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 the United States (HSUS) and ProVet Logic for sponsoring the conference this year. We started on Friday night with a fun event with Chelsea White of Show Me Your Kitty and then had a blast doing cat trivia. It was a laid back time that was fun for everyone!

Saturday was filled with information about return to field (RTF); trap, neuter, return (TNR); barn cat relocation, a targeted TNR program in Denver, cats and birds and the Cats Safe at Home program, and TNR strategy. Saturday’s speakers were Dr. Sara Pizano (Team Shelter USA), Anna Murrin (Metro Denver CAT), Karen Kraus and Bob Salinger (Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon and Audubon Society of Portland), Paul Nickerson (Tree House Humane Society), Bryan Kortis (Neighborhood Cats), and yours truly, Stacy LeBaron. What struck me the most about Saturday’s presentations was the range of the conversation on trying to understand what return to field means to us. How does RTF fall into rescue and TNR? I believe we still have a bit of a gray area in terms of figuring out how we can meet our goal of reducing the overall outdoor cat population.

Sunday was also jam-packed with presentations, this time ranging from understanding Instagram and running a virtual organization to humane education, community cat advocacy, community outreach and when to consider a merger of organizations. Sunday’s speakers were Will Zweigart (Flatbush Cats), Siri Zwemke (Siamese Rescue), Danielle Bays (HSUS), Valerie Ingram and Alastair Schroff (authors), Christie Rogero (The Jackson Galaxy Project), and Lisa Lafontaine (Humane Rescue Alliance).

It isn’t too late to experience all of these great presentations from the conference, either! Just visit the conference website to purchase access to the conference recordings—and then sit back and learn from the best in the comfort of your own home.

Here are some comments from attendees:

“REALLY loved the conference this year and will look forward to hearing/seeing the segments that I missed. I honestly can say that this was as good as any ‘destination’ conference I’ve ever been to. It was jam-packed with pertinent information for those of us working with or managing community cat programs in our cities.” – Samantha P.

” I was inspired and learned so much from everyone.” – Jen C.

“It is nice to connect and relate with others in the cat community.” – Courtney L.

We had a lot of engagement and fun in the Online Cat Conference Facebook Group as well, where we stay connected all through the year. If you attended the conference and are on social media, definitely check it out!

Thanks again to all our attendees, speakers, and sponsors for a great conference!