News Archives - Page 2 of 4 - The Community Cats Podcast

May 20, 2018

Shelter Animals Count Numbers- What Do They Mean for Us?

I recently got an email that Shelter Animals Count had released their summary of statistics collected from 2016. I took a look at those numbers and found some very interesting trends. If you want to take a deep dive into the report, feel free to visit https://shelteranimalscount.org/data/data-reports/2016-animal-sheltering-statistics. I want to commend […]

May 27, 2018

The Silly Season- Happy Memorial Day!

Over my years in animal sheltering, I started to dread Memorial Day Weekend. What used to be a time of family get-togethers and days at the beach, now begins a season of emergency rescues and calls about emergencies with our fosters. Compared to many areas of the country, we aren’t […]

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 22, 2018

How to Adopt out Cats and Kittens Without the Help of Your Local Shelter

Everyone is full, full. We are clearing the shelters with adoption events, we are debating the merits of fee waived adoptions, and our small programs can’t TNR because we are backlogged with “way station” cats and kittens waiting to find placement. The wheels stop turning in our community cat machinery […]

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 5, 2018

Feline Fix By Five – I need your input!

I recently scanned the Feline Fix by Five Website and I am wondering why we don’t have more veterinarians and humane societies signed up in support of this effort. So I am asking our listeners/readers for comments. Below are some of the issues that I think might hold us back from […]

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 […]

August 19, 2018

The Volunteer Program Wellness Check

Volunteer coordination, recruitment and management are some of the most challenging issues that we face in this business. Below are a few points to consider when you are setting up your program — or doing a wellness check on an existing program. When someone expresses interest in volunteering with your […]

August 26, 2018

Five Freedoms and Community Cats, I wonder?

Do you know what the Five Freedoms are? I find that any time I go to a conference and there are hard questions asked about our work, everyone seems to fall back on the Five Freedoms They are: Freedom from hunger and thirst Freedom from discomfort Freedom from pain, injury […]

September 2, 2018

Non-Surgical Sterilization – How Will It Work for Community Cats?

In early July, I had the opportunity to attend the Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs (ACC&D)’s 6th International Symposium on Non-Surgical Contraceptive Methods of Pet Population Control, held this year in Boston, MA. Below are a few of my takeaways from the two days of presentations. If you […]

September 9, 2018

Community Cats Sentiment Survey- A Summary

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Community Cats Sentiment Survey. We collected data over a three-month period and I thought I would share the results with everyone here. So what does this all mean? At first glance I would think that we aren’t making much of […]

September 16, 2018

Fall Fundraising Tips and Strategies

Fall is the busiest time of the year for nonprofit organizations. This is the time of year where many organizations get most of their donations. Below are a few tips to ensure that you are making the most of this last period of gift giving. 1. Don’t forget to ask […]

September 23, 2018

Oh My! It’s Already Time to Start Thinking about Winterizing Those Shelters!

With fall just about upon us, it’s time to start thinking about winterizing and cleaning out your feeding stations and feral cat housing. I can’t tell you how many times our committee members have run around in late October/early November trying to get our shelters and feeding stations ready for […]

September 30, 2018

A Living Dedication

This week’s blog post is a of a very personal nature, but one that I am sure everyone can relate to. About a couple of months ago, my kitty Misha was diagnosed with oral cancer. She is 16-1/2 and there is really nothing that can be done for her. She […]

October 7, 2018

The Importance of Advocacy and Voting For Cats and the Community

It seems like over the last few weeks, the news has been filled with references to Kavanaugh, Ford, #metoo and the Supreme Court. While you might think these issues have nothing to do with cats, I think they do. We need to support an environment where everyone feels it is […]

October 14, 2018

Adopting Out the Last Kitten of the Litter

For those of us with organizations in the northern climates, the summer kitten season is finally coming to an end. Most of our youngest kittens are long-since adopted and romping around their new homes. But what about those kittens that didn’t get snatched up right away? Maybe they were the […]

October 21, 2018

Get Inspired by this Community Feral Cat Shelter Building Project!

In response to our September 24th post about preparing your community cat shelters for the winter, we got a great email from Chris Bralick of Indiana’s Elkhart County Feral Cat Coalition. Chris wanted to share their “Community Build” feral/community cat shelter-building project with us (called 4 Paws 4 Walls), and […]

October 27, 2018

Black Cats and Halloween—Let’s Have Some Fun!

This week’s post comes to you from guest blogger Liz Pease. If you’d like to know a little more about Liz and her experience in non-profit management, TNR and cat care, check out episode 51 of the podcast. For years, as recently for the first half of my career in […]

November 5, 2018

Goal-Setting for 2019 —Why Is It Important?

The next two months are going to be a whirlwind of activities. Between Thanksgiving and the holidays in December, I have never felt like I could really enjoy myself during these months. Family and work pull me in way too many different directions. It isn’t fun. Before you enter into […]

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 9, 2018

Seasonal Sanity in a Feline-Filled Household

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 Episode #51 of the podcast. It’s hard to believe it’s December again, but here we are! With the holiday season come Christmas trees, Hanukkah & Kwanzaa candles, […]

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 […]

December 30, 2018

How Can I Help You in 2019?

Within the next couple of months, the Community Cats Podcast will have published 300 episodes and 150 blog posts, hosted 2 Online Cat Conferences, assisted over 50 small nonprofit organizations through the Community Cats Grants program, and offered several other webinars as a resource for anyone who wants to help […]

January 6, 2019

Still Stumped on Goals? Here Are Some Suggestions!

I continue to be obsessed by goal setting this year. So I will share one more post and then I promise to get back to more hands-on topics like trapping cats in cold weather, shelters, and cool programs that others are doing. I have found setting my own goals quite […]

January 13, 2019

FeLV-positive Adoption Program Profile Series Begins

Starting this week and continuing all year, we are doing a series on Feline Leukemia (FeLV) adoption programs around the country. During the second week of each month, we’ll share a different group’s answers to our questions about their FeLV+ adoption program. We hope you enjoy and are inspired by […]

January 20, 2019

Benefitting from Opportunity Zones?

You might have heard reference to Opportunity Zones in the news, but you’ve likely never really thought about how they might impact Community Cats. Opportunity Zones designations were created in 2017 as a way to encourage investment in communities that need job growth and support. This is a perk for […]

January 28, 2019

Trapper Tips & Tricks Profile: Laura Burns

This week, we are starting an occasional series called Trapper Tips & Tricks, which will profile folks who are involved in trapping community cats. This week we interviewed Laura Burns, president of Hub Cats, a community cat group working in Chelsea, Massachusetts. She is also president of Habitat for Cats, […]

February 4, 2019

FeLV+ Adoption Program Profile Series: Carver Scott Humane Society

Here’s the next installment in our 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 have heard about so many wonderful groups and programs that we’re declaring February to be Fe-Leuk February and running a […]

February 10, 2019

FeLV-positive Adoption Program Profile Series: Ohio Alleycat Resource

February 17, 2019

FeLV-positive Adoption Program Profile Series: Five Acres Animal Shelter

February 25, 2019

FeLV-positive Adoption Program Profile Series: Humane Society Naples

March 3, 2019

Trapper Tips and Tricks Profile: Bryan Kortis, Neighborhood Cats

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 interview Bryan Kortis, co-founder and National Programs Director of Neighborhood Cats, a leading community cat advocacy group with hands-on programs […]

March 10, 2019

FeLV-positive Adoption Program Profile Series: Central Missouri 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 […]

March 18, 2019

FeLV-positive Adoption Program Profile Series: Crash’s Landing and Big Sid’s Sanctuary

March 25, 2019

Trapper Tips & Tricks Profile: Charlotte Fox

This week, we have the next installment in our occasional series called Trapper Tips & Tricks, which profiles folks who are involved in trapping community cats. This week we bring you tips from Charlotte Fox, Field Coordinator at Humane Rescue Alliance in Washington, DC. Charlotte has been trapping cats since […]

April 1, 2019

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

April 7, 2019

FeLV-positive Adoption Program Profile Series: KC Pet Project

April 14, 2019

Trapper Tips & Tricks Profile: Penny Leisch

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 Penny Leisch, President of Catnip Casa Cat Refuge in Austin, Texas. If you have tips and tricks […]

April 21, 2019

FeLV-positive Adoption Program Profile Series: Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society (Part 1)

April 28, 2019

FeLV-positive Adoption Program Profile Series: Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society (Part 2)

May 5, 2019

The Community Cats Podcast Visits Meow DC

Bright and early on April 27th, I was in the nation’s capital setting up the CCP table at Meow DC. The event, held at the trend Dock 5 space at Union Market, benefitted the Humane Rescue Alliance (HRA) of Washington, DC. That name might ring a bell. Stacy has interviewed […]

May 13, 2019

My Experience at Catsachusetts

A couple of weekends ago I gave a presentation at a large cat show called Catsachusetts! The presentation was on what is going on with cats in Massachusetts and the surrounding area. I must admit I hadn’t been to a cat show in a while, but my memory was quickly […]

May 19, 2019

Trapper Tips & Tricks Profile: C5’s Keith Williams

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 Keith Williams, President and Founder of C5 (Community Cat Coalition of Clark County) in Las Vegas, Nevada, […]

May 26, 2019

‘Tis the Season…for Catios!

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. You’ve probably heard about catios (or “cat patios”). Maybe your cats are even lucky enough to have a one! If not, it might […]

June 3, 2019

The Community Cats Podcast’s Weekend at Jackson Galaxy’s Cat Camp NYC!

Over the weekend, cat campers gathered at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City for two days of education, fun, and camaraderie. We’ve been lucky enough to interview Christina Ha, the event’s founder and owner of Meow Parlour Cat Café, before this exciting event every year so we had a […]

June 9, 2019

Stacy’s Summer Reading List

When I first started this podcast, I did a few book review shows. I really enjoyed doing them, but I just got so busy with other interviews that I haven’t done one lately. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been reading. I know so many of us don’t have time […]

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 8, 2019

Foster Program Profile Series: Siamese Cat Rescue Center

Today’s blog is the first installment of a new series: the Foster Program Profile Series, in which we ask foster program directors a series of questions about their program and then share their answers with you. This week, we’re talking to Siri Zwemke of Siamese Cat Rescue Center. We hope […]

July 15, 2019

July 15, 2019

Guest Post: Saving the Aggressive Cats

Today’s post comes from guest blogger Allison Hunter-Frederick, a pet blogger, cat consultant, and cat trainer. Allison is also mom to three rescue cats. This post originally appeared on Allison’s blog site, Lincoln Pet Culture. We thought it was so great that we reached out to Allison to ask if we […]

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 15, 2019

CCP Drops in on Kitten Lady Hannah Shaw’s Book 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. This past week, fellow CCP staff member Kristen and I (Liz Pease) were lucky enough to see Hannah Shaw (better known as Kitten Lady) on […]

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 5, 2019

It’s National Preparedness Month—Is Your Pet Emergency Kit Ready?

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. Every year, as soon as Labor Day passes, I know it’s about that time again: time to update my household emergency kits—including the […]

September 12, 2019

Disaster Preparedness Resources, Tips, & Tricks for Shelters

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. As you know from last week’s post, September is National Preparedness Month here in the U.S. Last week, we talked about setting up […]

September 19, 2019

My Visit to Treehouse Humane Society

At the end of August, I had the privilege of driving my daughter Rachel and her cat Maggie out to Chicago, where Rachel is starting graduate school this month. It was two days of nerve-racking driving, but Maggie was actually an awesome traveler, so the anticipation ended up being worse […]

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 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 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 […]

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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 16, 2020

Let’s Appreciate Our Animal Control Officers This Week!

This week is Animal Control Officer Appreciation Week. This is certainly a time to appreciate the great commitment of those who join this profession. Animal control officers enter homes to help animals impacted by the coronavirus crisis and risk their lives to save others, and we need to say thank […]

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. […]