The Community Cats Podcast

Interview! Dr. Dena Mangiamele, Author/Lecturer “‘Safety first’ does not exclude cats at all.” When Dena Mangiamele started to practice veterinary medicine with the City of Los Angeles Department of Animal Control in the 1990s, animal sheltering procedures and best practices looked very different from how they do now. Dena helped to implement groundbreaking (at the time) programs like early spay-neuter, which greatly lowered the euthanasia numbers in the shelter, as well as the shelter’s annual intake. Dena continues to propagate these programs in shelters across the country through her consultation service, and also teaches animal safety and handling programs for shelter volunteers and animal control officers. She is passionate about instilling the belief in these shelters that high-volume low-cost spay-neuter is possible for them, even if the results aren’t immediately apparent. To learn amore about Dena, you can visit her at www.doctordena.com or pick her brain directly by emailing contact@doctordena.com.

Interview! Gavin Ehringer, Author “We are so people-focused because behind every animal that is coming into our clinic is a person.” Gavin Ehringer has been writing about companion animals for 25 years, fueled by a childhood growing up next to a game farm and spending his young adult years working on a ranch. In this unorthodox episode, he outlines the different “classes” of animals—working, companion, purebred, and show—and tells Stacy about the unintended consequences of breeding. His upcoming book, Coming to the Fire: The Unnatural History of Dogs, Cats, Cows, and Horses, explores the relationship between companion animals and humans, and how humans have used their relationship with us to advance their own survival.   To find out more about Gavin’s new book, please visit www.comingtothefire.com.

Interview! Michelle Rivera, Founder, Spay-Neuter Kansas City “We are so people-focused because behind every animal that is coming into our clinic is a person.”  Michelle Rivera is the founder of Spay-Neuter Kansas City, a 501(c)3 non-profit that services the Kansas City areas in both Kansas and Missouri. Now going on its fifteenth year of operation, SNKC has increased the live release rate to 90% in the cities’ shelters, and it services around 20,000 animals each year.  Before the impetus of SNKC, Michelle did not see animal welfare service in her future—she used to be extremely afraid of dogs! However, in order to regain confidence after leaving an abusive relationship, a therapist encouraged her to volunteer at the local shelter. In this way she created her own redemption story by helping lost and abused pets to find theirs. Because of this background, her goal at SNKC is two-fold: to better the lives of the animals that enter the SNKC clinic, and to create an inclusive “workplace culture” for her staff. S

Interview! Priscilla Ma, Executive Director, US Chapter of World Animal Protection “People don’t want to know just about suffering, they want to know how they can help.” Priscilla Ma is the executive director for the US chapter of World Animal Protection. While doing humanitarian work with Smile Train, she traveled throughout the world and saw the different kinds of impacts that animals can have on humans, and the myriad of ways that the animal-human relationship can manifest itself. She joined WAP in 2015, and since then has been promoting the organization's four main tenets: animals and farming, animals and communities, animals in the wild, and animals and disaster. Priscilla goes more into detail about what those pillars are in the episode and explains that, when working in an international organization, you can make an impact on millions of people by telling the story of one animal.   To learn more about the US chapter of WAP, please visit worldanimalprotection.us.org.

Interview! Cheryl Fernandes, Shelter Care Representative, PetLink "The microchip is the silent voice for the animal." In continuation with Microchipping Madness, Stacy invites Cheryl Ann Fernandes back to the show to discuss the importance of microchipping. Cheryl Ann explains a bit about the technology behind the microchip, what RFID is and what it stands for, and also highlights the importance of buying your microchips from a reputable company. She also reinforces some of the statistics covered in earlier Microchipping Madness episodes—less than 2% of lost cats are returned to owners, as opposed to much higher rates for dogs. Check with your local veterinarian or shelter about opportunities for microchipping your pets today!   Listen to Cheryl Ann’s first interview here, and to access the microchip database that Cheryl Ann mentioned, 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.com

Interview! Brigid Wasson, Co-founder Missing Pet Partnership “We recommend that all cats be chipped, but it isn’t foolproof.” Brigid is back for another interview with Stacy, and to kick of March Microchipping Madness, Brigid talks about the importance of microchipping your pets. Microchipping is an especially important development when it comes to cats, as the Return to Owner (RTO) rate for our feline friends is between 1 and 2% in the US! Brigid also discusses the drawbacks of microchipping, such as out-of-date information. She urges owners adopting new cats to get their pet scanned as soon as possible in order to check for a microchip and, if one is present, to call the company and update their contact information right away.   If you haven’t yet listened to Brigid’s first episode, you can do so now by clicking here. To get in touch with Brigid, or to learn more about the Missing Pet Partnership’s Mission Reunite Animal Shelter Training Seminar, please email her at bwasson@missingpetpartnership.org. 

Bruce Myers, Executive Director, United Spay Alliance “The law tends to be way behind the needs on the ground… We’ve got to let the law catch up.”  In this Spay Day episode, Stacy is joined by Bruce Myers, an animal protection lawyer and new director of the United Spay Alliance. The United Spay Alliance (USA) seeks to establish timely spay-neuter programs in each state that are easily accessible to people who need it—not just a list of clinic locations, but a state-wide database with e-resources and FAQs. Bruce is optimistic about this goal, as it has relatively light financial projections, and in his first year as director he hopes to address some of the animal welfare issues in the Southern United States. He is open to hearing from people in the animal welfare community on subjects such as messaging, education, and access!   To get in touch with Bruce, email him at myers@unitedspayalliance.org. 

Interview! Rob Halpin, Director of Public Relations at the MSPCA   “Journalists love to help animals just like we do.”    Rob Halpin is the director Public Relations at the MSPCA Angell Animal Hospital in Boston, MA. He transitioned from the corporate sector, working as a PR agent for At&T, to his current job about five years ago and found a perfect blend of two of his biggest passions: public relations and animal welfare. In this episode he gives some PR tips for new organizations that might not be used to working with the media, and talks about how those organizations can create a symbiotic relationship between themselves and the media by feeding any media coverage they get into their own social media outlets.    To check out some examples of press releases and media pitches, visit the newsroom at mspca.org. To get in touch with Rob himself, email rahalpin@mspca.org.

Interview! Katie Lisnik, Director of Cat Protection and Policy at the Humane Society of the United States “This is the thick of legislative session season.”  Where in the USA is cat policy these days? Katie Lisnik can tell you! Katie is back for her third interview with Stacy, and this time she is taking us on a tour of various states who have serious bills and legislation that affect community cats on the docket for 2017. Some of these bills the HSUS itself is pushing, and some of the bills it is trying to change—in Hawaii a bill for state-funded TNR is in the making, while in WY animal welfare advocates are trying to change the language around “nuisance animals” and making sure community cats don’t fall under that definition. Plus, Katie gives us a teaser of some of the programming for the upcoming HSUS Expo from May 9 to 12 in Fort Lauderdale, FL.   To find out what the HSUS is doing near you, or to get more information on the Expo, please visit animalsheltering.org. You can also get in touch with Katie or

Ask Stacy! Five Tenets of Building an Organization “We have to focus on giving people the guidance they need, but also let them take ownership a task, too.”  In this Ask Stacy episode, Lisa and Stacy go through Stacy’s 5 Tenets of Building an Organization to Help Community Cats, which are: Understand your community, Build a skills matrix, Delegate tasks, Communicate with donors and volunteers, and Review and evaluate goals. Stacy is more than happy to consult with organizations on working on these tenets, so please email her at stacy@communitycatspodcast.com if you have any questions!    Don’t forget: the Cat Stats webinar is fast approaching on February 23rd! If you still have not reserved your spot, go to the Community Cats Podcast website and search for “cat stats webinar” to fill out the participant form. Also, be sure to submit a selfie with your cat to the My Feline Valentine photo contest before February 28th for a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card and other prizes!

Interview! Rachel Geller, Certified Humane Education Specialist “The moral and humane response to animal abuse begins with assisting kids in developing empathy and compassion for animals.” We are once again re-visiting an old friend of the podcast—Dr. Rachel Geller, vice president of the Gifford Cat Shelter and certified humane education specialist. As a cat behavior counselor, Rachel has been busy giving talks at various youth organizations to teach children compassion towards animals. She has worked with high-risk children and youth for a long time, teaching not only the importance of empathy towards animals, but also helping to build symbiotic relationships between youth and animals for mutual support. Rachel talks about the different types of humane education programming at Gifford, such as a program where children who lack confidence in reading or speaking aloud come to the shelter and read to a cat—the child gets a non-judgmental audience, and the cat receives some much-needed attention and company!  

Interview! Tamar Arslanian, Author of Shop Cats of New York “Isn’t a life in a shop where they’re loved better than a cage or being put down?” Tamar Arslanian is the blogger behind ihavecat.com and the author of Shop Cats of New York, the coffee table book that Stacy recommended in her last book show. In the three years it took to write the book, Tamar partnered with photographer Andrew Marttila, who she calls a true “cat whisperer,” and adventured all around New York meeting amazing cats in shops and the communities that form around them. In conversation with Stacy, Tamar debunks some of the myths surrounding shop cats, such as that shop cats are more neglected than their home counterparts, and shares some of her favorite stories from Shop Cats.  You can find Shop Cats on Amazon or at ihavecat.com, and you can follow the shop cats on social media by searching for “Shop Cats of New York” on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Interview! Christina Ha, Co-Founder of Meow Parlour and Creator of Cat Camp NYC “How can I bridge the gap between people who want to learn about cats and the experts who know all about cats?” Until 3 1/2 years ago, Christina’s passion was food rather than felines. But after adopting her first kitty, Mr. Socks, she decided to combine her talents as a pastry chef with a growing interest in cats by becoming the co-founder of Meow Parlour, New York City’s first-ever cat cafe. “I couldn’t understand why are were cat cafes all over the world and not in New York,” she observes. Meow Parlour partners with Kitty Kind, an all-volunteer rescue group who provides cats for the cafe, many of whom have found forever homes in the process. Christina also details her upcoming event, Cat Camp NYC, a two day feline-focused event in March featuring speakers, shopping and interaction with cat lovers from all over.   To find out more about Cat Camp NYC go to:  www.catcampnyc.com

Interview! Shaun Sears, Co-Owner, Canopy Cat Rescue "What we do is extremely dangerous…even savvy tree climbers have difficulty rescuing cats." You don’t need to call a fireman to rescue your cat from a tree when Shaun Sears is around. Shaun and his partner are certified arborists who have “branched out” (sorry!) into the specialty of rescuing cats from trees. Their firm, Canopy Cat Rescue, has recovered nearly 800 cats from trees over the last two years, and was featured on the Animal Planet program, “Tree Top Cat Rescue.” They operate as a non-profit, relying solely on donations for their work, so that they can rescue any cat regardless of an owner's ability to pay. Shaun shares the knowledge he’s learned about how to deal with all types of cats —friendly and scared, feral and owned — and busts the myth that a cat will simply climb down when it’s hungry.   To find out more about Cat Canopy Rescue go to:  http://www.canopycatrescue.com

Interview! Rob Leinberger, President, National Animal Care and Control Association   “The communities that I have seen do best have a network.”   Rob Leinberger has been in the animal control game for 25 years—first starting as a veterinary assistant in high school, then working as an animal control officer for Chesterfield County in Virginia. He is the president of the National Animal Care and Control Association (NACA), and in January of 2016 he became the Animal Control Supervisor of Richmond Animal Care and Control, where he gives basic training to new officers.   Over his extensive career, Rob notes that he has seen a sizable shift in the attitude towards and treatment of community cats, which began with small, isolated groups working to make their own programs for community cat care and colony management. He recommends finding opportunities to connect and collaborate with local entities whenever possible (police, health department, even small businesses) in order to build a strong support network for s

Meg Bond, Owner, Events by Meg “You need to find the kingpin to what is taking up space.” Meg Bond has a “Type-A” dream job—she organizes for a living! Meg is a self-employed event coordinator and residential stager/organizer, which means that she sets up residences to be most appealing to perspective buyers. She also helps people organize their homes and office, and in this episode she shares some great tips for organizations looking for fresh ideas on planning events or rearrange their home bases. The key to re-organizing, she says, is finding the “kingpin” of what is holding everything back—and oftentimes, it’s in the last place you think.    You can learn more about Meg’s business on her Facebook pages, Staging by Meg and Events by Meg, or you can get in touch with her by calling (978)-337-4444, or by emailing meg@eventsbymeg.com.

Joe Miele, TNR project coordinator, Broken Promises SW “A tight-knit colony is going to keep other [cats] out of the area.”  Joe Miele is the TNR project coordinator for Broken Promises SW, a non-profit that seeks to address community cat overpopulation in Las Cruces, New Mexico and the surrounding county. Joe has been working with community cats since the mid 1990s, when he began teaching TNR classes with the Animal Protection League in New Jersey. He was inspired by the amount of people who wanted to help the community cat population in New Jersey, but found a very different scene when he moved to Las Cruces. Faced with extremely anti-community cat ordinances, along with the general community's overwhelming apathy towards the colonies in the area, Joe started Broken Promises SW to try and help the cats in the area. There are very few resources for his TNR group in Las Cruces, so they rely mainly on donations and are always happy to accept help.   To learn more about Broken Promises, or to donate to Joe’s

Gus Ray, Owner of Baycom Diagnostics “From a scientific point of view it’s been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but also the most rewarding.” Gus Ray is the owner of Baycom Diagnostics, a new company that provides A1C testing for dogs and cats. The A1C test aids in the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes by reading your average glucose levels over a period of time—for cats 90 days, for dogs 120. The disparity between human blood and cat and dog blood proved quite a challenge to develop a test comparable to the “gold standard” in diabetes medicine, but as Gus is a “scientist at heart,” he was determined to find the answer. After years of research and development, Gus’s test is patent pending and he is working with vets to make A1C tests available in their practices. The A1C test is faster, more accurate, and more affordable than existing glucose tests, and to promote awareness and access to the test, Baycom will give away $100,000 in tests to shelters this year. Gus’ next venture is to develop a mou

Myles Chadwick, Vice President of the New School at Emancipet “In order to reach people who haven’t been [reached] before, we have to do a lot of listening, not just a lot of telling.” What do line cooks and high-volume spay-neuter vets have in common? Coming to the animal welfare world from a background in restaurants and cooking, Myles didn’t know the first thing about TNR when he became the assistant manager of client services at an ASPCA hospital in New York City. However, he became fascinated with the process and eventually took over the management of the TNR clinics. He is now the director of clinic operations and training at Emancipet, an organization committed to making low-cost spay-neuter services affordable and accessible. He is also the vice president of the Emancipet New School, which provides training for animal welfare organizations in their messaging and outreach to communities that have low incidence of spay-neuter.    Now a seasoned advocate, Myles talks about his slow discovery of the “unde

Steve Smith, Founder of Pet Releaf “We follow the science first and foremost.” In this episode, Stacy interviews a different kind of person interested in pet health and medication—Steve Smith, co-founder of Pet Releaf, a service that provides hemp- and CBD-infused products for pets. Pet Releaf was born of Steve’s personal experience with his dog Mattie. As she aged, Mattie showed signs of serious arthritic pain when she walked, and she was clearly suffering. Although Steve was never able to find a suitable holistic cure during Mattie’s life, he and his business partner were determined to find one for other dogs and cats. They began researching medical marijuana, moved to Colorado, and started Pet Releaf. Almost six years later, Pet Releaf is stocked in almost 600 stores around the US, is legal in all 50 states, and even has a presence abroad!   For more information about Pet Releaf, visit petreleaf.com. Or, to get in touch with Steve, email info@petreleaf.com.