The Community Cats Podcast

"I think just the nature of having a shelter that's supportive and animal control has really expedited this as a success…And I think that made a big difference in the city." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie’s Fund. Stacy LeBaron talks with Vanessa Forney, founder and president of Bay Area Cats, an organization in Sunnyvale, California focused on spay neuter for pets and trap neuter return. Since stumbling upon a kitten in her neighborhood in 2020, Vanessa has personally trapped over 2,500 cats and kittens, built an efficient volunteer trapping team, and formed a 501(c)(3) that has helped spay/neuter thousands of cats every year. In this episode, Vanessa shares how she quickly moved from rescue-reactive thinking to strategic targeted TNR, focusing her efforts on Sunnyvale and achieving remarkable results through mass trapping techniques and neighborhood-wide approaches. She discusses the importance of data collection, building collaborative relationships with animal control and open intake shelters,