resources Archives - The Community Cats Podcast

August 13, 2016

Interview! Zeke Zekoff, DVM Founder, United Pet Fund, OH

“We need an organization that can educate the public, but, at the same time, also provide resources for the smaller ‘mom and pop’ groups.” With 33 years of experience as a veterinarian in Cincinnati, Ohio, Dr. Zeke founded United Pet Fund in 2010 and United Pet Resource Center in 2015. […]

August 14, 2016

Interview! Dr. Emily McCobb, DVM, MS, DACVAA, Director, Shelter Medicine Program Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine Tufts University

“I would like every veterinarian to be supportive of TNR and to understand the huge difference that it’s made.” In this episode, Stacy interviews Dr. Emily McCobb, director of the Tufts Shelter Medicine Program and clinical associate professor of anesthesiology at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. Having volunteered at TNR clinics as a […]

August 14, 2016

Caitlyn Macintosh, Cat Team 7 Volunteer Coordinator and HSUS District Leader Volunteer

“I think it’s very hard for people to envision the solution, especially if they don’t have an investment in their heart in cats.” Initially a dog person and very allergic to cats, Caitlyn Macintosh made an unlikely candidate for founder of an organization dedicated to helping community cats. Her US Marine husband’s passion […]

August 16, 2016

Interview! Christine Wilford, DVM, Founder, The Feral Cat Spay Neuter Project, WA

“Equate the cost of helping an individual cat with how many spays and neuters you aren’t doing.” In her 8th grade research paper, Dr. Christine reported that up to twenty-two million cats were killed annually in shelters at the time. Almost thirty years after pursuing her DVM, those numbers have […]

August 17, 2016

Interview! Esther Mechler, Founder of Spay USA

“I felt if this cat shouldn’t have been born and if there weren’t such a surplus, they’d all have a better shot at a good life.” After her first experience losing a beloved stray to overpopulation in a Bridgeport, CT shelter, Esther’s passion for improving the quality of life for […]

August 18, 2016

Interview! Rick DuCharme, Founder and Executive Director, First Coast No More Homeless Pets

“What really keeps me and most of our team coming to work every day is the fact that we have seen such great success.” A national expert in animal welfare issues, Rick is an advocate for spay/neuter programs targeting low income pet owners. He founded Jacksonville, Florida’s First “Coast No […]

August 19, 2016

Interview! Kate Hurley, DVM, Director Koret Shelter Medicine Program at UC Davis

“I thought to myself, there has to be a better way…and that was what drove me, right after vet school, to go to work in a shelter.” From working as an animal control officer in 1989 to becoming the first person ever to complete a veterinarian residency in shelter medicine […]

August 20, 2016

Interview! Jon Cicirelli, Assistant Director Public Works, Director Animal Care and Services, San Jose, CA

“The program changed our view, philosophy, and focus and what we were saving on the cat side was helping us do better on the dog side as well.” John’s background in wildlife management and a biology degree from George Washington University led him to become an animal control officer in […]

August 23, 2016

Interview! Susan Krebsbach, DVM, Founder, Dane County Friends of Ferals and Founder of Creature Counseling

“We have a better option for this subset of underrepresented cats.” In the field of animal welfare, “Dr. Susan” possesses a prolific resume. She opened her own veterinary-behavioral consulting service in 2000, has maintained a position as veterinary advisor for the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association since its beginning in 2008, runs a […]

August 25, 2016

Interview! Liz Pease, Executive Director of the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society

“My hope is that there comes to be more acceptance of the idea of a community cat.” Liz began her work with cats in 2004, when she was feeding a local cat colony and reached out to the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society for help. Soon after, she became the MRFRS’ main […]

August 26, 2016

Ask Stacy! Questions and Answers for Inquiring Cats

“When you’re looking to recruit, recruit everywhere and all of the time.” It’s time for another Q&A session with Stacy! In this episode, Stacy takes questions posted to the CCP Facebook page. Listeners asked for advice on how to keep the peace between an area’s cat colonies and its disgruntled residents, […]

August 30, 2016

Interview! Angela Walters Rockwell, Executive Director of the Animal Shelter Assistance Program (ASAP), Santa Barbara, California

“For community cats, it takes a community. There’s always something you can do.” Angela shares fascinating information about ASAP’s innovative programs, particularly their recognized “Tiny Lion Tamers” initiative that socializes feral kittens within the shelter environment. So far, this program has 125 “graduates” and has made a significant difference in […]

August 31, 2016

Interview! Danielle Jo Bays, Community Cats Program Manager for the Humane Society of the United States

“Many cats are outside through no fault of their own.” Danielle calls on both her hands-on trapping experience and public policy work to help HSUS develop campaigns and programs that will educate and empower people who want to support cats in their community, such as webinars and tools for trappers […]

September 1, 2016

Interview! Sara Pizano, DVM, Program Director for Target Zero

“Look at the data. Look at what’s happening. We need to sterilize, ear tip, and rabies vaccinate and put these cats back home.” A graduate of Cornell’s College of Veterinary program, Sara is the Program Director for Target Zero, a national initiative focused on assisting financially struggling shelters. She discusses […]

September 2, 2016

Interview! Kaleel Sakakeeny, Founder, The Other Me Coaching

“There was always a deep love for animals, a deep respect for who they were, the beauty that they brought into the world…” After experiencing the passing of a companion cat, Kaleel’s initial interest in animal communication led him to a deeper study of this intuitive practice. In his discussion […]

September 3, 2016

Interview! Heidi Colonna, Curriculum Development Manager for the Humane Society and Board Member with Association of Professional Humane Educators

“Humane education can prevent situations where people lack knowledge of basic care and, in other cases, lack of empathy.” Heidi was volunteering at a local shelter in 1994, which compelled her to choose animal science and public policy over a potential business degree. She discusses her focus on ‘preventable people […]

September 6, 2016

Interview! Pamela Krausz, Founder and Executive Director of Vermont Companion Animal Neutering

“One thing that people don’t realize is how much healthier the cat population is on farms when the population is spayed/neutered.” Pamela is a founder and the executive director of Vermont Companion Animal Neutering (VT-CAN), a low cost, high volume spay/neuter clinic. As a stationary clinic with a mash-stlye component, […]

September 7, 2016

Interview! Sheri Gustafson, Spay/Neuter Community Liaison for the Massachusetts Animal Fund

“I’m actually really excited about how TNR is being viewed across the state.” Sheri serves as the Spay/Neuter Community Liaison for the Massachusetts Animal Fund, which provides a voucher program for low income pet owners. This program focuses on three main priorities: S/N support for municipal shelters, providing vouchers for […]

September 8, 2016

Interview! Cameron Moore, Project Manager, Target Zero

“When we offered spay/neuter to them, these caretakers would cry with happiness.” Given Cameron’s contribution to a diverse number of game-changing initiatives, she and Stacy have a wide-ranging conversation about a number of topics related to TNR, abandonment and adoption programs, and helping communities get the support they need to get […]

September 10, 2016

Interview! Kelley Bollen, Owner and Director of Animal Alliances Consulting Firm

“Feeding animals in bowls is a wasted opportunity to enrich their brains.” Kelley earned a Master’s in Animal Behavior, has taught at Cornell Veterinary School, and now consults with both pet owners and shelters to improve life and outcomes for companion animals. She and Stacy talk all things behavior, and […]

September 14, 2016

Interview! Linda Gage, No More Homeless Pets Network Specialist, Best Friends Animal Society

“These animals deserve a life outside: that’s where they’re born, that’s where they live, that’s where they’re used to being.” Linda outlines the myriad resources that the No More Homeless Pets Network offers to small organizations around the country: ideas on how to get a Community Cats program started, marketing […]

September 15, 2016

Interview! Andi Kola, Founder Lumen LS, Broward County, Florida

“What are all the bad things that could happen to me if I were a cat?” Andi is a man on a mission… a mission to eliminate euthanization of cats in his home area of Broward County, Florida and beyond. He recounts his efforts to work with local animal control officials as […]

September 16, 2016

Interview! Merritt Clifton, Journalist and Founder, Animals 24-7 News

“We want feral cats to be safely in their nocturnal environment, or pet cats safely at home not wondering into a busy road.” It would be challenging to find someone with more experience in the animal welfare field than award-winning writer Merritt Clifton. From his childhood ambition to “starting a […]

September 17, 2016

Interview! Cheryl Ann Fernandes, Regional Shelter Care Representative, PetLink

“We’re trying to help shelters and Animal Control Officers embrace pet identification as a means of improving live release rates” Drawing on Cheryl Ann’s diverse, 25-year career in animal welfare, she and Stacy have a wide-ranging discussion about the challenges of being an urban animal control officer, the persistent challenge […]

September 20, 2016

Interview! Amanda Arrington, Director, Pets for Life Program at The Humane Society of the United States

“We have as much to learn as we have to give.” Amanda’s childhood interests in both animals and in social justice have led her to a career overseeing a groundbreaking program to help not just pets, but people in underserved areas. She leads he innovative HSUS “Pets for Life” initiative, which […]

September 21, 2016

Interview! Tammy King, Founder, Mayport Cats (FL)

“Fix a feral before you feed him!” Mayport Village, a fishing village near Jacksonville, Florida, had become a popular place for people to “dump” cats, both healthy and sick. Enter Tammy King, who brought her persistence and compassion to address the problem. Originally dealing with 200-250 cats, the population is now […]

September 22, 2016

Interview! Mike Phillips, President, Urban Cat League, and Community Outreach Coordinator for the New York City Feral Cat Initiative

“When you’re frustrated, remember that every cat you neuter is an tremendous improvement in that one cat’s life.” Even though he had lived in Manhattan for decades, Mike didn’t know there were street cats in New York: “I had no idea because I lived on the 43rd floor,” he observes. In […]

September 24, 2016

Interview! Taryn Breuer, President, Friends of Jeannette Hunt Animal Shelter (NE)

“Gosh we’re not alone out here….maybe we can get this population under control.” Taryn describes how rural Blair, Nebraska needs its resident cats to help keep rodents from getting into the grain farmed there, but also needs an active TNR effort to keep the numbers of cats in check. Participating in […]

September 27, 2016

Interview! Mike Cahill, Director, The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources’ Division of Animal Health

“When your options are quarantine or euthanize, that’s the worst part of the job.” Mike’s been an integal part of Massachusetts’ animal welfare efforts for 22 years. He has extensive experience managing situations where community cats — and potentially their caretakers — have been exposed to rabies, and recounts several challenging […]

September 28, 2016

Interview! Peter Wolf, Cat Initiatives Analyst, Best Friends Society

“A lot of the folks who end up writing these laws don’t have a great deal of experience [with community cats], and you can end up with some real dire unintended consequences.” Peter Wolfe is a cat initiatives analyst at Best Friends Society and a blogger at Vox Felina, where he seeks […]

September 29, 2016

Interview! Holly Putnam, Faculty Clinician, Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program, Cornell University

“This is the time to get the ideas into [students’] heads…. I think [vets] have a hard time accepting new information once they’ve been doing what they’re doing; it’s hard to change people’s minds. But our veterinary students are there to be educated, and they already have open minds.” Dr. Holly Putnam graduated […]

September 30, 2016

Interview! Valerie Ingram and Alistair Schroff, Founders of The Lakes Animal Friendship Society

“We consider education to be our number one priority.” The combination of Valerie’s nineteen years’ experience in elementary education and Alistair’s passion and business experience has led to inspiring changes for animal welfare in their rural British Columbia community. Co-authors of children’s books Nobody’s Cats and Out of the Cold, Valerie and Alistair discuss their belief […]

October 1, 2016

Interview! Jennifer Blough, Psychotherapist in Compassion Fatigue and Author

“The best of us get compassion fatigue. It’s something that is inherent in this field… you’re not alone, you’re not weak, and you’re not crazy.” With experiences ranging from animal care attendant to animal control officer, Jennifer choose to passionately pursue the subject of compassion fatigue as a psychotherapist after […]

October 5, 2016

Ask Stacy! Questions and Answers for Inquiring Cats

“We also need to educate or partner with folks in the local community so they can be our neighborhood watchers.” As Community Cats Podcast celebrates its eightieth episode, Stacy and guest host Lisa Finkel discuss how bird lovers and cat lovers can work together to decrease both the number of […]

October 6, 2016

Interview! Blake and Adrienne Kuhre, Founders of the Furry Foundation

“If we can be better on the educational side, then I feel that we can prevent a lot of these issues from happening.” Blake and Adrienne are the founders of the Furry Foundation, a non-profit, foster care organization in Los Angeles focused on TNR, cat socialization, and educating the community on proper […]

October 7, 2016

Interview! Cindy Wiemann, Treasurer of the National Animal Care and Control Association (NACA)

“Now we’re getting calls about one or two cats…not the calls where someone wants 25 cats removed.” Cindy was instrumental to bringing TNR to the small community of Madison, Georgia. She helped research the appropriate ordinances, and ultimately Madison implemented the first 100% government operated and funded TNR program in […]

October 8, 2016

Interview – Part One! Mary Smith, Executive Leadership Team and Sheila D’Arpino, Director of Research, of Maddie’s Fund

“Every animal should have a healthy home or habitat.” In this special two-part episode of the Community Cats Podcast, Stacy interviews two leaders at Maddie’s Fund, one of the most innovative and results-oriented non-profits helping animals across North America. Through its educational programs, advocacy and grants, Maddie’s Fund has been […]

October 11, 2016

Interview – Part Two! Mary Smith, Executive Leadership Team and Sheila D’Arpino, Director of Research, of Maddie’s Fund

October 12, 2016

Interview! Part 1 – Hannah Shaw, “The Kitten Lady”

“I live and breathe cat advocacy…that’s what I do.” Little did Hannah Shaw know that the day that she borrowed some shoes to climb a tree and save an orphaned kitten, she would be starting a career that would inform and engage cat lovers around the world. An expert in […]

October 13, 2016

Interview! Part 2 – Hannah Shaw, “The Kitten Lady”

October 14, 2016

Interview! Amy Sandler, Executive Coach, and Certified Breathwork Meditation Teacher

“Usually our minds are somewhere in the past or somewhere in the future.” In this “out of the box” interview, Stacy speaks with Amy Sandler about how mindfulness and meditation can help decrease the stress and manage the challenges often faced by those in the animal welfare field. Research has […]

October 15, 2016

Interview! Brianna Lovell, Outreach and Events Manager, at Alley Cat Allies

“No action is too big or too small.” To commemorate National Feral Cat Day (NFCD), Stacy speaks with Brianna about the origins of this annual event. Originally, National Feral Cat Day was simply a way to celebrate Alley Cat Allies’ 10th anniversary, but in the years following that, it’s become […]

October 20, 2016

Book Reviews for Community Cat Lovers

An episode for both book worms and compassionate cats. In this special episode, Stacy shares some of her favorite resources for information on community cats, as well as how to take care of yourself when doing the hard work of animal welfare. We’ve included the names of the books and […]

June 22, 2017

Interview! Jim Tedford, President and CEO of SAWA

“The strength of SAWA is in its network.” Jim Tedford is the president and CEO of the Society of Animal Welfare Administrators (SAWA). In the early 1980s, fresh out of college with a degree in animal science, he found his first job in animal welfare at a tiny humane society […]

May 12, 2018

Interview! Part 2 – Dr. Sara Pizano, Veterinarian and Animal Welfare Consultant

“You don’t need millions of dollars—you need to allocate your pie of resources intelligently … that’s really the key.” In part 2 of our two-part episode with Dr. Sara Pizano, she talks about the big picture in animal welfare these days, and about where she feels the focus should be […]

August 20, 2019

Deb Barnes, Author, President of the Cat Writers’ Association

“Using my own life as a vehicle to educate others is what I wanted to do.” Listen to Episode #313 Now Deb Barnes is an award-winning author and blogger who currently serves as president of the Cat Writers’ Association, and as secretary of the board for Pawsitively Humane in […]

December 31, 2019

Julia Grosz, Cat Hustler

“Marketing is not adoption counseling … [it’s] the highlight reel.” Listen to Episode #332 now This episode is sponsored by Dr. Elsey’s Veterinarian Formulated Quality Products for Cats, makers of “litter we’re so confident you’ll love, your first purchase is on us.” Learn more! Julia Grosz earned the nickname […]

March 19, 2020

10 Issues Facing Animal Welfare Organizations During the Coronavirus Crisis

***UPDATE: COMMUNITY CATS AND CORONAVIRUS POP-UP PANELS CCP will be holding some more town hall-style meeting webinars about COVID-19 and the response. Join in and share your experiences, concerns, and thoughts. Register for the Community Cats and Coronavirus Pop-Up Panel on Saturday, March 28, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. EDT or […]

March 26, 2020

How Are You Doing?

Wow, times are changing quickly. Our world of caring for community cats has changed dramatically in the last week. Our spay/neuter resources are much fewer or non-existent. We are being told to let kittens be born and leave cats that are not in distress out on the streets until we can begin our […]

April 2, 2020

20 Virtual Learning Options During the Coronavirus Crisis

On Sunday, March 29, President Trump announced that the US would continue to follow social distancing guidelines until April 30th. Many organizations are trying to find ways to keep staff and volunteers engaged during this shutdown period. Below is a listing of 20 websites or webinars, by category, that you […]

April 9, 2020

Twenty-ish More Virtual Training Ideas

It seems like folks enjoyed my listing of resources last week, so I am going to continue to share more resources for you to enjoy and share with others. Since in-person conference season is pretty much wiped out, one good way to share virtual education is to have a group of people […]

March 8, 2022

Fill Your Toolkit with Amy Davila Sanchez, Marketing Manager for Strategic Initiatives at Best Friends Animal Society

“It’s really about expanding the amount of resources that we can give to these caretakers, to these volunteers that day in and day out go out to the field to help these cats.” Listen to Episode #446 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Humane Network, Buzz to the Rescues, […]

May 26, 2023

Remove Barriers to TNVR: Create a Community Cat Guide for Your State!

Contributed by Cheri Storms, Executive Director of Pet Friendly Services of Indiana Elected officials are tasked with making a multitude of decisions, many that they’d never contemplated. When it comes to Community Cat programs, most elected officials are unfamiliar with the topic and don’t understand the solutions. Instead, they are […]

August 13, 2016

Interview! Zeke Zekoff, DVM Founder, United Pet Fund, OH

August 14, 2016

Interview! Dr. Emily McCobb, DVM, MS, DACVAA, Director, Shelter Medicine Program Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine Tufts University

August 14, 2016

Interview! Angela Walters Rockwell, Executive Director of the Animal Shelter Assistance Program (ASAP), Santa Barbara, California

August 31, 2016

Interview! Heidi Colonna, Curriculum Development Manager for the Humane Society and Board Member with Association of Professional Humane Educators

September 6, 2016

Interview! Mike Phillips, President, Urban Cat League, and Community Outreach Coordinator for the New York City Feral Cat Initiative

September 24, 2016