Education Archives - The Community Cats Podcast

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 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 […]

June 10, 2018

Can We Be Buddies?

This suggestion has been presented to me many times and I feel the need to share this idea with all of you! Based on the data, there are many areas of the country where we seem to have cat overpopulation under control. These successful areas have offered community low-cost spay/neuter […]

June 17, 2018

Motivational Interviewing…Huh?

When you are speaking with someone, asking them to do something or to make a change in how they are doing something, do you ever feel like you are talking to a brick wall? Do you wonder why you’re even wasting your time? Well, I just may have a new […]

June 24, 2018

Kitten Season is Here, and More than Ever, We Need to Communicate

So kitten season is here in full force around the country. Based on my sampling of what I am hearing from listeners, it appears that this summer is worse than past summers. I am hearing about areas with a 10% increase in kittens, and shelters in the southeast and southwest […]

July 1, 2018

Birds and Cats-Is It Really a Big Issue to You?

I recently have been having a lot of conversations around the issue of birds and cats and how they impact one another. I have to be honest — I really didn’t think of this as that “hot” of a topic while working on TNR, adoptions and spay/neuter for owned cats […]

July 8, 2018

Foster “Failure” – The Real Story

I know it’s early in the season, but I know many of you out there are just about at the point of falling in love with one of your fosters. We have all been there. Up until now you have been strong and let those fosters kittens go up for […]

July 15, 2018

Does Return to Field Help the Big Picture?

Even though I am doing the Community Cats Podcast, Community Cats grants, and running an online conference, I still stay as involved as possible with small organizations trying to do the best that they can for community cats. Many of you know I do a lot of work with a […]

July 29, 2018

Maddie’s Pet Forum-Our Helping Hand

Okay, I am really excited about the Pet Forum platform that the folks at Maddie’s Fund have put together. You can read more about it at maddiesfund.org. I believe that this forum could potentially be the next generation of technology that can help take us to the next level for cats. It […]

August 12, 2018

Let’s Play Trapper Bingo!

In lieu of our regular weekly blog post, join us in having a little end-of-summer fun with Trapper Bingo! We hope you’ll enjoy playing along with other trappers you know—and be sure to email stacy@communitycatspodcast.com when you get BINGO! Do you have other ideas for squares to include on our […]

November 11, 2018

Getting to the Goal with the Michigan Pet Fund Alliance

This week’s guest blog post comes to us from Dr. Diana Newman, who serves as the clinic administrator for Companion Cats (Battle Creek, Michigan) and the Eaton County (Michigan) Humane Society. She is also a board member for the Michigan Pet Fund Alliance (MPFA), and recently attended the MPFA “Getting […]

November 18, 2018

Creating a Fundraising Plan for 2019

Over the next two weeks I am going to touch upon two areas of our organizational goal setting that are often overlooked: the fundraising/development plan and the operations plan. Ughhh, you say. Who has time for this? I will agree that fall is a very busy time for fundraising, but […]

November 26, 2018

Creating an Operations Plan for 2019

Well, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving break. Last week your assignment was to think about your fundraising plan for 2019 while enjoying family and friends! This week are going to think about our operations for 2019 and what sort of goals we would like to set for next […]

December 3, 2018

Q&A with a CCP Listener

We recently received a wonderful note from a CCP listener, Sarah Hollars, who was kind enough to reach out and let us know how much CCP has touched her life. Not only do we love hearing from our listeners, we also love sharing their stories with our community so that […]

December 16, 2018

Climate Change and Community Cats

Many of your know that I drive back and forth from Vermont to Massachusetts every week in order to visit my mother. So I get to spend a lot of time in the car listening to podcasts of all kinds. During my drive last week, I heard several references to […]

December 23, 2018

How Might a Recession Affect Your Nonprofit Organization?

Over the last month the stock market has been dropping substantially, and it’s quite possible that this will be the first year that the S+P 500 could show a decline. Everyone is very worried that we are going to enter into a recession. We have a lot of economic uncertainties […]

April 1, 2019

FeLV-positive Adoption Program Profile Series: Tree House Humane Society

Here’s the next installment in our ongoing series on Feline Leukemia (FeLV) adoption programs around the country. The series shares different groups’ answers to our questions about their FeLV+ adoption programs. We hope you enjoy and are inspired by this series, and if you have a suggestion for an organization we […]

April 7, 2019

FeLV-positive Adoption Program Profile Series: KC Pet Project

June 15, 2019

Scott Giacoppo, Director of National Shelter Outreach, Best Friends Animal Society

“Across the board, [TNR]’s working. We have yet to find a place where it’s not working.” Listen to Episode #304 Now Scott Giacoppo (previously interviewed by Stacy on CCP Episode 25) has been involved in animal welfare since 1989. Among other roles, he has worked as an animal control […]

June 17, 2019

Trapper Tricks & Tips – Liz Pease

This week, we have the next installment of our occasional series called Trapper Tips & Tricks, which will profile folks who are involved in trapping community cats. This week we bring you tips from Liz Pease, former executive director of the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society, who has been trapping […]

June 23, 2019

Rabies Vaccination and Microchip Clinics – Why You Need Them in Your Community

Many of you know that I am part of a small volunteer group in Chelsea, Massachusetts that, with the help of fundraising and a local foundation, is committed to making life better for cats and dogs in the community. The group, HubCats Chelsea, offers free spay/neuter services for owned, stray […]

July 1, 2019

Are You Ready for Kitten College?

Just about a week ago now, CCP partnered with the National Kitten Coalition (NKC) to hold the first-ever online kitten conference. We had twelve fantastic speakers with a lot of incredible information. There were many nuggets of cool information, but one thing that I found especially intriguing was the “Kitten […]

July 22, 2019

San Francisco Feral Kitten Frenzy

Last week I read an article about some policy changes at the San Francisco SPCA and San Francisco Animal Care and Control regarding their policies on trapping feral mother cats and kittens. In a nutshell, the groups “have instituted a new policy that allows the mothers and kittens to stay together […]

July 28, 2019

Community Cat Centers – What Do You Think?

This article about the work that LeBron James has done in the Akron, Ohio public school system has me thinking hard about where animals fit into this new generation of thinking about community. Some of you know that my daughter Rachel is interested in education and has been working at […]

August 8, 2019

Thoughts on the News: Declawing Banned in NY & Humane Alliance and St. Hubert’s Merge

The last couple of weeks of July were very busy in the animal welfare world. Best Friends Animal Society had one of their biggest conferences, Alley Cat Allies had a big event in Texas, and Brandon Zavala put on a new event, the Silicat Valley Cat Convention, in San Jose, CA. […]

August 21, 2019

Holy Smokes Batman! There Are Kittens in Massachusetts!

Reports have been coming in from many Massachusetts rescuers and trappers saying that this year’s kitten season is the worst one “eva” (=ever in Boston-speak). I decided to email some of the larger shelters in the state to see what might be going on. I definitely came across some themes. […]

August 29, 2019

Fall Outreach—What Is That?

As we approach Labor Day Weekend, I find this is a good time to begin to think about fall and your plans for reaching out into your community. Summer always seems to be a more reactive time in our business. We are loaded with kittens, lots of emergencies, incredible adoptions, […]

September 26, 2019

In the News: Interesting Stories that Could Impact You and Your Cats

This week, I’m sharing a round-up of some recent cat-related news stories that you might have missed. Town in Australia is Limiting the Number of Cats in a Home to Two! I just don’t understand why people think that limiting the number of cats in a home is going to […]

October 3, 2019

PetSmart Charities Gives $3 Million to Meals on Wheels in a Partnership to Help Keep Pets in Homes with the Elderly

PetSmart Charities recently announced one of their largest donations to date: $3 million to Meals on Wheels (MOW) to assist and provide support to the elderly served by the organization’s programs. Many seniors have pets and many of them stay isolated and in their homes because they don’t want to […]

October 10, 2019

No-Kill vs. SCS Theory

There are many organizations and individuals that feel that having the goal of being “no-kill” is too polarizing. Back in the 1990s, the “no-kill” label drew a line between different types of behavior for organizations, as back then, many organizations did euthanize for space constraints. But now the case is […]

October 17, 2019

Rescue Rebuild and National Domestic Violence Awareness Month

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM). The statistics are just startling. The DVAM website tells us that, according to the U.S. Department of Justice, over two million men and women are affected by domestic violence each year in the United States. They also note the following shocking statistics: […]

October 24, 2019

She Podcasts Live! Conference – Reporting In!

Kristen and I had a booth at the She Podcasts – Live! conference on October 11-13 in Atlanta, GA. She Podcasts, the first podcast for female podcasters, strives “to support and nurture as many female-led podcasts as possible.” Kristen and I both had a lot of fun answering folks’ questions about […]

October 31, 2019

Halloween and International Black Cat Awareness Month

October is Black Cat Awareness month due to the fact that many people worry that folks are going to do terrible things to black cats around Halloween. While this has largely proven to be a myth, black cats are already 50% less likely to be adopted than other cats in […]

November 7, 2019

Webinars Reviews: What I’m Watching

I have been binge-watching lots of webinars lately. Webinars are a great way to learn new information without loading up the car or getting on a plane to go to a conference. This week, I’ll share my thoughts on some of the webinars I have been watching recently. ASPCA Pro: Leadership […]

November 14, 2019

It’s Goal-Setting Time

When I first started the Community Cats Podcast, I had big dreams of being able to provide tip sheets every week on all parts of taking care of community cats. I had big dreams and high goals. Yes, I said goals. I have hit some of the goals that I […]

November 21, 2019

Book Reviews

These are some of the books that I have been reading lately and my thoughts about them. Several of them would be great holiday gifts. Rescue Meez – Siri Zwemke This is a wonderful book and anyone who is thinking about starting a nonprofit organization should definitely read it. I hadn’t […]

November 29, 2019

Happy Thanksgiving + Something for Those Who Don’t Like Football

Happy Thanksgiving! I want to thank everyone for being part of the CCP family this year, whether as a listener to the show, a conference or webinar attendee, or a Community Cats Grant program participant. Thank you all for your support and for sharing the Community Cats Podcast with others. […]

December 5, 2019

Webinars That Will Blow You Away!

It is getting cold and snowy outside, so it is a good time for more webinar reviews. Here are a couple Maddie’s Fund Webinars that were of interest to me: Toolkit for the Time-Starved Leader: A Practical Guide to Hiring and Retaining Engaged Employees Presented by Jocyeln Kessler, MBA, Senior […]

December 12, 2019

The Cat Rescuers- A Review

I recently had an opportunity to watch The Cat Rescuers, a documentary by Rob Fruchtman and Steve Lawrence. I have had the opportunity to interview Steve (CCP Episodes 178 and 307) about his experience making the film and following the main characters, Clare, Sassee, Tara, and Stuart around. We follow […]

December 17, 2019

Lizz Whitacre, Pawlytics

“We’re really excited about the ability to share these resources so that, as a community, we can have a much bigger impact on the feral cat community.” Listen to Episode #330 now In this episode, Stacy is joined by Lizz Whitacre, founder and CEO of Pawlytics, a technology solution to […]

December 19, 2019

This Blog Is for You! The 2019 CCP Listeners Survey

I would like to find out from you, our listeners, some of your thoughts about the Community Cats Podcast and our programs. If you can take a few minutes to answer these questions, it will help us improve our programs next year. If you can fill this quick survey out […]

December 24, 2019

John Boone, Wildlife Biologist at Great Bay Bird Observatory

“We tried very hard to focus objectively on the questions that we’re asking and accept the answers that we’re getting …” Listen to Episode #331 now John Boone, a wildlife biologist previously interviewed on CCP, joins Stacy to discuss new research on how we can use the tools we […]

December 26, 2019

Happy Holidays!

I hope everyone is enjoying a great holiday season. This week I would like to share a couple of my favorite blog posts from the past. Enjoy, and I hope you continue to enjoy time with friends, family and of course, kitties. In 2020, the Community Cats Podcast will be […]

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 […]

January 2, 2020

Community Cats Podcast Goals for 2020

Many of you know that goal-setting is one of my favorite things to do. I usually start to think about goals in the fall, but unfortunately this year I just haven’t had a chance to sit down and really focus on our goals here at CCP until now. I can’t […]

January 7, 2020

Dr. Jennifer Conrad, The Paw Project

“We know that this is the wrong thing to do to cats. No matter where you are, it’s the wrong thing.” Listen to Episode #333 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 […]

January 9, 2020

Fundraising TV: What It Is and a Review

I had the opportunity to spend some time this weekend checking out Sandy Rees’s Fundraising TV program. Many of you know Sandy from her presentations at the 2018 Online Cat Conference and the 2019 Online Kitten Conference. I have also had Sandy on the Community Cats Podcast as a guest […]

January 14, 2020

Hasara Lay, Catexplorer

“Cats are capable of more than we give them credit for.” Listen to Episode #334 now In this episode, Stacy speaks with Hasara Lay, founder of Catexplorer, a community, movement, and lifestyle brand for people who explore the world with their cats. Hasara, who is located in Australia, began […]

January 16, 2020

Double your adoptions in 2020 – here’s how!

This is a guest post from Kristen Auerbach, Director of Pima Animal Care Center. Kristen Auerbach has been making some dramatic changes since joining the Pima Animal Care Center in Tuscon, AZ. I have been following her and I found the post below very interesting and valuable. Kristen has kindly allowed […]

January 21, 2020

A Best of CCP Episode! Dr. Sara Pizano, DVM, Team Shelter USA

“Ending euthanasia doesn’t take years, and it doesn’t take millions of dollars.” Listen to Episode #335 now Stacy sits down with Dr. Sara Pizano (a previous CCP guest on Episode 56, Episode 171, and Episodes 246 and 247) to discuss Dr. Pizano’s new book, The Best Practice Playbook for […]

January 24, 2020

Stacy’s Podcast Reviews – Part 1

As a podcaster, I thought I would share some of the other animal-focused podcasts that I listen to. Maybe you listen to podcasts on your commute, or maybe at work or just while out walking. Whether you have lots of time for podcasts or just a little time, we all […]

January 28, 2020

A Best of CCP Episode! Will Zweigart, Flatbush Cats

“Five to ten years from now, I want to be able to look at my neighborhood … and say that we’ve made a measurable impact.” Listen to Episode #336 now In this episode, Stacy sits down with Will Zweigart, founder of Flatbush Cats, a nonprofit focused on reducing the […]

January 30, 2020

CCP Goes to Jackson Galaxy’s Total Cat Mojo Live Tour

This week’s guest post comes to us from Liz Pease, former Executive Director of the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society, who was featured on CCP Episode #51. Last week, on behalf of CCP, I attended Jackson Galaxy’s Total Cat Mojo Live tour. The Boston stop was held at the Wilbur Theatre, […]

February 4, 2020

Interview! Jeff Parks, Author of You Know Your Cat Loves You Because…

“I wanted it to be a book that was full of joy.” Listen to Episode #337 now Jeff Parks, a comedy writer by trade, wasn’t introduced to the world of cats until he was in his 30s, but once he was, there was no going back. He quickly turned […]

February 6, 2020

Online Cat Conference Summary

We had a fantastic weekend at the 2020 Online Cat Conference on January 24–26. We had such an impressive group of presenters and I am thankful to all of the speakers for giving of their time and sharing their expertise. I would also like to thank the Humane Society of […]

February 13, 2020

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 […]

February 20, 2020

Celebrating 150,000 Downloads!

Here at Community Cats Podcasts, we’re celebrating this week, because the show just reached 150,000 downloads! If you are new to CCP, or need to catch up on your listening—or if you just want to take a trip down memory lane with us, check out the top nine most-downloaded CCP […]

February 27, 2020

Am I a Bottleneck or a Funnel?

Since it is February, which tends to be the quietest month of the year, it is a good time to sit back and reflect on whether you and others in your organizations are “bottlenecks” or “funnels.” It might not be immediately obvious, but this idea of bottlenecks and funnels is […]

March 4, 2020

Jill Tucker, California Animal Welfare Association

“I really enjoy getting people aligned behind a vision and moving forward.” Listen to Episode #341 Now Jill Tucker, CAWA and CEO of the California Animal Welfare Association (CalAnimals), joins Stacy in this episode to talk about her career in animal welfare, which stretches back to 2002. They talk […]

March 5, 2020

Caring for Cats, Compassion Fatigue and Moral Distress

At a recent workshop that I ran, the concept of “moral distress” came up in conversation. The thought at the workshop was that we are misidentifying moral distress as compassion fatigue. I found this incredibly interesting. In general, moral distress is the anxiety we feel around the fact that we […]

March 10, 2020

Debbie Chatenever, community cat caretaker

“Going out and helping those cats gave me reason to want to get up and get dressed and go outside.” Listen to Episode #342 Now In this episode, Stacy chats with community cat caretaker Debbie Chatenever, who walks several miles each day to feed the community cats in her […]

March 12, 2020

Report from Podfest (and Field Trips!) in Orlando, Florida

Kristen and I got to spend several days in Orlando at Podfest last week. We had a great time! Since we work virtually, it is always great to get together to “talk shop” in person. We started out with a day-long session with Jessica Kupferman of She Podcasts, Bonnie Frank of Business […]

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 […]

April 23, 2020

The Future of Volunteering in Animal Welfare

It is Volunteer Appreciation Week. Thanks so much to all of the volunteers that support animal welfare organizations. Most of us volunteer in many ways and this is the week to take time to celebrate everyone’s efforts—including those of the many folks who are fostering cats and dogs right now. […]

June 4, 2020

10 Ways for Your Indoor Cat to Enjoy the Great Outdoors Safely

Summer is finally here for those of us who live in the north, and many of us want to get outside to enjoy the sun and warm weather. I am sure our cats want to be able to do this too. Below are a few tips to consider when bringing […]

June 11, 2020

Everything You Need to Know About Kittens!

You may have seen my blog post about a possible kitten explosion and overpopulation concerns a couple of weeks ago. I believe we will have a substantial uptick in the number of kittens being born in our communities this summer, and I also am convinced that members of the community […]

June 18, 2020

A Question for the CCP Community – Is it time to lose our spay/neuter mission?

Spending the weekend talking at the Online Kitten Conference about how to care for, nurture, spay/neuter, transport, and adopt out kittens really got me thinking about the role of spay/neuter in our animal welfare movement. Twenty-plus years ago, when I first started out with the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society, […]

June 25, 2020

10 Tips for Successful Feline Fundraising in the Time of COVID-19

Once the coronavirus hit, the stock market plummeted, and unemployment took off in the United States, our nonprofits started to shut down. Many organizations began to worry about their fundraising prospects for the year ahead. Some organizations chose to lay off or furlough employees, including their development staff, but some […]

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 […]

July 16, 2020

What to Know about Feline Leukemia — and How to Learn More

Today’s guest post comes to us from Krista Beucler, Marketing & Communications Intern at Community Cats Podcast. Feline Leukemia (FeLV) is the number one viral killer of cats. The virus weakens the immune system, leaving cats vulnerable to other diseases. Most diagnosed cats have an expected life span of three […]

July 23, 2020

Introducing Your New Kitten to the Family: Older Cats, Dogs, and Children

Today’s guest post comes to us from Krista Beucler, Marketing & Communications Intern at Community Cats Podcast. It’s kitten season and you may be thinking about bringing a new kitten into your family. Or maybe you stopped by the shelter for some entirely different purpose, or even “just to look”—and […]

August 20, 2020

Anyone Can Trap! How to Get Involved with Your Local TNR Program

Today’s guest post comes to us from Krista Beucler, Marketing & Communications Intern at Community Cats Podcast. Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs can be a wonderful way to deal with community cat population issues. It is important that community/feral cats get spayed/neutered and vaccinated so that their colonies don’t grow exponentially. In […]

August 27, 2020

Reasons Not to Adopt?

This week’s guest post comes to us from Liz Pease, former Executive Director of the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society, who was featured on CCP Episode #51. Last week, while putting together the CCP e-news, I was struck by the video that we shared from the new group Companions and Animals […]

September 3, 2020

Transports for Shelters and Volunteers

Today’s guest post comes to us from Krista Beucler, Marketing & Communications Intern at Community Cats Podcast. Dale’s volunteer name tag at Animal Friends Alliance (AFA) in Fort Collins, Colorado reads “Cat Chauffeur.” He is one of a dedicated group of volunteers that helps to transport animals to AFA from […]

September 10, 2020

The Ever-Changing World of Facebook Marketing: What You Need to Know

Today’s guest post comes to us from Emma Gabbert, Digital Content Specialist Intern at Whisker Media. When social media took off in the 2010s, businesses and nonprofits were excited to get their brand on social media platforms. It’s fair to say that at the time, no one could foresee the […]

September 17, 2020

Planning for Emergencies

Today’s guest post comes to us from Krista Beucler, Marketing & Communications Intern at Community Cats Podcast. Photos are courtesy of Krista and of Isabel Betsill of Colorado. The sun today is red. The sky, an orangey-black. Ash is drifting down from the sky like snow. It’s so dark it […]

September 24, 2020

Caring for Your Feral Working Cat

Today’s guest post comes to us from Krista Beucler, Marketing & Communications Intern at Community Cats Podcast. Employing a feral working cat at your barn, warehouse, vineyard, garden center, or workshop serves the dual purpose of controlling the rodent population and helping a feral cat find a safe place to […]

October 1, 2020

Programs for Pet Retention

Today’s guest post comes to us from Krista Beucler, Marketing & Communications Intern at Community Cats Podcast. This week I spoke to Anna, Community Pet Resource Manager at Animal Friends Alliance (AFA), a guaranteed adoption shelter in Colorado, about programs that support pet retention or shelter intake prevention. If you’ve […]

October 29, 2020

Announcing a New Collaboration!

We’re excited to announce a new collaboration between the Community Cats Podcast and the United Spay Alliance! The mission of the United Spay Alliance is “to make affordable, accessible, and timely spay/neuter services available nationwide.” They support this mission by engaging “with a national network of state and local spay/neuter […]

November 26, 2020

What Is It Like to Foster? 10 Experienced Foster Homes Weigh In

Today’s guest post comes to us from Krista Beucler, Marketing & Communications Intern at Community Cats Podcast. Have you considered fostering cats, but aren’t sure about what it will be like? We’ve put together some advice and answers to common questions to help you decide if fostering is right for […]

December 1, 2020

Best of 2020 – Dr. Jennifer Conrad, The Paw Project

“We know that this is the wrong thing to do to cats. No matter where you are, it’s the wrong thing.” Listen to Episode #380 now This episode is sponsored in part by Doobert.com, and KittySift. In this episode, Dr. Jennifer Conrad, who founded The Paw Project in 1999, joins […]

December 3, 2020

Tips and Tricks for Taking Great Cat Photos

From How to Take Awesome Photos of Cats by Andrew Marttila (@iamthecatphotographer). If you read our recent Book Review post, I reviewed Marttila’s how-to guide on capturing our adorable felines. I’d like to do another post today outlining some of Marttila’s basic tips. Behavior to watch for Marttila starts off […]

January 21, 2021

We Can Do Better Than Lethal Control of Outdoor Cat Populations

Today’s guest post comes to us from Krista Beucler, Marketing & Communications Intern at Community Cats Podcast. As cat lovers, we hate seeing stories about communities employing lethal removal techniques to combat feral cat populations. But it isn’t distressing only because we hate the idea of cats being hunted and […]

January 28, 2021

The Bluegrass Cat Project

Today’s guest post comes to us from Krista Beucler, Marketing & Communications Intern at Community Cats Podcast. This week I chatted with Dr. Sara Pizano, founder of Team Shelter USA, LLC, about her work with the Bluegrass Cat Project and the recent grant they received from the Joanie Bernard Foundation. […]

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 […]

February 12, 2021

Bird TV: A New Hobby for Your Cat (and You!)

Let’s face it: It’s been a long nine-plus months of social distancing and staying inside way more than we might normally have. In some ways, we’re learning what it’s like to be indoor cats—especially one who used to spend time outdoors. One great way to keep your cats—and yourself—entertained is […]

February 18, 2021

Center for Contemporary Sciences:
Working Toward an Alternative to Animal Testing

If you read our last book review post, you’ll remember one of my favorite books was Our Symphony with Animals by Aysha Akhtar. The book came out in 2019 and since then, Dr. Akhtar has been busy advocating for animals. She founded the Center for Contemporary Sciences, a foundation that […]

February 25, 2021

How to Get Girl Scouts More Involved with Animal Shelters—Whether You’re a Scout, a Troop Leader, or a Shelter

I’ve been involved in Girl Scouting since I was 9 years old and still participate as an adult. For girl members aged 5–18, Girl Scouts provides a great opportunity to discover passions and develop courage, confidence, and character. If the girls in your troop are passionate about animals, there are a […]

March 12, 2021

Crisis in Texas: American Pets Alive! Responds

Over Valentine’s Day weekend, the polar vortex brought freezing temperatures to locations across the United States. Texas was one of the hardest-hit areas, with cold temperatures bringing the state to a standstill and causing power outages across the state. Animal rescuers jumped into action and many animals were successfully transported […]

March 25, 2021

Book Reviews

Let’s Talk About Cats: Conversations on Feline Behaviour by Anita Kelsey By a behaviorist and groomer, this book is a combination of interviews, tips, and stories from Kelsey’s work. Though I read it straight through, it is broken down in such a way that you could just read the chapters […]

April 8, 2021

Animal Laws: What’s Going On Around the Country

As animal lovers, we all want our laws to protect animals, who don’t have the ability to advocate for themselves. But it can be very confusing to try to keep up with all the bills moving through city and state governments, as well as the national government. So we’ve prepared […]

April 22, 2021

Virginia TNR

In our last blog post, we touched on a few of the cat-related laws in the works around the country. One of those laws was SB 1390, a bill in Virginia that would clarify the rules and regulations around TNR so that localities around the state can better participate. This […]

May 6, 2021

The Impact of Shelter Cat Adoption in Families of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Though there is anecdotal evidence that bonds and interactions with animals can help autistic children, there isn’t much research on the subject. I recently watched an interesting lecture by Dr. Gretchen Carlisle, Research Scientist at the Research Center for Human Animal Interaction (ReCHAI), University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, […]

May 20, 2021

Common Kitty Behaviors and Meanings

This week’s guest blog comes to us from our friends at All About Cats. Their expert-written, expert-reviewed guides bring you the facts on cat products, behavior, health, and more. Their editorial team is made of dedicated cat lovers and experts, including over a dozen veterinarians, a cat behavior specialist, and […]

June 2, 2021

The Whole Kit and Caboodle: TNR of Kittens

This week’s guest post is authored by Nancy Peterson of The National Kitten Coalition. Best TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) practices involve trapping the entire colony of cats at the same time, although there are times when this is not possible. When there are kittens to be trapped, there are additional considerations. You will be […]

September 9, 2021

Homeward Bound

A missing pet means anxiety, fear, sorrow, and uncertainty for owners. According to the most recent white paper findings from Shelter Animals Count, the return to owner rate for dogs in 2020 was 40.7%—but cats were a fraction of that, at only 5.1%. So what can we, as pet owners […]

September 23, 2021

Pet Loss: Finding the Road to Healing

The loss of a companion animal is devastating, whether you are prepared for the loss or it comes suddenly through disaster or accident. The bond that we share with the animals in our lives are similar to those shared with beloved family members. The grief experienced after such a loss […]

September 3, 2016

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

September 30, 2016