The Community Cats Podcast

Interview! Will Allen, New Sales Business Manager, Frontstream “BiddingForGood helps you expand your reach and raise more money.” In this unique episode, Stacy talks to Will Allen, self-professed cat lover and fundraising consultant at Fronstream, a software company that helps non-profits develop fundraising strategies. Stacy, a user herself, helps Will explain to listeners some of the services offered by Frontstream, and also offer some some concrete tips on how to implement the services in new and creative ways. Frontstream hosts platforms such as Bidding for Good, which walks users through the process of creating an online auction, and First giving, a “peer-to-peer” software where supporters can create their own fundraising pages to help spread the word about runs, walkathons, and similar events. With a community of close to half a million supporters, Frontstream connects non-profit organizations with donors both inside and outside of the organization’s own network.   To find out more, please visit go.fron

Interview! Dr. Julie Levy, Maddie’s Professor of Shelter Medicine at University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine “Our goal is to enculturation these life-saving key initiatives into animal sheltering… so that this becomes [the norm.]” Dr. Julie Levy is a professor of shelter medicine at the University of Florida, as well as a prolific publisher of scientific articles on small animal medicine. She began her work with community cats in the 1980s while attending veterinary school at UC Davis, where there was a large population of unsterilized cats. She describes how difficult it was to trap cats back in the days when TNR was not yet a widespread phenomenon—she and her peers used to chase the cats around with nets! Dr. Levy also worked with Dr. Kate Hurley to found the Million Cat Challenge, who you may be familiar with from her own interview on the Community Cats Podcast. Dr. Levy describes the birth of the Milion Cat Challenge as a “spontaneous eruption of enthusiasm,” and indeed that enthusiasm has no

Interview! Dr. Christine Wilford, Founder, The Feral Cat Project “Sometimes helping means us having to not do something, and us realizing that, for this cat, bringing it inside means it’s going to be scared everyday of its life. Would that be what you would want?” Dr. Wilford, founder of Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project in Lynnwood, Washington returns to Community Cats Podcast to discuss geriatric cats with Stacy. Clearly stating her belief that “age is not a disease,” Dr. Wilford lists the most common medical concerns facing aging cats, both owned and feral, including kidney and thyroid issues. Proper diet to support kidney and liver function means an adequate amount of digestible animal proteins. Dr. Wilford explains what this means in regards to dry food versus wet food, how vegetable content is potentially dangerous in marketed foods, and options for providing health winter sustenance for community cats. She then shares her beliefs in choosing options for retiring geriatric cats from colonies, encouraging c

Interview! Karen Little,  Executive Director, Alley Cat Advocates “Urban cats are accustomed to urban living. Rural cats are accustomed to rural living… Keeping those colonies in tact, adjacent to where their habitat might have been destroyed, is in the best interest of the cats.” In her second interview with Stacy, Karen explores the issue of relocation in the Louisville, Kentucky area where she works with Alley Cat Advocates. A firm believer that colony relocation is only an option when the current habitat is targeted for destruction, she talks with Stacy about pursuing alternative avenues like educating residents on ways to deter unwanted colony behavior and examining food sources. With such alternatives, the Kentucky Humane Society cites an 80 percent success rate in keeping community cats in original habitats while practicing TNR to lower populations over time. Karen and Stacy also discuss the effect of terminology use on both public perception and municipal perception of community cats and their future.

Interview! Andy Kola, Founder, LumenLS “To fix the problems that are facing cats, all center around increasing the perceived importance, the perceived value, and the perceived acceptance of cats to humans.” In his second interview with Stacy, Andy discusses his organization’s approach to challenges facing community cats in Broward County, Florida. With a mission of eliminating unnecessary suffering and euthanasia for all community cats in the area, Andy’s shelter, Lumen LS, has been specifically tackling euthanasia reduction. With this focus, about three hundred cats’ lives have been spared in under three months. Andy discusses the innovative implementation of community cat signs. Like duck crossing signs, these signs portray ear-tipped cat silhouettes representing cat-friendly areas where TNR colonies exist. Qualified trappers work with homeowners’ associations and property management personnel to not only perform TNR, but educate residents on the long-term effects of the program and how they can contribute.

Dakin, since cat overpopulation has become less of an issue across Massachusetts. Dakin has performed over 70,000 spay/neuter surgeries, and as a result, the cats entering her adoption center are much more complex to rehome. She notes, “we wouldn’t have had the time or space to help these cats in the past, but now we’re able to successfully place them.” She describes the innovative and successful feral kitten adoption program Dakin has piloted, where these “tiny tigers” are placed directly in homes, rather than fostered, with very positive results. Also touching on re-evaluating the needs of the community before determining what services they truly need. For more information visit www.dakinhumane.org.

Interview! Alana Yanez, Manager of HSUS Pets For Life Los Angeles   “When we have literally put these vouchers in people’s hands at their doorsteps, there really is no excuse now.”   An advocate for animals and residents of underserved communities in East Los Angeles, Alana brings compassion and political experience to her position as manager of Pets for Life Los Angeles and as the Commissioner of the LA Animal Services Board. She discusses the 2009 injunction against LA Animal Services by various wildlife organizations. This lawsuit resulted in the near $800K, court ordered Environmental Impact Revue (EIR) and the halting of all much needed city-sponsored TNR activity. Alana also discusses the positive impact of the city’s voucher program, which provides spay/neuter services and vaccine services throughout East LA’s underprivileged, undocumented, and homeless residents. With obvious empathy for pet owners of all cultures, she encourages a non-judgmental approach to animal welfare, based on kindness and comp

Interview! Suzanne Kogut, Executive Director of the Petco Foundation “Everyone wants the same thing, to do right by the cats. There’s just a disagreement often about how we get there. But I thought we could all work together to get there.” After her first career as a corporate finance and securities attorney, Suzanne took the road less travelled and became involved in the Charlottsville/Albemarle SPCA. As the executive director from 2005-2012, Suzanne gained priceless experience facing new challenges with a fresh perspective and ‘outside of the box’ thinking. These challenges taught her the importance of research and of recognizing potential resources.   In 2013, she became the executive director of the Petco Foundation, which partners with local animal welfare communities across the country. Suzanne and Stacy discuss the various organizations Petco works with, how each is prioritized, and what the evaluation process for grant funding entails.   For more information, visit petcofoundation.org as well as the P

It's an Ask Stacy episode! “You could feel the energy busting through the wires” Stacy reflects what all that she’s learned since launching the Community Cats Podcast, having completed more than 100 episodes speaking with experts all over the US and beyond. She recommends a number of her favorite interviews, with individuals like Emma Clifford, Hannah Shaw (the “Kitten Lady”), Dr. Kate Hurley and Dr. Christine Wilford — all of whom have different areas of expertise, but embody enthusiasm and energy in their work to improve the lives of cats.  Additionally, she talks about the topic of how cats control rat populations (it’s not quite how you think!) and gives recommendations for making winter in the northern climates more comfortable and healthy for community cats.

Interview! Diego Alves, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Pet and Tie “We want to be the premium app for pet parents and pets.” Ever have trouble finding a pet sitter? Diego did, and that experience was the impetus to his envisioning an virtual community where pet owners could connect to all of the services they need. His new app, “Pet and Tie,” available on Apple and Android, aims to help pet owners save time and money and be responsible parents to their pets whether they’re seeking play dates, grooming services or vet appointments. Funding the development of the app himself, Diego talks about the challenges of being a digital entrepreneur, building an easy-to-use interface, and getting the recognition and membership that will make the app a success: “Pet and Tie will only be effective if people use it."   For more information, visit petandtie.com.

Interview! Katie Lisnik, Director of Cat Protection and Policy, The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) “Taking an active role in legislation is the only way we’re going to move the ball forward.” In her return appearance on the Podcast, Katie plays “Around the Country Policy for Cats” with Stacy, detailing the successes and challenges in four different states: Delaware, Hawaii, Virginia and Illinois. In her role at HSUS, Katie's on the front line of legislative and public policy efforts that can impact positive change for Community Cats. She calls Hawaii “a cauldron of challenges” due to its indigenous species vulnerable to cats, and calls Delaware a “great pilot area to test new ideas.” Not surprisingly, progress only comes when disparate groups come together to work out their differences. She stresses how important policy can be in outcomes for cats: "In many cases we need to make some changes at the state and ordinance level in order to do the life-saving work we want to do.”   For more information

Interview! Sally Williams, Founder, The Brodie Fund “I think the thing that makes us a little different, and our goals quite lofty as well, is that we are putting the focus on quality of life and not the diagnosis.” Sally is a cat behavior consultant and the founder and director of The Brodie Fund, a non-profit organization offering financial assistance to pet owners dealing with a pet’s cancer diagnosis. Sally’s beloved cat Brodie, a shelter rescue with a large and loving personality, battled cancer at the age of twelve. Through conversations with the oncologist and fellow pet owners about the overwhelming financial hurdles, The Brodie Fund was born. Sally discusses what makes this program stand out from others, including availability for senior pets and adoptable shelter pets to qualify for assistance. She shares success stories and promotes The Brodie Fund Movie, a short video on YouTube.   For more information, visit thebrodiefund.org and Team Brodie on Facebook.

Interview! Sharon Secovich, Co-founder, Spay Maine “What I’ve found is a lot of people will feed but they don’t have the knowledge or wherewithal or the means to trap. So the only way to get our feral cat population down is with trapping help.” After her first career as an environmental geologist, Sharon pursued a public policy career that led to work as a legislative advocate and community cat program manager for the Animal Welfare Society shelter in West Kennebunk Maine. As a volunteer for the government-run spay/neuter program Help Fix Me, she speaks candidly with Stacy about the frustration she has experienced while defending funding through legislation and policy, particularly against pet food lobbyists. Sharon also discusses her work with The Cleo Fund, Maine’s very first spay/neuter program that offers free spay/neuter for feral cats and low cost health care for dogs and cats across the state. For more information, email Sharon at sjsecovich@gmail.com or visit spaymaine.org and their Facebook page.

Interview! Dr. Margaret Slater, Senior Director of Veterinary Epidemiology Research and Development for the ASPCA “One of the things that we’ve found really helpful in all kinds of programs and projects is to couch it as a pilot… you can succeed and the prove that it does actually work…” Author of Feral Cats: Problems, Alternatives, and Recommendations and Veterinary Epidemiology: An Evidence Based Approach, Dr. Slater’s tireless efforts have educated both the animal welfare and general communities since she began studying epidemiology in the early nineties. Her first experience starting a TNR program was inspired by a student at Texas A & M University campus, where she taught for over fifteen years. In her discussion with Stacy, she offers ways to tackle management of college campus cat colonies. Dr. Slater also discusses the importance of data-tracking for TNR techniques, colony lifestyles, and grant-funding. Dr. Slater’s work involving population dynamics modeling with the Alliance for Contraception fo

Interview! Audra Farrell, Community Cares Program Supervisor at the San Francisco SPCA “I have found even the fiercest of ferals can be really great moms, so their concern is more taking care of their kittens than have to deal with us.” Through the Mama from the Streets program, San Francisco’s shelters are combining TNR for feral mothers with adoption of their kittens. As San Francisco’s SPCA’s Community Cares Program Supervisor, Audra advocates strongly for this humane way of gradually decreasing numbers in cat colonies. She discusses the correlation between TNR numbers and shelter intake as a positive gauge for TNR effectiveness, and believes spay/neuter education is key to winning the battle against overpopulation. To learn more, visit sfspca.org or call the Community Cares line in San Francisco at 414-522-3539.

Interview! Deborah Schutt, Co-Founder Michigan Pet Fund Alliance “Attending conferences, understanding what other people are doing, and adding to the tool kit is really important.” The co-founder of the Michigan Pet Fund Alliance, Deborah began her journey into the animal welfare field with dog fostering. Time and experience led her to TNR, feral cat welfare, and a passion for exploring different tactics to improve shelters and rescues. She and Stacy discuss no-kill philosophies and goals, as well as the process of uniting home-based rescues and shelters through education and data analysis. With approximately 185 shelters in Michigan, the Pet Fund Alliance produced data-based performance reports that created a deeper understanding of both impacts and needs of shelters across the state. Michigan boasts over 100 no-kill shelters, with fifty four out of eighty counties being no-kill. Deborah’s understanding of the many different approaches to the homeless animal dilemma has no doubt influenced these statistics.

Interview! Kristen Petrie, Creative Director, Mellarium and Technical Cat, Community Cats Podcast “The brand is important and it is an asset to any organization, whether they are big or small. It’s your face to the rest of the world.” Kristen began her career in cat rescue as an adoption counselor at the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society while launching her own graphic design business. She subsequently became involved in both the branding and production components of both MRFRS and Community Cats Podcast, bringing her enthusiasm, experience, and love of cats to the world of non-profits. Stacy and Kristen discuss challenges and rewards to non-profit branding, and what to look for in a brand manager as well as support volunteers. Known for her penchant for fostering the more challenging sick and feral cats, Kristen remains active on the frontlines as well as behind the scenes. To learn more, contact Kristen at kp@mellarium.com or visit mellariumcreative.com.

Interview! Sheila Massey, Neighborhood Activist - NYC “I found that I spent half my time explaining TNR and working with the community so that they would buy in and accept the cats.” Sheila dove into the world of community cats after retiring from work as a forensic accountant and corporate fraud auditor. She became certified in TNR in 2008, now volunteers at the Brooklyn Cat Café, and is a diligent advocate for New York City’s feral cat communities. From the city’s 600 or so community gardens to various church and prison grounds, cat colonies have the potential to provide a significant solution to the city’s overwhelming rat population and subsequent health issues. She discusses her struggles and goals to involve the Department of Health and the ASPCA in community education on the process and benefits of TNR. With this goal in mind, Sheila is highly active in NYC’s Neighborhood Relations Workshops. To learn more, visit morrisjumelcats.tumblr.com and catcafebk.com. You can email Sheila at morrisjumelcats@gmai

Interview! Martha Smith-Blackmore, DVM, Founder of Forensic Veterinary Investigations, LLC "Don’t worry about things you can’t change…take that passion and make it action and see what you can do." *Please note, while not graphic, this episode deals with topics related to animal cruelty that some listeners may find disturbing. If you need to skip it, might we suggest listening to this gem from an earlier episode? During her work as a shelter veterinarian, Martha became curious about a field that barely existed: applying medical forensics to injured and deceased animals. With a group of like-minded thinkers, Martha helped found the International Veterinary Forensic Sciences Association. In her role as an forensic investigator, Martha says one must "take what you see and what you know. and craft a story about what happened.” She is a skilled witness during court cases involving animal abuse, neglect and cruelty, with a goal of being “a voice for the animal”. She gives advice for cat colony caretakers to help the

Interview! Emma Clifford, Founder and Executive Director of Animal Balance “Islands are helping islands, which is exactly what we wanted to happen.” Don’t miss this fascinating look at how community cats are being helped around the world by Animal Balance, the brainchild of its founder, Emma Clifford. Beginning with a program in 2004 to assist the Galapagos Islands in managing cats and dogs, which were being poisoned to control their population, Emma describes how Animal Balance put together a “humane animal management plan”, despite the fact that there wasn’t even a veterinarian in the Galapagos at the time! The program she developed with the support and engagement of the local community has been adapted and brought to 10 other countries, including the Dominican Republic and American Samoa. A plan for Cuba is now in the works. A must listen! To volunteer: http://animalbalance.net/volunteer/ To donate: http://animalbalance.net/donate/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnimalBalance/