public education Archives - The Community Cats Podcast

April 22, 2017

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 […]

October 20, 2018

Interview! Gary Willoughby, President & CEO of SPCA Serving Erie County

“It seems like we’re at a good crossroads here [with community cats].” Gary Willoughby, the President and CEO of the SPCA Serving Erie County in West Seneca, New York, joins Stacy to talk about what’s going on at the nation’s second oldest humane society. A passionate life-long learner, Gary joined […]

October 8, 2019

Shelly Simmons, CAWA, Division Manager, Greenville (SC) County Animal Care

“While the population entering the shelter is going down, the need to spay and neuter out in the community is going to be ongoing.” Listen to Episode #320 now Shelly Simmons has worked for Greenville County Animal Care, the largest open-admission shelter in South Carolina, for twelve years now. She […]

July 9, 2020

Webinar Review: How Gateway Pet Guardians Uses Community Programming During COVID-19

Today’s guest post comes to us from Emma Gabbert, Digital Content Specialist Intern at Whisker Media. Last month, Jamie Case and Janet Alderson from Gateway Pet Guardians (GPG) in East St. Louis, Illinois (just across the river from St. Louis, Missouri) hosted a webinar called Keeping Families Together: Pivoting Community Programming […]

August 3, 2020

Pastor Larry Vandever, Coalition for Feral Cats of Lehigh Valley (PA)

“Our slogan is: We speak for them because they cannot. Our motto is: We never say no.” Listen to Episode #363 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Doobert.com, The Cat Fanciers’ Association, Kitty Sift, and The American Association of Feline Practitioners. Pastor Larry Vandever, a former police officer […]

February 4, 2021

Feline Fix by Five

Today’s guest post comes to us from Krista Beucler, Marketing & Communications Intern at Community Cats Podcast. Fix cats by five months? To those of you working in a shelter setting, this idea might not make a lot of sense, as you’re probably already spaying and neutering kittens by 8 weeks […]

May 4, 2021

Deborah Cribbs, Chair of the Board of Trustees for Joanie Bernard Foundation & The Ten movement

“Our donor probably would have been happy…that every cat in Cincinnati had a bed and a telephone.” Listen to Episode #402 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Kitty Sift and Doobert.com. Deborah Cribbs, a banker by trade, is the chair of the board of trustees for Joanie […]

May 7, 2021

Special Episode! Care Dare

TrapKing Sterling Davis and Mike Bricker of Best Friends join Stacy to talk about the Care Dare challenge. Listen to Episode #402A Now Find out all the details about Care Dare, taking place this May, in this special episode! CARE will be sponsoring the first ever CARE DARE Community […]

May 11, 2021

Carol Novello, Founder of Mutual Rescue

“I wanted to change the conversation from people or animals to people and animals.” Listen to Episode #403 Now This episode is sponsored in part by CDE Cages and Doobert.com. This week Stacy talks to Carol Novello, founder of Mutual Rescue, a national initiative that highlights the power of […]

July 27, 2021

Christi Metropole, Founder of Stray Cat Alliance

“It was a struggle for getting [cats] a voice.” Listen to Episode #414 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Smalls Fresh Cat Food and Doobert.com. Christi Metropole, founder of the Stray Cat Alliance shares with Stacy how she got started with TNR in the 90s and how trapping […]

November 30, 2021

Dr. Jacquie Rand, Executive Director and Chief Scientist, Australian Pet Welfare Foundation

“The problem is that TNR is illegal across Australia. For example, the state that I live in, un-owned cats are classed as 3, 4, and 6 ‘restricted matter.’ They can’t be fed, they can’t be moved, they can’t be rehomed or sold.” Listen to Episode #432 Now This episode […]

December 6, 2021

Chris Roy, Creator of Doobert.com & Host of The Animal Innovation Show Podcast

“I’m hopeful that we’re going to inspire the next generation of idea people.” Listen to Episode #433 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Humane Network and Doobert.com. What started out as one man’s system to record and coordinate his own animal transport work has since transformed into an […]

December 14, 2021

Jon Dunn, Senior Specialist of Communications of Best Friends Animal Society

“We want the podcast to play a role in lifesaving. So people will hear the podcast and change what they’re doing.” Listen to Episode #434 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Humane Network and Doobert.com. As Kristen Bell is to sloths, so Jon Dunn is to cats. Senior […]

February 10, 2022

10 Myths & Facts About Spaying & Neutering Your Cat

Written by Cristin Bates, Edited by Brianna Lovell Myers As a loving pet parent, you want your cat to have the best life possible. Spaying (a female cat) and neutering (a male cat) are procedures that prevent them from reproducing. Spay/neuter provides many benefits and makes life better for you […]

February 24, 2022

Staff Burnout, a Mobile Clinic for Rent, and The Veterinary Shortage

Written by Esther Mechler, President & Founder of United Spay Alliance Interested in hearing the latest about Staff Burnout? The impact of Covid-19 on spay/neuter clinics, or the need for collaboration in dealing with the backlog? How to run small-scale spay/neuter wet labs to train more vets in your area? […]

March 15, 2022

Cat Cinema and Speech with Tracie Hotchner, Author, Animal Wellness Advocate, and Founder of The Radio Pet Lady Network

“When people use negative words, we need to help correct them. People might speak ill of cats because they don’t understand them.” Listen to Episode #447 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Humane Network, Buzz to the Rescues, and Maddie’s Fund. Stacy talks to Tracie Hotchner, author, podcaster, animal […]

March 22, 2022

Fixing Programs and Cats with Jonathan Howe, Public Defender and New York’s 14th Congressional District Candidate

“Seeing the way that people make this [TNR] their priority, make doing something good for their community a priority, was really inspiring.” Listen to Episode #448 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Humane Network, Buzz to the Rescues, and Maddie’s Fund. Stacy speaks to Jonathan Howe, who is a […]

April 5, 2022

Lost and Found Pets with Kat Albrecht-Thiessen, Pet Detective and Founder/Director of The Missing Animal Response Network

“It’s important for TNR groups who trap cats to realize the same “feral” behavior you see in [true] ferals, may be a sign of a scared cat and not necessarily a feral cat.” Listen to Episode #450 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Humane Network, Buzz to the Rescues, […]

June 14, 2022

Stress in Pets with Kristen Levine, Nationally Acclaimed Pet Expert and Influencer

“I think we probably overthink it sometimes. And sometimes it’s just a matter of trying different things to see what the cat seems to prefer or what eliminates the behavior that we’re trying to eliminate.” Listen to Episode #460 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Humane Network, Doobert, and […]

July 19, 2022

Together We Trap with Angéline Fahey, Community Cat Program Manager at Humane Society of Southern Arizona

“I think it all comes from being compassionate and coming to them from a place of empathy [and] understanding.” [on dealing with community members] Listen to Episode #465 Now This episode is sponsored in part by CARE, Doobert, and Maddie’s Fund. Stacy speaks with Angéline Fahey, who is the Community […]

July 26, 2022

Same Team with Sterling Davis, Atlanta’s “Trap King”

“It’s important that we learn to work together or learn not to work against one another.” Listen to Episode #466 Now This episode is sponsored in part by CARE, Doobert, and Maddie’s Fund. In this episode, “Trap King” Sterling Davis returns to the show to share some of the projects […]

August 2, 2022

A Drop Trap Master Class with Bryan Kortis, National Programs Director at Neighborhood Cats

“Because they (cats) are less afraid of drop traps, you don’t need them to be as hungry to trap them… ” Listen to Episode #467 Now This episode is sponsored in part by CARE, Doobert, and Maddie’s Fund. This week, The Community Cats Podcast is excited to bring you a special […]

August 9, 2022

Part 2 – A Drop Trap Master Class with Bryan Kortis, National Programs Director at Neighborhood Cats

On trapping in tight locations…“We put a spotter up on the slope who could watch the whole thing and give us a signal when to drop the traps.” Listen to Episode #468 Now This episode is sponsored in part by CARE, Doobert, and Maddie’s Fund. This week, The Community Cats Podcast […]

August 30, 2022

Emotional Support Animals with Daniel Maigler, LCSW, Mental Health Advisor for Paws for Patrick

“[Pets] are empathy machines, and they can sense how we’re doing without us having to say anything. Often our pets will know how we’re doing before we do, and they’ll connect in that way.” Listen to Episode #471 Now This episode is sponsored in part by CARE, Doobert, and Maddie’s […]

September 6, 2022

Community Communication with Caitlin Quinn, Director of Operations at HeARTs Speak

“Let’s ensure that we’re starting the conversation from that place of all of the things we have in common and real compassion and understanding for why community members might be confused around these issues.” Listen to Episode #472 Now This episode is sponsored in part by CARE, Doobert, and Maddie’s […]

December 1, 2022

Dealing with Neighbors Who Don’t Like Cats

Contributed by Sheila Massey, Founder of Hard Hat Cats What do you do when a neighbor says, “I hate cats!” or, “the cats are killing the birds,” or, “just get rid of the cats!” Do you try to convince them to like cats? Do you argue and say the cats […]

December 15, 2022

A Sneak Peek at 2023

Contributed by Stacy LeBaron, Head Cat at Community Cats Podcast The Community Cats Podcast has had an incredible year, and I want to thank everyone for joining us and turning your passion for cats into action. I can’t wait to finalize our programs for 2023. Much of our theme this […]

December 20, 2022

Training Tomorrow’s Trappers with Bryan Kortis, Programs Director at Neighborhood Cats

“There’s still a disconnect between the grassroots groups (that are primarily doing trap-neuter-return) and the larger shelters (that are involved in return-to-field) and we need to get to a point where those two parts of the system are working together.” Listen to Episode #487 Now This episode is sponsored […]

January 31, 2023

Teaching, Inspiration, and Black Cats with Anne Montgomery, Author and Former Television Sportscaster and Teacher

“I think we need to teach young people more that animals need to be treated with the same respect you treat a person.” Listen to Episode #493 Now This episode is sponsored in part by TervaPet, Doobert.com, and Maddie’s Fund. Meet Anne Montgomery, former sportscaster, newspaper and magazine writer, teacher, […]

March 14, 2023

Cats Generating Awareness on Social Media with Harris Baker, Founder of Catfluence

“There’s definitely a lot of good . . . that I’ve seen from the cat community on social media.” Listen to Episode #499 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Doobert.com, and Maddie’s Fund. On this episode, Stacy chats with Harris Baker, founder of Catfluence, a social media platform […]

April 11, 2023

Building Understanding and Compassion for Cats with KJ McGlinn, Author and Kitty Correspondent for Pet Pals TV

“We have to honor the cat’s wishes…we have to honor the community cat who wants to be outside and have a safe, happy life there.” Listen to Episode #503 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Doobert.com, and Maddie’s Fund. In this episode, Stacy chats with KJ McGill, Kitty […]

April 18, 2023

Women Helping Cats in West Michigan with Janet Vormittag, Author and Founder of Cats and Dogs, a Magazine

“That’s the cool thing. Some of these older groups are closing, but we have a whole new crop of young women who are starting rescues and taking over.” Listen to Episode #504 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Doobert.com, and Maddie’s Fund. In this episode, Stacy sits down […]

April 25, 2023

Partnering For-Profit Business and Nonprofit Causes with Yvethe Tyszka, Vice President Marketing for H&H Group and Zesty Paws

“We are passionate about cats. That’s what we live for. If we can help other companies, other nonprofits that are helping pet parents do things that we don’t do directly, I think that’s a great way to support pet parenting overall, especially for cats.” Listen to Episode #505 Now […]

May 2, 2023

Inspiring Compassion for Animals with Nancy Robison, Author and Animal Advocate

“Don’t say, I wish somebody would help them. Go out and do it.” Listen to Episode #506 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Cats of the Wild Podcast, Doobert.com, and Maddie’s Fund. In this episode, Stacy speaks with individual animal rescuer and advocate, Nancy Robison. After receiving […]

December 12, 2023

It’s a special episode! Mike Phillips, LVT and President of Urban Cat League, interviews Stacy LeBaron.

“The cats are a vehicle for us to all get our act together and take responsibility for every part of the community.” Listen to Episode #538 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Meow Cat Lounge, Doobert.com, and Maddie’s Fund. In this special episode, Mike Phillips of UrbanCatLeague.org […]

December 19, 2023

It’s a special episode! Part One of The Drop Trap: A Trapper’s Best Friend Presented by Neighborhood Cats

“It’s great to have the cat you’re after, see another cat come in, have a bite to eat, and then leave. Nothing happens. Nothing dramatic. That can help persuade them that it’s just fine to go in; nothing to worry about here.” Listen to Episode #539 Now This episode […]

December 26, 2023

It’s a special episode! Part Two of The Drop Trap: A Trapper’s Best Friend Presented by Neighborhood Cats

“Another specialized use of the drop trap is when you’re trying to catch a mom and her kittens…” Listen to Episode #540 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Maddie’s Fund. This is part two of a special audio presentation of a free webinar offered to trappers earlier […]

January 2, 2024

Spurring Change for Cats from the Top Down with Jonlyn Freeman, Founder of NYC Cat Rescuer Alliance and Meagan Licari, President of Puppy Kitty NY City

“I wanted to go into city hall and say, “We need millions of dollars now.” Apparently, that’s not how it works.” Listen to Episode #541 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Maddie’s Fund and Tomahawk Live Trap. Ever wondered about the hurdles faced by animal rescuers in […]