The Community Cats Podcast

Interview! Rebecca Jewell, Executive Director of the National Kitten Coalition “Foster programs are my first love by far.” Rebecca Jewell is the executive director of the National Kitten Coalition. Her family fostered many pregnant cats and litters when she was growing up in Ohio, which inspired in her a love of foster programs. In fact, she built her own foster program from scratch when she first became the volunteer coordinator of a shelter in the DC area 11 years ago—just when she had started to work in the field! After only four years of operation, they had a 97% survival rate for neonatal kittens in the summer of 2010. Since then, Rebecca has been overjoyed to see foster programs become a top priority for shelters. She believes that building strong relationships within your community can make up for a great deal of the lack of monetary resources that so many shelters and rescue programs face, especially since every community has such unique needs.   To learn more about the Kitten Coalition, or to downloa

Interview! Jackson Galaxy, Star of Animal Planet’s My Cat from Hell, and Founder of the Jackson Galaxy Foundation “I was used to not following rules and cats don’t follow rules for the most part.” It’s the Cat Daddy himself in this special episode of the podcast! Stacy has a fascinating conversation with Jackson Galaxy, the once-musician whose special bond with felines catapulted (sorry!) him to fame as a champion for helping people better understand cat behavior and find creative ways to help them. Season Eight of his show, My Cat From Hell, opens in late April with Jackson bringing 50 doomed kittens from Los Angeles on a van ride to Denver, accompanied by Kitten Lady Hannah Shaw. Jackson describes a number of the life-saving initiatives his foundation is piloting throughout the country, and gives a treasure trove of advice about what individuals can do to make a difference:  “Every something that you do will save somebody." For more information visit jacksongalaxyfoundation.org. Photo Credits: All color pho

Interview! Dr. Theo Capaldo, President and Executive Director of the New England Anti-Vivisection Society “We really try to fight science with science.” Dr. Theo Capaldo is the president and executive director of the New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS). NEAVS is committed to ending the use of animals as test subjects, and in fact spearheaded the successful campaign to the use of chimps in biomedical research in the United States. As a licensed psychologist, Dr. Capaldo is concerned about the impact of forced dissection in education as early as high school: she believes it works to eliminate compassion from students of the sciences. She also stresses how ineffectual animal testing is, and encourages constituents of schools and organizations, as well as consumers of animal-tested products, to start local campaigns against animal testing. To learn more about NEAVS, please visit neavs.org, or visit  releasechimps.org to learn about their successful chimp project. You can also call NEAVS at (617)-523-6020

Interview! Carter Luke, President and CEO of the Massachusetts Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) “Fall in love with a cat…find a cat and try to help it." Luke reflects on some of the changes he’s seen for cats in his 40 years in animal welfare. His approach is based on building coalitions of different groups who can jointly bring different talents to the table to affect change in the “disease of homelessness” for cats. He was one of the founders of the National Council of Pet Population Study and Policy, which did ground-breaking research on why people resist getting their pets spayed or neutered, and collected objective data on the population of animals in shelters and beyond. Luke credits a “public health approach” to the MSPCA’s success in reducing feline intakes into its three shelters, tracking intakes by neighborhood and zip code and targeting spay/neuter outreach in those areas. Find out more by visiting mspca.org.  

Interview! Renee Harris, Founder of PAWS to Success Program at the San Diego Humane Society   “If individuals took responsibility for their pets, then there would be no indiscriminate breeding.”   Renee Harris has been volunteering and working in animal welfare since the tender age of twelve, and over her 30+ year career she has seen the field change enormously. She pioneered the Paws to Success program at the San Diego Humane Society, which includes the first orphan kitten nursery of its kind. The nursery provides 24-hour care to bottle babies, and the program saves over 3,000 kittens each year!   Renee is concerned about the high rates of euthanasia among cats brought into shelters—from her research of San Diego Animal Control’s data, she found that 70% of euthanasia cases were cats who had, in her estimation, fairly treatable conditions. Renee is determined to lower this number, and she wants to start with changing how we socialize and treat feral cats in the shelter. Lastly, she shares with Stacy her ide

Interview! Sarah Pizano, Program Director for Target Zero “You are doing this on behalf of the cats. Put the nerves on the back burner; it’s about saving cats.” Stacy revisits with Sarah Pizano, the program director for Target Zero and the podcast’s guest of episode 56. Sarah shares with us an innovative way that Target Zero was able to move funds from a foundation in Cincinnati all the way to the shelters and communities of the Northern Area Kentucky Development District, an organization that does a lot of non-profit work in the human sector but had yet to branch into animal welfare. By partnering with private vets and humane societies in the district, Target Zero was able to provide low-cost spay-neuter to both local shelters and poor families with cats in the area, and has since expanded that project into other parts of Kentucky as well as northwest Georgia.   To learn more about Target Zero, please visit target-zero.org.

Interview! Brad Shear, CEO of the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society “We are not here to be exterminators.” When it comes to animal sheltering, Brad Shear has run the gamut of shelter needs and sizes. He started his career in the local shelter of a small city in Colorado, and since then has moved around the country to several different cities to share his knowledge and experience. For the past ten years he has been the CEO of the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society in New York state.   His current shelter has a variety of unique programs, such as the option for those moving to domestic violence shelters to temporarily house their pet at Mohawk Humane, and the STAR program, a partnership between the shelter and the sheriff’s office that sends dogs and cats to local jails to be trained and socialized by the inmates. Brad shares his journey from traditional sheltering values to the superiority and ethics of TNR, and hopes that, in the near future, shelters will begin to develop sheltering plans unique to cats rather than si

Interview! Merritt Clifton, Editor at Animals 24-7 “These days, shelters probably see only a fraction of the real numbers of cats in the community.” In this episode, Stacy revisits Merritt Clifton, the editor of the Animals 24-7 news site. This time, Merritt gives an in-depth look at the use of statistics and data in animal welfare. He gives some inside tips and tricks into how one person can estimate population levels of community cats in their area and track that population over time. Merritt advocates for better data-keeping and measuring of statistics in the animal welfare world so that organizations and individual advocates can learn from one another.   Listen to Merritt’s first interview with Stacy here, or visit him at animals24-7.org.

Beth Clifton, Photographer and Social Media Editor for Animals 24-7 “Take Personal Responsibility with Animals in Need” Beth Clifton is the photographer and social media editor for Animals 24-7. She is also the wife of previous CCP guest Merritt Clifton, and she cites him as one of the people who changed her thinking around TNR and community cats.   Beth has had several jobs involving animals, and when she first started working as an animal control officer, her encounters with community cats were largely negative. Because of this, she didn’t think that cats should live outside at all, but when she met Merritt, she began to expand her perspective on these very misunderstood populations. She explains to Stacy her view on feeding stations for community cats and her fear that “random acts of feeding” can actually do more harm than good. She hopes that anyone who chooses to help community cats will do so in a conscious and educated way, and take personal responsibility when handling these wild animals.   To lear

Ask Stacy! Stacy LeBaron, Host of The Community Cats Podcast “This is all about being a family.” As kitten season approaches, guest host Lisa Finkel talks with Stacy about creatively managing community kittens. Describing kitten fostering as a “pre-program” to the adoption process, Stacy offers insight on productive ways to set up a healthy and sustainable foster care program. Many elements contribute to a successful system, from the medical and administrative structure to compassion fatigue support. Lisa and Stacy also touch on the joys of socializing feral kittens, lovingly referred to as ‘tiny tigers,’ the pros of kitten nurseries, and tips for fundraising during kitten season.

Interview! Jocelyn Bouchard, Executive Director, Yavapai Humane Society “How do we elevate the status of cats?” Jocelyn’s work in animal welfare began as a vet tech in a spay/neuter clinic in Vancouver BC in the 1980’s, when high volume clinics were cutting edge. Twenty years’ experience living in Maui fueled her belief that managing colonies, including feral kitten socializing and the tracking and removing of tame abandoned cats, is as important as TNR for decreasing numbers. Jocelyn discusses her insights and goals for her recent work at Yavapai Humane Society in Prescott Valley, Arizona, and the differing challenges community cats face in Maui versus Arizona, two vastly different environments. She also discusses her battle against negative perceptions of feral cats through education, in hopes of bridging the gap between the cat reputations as wild versus domestic. For more information, visit yavapaihumane.org or contact Jocelyn at jbouchard@yavapai.org

Interview! Laura Baughman, Director of Operations, National Kitten Coalition "You’re going to get a whole lot more kittens when you start a nursery.” As we enter “kitten season,” Stacy talks to Laura about “kitten nurseries,” a new and hot concept for management of neonatal kittens. Laura recently researched and wrote a manual for organizations thinking about starting their own kitten nursery that provides a complete blueprint for approaching this challenge. She notes that before an organization considers a kitten nursery, it should have a strong and capable fostering program in place. Then, it’s important to identify the goals and realities of establishing a nursery, including budgeting, space, staff needs and access to medical care. Once you start a nursery, Laura observes, you’re going to be a “magnet for kittens” and the task may be even more challenging than expected. For more info check out kittencoalition.org.

Interview! Sara Kent, Director of Shelter Outreach for Petfinder “Video is a great way to let cats speak for themselves…and they don’t have to say a lot.” Petfinder has brought the world of technology to shelters and potential adopters. Sara, who’s been there for 17 years, speaks with Stacy about the visibility it brings to hundreds of thousands of pets seeking a home, and how it seeks to improve the adoption experience by offering ongoing support once new pet parents have selected their new family member. Petfinder was one of the first sources to offer videos of shelter pets, and, as Sarah notes, “even a 15 second clip of a cat purring in a volunteer’s lap” can make a profound difference to that cat’s changes. She talks about upcomig improvements to Petfinder, including enhanced search options, and a more mobile-friendly experience.

Interview! Julie Bank, President and CEO of Pasadena Humane Society and SPCA “I saw the animal shelter as a living museum.”  Julie Bank is the president and CEO of Pasadena Humane Society and SPCA. She approaches running an animal shelter from the unique perspective of curating a museum—in fact, she enrolled in a museum education program purely to bring the tools of alternative education used in museum programming back to the animal shelter. Julie says that for her, it’s very important that shelter messaging is holistic: the facility, uniforms, staff education, signage, all must be consistent with one another in order to communicate the appropriate message. Julie gives some advice about how to be an effective leader when in a management position at a shelter, and also tells us about Pasadena’s unique Employ-a-Cat program.   To learn more about Pasadena Humane Society, please visit pasadenahumane.org.

Interview! Anna Murrin and Valerie Kajko, Project Manager and TNR Coordinator, Metro Denver CAT Project “Having a physical location in the community builds up trust.”  Anna Murrin and Valerie Kajko are the project manager and TNR coordinator, respectively, of Metro Denver CAT Project in Denver, CO. CAT, or Cats Around Town, is a unique project in that it provides resources for all cats in a targeted area by setting up its home base in the neighborhood it serves. Still in its pilot phase, the project is currently based in the 80219 zip code, one of the many neighborhoods of Denver with a large community cat population. CAT surveys the residents of the community and the local shelters in order to identify locations of colonies and colony feeders. This project has long been in the making, as Anna and Valerie say that it is sometimes hard to get isolated animal welfare groups to work together. The results of the CAT project, however, prove to them that the slow process of putting people in contact is very worth

Interview! Part Two - Cheryl Fernandes, Shelter Care Representative, PetLink "The microchip is the silent voice for the animal." In part two, Stacy and Cheryl Ann dive into the complexities of microchipping once microchips have been placed—how do you scan a newly-trapped feral cat? What are best practices for animal control officers when recovering an animal afield whose microchip turns out to be a dead end? Cheryl Ann also argues for microchipping in colonies—the little chips can store information about vaccinations and other medical history, thus reducing blind precautionary measures.   Don’t forget that August 15th is Check Your Chip Day! You can listen to Cheryl Ann’s first interview here, and to access the microchip database that Cheryl Ann mentioned in Part 1, go to www.petmicrochiplookup.org. You can also get in touch with Cheryl Ann herself by calling her cellphone at (781)-281-5167, or email her at cherylann.fernandes@datamars.

Interview! Part One - Heather Cammisa, CEO and Tara Sannucci, Pet Retention Coordinator, St. Hubert’s “A database is only as good as it’s maintained.” In part one of this two-part episode, Stacy talks to Heather Cammisa and Tara Sannucci, the president of St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center and director of the Pet Retention Program, respectively. Tara and Heather detail the plethora of programs that St. Hubert’s has to offer, mostly focusing on education: humane education, training and behavior help and the pet helpline, and advocacy for correct animal welfare legislation. Tara tells a story of how she counseled a distressed cat owner when she had lost her cat in a snowstorm, advising her not to give up hope, and emphasizes to Stacy that keeping faith is one of the most important parts of recovering your lost pet. For more information on St. Huberts’ many programs, please visit sthuberts.org, or search for St. Huberts on any form of major social media. For help with a pet or to reach Tara directly, you can vis

Interview! Part Two - Heather Cammisa, CEO and Tara Sannucci, Pet Retention Coordinator, St. Hubert’s “It’s senseless to put out all this advice if you have someone who’s not willing or able to do it all.” In part two of this two-part episode, Tara dives into details while Heather gives us the big picture. Tara has a lot of responsibilities around St. Huberts, which include handling cat behavior challenges in the shelter such as socialization of shy cats and keeping the cats happy and entertained. She also mans the Pet Helpline, and she is doing just as much rapport and trust-building with human guardians as she does with the shelter animals. Meanwhile, Heather gives us an idea of what life is like for community cats nowadays in New Jersey—the difference between now and twenty years ago, she says, is marked. To access the trove of resources available from St. Huberts, please visit sthuberts.org, or search for St. Huberts on any form of major social media. For help with a pet or to reach Tara directly, you can

Interview! Lauren Burbridge, Coordinator, Massachusetts Animal Fund “If every taxpayer in MA payed just one dollar… we could help over 40,000 cats and dogs every year.” Lauren Burbridge has figured out how to help people and animals at the same time: she is a licensed social worker who started the Massachusetts Animal Fund, an organization that seeks to develop agricultural resources to end animal homelessness in the state. Lauren works directly with the public (particularly low-income communities), Animal Control officers, and local town offices to provide spay-neuter for those who need it most—the perfect marriage of her degree in social work with her passion for animal rights. Besides funds management, Lauren also created the Core Competencies Program from scratch—a brief but thorough training for animal control officers in matters such as emergency preparedness, safe handling, animal control law, and others. The MA Animal Fund relies solely on taxpayer donations administered by the Department of Agricult

Interview! Joyce Briggs, President, Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs “Whenever we intervene with animals in an ecosystem, there are implications for other animals.” Joyce Briggs is the president of the Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs. With a background in public health, she is concerned with how to better manage populations of cats and dogs, as well as how to sterilize these animals using non-surgical methods. This is the mission of the ACC&D, and it poses unique challenges that Joyce discusses with Stacy: how can we develop permanent contraceptives? what would contraceptives look like for community cats? how could a trapper or animal control officer tell that a cat is receiving non-surgical contraception? Joyce also provides some information on the Michelson Prize, a large grant for establishing non-surgical sterilization programs. To learn more about the ACC&D and the work Joyce does there, please visit www.acc-d.org.