelters in terms of how we house community cats and how we reduce stress for them. Ashley also has some words of advice for proceeding with a new design project from a financial perspective and how you can flex your space by having a variety of smaller "pod" spaces. To learn more, see photos of their work, and reach out for a consultation, visit the Animal Arts website.

In this episode, Stacy chats with Steven Morelli, CEO and founder of Waggle, a new—and very different—crowdfunding platform to help pet owners and shelters/rescues raise money for animals in need of urgent veterinary care. Steven, who has a background in finance and data analytics, found himself increasingly angry over the way various crowdfunding platforms operate. Frustrated, he decided to start Waggle to connect people who find themselves considering surrendering or euthanizing their beloved pets because they can't afford needed veterinary care with people who want to help. Waggle differs from other platforms in that rather than funds going to the person or group raising money, they go directly to veterinarians. Waggle has a network of participating veterinarians, but they will send funds to any veterinarian an individual or group is working with. Stacy and Steven go on to discuss matching funds and how vet clinics and shelters/rescues can establish their own funds, as well as how fees and tax deductibility work (hint: there are other areas where Waggle differs from other platforms!). Steven also tells Stacy how Waggle makes sure to send updates back to donors, to be sure that people truly feel like their money is going where they intended it to go. To learn more, visit the Waggle website.

Stacy talks with Elizabeth Finch, a member of the board of directors and full-time marketing and communications volunteer at Good Mews Animal Foundation in Marietta, Georgia. Elizabeth comes from a varied professional background and began donating her time to Good Mews after early retirement. "It's my full-time gig," she tells Stacy, "and I love it more than anything I've ever done." Stacy and Elizabeth discuss Good Mews's five-year-old shelter, which is focused on cage-less space, as well as an appropriately separate kitten, intake, and isolation spaces for the 100+ cats that are housed there. The new shelter also has a state-of-the-art surgery suite. That, combined with the hiring of a high-volume spay/neuter veterinarian, put the organization in a great spot to take on expanding into helping community cats, and in the latter half of 2019, Good Mews took over the Cobb County Community Cat program from Best Friends. To learn more, visit the Good Mews Animal Foundation website, or follow them on Instagram or Facebook.

In this episode, Stacy talks with Mary Howard, the community cat coordinator at McKamey Animal Center in Chattanooga, TN. The program started in 2018 with a grant from Best Friends Animal Society and since inception, the organization's return to habitat releases has gone up by 145%. Stacy and Mary discuss the many programs McKamey offers, including a barn cat program, kitten nursery, trapping services, a pet food bank, low-cost vaccine clinics, and an on-site feral colony for cats that cannot safely be released back to the areas in which they were trapped. McKamey is connected with the city's animal control services, and Mary talks with Stacy about how she works with animal control, and how she maintains good relationships there. Mary also shares some trapping tips and tricks, and discuss how, from 2018 to 2019, the organization's save rate increased by 12% to 90%. To learn more, visit McKamey's website, where you can click on "Services" and then "Community Cats" for information about the Community Cats Program.

Stacy sits down with Mary Tan, owner and chief storyteller at Whisker Media, a boutique strategic communications agency that focuses on marketing and public relations for pet-related businesses and animal welfare nonprofits. Mary, who previously worked as a news reporter and in government communications, is also the public relations manager for Animal Humane Society in Golden Valley, Minnesota, which is one of the country's largest open-admission shelters. Mary and Stacy talk about why it's important even for small organizations to capture and leverage stories, and why it's important for all groups to have relationships with the media. Mary talks about the concept of "newsjacking," and gives some advice on how to contact and start relationships with your local media. She also talks about press releases and when to use them, and tells groups that "You need public relations and marketing." To learn more about Whisker Media and contact Mary, visit the Whisker Media website.

Karen Little, featured previously on CCP Episode 17 and Episode 112, joins Stacy to discuss the new things going on with the organization she and her husband founded in Louisville, Kentucky in 1999, Alley Cat Advocates. In the 21 years since its inception, ACA has altered over 50,000 community cats and has worked to transform the culture of care provided to community cats in the region. Stacy and Karen talk a bit about how Karen and her husband came to the idea of TNR and starting ACA, and about how they accomplish their spay/neuter numbers. Karen tells Stacy about ACA's new facility and their relationship with the city of Louisville, which includes a municipal contract with the city. Karen shares some advice for people thinking about how to change the culture for community cats in their area and reminds us all that sometimes, "We have to get outside of our comfort zone to help the cats." For more information about Alley Cat Advocates and the work they do, visit their website. You can also feel free to email them, or even call, as they are always glad to talk with folks from all over the country about helping cats.

In this episode, Marian Pekar, a software developer based in the Czech Republic, joins Stacy to talk about My Nine Lives, a game he is developing to raise money for cat-related charities. Marian became involved in cat charities after adopting Max, a stray kitten, and earlier this year, he decided to use his skills and passion to find a way to help support those charities. Marian and Stacy discuss My Nine Lives, in which the player takes on the role of a cat trying to survive by hunting prey and avoiding predators. He explains that it will be suitable for all ages, as there are no gory scenes. He also tells Stacy about how the game will generate revenue through a "pay as you wish" model, and how he will distribute the game. To learn more about My Nine Lives, visit the game's website, where you can sign up to be notified when the game is released, and watch a trailer for the game. You can also follow Marian's progress on Twitter.

Stacy sits down with Lora O'Connor, Executive Director of The National Kitten Coalition (NKC), in this episode to talk about the organization, and about its partnership with Community Cats Podcast on the Online Kitten Conference. Lora has been working in animal welfare for 20 years and is an animal behaviorist. She talks about how things were for cats 20 years ago, and how she felt cats just weren't getting the same resources dogs were. "We needed to elevate their status," Lora says. Lora and Stacy discuss the upcoming Online Kitten Conference and the importance of continuing education in the animal welfare world. NKC offers many webinar training sessions, particularly around caring for neonatal kittens, and they are working to expand their resources for shelters, foster homes, and others. "We want The National Kitten Coalition to be the number one place that you go to when you have any questions kitten-related," Lora tells Stacy. To learn more about The National Kitten Coalition and access their webinar archives and Kitten Nursery Manual, visit the NKC website or find them on social media. To learn more about the Online Kitten Conference and buy tickets (or recordings after the event is over), visit the conference webpage. To hear CCP interviews with other folks from NKC, visit the Community Cats Podcast website and type "National Kitten Coalition" into the search bar.

In this episode, Dean Killingbeck of Pets Strong CBD joins Stacy to discuss CBD and Pet Strong's products. Born and raised on a farm, Dean developed a deep appreciation of nature and herbal medicine, and when his senior dog began to develop mobility issues, Dean decided to try CBD. The results were positive, but Dean was dismayed by the quality of products available for pets, and by the misinformation, he found online. So he decided to start his own company and write a book to help educate pet owners about how CBD can help pets. Dean explains to Stacy what CBD is, how the products you see on the market may differ from each other, and why some are better than others. Dean and Stacy talk about the issues that CBD tends to be the most helpful with, including pain/mobility issues, anxiety, skin and coat issues, and loss of appetite. Dean tells Stacy what you should look for in a CBD product, and they discuss some tips and tricks on how to give CBD to cats—plus Dean offers CCP listeners a discount code on their first Pets Strong order (and an ongoing discount for nonprofit customers). To learn more, or purchase Pets Strong CBD products or Dean's book, CBD for Pets: A Guide to Pet Wellness with CBD, visit the Pets Strong website.

The multi-talented Arden Moore joins Stacy in this episode to discuss all things C-A-T. Arden is a radio show host, author, professional speaker, editor, media consultant, dog/cat behavior consultant, and a master pet first aid instructor. She and Stacy discuss the details of her podcast, Oh Behave, hosted by PetLifeRadio and selected by Oprah as one of her top three favorite pet podcasts for the past two years. Arden was a reporter and editor at a major newspaper for 20 years before she got into the pet field, and when she did, she realized there was one big thing missing from many training programs: safety—so she set out to change that by becoming a master certified instructor in pet first aid. Arden and Stacy talk about Arden's cat Casey, her "teaching partner," who is also a certified therapy cat. Arden believes strongly that cats can learn to do amazing, fun things that are also great for enrichment. As she puts it, "You've got a really amazing being there in your house who purrs… let's work his noodle!" Arden and Stacy go on to discuss the Fear Free program (including the program's newest FREE track for shelters), Arden's newest family member, and why they think that it's a good time to be a cat right now. To find out more about Arden, her podcast, and her new book, A Kid's Guide to Cats, visit her website or her Facebook page.

In this episode, Stacy sits down with Julie Posluns, the founder and owner of Cat School, an online training school for cats that uses clicker training to teach fun and practical behaviors and strengthen the bond between cats and their human in the process. Julie, who is a trained animal behaviorist, worked entirely with dogs until a small black kitten showed up at her back door. The cat, now called Jones, convinced the humans and the dogs in the family that he should stay—and he soon showed an interest in the training Julie was doing with her dogs. Julie began training Jones as well, and the rest is history! Stacy and Julie talk about what clicker training is, what its benefits are, and how this kind of enrichment differs from other types. (Hint: This kind is good for both of you!) Julie explains that clicker training is based on positive reinforcement, and she talks about what her program consists of, how the plan works, and how it can work in different situations (training for fun vs. training for behavior medication, for instance). They also talk about how training can work with multiple cats, how it can work in shelter environments, and about training cats to wash on a leash/harness or ride in a backpack or stroller. To learn more (or to enroll), visit the Cat School website. You can also check out their Instagram page to see lots of fun videos, including a free tutorial on how to teach your cat to fist bump.

Award-winning journalist, author, and filmmaker Tina Traster, previously featured on CCP Episode 186, joins Stacy again to update us on her documentary, Catnip Nation. The film advocates for TNR through the stories of four Good Samaritans caring for community cats around the country. Since being on CCP a couple of years ago, Tina has taken Catnip Nation on the film festival circuit, where it won several awards and has successfully landed a distributor. The documentary is available on DVD, and Tina is in the process of getting distribution on streaming services. Tina and Stacy discuss the need for TNR to become a more widely recognized issue that is taken up by local officials, and how TNR advocates can best work with municipalities. "What we need in this country," Tina says, "is a grassroots movement where it becomes imperative for politicians to recognize the role of a municipality in supporting TNR." To learn more about Catnip Nation or to order a DVD of the film, visit the Catnip Nation website.

In this episode, HSUS Senior Analyst for Cat Protection & Policy Danielle Bays joins Stacy to talk about what's going on in the world of cat policy issues. Danielle, who has chatted with Stacy in CCP Episode 55, Episode 261, and Episode 293, also shares details about the upcoming HSUS Expo conference. The conference will be held in San Antonio May 6–9 and will feature a whole track devoted specifically to cats. Stacy & Danielle goes on to talk about the major focus lately in the U.S. on concerns about cat declawing. They also discuss the HSUS's upcoming publication of a revised guide to community cats for municipal officials. Danielle also talks about ways listeners can get involved in advocacy, including attending the Taking Action for Animals conference in Washington D.C., which will be held July 25–26, 2020. To learn more about current advocacy issues around cats, or about HSUS Expo and other educational opportunities, visit Animal Sheltering, the HSUS website focused on the shelter and rescue community. You can also email Danielle directly for more information on any of the topics in this episode, and you can visit our 2020 Online Cat Conference page to purchase downloads from Danielle's (and others') sessions at the conference.

In this episode, Stacy is joined by Camille Labchuk, an animal rights lawyer and the executive director of Animal Justice, Canada's only animal law advocacy organization. Camille also hosts the Animal Justice's Paw & Order podcast, which was reviewed in the CCP blog back in February. Stacy and Camille discuss what's going on in Canada with regard to cats, including the fact that, as Camille puts it, "People are really waking up to the idea that cat declawing shouldn't be a practice that we allow any more in society." Stacy and Camille also chat about community cats in Canada, how Camille would like to see the government give more support to community cat-related issues, and about the relatively new legal concept of putting an animal at risk. To learn more, visit the Animal Justice website, where you can also link to the Paw & Order podcast. You can find out more about Animal Justice's conferences, which are open to everyone—not just lawyers—at the Canadian Animal Law Conference website.

In this episode, Stacy chats with Elaine Spencer and Melanie Gardner from T-Town TNR, an all-volunteer nonprofit dedicated to resolving the feline overpopulation crisis in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Since 2015, the organization has spay/neutered over 3,700 cats. Elaine is the group's lead support for grant writing, and together, she and Melanie serves as the group's IT consultants. Elaine and Melanie talk with Stacy about how they became involved with TNR, and with T-Town in particular, and they discuss the importance of data as it relates to getting grant funding and running an efficient organization. T-Town utilizes a free software program called AirTable to coordinate their spay/neuter appointments, track colonies, microchips, and equipment, and to track requests for assistance. The software updates in real-time and can be accessed in the field via cell phone, as well as by veterinary offices with which T-Town is connected. T-Town has seen an incredible improvement in efficiency and data collection now that they utilize AirTable, but the process of selecting a software package was a long and challenging one, as Elaine tells Stacy. Elaine encourages everyone to do their homework around software options and to reach out to her if they have questions about AirTable. To learn more, visit the T-Town TNR website or their Facebook page. You can also email Elaine directly to talk more about T-Town's experiences with AirTable.

In this episode, Stacy speaks with Alisse Russell, founder and executive director of Puff (Paws Up for Felines) Cat Rescue, Inc., a recently launched grassroots group with an ambition to grow into a nationwide rescue network. Puff Cat is dedicated to helping solve community cat overpopulation, and Alisse, who currently works in the human mental health field, is working toward becoming a humane education specialist. Alisse and Stacy discuss what Puff Cat hopes to do, which is to reach smaller, independently run rescues so that those groups can expand their reach and get the support they need. The aim is to create a whole new social network for people in this field so they can communicate directly with each other. A dedicated CCP listener, Alisse is currently working with CCP Episode 330 guest Lizz Whitacre of Pawlytics on a software platform. To learn more about Puff Cat Rescue, visit their website, Instagram, or Facebook pages. You can also visit Alisse's Instagram page.

In this episode, Stacy talks with Lori Behrman, who runs the day-to-day operations of the Toby Project, including the mobile spay/neuter clinic. Lori has been with the Toby Project since Day One, and she considers her work not just a job, but a mission. She tells Stacy about how Dr. Andy Kaplan, founder of the Toby Project (CCP Episode 339) inspired her to get involved eleven years ago, and about how much she has learned since then about the concepts of spay/neuter, no-kill, and pet overpopulation. Stacy and Lori discuss the specifics of how the mobile clinic operates, the work it's currently doing in Yonkers (in addition to its normal work in New York City), and the clinic's staffing model. They talk about the challenges of running a mobile clinic, including winter weather and equipment issues. Lori notes that "it is an expensive endeavor to run a mobile unit," and suggests that anyone thinking of starting one takes the time to talk with others who have already done so to learn all they can. To learn more about the Toby Project, or to get in touch with Lori, email [email protected]. You can also find the Toby Project online at their website, on Facebook, and on Instagram.

In this episode, Stacy chats with community cat caretaker Debbie Chatenever, who walks several miles each day to feed the community cats in her area. Debbie gets the cats the medical care they need at her own expense, and she shares with Stacy the story of how she got involved with caring for her local community cats. Stacy and Debbie also discuss how beneficial a support network could be for Debbie and others like her, and they talk about Debbie's strong belief that there needs to be accountability around abandoning cats. Debbie tells Stacy about how she talks with the children she meets in her neighborhood as she feeds, and how she shares information with them about community cats, spay/neuter, and how we can help. To learn more about Debbie and the work she does, or to reach out to her, please email Stacy.

Jill Tucker, CAWA and CEO of the California Animal Welfare Association (CalAnimals), joins Stacy in this episode to talk about her career in animal welfare, which stretches back to 2002. They talk about how Jill ended up in animal welfare after being in the software industry for many years. Jill & Stacy also discuss CalAnimals—how it came to be, the role it plays in the state, and how Jill came to be in a leadership role there. They talk about the diversity of resources in California and the challenges that presents, as well as about community cats and how Jill facilitates work between groups with different approaches to the issue. To learn more, visit the CalAnimals website. You can also email Jill directly with questions—she's always glad to connect with others in animal welfare!

Britney Fox Hover, the shelter director at the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society (MRFRS) in Salisbury, Massachusetts, began at MRFRS as a volunteer in 2009. In addition to now running the group's shelter and medical programs, Brit also oversees the adoption program, including a very successful Feline Leukemia (FeLV+) adoption program. Brit and Stacy talk a bit about how Brit came to love cats and get involved at MRFRS, and about MRFRS's history and programs and what makes the organization unique. As Brit puts it, MRFRS "took in animals that other shelters maybe just didn't know a lot about or didn't have resources to care for," including FeLV+, chronically ill, and behaviorally challenges cats. Brit and Stacy also discuss the MRFRS's FARS program, a financial assistance program for lower-income owners of injured or ill pet cats, and how that program helps keeps cats in the loving homes they already have. "You see the stress and the heartbreak that goes along with surrendering a pet … for the people and for the animal," Brit says. "Being able to prevent that and keep people and their animals together is really, really important." To learn more about the MRFRS and its programs, visit the MRFRS website, or email the organization's general email address.

In this episode, Stacy speaks with Dr. Andrew Kaplan, the veterinarian behind New York City's The Toby Project. Andrew has been an animal advocate since he was a child. Stacy & Andrew discuss Andrew's journey to becoming a vet and how he came to learn about and become involved in pet overpopulation—including the touching story of Toby, the dog who put a face on the overpopulation issue for Andrew. The Toby Project has a mobile spay/neuter clinic that splits its time between doing surgeries for low-income pet owners and for feral cats (through TNR-certified rescuers). Andrew would like to devote more of the clinic's time to feral cats, as he feels like those are the animals who truly have no other option. He and Stacy discuss the challenging aspects of running a mobile clinic, feedback from other veterinarians, and the struggle of expanding the model, as well as the other animal-related advocacy work Andrew does. "I'm into advocating for any animal in any circumstance," he tells Stacy. "I happen to be medically trained for dogs and cats, but I'll do what I can for anything." To learn more, visit the Toby Project website.

Mario Abore, the founder and owner of Square Paws, a cat furniture design company, sits down with Stacy to talk about how Square Paws came to be. Mario, an architect by trade, designs all the furniture as art that your cat can inhabit, and it is all hand-crafted in the United States. Square Paws donates 10% of their proceeds to animal welfare. Stacy and Mario discuss the free-roaming cat rooms that Square Paws designed for the North Shore Animal League America in partnership with Beth Stern, in honor of Billy Joel. Square Paws has designed several other shelter facilities, and Mario talks about the process of learning what kinds of materials do and don't work in a shelter environment, as well as how much he'd like to do more shelter projects. To learn more, visit the Square Paws website, check out their Instagram and Twitter feeds, or call them at 844-577-7297. You can also email Mario directly. To see the cat rooms at the North Shore Animal League America, check out the Square Paws blog post about the project.

Jeff Parks, a comedy writer by trade, wasn't introduced to the world of cats until he was in his 30s, but once he was, there was no going back. He quickly turned into a "cat person," and became intrigued by the ways in which cats show their affection. Finding mostly scientific answers, he began using his comedy background to come up with funny ways cats show their love that wouldn't be found in any official studies. Soon, he decided to pursue the idea as an illustrated book and began working with a co-writer and illustrator. Jeff and Stacy discuss the results of this work, the book You Know Your Cat Loves You Because … The Sweet, Silly, and Scientific Ways Our Cats Show Us How Much They Love Us and Jeff goes into detail about how the book came to be. He tells Stacy that he wanted to write a positive book that didn't just play on the typical stereotypes of cats being aloof. The book has had a great response, and Jeff hopes it brings joy to everyone who reads it. To learn more, you can visit the You Know Your Cat Loves You Because Facebook page. You can also purchase a copy of the book on Amazon, or email the book team with any questions or comments—they love feedback!

In this episode, Stacy sits down with Will Zweigart, founder of Flatbush Cats, a nonprofit focused on reducing the outdoor cat population in central Brooklyn, New York through TNR and rescue work. Flatbush Cats teaches TNR classes and offers support and resources for trappers. They are also launching a mobile spay/neuter clinic pilot program to support low-income residents, a project done in partnership with the Toby Project. Stacy & Will talk about the work Flatbush Cats does and the organization's goals. Will talks about how he has been inspired by Stacy's Community Cat Pyramid, which helped him think about how important getting to the root of the overpopulation problem is. As Will puts it, "There's got to be a way to turn the water off, instead of just scooping buckets out of the basement." Flatbush Cats is well known for their visual documentation of the work they do, and Will shares some of his tips and ideas on how best to use visual media. He discusses the idea of proactive fundraising by telling authentic stories and explains that platforms like Instagram help your supporters see exactly where their money is going. To learn more about Flatbush Cats and see the extraordinary video of how Will and his partners got started, visit their website. You can also follow them on their very active Instagram.

Stacy sits down with Dr. Sara Pizano (a previous CCP guest on Episode 56, Episode 171, and Episodes 246 and 247) to discuss Dr. Pizano's new book, The Best Practice Playbook for Animal Shelters. The book is a result of the more than 100 assessments Dr. Pizano has done at shelters around the country as a Team Shelter USA consultant. She realized that the shelters she was working with were all struggling with the same issues. More importantly, she realized that the solutions needed to decrease euthanasia rates were always the same—so she decided to write this playbook so that those solutions can be used by anyone, anywhere. Dr. Pizano's number one tip, which she shares in this interview with Stacy, is that your shelter space should be used only for animals with no other options. Dr. Pizano discusses with Stacy her belief that there should be no stray hold periods for cats, and her strong belief in Return-to-Field. She and Stacy go on to discuss the best ways to talk to your elected officials, and what kind of data to focus on. "Get the information," Dr. Pizano says, "present the facts in a very professional way—not emotional—and just educate your elected officials." Finally, Dr. Pizano talks more about her new book. It is for everyone, no matter what role you play in animal welfare, and it includes lots of success stories. The idea, Dr. Pizano tells Stacy, is to change your perspective and inspire you. "This is about the answers that every single sheltering community has at their fingertips," she says. The Best Practice Playbook for Animal Shelters is available

In this episode, Stacy speaks with Hasara Lay, founder of Catexplorer, a community, movement, and lifestyle brand for people who explore the world with their cats. Hasara, who is located in Australia, began exploring with her cat as a child and never stopped. When she and her husband adopted two rescue cats, she started Catexplorer as a repository for information on training cats to be explorers, but it has since expanded into more of an online community for those who like to explore with their cats. Hasara also hosts the Catexplorer podcasts, where she interviews Catexplorers about their adventures and cat experts for pro advice. A Catexplorer, as Hasara explains it, is "either the human or the feline that are exploring together." She talks with Stacy about determining whether your cat is a good candidate for being a Catexplorer and some basic steps to work on to get your cat comfortable exploring. Hasara discusses harnesses and cat backpacks, as well as the selection process for the items Catexplorer sells in their online store. She also shares details about the Catexplorer page created especially for CCP listeners. To learn more, including how you can access the Catexplorer podcast, visit the Catexplorer webpage, or check them out on Instagram.

In this episode, Dr. Jennifer Conrad, who founded The Paw Project in 1999, joins Stacy to discuss the organization's mission to end declawing in the U.S. & Canada, using education, research, and legislation. The Paw Project is made up completely of veterinarians and the group compiled the evidence, drafted the legislation, composed the language of the legislation, built the coalition of support, and obtained the representatives for every law prohibiting declawing in the U.S. Stacy and Dr. Conrad discuss the surprising way Dr. Conrad became interested in ending declawing and educating people everywhere on its devastating effects on cats. "Declawing is a misnomer," Dr. Conrad tells Stacy. "It is really more appropriately called de-knuckling. It is the amputation of a toe bone." They discuss the behavioral issues of biting and litter box avoidance that declawed cats have been shown to be prone to, and they talk about the organization's new "Claw-Friendly" certification for veterinary practices that do not perform declaw surgeries. With legislation banning declawing passed recently in New York, and more bills in the works around the country, Dr. Conrad encourages listeners to join The Paw Project's mailing list to stay in the loop on action needed regarding legislation in their area. She notes that, "There is a reason that we need to ban declawing: It actually saves cats' lives … If we could get these bans all across the United States, we would be saving millions of cats' lives." To learn more, visit The Paw Project's website. You can also find them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, or check out their documentary, The Paw Project on the App Store, Google Play, YouTube, and Amazon Instant.

Julia Grosz earned the nickname "Cat Hustler" due to her ability to match cats and adopters through strategic copywriting and social media use. So it was only natural that when she developed her skills into a teachable set of cat marketing practices, she would name her organization Cat Hustler. The nonprofit specializes in creative marketing for shelter cats and also hosts community-building events like The Acatemy, a cat conference "for rescuers, by rescuers." The next Acatemy will be held January 17–19, 2020 in the Washington DC area, and the cost is $180 for whole weekend. (Be sure to listen to the whole podcast to get a special 15% off discount code for CCP listeners!) The Acatemy started as Julia's way of trying to make sense of loss after the death of a beloved cat, and it has since grown into a way to try to bring more rescuers together to get face time with each other, and to bring awareness about TNR to different kinds of cat rescuers. The Acatemy, Julia tells Stacy, is her way of doing for others what she wishes had been done for her. In this episode, Stacy and Julia also discuss some great marketing tips for cats, including what Julia calls the "scratch and dent" specials. She tells Stacy that the most important thing is to keep it light. "You have to make[people] smile," she says, "or there's no impact to speak of." To learn more about Julia's organization, visit the Cat Hustler webpage. To learn more about The Acatemy, and to purchase your tickets, visit the Acatemy website.

John Boone, a wildlife biologist previously interviewed on CCP, joins Stacy to discuss new research on how we can use the tools we have to manage cat populations more efficiently and more effectively. This particular study was conducted by a group of people connected with the Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs (ACC&D) and used computer modeling and simulation tools to predict the outcomes of various community cat management scenarios. John and Stacy discuss the methodology of the study in detail, including the new twists it involved, and what the outcomes were. To learn more, you can read the full paper published in Frontiers in Veterinary Science, or view the story-map version on the ACC&D website. For groups with larger-scale TNR programs, John encourages you to email him so he can put you in touch with resources and people who can help with planning, setting up, and measuring your programs. This episode is sponsored by Dr. Elsey's Veterinarian Formulated Quality Products for Cats, makers of "litter we're so confident you'll love, your first purchase is on us." Learn more!

In this episode, Stacy is joined by Lizz Whitacre, founder and CEO of Pawlytics, a technology solution to help rescues manage their paperwork and gain insights from their data. Pawlytics is also expanding into the TNR/community cats space in an effort to use technology, data, and innovation to drive lifesaving efforts for community cats. Stacy and Lizz discuss how Pawlytics came to be, and how its affordable fee structure operates. When Lizz got started working on this project, it seemed to her that all the available software was designed for large organizations. She wanted to come up with something that worked for small groups, and that was accessible to any and all potential users. To do this, her team interviewed over 400 smaller organizations to find out either why they hadn't yet adopted data management software, or, if they had, what they did and didn't like about it. The result is Pawlytics, a stripped-down, incredibly user-friendly piece of software that can still run all the typical reports you'll need for metrics, grant applications, etc. It also works with all the major adoption platforms, like Petfinder and others, and it can upload all of your pre-existing data—even if it's in spreadsheets! Plus, they are currently working on adding all kinds of community cat-related functionality to help streamline the logistics of the TNR process for your group. To learn more and find out how to sign up for a free trial, visit the Pawlytics website. While you're there, feel free to use their online chat feature for more information! This episode is sponsored by Dr. Elsey's Veterinarian Formulated Quality Products for Cats, makers of "litter we're so confident you'll love, your first purchase is on us." Learn more!

Valerie Sheppard, Director of Professional Development & Credentialing at the Association for Animal Welfare Advancement (AAWA), joins Stacy to discuss what the AAWA is all about these days, including details on their Learning Center. Valerie created the Learning Center when she joined the AAWA in 2018, and it offers a variety of webinars (live and recorded) and online classes, most of which are free. Valerie wanted to make sure people from anywhere could access learning opportunities anytime instead of only having access to them at conferences, which aren't accessible to everyone. The AAWA is a membership-based organization, but many resources, including the Learning Center, are not limited to members. Members are anyone in the animal welfare world who sees themselves as a leader or emerging leader. The organization's goal is to help animal welfare professionals advance their careers and be the best they can be to help save more lives. The AAWA is also excited to announce its latest webinar series, which is a multi-year program in partnership with the Association of Shelter Veterinarians that will include webinars almost every month. To learn more, visit the AAWA website, or the Learning Center website. You can also email Valerie directly with questions about the AAWA's programs.

Meagan Larrea is a cat mom and cat lover who works as a civil engineer by day. The rest of the time, she runs Joy 4 Cats, a growing project that puts together toy and treat baskets for shelters to give away to new adopters. The program began in the fall of 2018 when Meagan heard about a local shelter with an overflow of adult cats looking for homes. As a creative way to help, Meagan created adopter baskets to bring joy to cats and to give people an incentive to adopt—and it worked! Since then, Meagan has become a major advocate for ways to keep cats healthy and happy, and Joy 4 Cats has begun helping a number of shelters around the U.S. While not yet a 501©3, Meagan plans to become one in the future. She requests donations from cat care companies, and her baskets generally contain $50-$75 worth of goodies for new adopters. Partner shelters have found the baskets very helpful in promoting adoptions, and Megan is always happy to help more shelters in need, no matter the group's size or location—so feel free to reach out! To learn more, you can email Meagan or check out Joy 4 Cats on Facebook and Instagram.

fostering, which she initially began doing through local shelters, she has discovered a deep passion for TNR and advocacy and now works independently to take in, care for, spay/neuter, vaccinate, and adopt out cats and kittens. Ashley got involved in fostering kittens after she lost her father to suicide, and she talks with Stacy about how much fostering helped her and her mom through the grieving process. Ashley is a big believer in the fact that fostering can be great for your mental health and notes that the kittens were "an amazing distraction." Stacy and Ashley talk about Ashley's social media presence and how that has evolved for her over the years. She uses social media to facilitate adoptions and to fundraise, and it was through social media that she was nudged toward becoming an independent foster home. Ashley encourages everyone to adopt locally and to consider fostering. As she puts it, "You can change one kitten or one cat's life just by being willing to give them a space in your bathroom … for a few short weeks." To learn more about the work Ashley does, visit her website, or follow her (as Youngest Old Cat Lady) on Instagram,Facebook, and YouTube.

Isa Peraza Martinez began her career at the APSCA as an animal caregiver at the organization's adoption center. Today, she serves as Community Cats Outreach Manager. In this role, she delivers monthly TNRM (trap-neuter-return-monitor) workshops, held in conjunction with several other organizations in New York City, and she serves as the primary point person for feral cat concerns from the NYPD. Isa and Stacy discuss what the TNRM workshops consist of, and how things have changed in New York City for community cats since 2011 when Isa began her work in the field. They also discuss a program Isa has developed in which area youth who are part of the NYPD Explorers program assist with building community cat shelters. In 2020, Isa hopes to translate the TNRM workshop into Spanish in order to reach even more caregivers and community members. If you live in the New York City area, you can get involved or register for a workshop at the ASPCA Pro Trap Neuter Return Certification page. If you have questions about community cats or need support, you can email Isa directly. If you are interested in the Spanish translation of Stacy's Community Cat Pyramid, click here.

Dr. Kimberley Khodakhah (better known as "Dr. K.") runs Vetopia, a mentoring, wellness, and coaching business serving veterinarians. With 23 years of experience as a veterinarian herself, Dr. K. knows the business inside and out—including the fact that the animal medical field can come with incredible stresses and challenges. She mentors new and recent veterinary school graduates to help them develop skills and to facilitate success during their first few years of practice, and she also coaches established veterinarians who are experiencing burnout or feeling unsatisfied with their career. In addition to her coaching work, Dr. K. is known for her incredible skill and patience when it comes to working with frightened patients, especially cats. Dr. K. also coordinates several veterinary outreach programs, where vets, vet students, and vet techs travel to underserved communities to provide veterinary care. In this episode, Dr. K. and Stacy discuss what led Dr. K. to dive into the field of coaching, and how excited she is about her veterinary outreach programs, which she believes are a great way for veterinarians to reignite their passion for the profession. To learn more, visit the Vetopia webpage, email Dr. K., or follow her on Facebook.

Sally Williams, who previously chatted with Stacy on CCP Episode 104, is a cat behaviorist and the founder and director of the Brodie Fund. She joins Stacy to talk about her newest effort, the Feline Fine Project, which aims to educate cat guardians and offer solutions in order to get more cats in for annual veterinary exams each year. Sally shares with Stacy that 55% of owned cats don't see a vet annually and 9% will never see a vet in their lifetime. The Feline Fine Project aims to change these statistics. Sally and Stacy talk about why so many cats don't see a vet regularly, and about why annual exams are so important. Sally also offers some great tips on affording exams, and on getting cats used to carriers. To learn more about the Feline Fine Project, or about the Brodie Fund, contact Sally through the Brodie Fund website, or email her directly.

Colleen Bray, Director of the Boone County Kentucky Animal Shelter, has seen a lot of change with regards to cats in her time in animal welfare. She has worked in many roles in the field, and she joins Stacy to share not only her own shelter's success stories but also the cumulative success of the northern Kentucky region. In 2011, Boone County Animal Shelter had a cat live release rate of 26.5%. In the fall of 2012, they began an animal control-administered TNR program, and by 2013, their cat live release rate had gone up to 46%. By 2015, they were TNRing every cat colony they could find, and in 2018, they achieved an incredible 94% live release rate for the 1,135 cats they took in that year. To learn more about Boone County Animal Shelter, you can visit their website (which is under construction at the time of this podcast), or you can email Colleen directly. Colleen also recommends visiting the Kentucky Animal Care and Control Association's website to learn more about that organization and the training opportunities it offers Kentucky groups.

Anna Skaya, the CEO of Basepaws, joined Stacy last year on CCP Episode 213, and now she's back to update Stacy on everything that has happened in the past year—including a successful appearance on Shark Tank! Basepaws is a simple, at-home DNA test for your cat that can give you an idea of the breeds your cat has in its DNA, and if your cat is a carrier for certain genetic diseases. According to Anna, Basepaws is laser-focused on cats, and the Basepaws test represents the first time that so many genetic tests for cats have been combined into one—and that such testing has been made affordable. Anna and Stacy also discuss feline nutrition, and how genetic testing will affect the personalization of nutrition as more and more data is gathered. There is a lot of research happening at Basepaws, and your cat may even qualify for free testing and reports, depending on breed and health conditions. One of the issues Basepaws is particularly passionate about is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). As Anna puts it, Basepaws is "way more than just a cat genetic company; we are a feline health company." To learn more, visit the Basepaws website and check them out on social media to see what other people are saying. If you're interested in seeing if your kitty qualifies for free testing, visit Basepaw's Research page. And be sure to sign up for their blog to learn more about upcoming research needs. Anna and Stacy also discuss feline nutrition, and how genetic testing will affect the personalization of nutrition as more and more data is gathered. There is a lot of research happening at Basepaws, and your cat may even qualify for free testing and reports, depending on breed and health conditions. One of the issues Basepaws is particularly passionate about is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). As Anna puts it, Basepaws is "way more than just a cat genetic company; we are a feline health company." To learn more, visit the Basepaws website and check them out on social media to see what other people are saying. If you're interested in seeing if your kitty qualifies for free testing, visit Basepaw's Research page. And be sure to sign up for their blog to learn more about upcoming research needs.

Chelsea White is a host, writer, producer, comedian, and cat enthusiast. She currently hosts the Bravo digital series "Adulting by Bravo," a weekly Facebook live talk show called "What a Delight with Chelsea White," and the dating podcast "Ghosted Stories." She is also the creator and host of the "cat-pawsitive" web series "Show Me Your Kitty." In this CCP episode, Stacy talks with Chelsea about how she came up with the concept for "Show Me Your Kitty," and Chelsea describes some of her favorite moments from the show. You can learn more—and watch!—on the show's website, or search for Chelsea White on YouTube. Note from Chelsea: not all shows are safe for watching at work or with the kids!

Shelly Simmons has worked for Greenville County Animal Care, the largest open-admission shelter in South Carolina, for twelve years now. She sits down with Stacy to talk about how, in the last four years, through the implementation of a variety of community cat programs, the shelter's cat intake has decreased from 9,000 cats annually to under 3,000 a year. Most of this was accomplished by offering free spay/neuter for all community cats in Greenville County. A county resolution supporting community-wide TNR and a 2016 grant from the PetCo Foundation helped kick the program off. By focusing on giving the community the resources to help fix the overpopulation problem themselves, Shelly feels they have put together a truly sustainable program—and the great statistics that she shares with Stacy prove that it is also a successful one. Visit the Greenville County Animal Care Service website to learn more. You can also email Shelly directly at [email protected].

Tabitha Kucera, a presenter at this past January's CCP Online Cat Conference, joins Stacy to discuss low-stress cat handling, clicker training, and more. Tabitha is a registered veterinary technician and a certified cat behavior training consultant. She is also certified in feline-friendly handling by both Fear Free and the Low-Stress Handling University. Tabitha has her own company, Chirrups & Chatter Cat Behavior Consulting and Education, along with a dog-related company, Positively Pawsitive Dog Behavior Consulting and Training. Tabitha knew early on in her life that she wanted to be a veterinary technician. Once she became one, however, seeing cats euthanized for behavioral and other reasons were deeply troubling to her. Tabitha felt, and continues to feel, that cats are often stereotyped and used as scapegoats—even by cat lovers—making it harder for them to get the help they need to stay in their homes. Tabitha feels that "Humans aren't really set up for success for cats. They love their cats; they just don't have the education to do their best." Through Chirrups and Chatters, she hopes to change that. Tabitha and Stacy discuss low-stress, feline-friendly cat handling in-depth, and they touch on the concept of clicker training cats, including how it can helpful in a shelter environment. To learn more about Tabitha and the work she does, visit the Chirrups & Chatter website, or follow Chirrups & Chatter on Facebook or Instagram. Tabitha is always happy to share resources and encourages listeners to follow her to learn more about upcoming events, including a fearful kitten webinar coming up in September. For those interested in learning more about low-stress handling, Tabitha suggests checking out Fear Free, the Low Stress Handling University, International Cat Care, and the American Association of Feline Practitioners websites. Tabitha also recently wrote this article about feline-friendly handling. You can also view a video of feline-friendly handling techniques here. To learn more about clicker training cats, visit Jackson Galaxy's Cat Pawsitive program for shelters.