Animal Podcast Reviews Part 2

A few weeks ago, I reviewed several animal welfare-related podcasts. Here are some more reviews of some of the podcasts that I listen to and my thoughts about them.

Humane Voices

Did you know that the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has its own podcast called Humane Voices? It is a relatively new podcast with just a couple dozen episodes at this point, but I have been tuning in to learn more about what is happening at HSUS. Of course, my favorite episode features CCP frequent guest Danielle Bays sharing information about the programs she is working on at HSUS.

The PETA Podcast

It isn’t surprising that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has a podcast and I thought I would tune in to see if I could get a better understanding of their position regarding feral cats. I have heard and read a lot about PETA and how they are against Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR); so I wanted to hear more about their perspective. I found this episode on the topic to be an incredibly interesting listen.

PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange is an effective and clearly spoken advocate for the group’s positions. She has been with PETA for over 20 years and she does an excellent job of advocating. I will say that I agreed with her on one point: we don’t put enough money into the spaying/neutering of owned cats. I am with her 1000% on this. We cannot adopt our way out of the cat overpopulation situation. I also understand and respect her concerns about TNR (they call it Trap, Neuter, Abandon), but the truth is that we do live in a world of indoor/outdoor cats. I think there is more to the conversation than just TNR. I would love to have a conversation with Lisa to more fully understand PETA’s thought process here.

I disagree with the statement that TNR doesn’t work. That is just wrong. When done right, TNR’s efficacy has been proven several times over around the country. The big questions are: Can we make TNR work in a managed away across the country and should that be our concern? (These questions came up at the Online Cat Conference.) What levels of Trap, Neuter, Return, Manage (TNRM) and Return to Field (RTF) do we need to ensure the health and wellness of our community cats? I certainly get Lisa’s point and perspective—but I can counter in many other ways.

One thing is for sure: We not doing all that we can for the cats in our communities. Are we doing better than years ago? I would say yes, but PETA might well say no. We need to acknowledge that there is more work that needs to be done and try to find ways to work together. I’ll say one thing: Next time I write a grant application for low-cost/free spay/neuter of cats, I am sending it to PETA.

That’s it for now. If you have an animal welfare podcast that you want me to review, feel free to send me your information.