The Community Cats Podcast

This episode is sponsored in part by Smalls Fresh Cat Food and Doobert.com. Rick DuCharme has worked for many years as a no-kill advocate, working on the Mayor’s Task Force for Animal Control, founding First Coast No More Homeless Pets, and now founding RLD Consulting LLC, which works to help organizations working to save animals. Rick specializes in access to veterinary care, spay/neuter clinics, nonprofit startups, and more. Stacy and Rick discuss his journey from the business space to the nonprofit world, trends in animal welfare as a result of COVID-19, the vet shortage and how to use vets more efficiently, as well as ahow to retain vets already working in nonprofit, working together with groups across the welfare space, and advice for nonprofits starting up. They also chat about Rick’s work with Dr. Micheal Blackwell from the University of Tennessee and what they’re doing to help provide access to veterinary care to low income pet owners. To learn more about RLD Consulting LLC, visit their website or con

This episode is sponsored in part by Smalls Fresh Cat Food and Doobert.com. Lisa got involved in animal welfare through volunteering at shelters. She first began transporting animals from high-kill areas in the south, but then shifted her focus to the root of the problem: access to spay and neuter services. From that was born Fido Fixers, a nonprofit providing low-cost spay/neuter for dogs and cats with mobile clinics in underserved areas. With their seven mobile clinics, they partner with local groups which operate the clinic and provide the vet. Stacy and Lisa talk about the logistics of working with local groups, the vet shortage, and how the spay/neuter clinics can expand to cover wellness, vaccines, and microchips as well. Learn more about Fido Fixers on their website, though to contact them, use their email. You can also find them on Facebook.

This episode is sponsored in part by Smalls Fresh Cat Food and Doobert.com. Christi Metropole, founder of the Stray Cat Alliance shares with Stacy how she got started with TNR in the 90s and how trapping her first cat at her apartment complex gradually blossomed into a movement. They chat about how cats have historically been left out of the animal movement, The Stray Cat Alliance provides trapping education, trap depots, help for spay/neuter surgeries, advocacy, help and education around unweaned kittens, and empowers community members to make the world better for cats. Stacy and Christi also talk about the history of TNR in Los Angeles and the barriers to TNR that the Stray Cat Alliance and other organizations have worked hard to overcome. To learn more about the Stray Cat Alliance, to find resource, or to join one of their trainings, go to their website.

This episode is sponsored in part by Smalls Fresh Cat Food and Doobert.com. Becky Mossor is a registered veterinary technician and the executive director of the Human Animal Bond Association. She and Stacy talk about the differences between certified vet techs, on the job trained veterinary assistants, the challenges veterinarians have been facing during COVID, and ideas to better address the shortage of vets. Stacy and Becky also talk about the importance of the human-animal bond, which is at the core of the Human Animal Bond Association. The association brings together pet professionals and pet parents to elevate and educate on the benefits of the human-animal bond, to support research on this topic, and to offer resources and support to veterinarians, pet parents, and communities. To find out more, visit the Human Animal Bond Association website. You can find Becky on Instagram and you can listen to her podcast Making Sense of Pets wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode is sponsored in part by Smalls Fresh Cat Food and Doobert.com. This week the script is flipped and Stacy is the one being interviewed by Michelle Fern, who hosts the podcast Cattitude on Pet Life Radio. They chat about how Stacy got her start in animal welfare and the origins of the Community Cats Podcast, what they’ve both seen in animal welfare during COVID-19, how TNR is a grassroots movement, the veterinary shortage in the US, and more. Michelle also shares a little about her background and how she got started with Pet Life Radio and the two shows she hosts, Cattitude and Best Bets for Pets, and her hopes for the future of animal welfare in the US. You can find Cattitude here and listen to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform.

This episode is sponsored in part by Smalls Fresh Cat Food and Doobert.com. This week Stacy interviews Chloe DiVita and Jessica Shipman, co-founders of All Pet Voices, a pet-focused media company that creates content for pet lovers in partnership with pet experts and brands. Their mission is to collaborate with other pet industry experts and bring people together to inspire, innovate, and take ideas to the next level. Stacy, Chloe, and Jessica discuss how they help small businesses and nonprofits share their story in a way that helps them connect with their audience, the best ways to grow that audience, and some of the best tech tools for staying organized. You can find out more about All Pet Voices on their website and join their Facebook group BlogPaws Community for tools and resources for nonprofits and small businesses.

This episode is sponsored in part by Smalls Fresh Cat Food and Doobert.com. Juli Cialone and Marla Valentine of Rock N’ Rescue chat with Stacy this week about their unique approach to cat rescue. Juli is the co-founder and executive director of Rock N’ Rescue with a background in professional photography. Marla is a social worker in long term care with over 25 years of experience. Rock N’ Rescue, located in South Salem, NY, partners with shelters to match cats’ temperaments to their adopters with a focus on placing animals into homes where there is a therapeutic need. They have a strong support system for adopters, resulting in low rates of return. They also do a lot of community outreach with Girl Scouts, high schools and middle schools, as well as bringing kittens to local nursing homes and assisting with occupational therapy. To find out more about Rock N’ Rescue, visit their website. They can also be found on Facebook and Instagram.

This episode is sponsored in part by Smalls Fresh Cat Food and Doobert.com. This week’s guest is Andee Bingham, founder of Esther Neonatal Kitten Alliance in North Carolina. Andee noticed a need for a more specialized organization that could focus on neonates and support shelters that weren’t equipped to care for them. Then she realized she was someone who could start that organization and Esther Neonatal Kitten Alliance was born. Her program has a team of highly trained fosters and they work to support shelters by filling the gaps shelters have in neonatal kitten care, as well as helping shelters to build up their own program and foster network. Andee and Stacy chat about different kinds of fosters and how people find the kinds of kittens they’re passionate about, what to do if you find a kitten outdoors, and Andee gives out some advice for those starting and running nonprofit organizations. You can find Esther Neonatal Kitten Alliance on their website, and on Facebook and Instagram.

This episode is sponsored in part by Smalls Fresh Cat Food and Doobert.com. In this episode, Stacy talks to Rita Reimers, a cat behavior consultant, writer, and podcast host. Rita writes a column for Catster Magazine and the Litter Genie website, and hosts the Pet Life Radio show 19 Cats and Counting with Linda Hall. She is also a cat rescue volunteer and cat owner (sharing her home with 19 cats!). Stacy and Rita discuss common behavior issues such as litter box problems and how to introduce new cats into your household. They also touch on the differing mentalities around spay/neuter and letting your cat outside that exist around the country, the importance of targeting owned cats as well as community cats with spay/neuter programs, and the problems surrounding owner surrenders. You can find out more about Rita on her website, and you can listen to her podcast here. To read her column and join a community of cat lovers, subscribe to Catster Magazine.

Originally broadcast as a special episode for National Cat Day, in this episode, we celebrate by talking with Pam Johnson-Bennett, Certified Cat Behavior Consultant and best-selling author. Pam and Stacy discuss how Pam started her career and why we need to "think like a cat," as well as her latest project with ARM & HAMMER Cat Litter's "Purrfectly Impurrfect" campaign. The campaign is kicking off on National Cat Day to shed light on cats who may be passed by for adoption because of their age, appearance, or misunderstood personality. From October 29–November 30, anyone can nominate a "purrfectly impurrfect" shelter cat.   Pam and two other cat experts will be selecting three winners, and each winning shelter will receive $10,000 from ARM & HAMMER Cat LItter, plus Pam's counseling services. Pam tells us not to wait to nominate a purrfectly impurrfect cat, as the first 100 nominations will receive $100 worth of ARM & HAMMER Cat Litter! And she also reminds us that if you can't adopt, you can still

This episode is sponsored in part by Smalls Fresh Cat Food and Doobert.com. Daralyn Kelleher is an LA-based YouTuber who turned to furniture making during quarantine, documenting the process on her YouTube Channel. Stacy and Daralyn chat about Daralyn’s cat-themed, mid-century modern furniture, the possibility of venturing into making tiny furniture for cats, and making shelters for feral cats. Daralyn is also a trapper and cat colony caretaker. She shares about the difficulties of getting used to trapping, especially when the cats react poorly to being trapped. You can find Daralyn on her YouTube Channel or on her Instagram or Twitter.

This episode is sponsored in part by Smalls Fresh Cat Food and Doobert.com. Anita Kelsey is London’s only accredited cat behaviourist (BA Hons, MCFBA, CIDBT) after studying feline psychology and behaviour with renowned cat expert and biologist Roger Tabor and achieving a first class honours degree at Middlesex University based on her work practice. Anita is also qualified as a master cat groomer has a long list of regular mobile cat grooming clients in and around London. Anita is the author of two books, Claws: Confessions of a Cat Groomer and her newest book Let’s Talk About Cats, which we reviewed in our last book review blog. Stacy and Anita talk about some of Anita’s favorite interviews with cat professionals in Let’s Talk About Cats and the varying perceptions about cats around the world. You can find out more about Anita and get the books on her website. You can also find her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

This episode is sponsored in part by Smalls Fresh Cat Food and Doobert.com. This week’s guest is Canadian actress, singer, and writer Reagan Pasternak. Reagan is the author of Griffin’s Heart: Mourning Your Pet with No Apologies. An avid animal lover, Reagan works with several rescue groups based in L. A. The book Griffin’s Heart came about when Reagan was mourning the loss of her cat Griffin. The loss of a pet is often not treated the same way as the loss of a human in your life, but the grief is very much the same. Reagan’s book is a memoir, a healing journal, a grief guide, and a keepsake for helping you work through mourning a pet and to help you remember the wonderful things about your life together.  Stacy and Reagan touch on compassion fatigue in the animal welfare industry and the importance of community building as a way to validate feelings of grief.  To find out more about Reagan, visit her website. To buy the book, visit Griffin’s Heart website. You can join her community on Instagram. 

This episode is sponsored in part by CDE Cages and Doobert.com. This week Stacy talks to Carol Novello, founder of Mutual Rescue, a national initiative that highlights the power of human-animal relationships. She is also the author of Mutual Rescue: How Adopting a Homeless Animal Can Save You, Too. Carol worked in corporate America before transitioning to the nonprofit space, where she spent  a decade as the president of the Humane Society of Silicon Valley. She is a recipient of the Maddie Hero Award and a member of the board of directors of Cuddly. Mutual Rescue was born of the idea that helping animals helps people. They created films that showcase stories of people who were saved by their rescued animal and published a book that combines those stories with the science behind the human animal bond. Now Mutual Rescue is working on creating programs in collaboration with local shelters and rescues that can provide tools and messaging that can be used by organizations all over the country and collaborating wi

Find out all the details about Care Dare, taking place this May, in this special episode! CARE will be sponsoring the first ever CARE DARE Community Cat Challenge. Sterling the TrapKing will set a record for the most cats trapped in 24 hours by a single person! Our Goal is to set a record, help spay and neuter as many community cats in Atlanta during Kitten Season, and educate more people on the benefits or TNR while having diverse representation. To learn more visit https://careawo.org/care-dare/ and cheer Sterling on!

This episode is sponsored in part by Kitty Sift and Doobert.com. Deborah Cribbs, a banker by trade, is the chair of the board of trustees for Joanie Bernard Foundation and the Ten movement, which works in the greater Cincinnati area to help achieve a no-kill community for cats. The foundation’s ad campaigns featuring Scooter the Neutered Cat have helped increase awareness and engagement in the community about spay and neuter and community cats. The work of the foundation has helped improve the live release rate in Cincinnati shelters from just 37% to over 96%. Deborah and Stacy talk about how Deborah came to the animal welfare industry through the mission to spend the foundation’s money wisely. They discuss how to target impactful spending that drives change in the community, and how to engage the public, giving them ownership of the problems in the community. Deborah shares how with a focus on spay/neuter and community cats, their ad campaigns have been able to drive community members to action. For more inf

This episode is sponsored in part by CDE Cages and Doobert.com. This week Stacy talks to Rachel Herman, founder and executive director of PAWS (NY). Rachel has worked in development with the ASPCA before she transitioned to working with PAWS (NY) full time. PAWS (NY), or Pets Are Wonderful Support New York was founded in 2009 to meet the need for support for people who have physical and financial barriers to caring for their pets in New York City. Their goal is to provide services that help keep pets in their homes including vet care, dog walking and litter box maintenance, a pet food pantry, and more. They partner with other organizations in the community that serve the same demographic to help provide comprehensive care. Stacy and Rachel discuss fundraising and how COVID-19 has affected the work of PAWS (NY). You can find PAWS NY on their website and on Facebook and Instagram.

This episode is sponsored in part by CDE Cages and Doobert.com. Can you believe it’s our 400th episode? This week we have a very special episode with Danielle Bays. You might remember Danielle from previous episodes or from her presentation at the 2021 Online Cat Conference. Danielle is a senior analyst for cat protection and policy at the Humane Society of the United States. She has more than 20 years experience in animal advocacy and she uses this expertise to advocate for community cat programs. Stacy and Danielle talk cat policy in Los Angeles where a citywide community cat program has finally passed, Alaska where a wildlife regulation prevents cats from being released into the wild, New Jersey which has passed the Compassion for Community Cats Act, and various states where declawing bans are in the works. They also discuss the Animal Care Expo, which begins tomorrow. To find out about local policy issues in your state, you can contact your HSUS state director, or you can contact Danielle directly. For mo

This episode is sponsored in part by TICA and Doobert.com. Dawn White works as a behavioral psychologist and a massage therapist, but you might be more familiar with her work with Lola the Rescued Cat. Dawn runs the Lola the Rescued Cat Blog and is the author of Lola: Diary of a Rescued Cat. Dawn is also a contributing writer for The Jackson Galaxy Project’s Cat Pawsitive program, Chewy.com, Pet Radio Magazine, the Contemporary Pet, and more. Dawn shares with us Lola’s rescue story and how it gained momentum on social media, leading to the blog and published book, as well as becoming a platform to raise awareness about adoption and raise money for shelters and rescues. Lola has also been featured in Heroic, Helpful and Caring: Felines Who Make a Difference by Anne Beall, a book about how cats touch our lives. Stacy and Dawn also discuss Dawn’s partners in the The Jackson Galaxy Project Cat Pawsitive program, Catnip Nation, and the Cat Writers Association. She shares tips for writing about animals, advocacy fo

This episode is sponsored in part by TICA and Doobert.com. Today’s guest comes to us all the way from the United Kingdom. Stacy chats with Michelle Adams, founder of Chatty Cats Care, a cat sitting company based in London. Michelle specialises in caring for disabled pets, is passionate about rescuing cats, and shares her home with senior cat, Jerry.  Michelle shares with Stacy how during the pandemic lockdowns, her cat sitting business has adapted by adding a podcast, Catmaste Chronicles, and how that has led to her latest business venture: selling eco friendly products like cat-themed beeswax wraps. Not only do Michelle’s products support sustainable living, but she’s also donating 30% of her profits to Feline Friends International, a charity rescuing and helping community cats all over the world. To learn more about Chatty Cats Care or to listen to the Catmaste Chronicles podcast, visit their website. You can also find Chatty Cats Care on Instagram, and Facebook.