Martin Luther King and… Community Cats?

Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. day and a time to reflect on all of the efforts of the Civil Rights movement that he did. But, Martin Luther King and… Community Cats? Have I lost my mind? There are many ways to honor Dr. King and his legacy. I, for one, can’t help but think about how some of the tenants of his beliefs also apply to the work that we do with community cats! When I think of Dr. King, I think of the five categories below. I wonder how we are doing applying these categories to our community cats and our programs. What do you think?

1. Equality

I would think that we all agree that we don’t take care of our cats equally in our shelter system. If they aren’t the “most adoptable” type of cats out there, we welcome them with a cringe. We are getting more and more cats that are old, have health or behavior issues, have diseases (FIV or Felv), or are feral kittens. Even if we, as an organization, accept these types of cats, many of use don’t want to “fill up” our shelters with them! This results in it being much harder for a trapper/rescuer to partner with more traditional shelters. There is always the sense that cats will be “interviewed” or the rescuer owes the organization a favor in the future.

I dare to say that we are entering an era where at least two-thirds of cats that do need assistance and placement help will have some sort of issue that would have in the past classified them as ‘non-adoptable’. We need to drop that labeling of ‘non-adoptable’ and ‘adoptable’ cats. All cats in our programs need to be considered adoptable and we need to promote them as such!

I cringe when people say, “Yes, we can take these cats in, but it just takes so much longer to find them homes.” Welcome to the new normal! We need to expect and embrace it. I don’t care how long it takes an organization to adopt out a 8-10 wk old cute and friendly kitten. I do, however, care how long it takes an organization to adopt out a Felv+ cat.

2. Trust and transparency

As organizations, we need to be fair and transparent. If we aren’t willing to share information and trust in one another that we have the same goals and outcomes in mind, then we will have issues. If we don’t have trust we have nothing!

3. Courtesy and Respect

We are a very passionate group of people, including guardians, caretakers and owners of cats. We are also often exhausted, overworked and emotional. Therefore, it is so important, even in very heated times, that we need to treat everyone with courtesy and respect.

4. Hopes and Dreams

I have hopes and dreams for what the world will be like for Community Cats in 5-10 years. I hope that we will be looking at a map of the United States and be able to do specific intel. Such as picking out the counties that need help with spay/neuter. Or, perhaps, have specific legislation that prevents high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter from existing. Then, we will have a “short list” of communities that we will be working with and supporting to impact change! I also hope that we won’t need to have significant numbers of cats transported around the country. Each state will be able to move cats/kittens around the state to make sure that all groups are able to do their best for the cats in their community.

5. Non-violent

Much of the work that Wayne Pacelle and The Humane Society of United States has done with large corporations is a testament to how a non-violent/common ground lobby approach can help effect change. Peaceful protesting has a place in this world and we need to continue to be respectful of this process! In addition to non-violent protesting, there are other ways that will help you get your voice heard.

I want to thank Dr. King for all that he has given to the Civil Rights Movement. Our country and I want to thank all of you for the work that you are doing for the Community Cats Movement!

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Quick Messages from Community Cats Podcast:

I would like to Welcome CatsStats.org (a program of Neighborhood Cats) as a major sponsor of the Community Cats Podcast for the next month! Feel free to check out the site if you haven’t yet. Bryan Kortis and I are holding an online educational webinar about CatStats on Thursday, February 23 at 2pm (Eastern Time). This is a free educational webinar that will cover the ins and outs of this database platform. To sign up for the webinar email stacy@communitycatspodcast.com.

Thanks to everyone who responded about their interest in being an ambassador for the community cats podcast in your state! We have Oregon, Washington and New York covered. Feel free to reach out!  It will be a lot of fun and you will have community cats swag! Just email me at stacy@communitycatspodcast.com.

Finally, I have pinpointed six questions that will help you realize where you stand at the end of 2016 and focus on where you’re going next year! Grab the 2017 Goal Setting Guide to help plan out your year!