The Community Cats Podcast

Stacy interviews Bridget about some of the thorniest questions surrounding community cats:  how do you assess whether a cat is owned, feral or a community cat, when should you intervene with a cat versus letting it be, and how to help rescues and shelters make smart choices about which cats to take in.  She describes the unique mission of the Missing Pet Partnership:  educating owners on prevention and recovery of lost pets.  As she puts it, “losing your pet is a once in a lifetime event…no wonder owners freak out and have no idea what to do.”  MPP’s Operation Rescue is a program that seeks to help shelters do a better job reuniting pets and people. To find out more visit the The Missing Pet Partnership or Path Ahead Animal Shelter Consulting online.  

Christy and Stacy have a wide-ranging discussion about low cost spay/neuter, developing a successful TNR effort by building community coalitions, and Christy’s experience with the Pets for Life program, which she states changed her mind completely about the pets of the underprivileged: “everyone deserves to have love in their lives.” She also describes the inspiring work she’s involved with at the Jackson Galaxy Foundation, where clicker training for cats (yes, you read that right!) is changing the game for shy and fearful shelter cats. To find out more visit the The Jackson Galaxy Foundation online.

Nationally recognized expert Bryan Kortis talks with Stacy about all things TNR: his beginnings trapping a colony of cats on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, the founding of Neighborhood Cats.org to help teach TNR to others in New York and around the country, the critical importance of targeting one area until you’ve reached 100% sterilization and what the future looks like for community cats.  Learn about CatStats.org, a new online tool for tracking the impact of TNR programs on cat populations, and where Bryan and his wife are headed for their next challenge. To find out more visit the Neighborhood Cats online.

Stacy talks with veteran trapper Laura Burns about her experiences, advice and resources for those seeking to make a difference for cats.  Laura discusses the use of box traps versus drop traps, her approach to feral kittens and relocating colonies, and her “Hail Mary Pass” trap bait.  She underscores the importance of training motivated individuals how to successfully trap cats, as opposed to relying on others, and the importance of having caretakers invested in taking care of their colonies:  "as soon as you turn your back, the clock is ticking and other cat is going to show up." To find out more visit the Habitat for Cats online.  

Formerly a “true blue dog person,” Betsy tells about the kitten on a woodpile outside her house that fueled her interest in assisting community cats. She also addresses the challenges found on the human side of the equation in animal welfare and rescues:  small organizations often lack the infrastructure that would allow them to best benefit from their volunteers’ capabilities, rely too much on their founders, and overworked volunteers frequently “burn out”.  A better solution, she says, is match peoples’ ability, skills and passion in a way that will best help the organization’s mission and the cause. To find out more visit the The Human Society of the United States online.

Dr. Newman describes how the Barry County Animal Shelter implemented a TNR program — with the help of the MRFRS Mentoring Program and PetSmart Charities — that has resulted in a drastic reduction in unwanted litters among unowned cats. She describes her humble beginnings as a spay/neuter advocate — “fixing 12 cats a month wasn’t going to cut it” — and how she sought advice and then, the cooperation of local officials and volunteer vets to help address the problem.  Her advice to those facing similar challenges?  “Just do it.” To find out more visit the Barry County online.

In this episode, Mike describes the profound improvements and progress for cats he has seen in his 20+ year career at the MSPCA. By implementing programs to reduce the stress of cats in the shelter, aggressively targeting communities with low cost spay/neuter services, and implementing creative adoption promotions, Mike’s adoption center has achieved a 92% live release rate, and can now focus on the challenge of finding homes for “hard to place” cats.  He also discusses his views on pediatric spay/neuter, and how barn cat programs can be a winning solution for cats with aggression or house soiling issues. To find out more visit the MSPCA Nevins Farm Adoption Center online.

Marnie tells Stacy about her commitment to increasing the survival rates  for neonatal kittens through education, information sharing, cooperation and hands on learning.  Her organization, the National Kitten Coalition, specializes in helping shelters, rescue organizations, the veterinary community and individuals, better understand how to manage these tiny felines through a critical part of their life.  Marnie talks about the critical need for more foster homes equipped to handle “bottle babies” and how rewarding that work can be. To find out more visit the The National Kitten Coalition online.

Kit, the founder of the largest TNR group in the greater Boston area, provides insights on how to develop an effective TNR program. Because 50% of the cats found by Charles River Alley Cats are “friendlies,” the group sha developed important relationships with local shelters to serve as adoption partners.  In terms of building TNR capabilities, Kit cautions that it’s important to put resources — equipment, transportation, veterinarians and space — into place before starting to trap.  She shares her group’s astonishing impact on shelter intakes and euthanasia, and also how she brought her passion for helping animals to her vacation home in Mexico, where 90% of cats are unowned and a local veterinarian takes braided bracelets and fish in exchange for fixing local animals. To find out more go to www.charlesriveralleycats.org.

Sarah Hess, Founding Member of United Coalition for Animals (OH), Grant Manager at TwoMauds.org   Sarah describes the “aha” moment when she realized that aggressive spay/neuter efforts were a necessary partner for rescue activities. She also discusses how cooperation and inclusiveness among organizations is essential to reducing animal homelessness and how mentoring can benefit new organizations seeking to implement spay/neuter programs in their areas.

Learn how Jen determined that pet food was missing from local food banks and started an all-volunteer effort to get dog and cat food to families in need.  She recommends a “simple, scalable model”, shares some resources and software that have helped her grow her efforts, and discusses her goals for growing PAWSitive Pantry to support food shelves across all of Vermont.   Learn more about PAWSitive Pantry at their site www.pawsitivepantry.org.

Sandy reflects on her long career in animal welfare, why working with people might be more effective than hands-on work with animals, and the Jackson Galaxy Foundation’s current initiative to improve conditions and adoptability for shelter cats. To find out more go to www.jacksongalaxyfoundation.org.

Frank describes how one outdoor kitty named Blackie motivated him and his wife to found the Animal Coalition of Tampa, whose spay/neuter efforts have transformed feline welfare in one of Florida’s most populous regions, and how others can learn from his experience.   To learn more visit actampa.org.

Julie explains the challenge of overcoming entrenched attitudes about animals and lack of resources in rural Tennessee, and the county-by-county approach that’s helped make spay/neuter services available and affordable for the state’s residents.   To find out more about Spay Tennessee go to www.spaytennessee.org.

Laura talks with Stacy about the importance of patience, how to build a successful TNR organization, and why the biggest challenge you face may be educating people, not trapping cats. To find out more visit Lowell TNR Collation online.

Get to know Stacy LeBaron, hear a bit about her life’s work with cats and non-profit organizations, and learn more about the show and it's mission.