adoption Archives - The Community Cats Podcast

August 3, 2016

Interview! Karen Green, Executive Director of the Cat Adoption Team (CAT), Portland, OR

“Relationships and people make all of the work we do in animal welfare possible.” CAT is the largest feline-only shelter in the Pacific Northwest, and Karen outlines their focus on taking in cats from other shelters and rescue groups for necessary medical care and rehoming. One secret to their success is […]

August 11, 2016

Interview! Bryn Rogers – Program Manager at the MSPCA, MA

“I’m better at being a copycat than an original… With all the webinars and podcasts like these, you can learn so much from each other.” Always a lover of animals, a young Bryn Rogers thought she would take the obvious career path of veterinarian—until she shadowed at a vet office and found […]

August 23, 2016

Interview! Susan Krebsbach, DVM, Founder, Dane County Friends of Ferals and Founder of Creature Counseling

“We have a better option for this subset of underrepresented cats.” In the field of animal welfare, “Dr. Susan” possesses a prolific resume. She opened her own veterinary-behavioral consulting service in 2000, has maintained a position as veterinary advisor for the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association since its beginning in 2008, runs a […]

November 26, 2016

Interview! Karina King, Director of Operations, Dakin Humane Society, Springfield MA

“Cats that bite you, cats that pee on you, cat that you’ll never see…those are the cats we get these days.” Dakin, since cat overpopulation has become less of an issue across Massachusetts. Dakin has performed over 70,000 spay/neuter surgeries, and as a result, the cats entering her adoption center […]

December 15, 2016

Interview! Aly Miller and Paul Castro, Jr., Creator of Aeris, A Short Film- NYC

“Our responsibility as filmmakers is to tell the most vulnerable truth.” When Paul Castro Jr. entered a pet store on a whim almost two years ago, he didn’t expect to find a new passion for animal advocacy that would fuel one of his many film and acting projects. There he met Aeris, […]

December 27, 2016

Greatest Hits! Hannah Shaw, The Kitten Lady

“I live and breathe cat advocacy…that’s what I do.” Hannah Shaw was such a popular guest earlier this year that we couldn’t wait to bring back her episode for a reboot! How was she to know that saving an orphaned kitty would reboot her career, as well! Hannah, affectionately known […]

February 14, 2017

Interview! Christina Ha, Co-Founder of Meow Parlour and Creator of Cat Camp NYC

“How can I bridge the gap between people who want to learn about cats and the experts who know all about cats?” Until 3 1/2 years ago, Christina’s passion was food rather than felines. But after adopting her first kitty, Mr. Socks, she decided to combine her talents as a […]

April 8, 2017

Ask Stacy! Stacy LeBaron, Host of The Community Cats Podcast

“This is all about being a family.” As kitten season approaches, guest host Lisa Finkel talks with Stacy about creatively managing community kittens. Describing kitten fostering as a “pre-program” to the adoption process, Stacy offers insight on productive ways to set up a healthy and sustainable foster care program. Many […]

May 9, 2017

Interview! Jonathan Rosenberg, Founder of Tabby’s Place

“I wanted to do something for the cats nobody wanted.” Jonathan Rosenberg wasn’t very interested in animal welfare—or even considered himself a “cat person”—until he met Tabby. When a stray cat showed up on his porch one day, begging for food and a place to sleep, Jonathan and his wife […]

May 20, 2017

Interview! Rosemarie Crawford, Director of Educational Programs, National Kitten Coalition

“Having protocols in place as a starting ground is really helpful for the whole staff.” After her first experience fostering bottle babies with acute health issues, Rosemarie’s colleagues realized she was a natural and nudged her towards a career in animal welfare. She worked as a vet tech in Illinois, […]

May 27, 2017

Interview! Susan Rosenberg, Director of International Animal Programs at GreaterGood.org

“I am working to save everything from ants to elephants.” One could say that Susan Rosenberg has been managing animal shelters since she was 8 years old—at that age, she was covertly caring for abandoned animals in her backyard and using her allowance to do so! She has received two […]

June 10, 2017

Interview! Elizabeth Feldhausen, Founder of Safe Haven Pet Sanctuary, Green Bay, WI

“You would think that there would be nose prints all over the windows, but it’s actually people face prints! Everybody that walks by presses their face up against the glass, and the cats love it.” Elizabeth Feldhausen is the founder of Safe Haven Pet Sanctuary in Green Bay, WI, a […]

June 15, 2017

Interview! Part Two, Monica Frenden, Cat Program Manager, Austin Pets Alive!

“This is the safest large city in the country to be a cat.” In part two of this two-part episode, Stacy interviews Monica Frenden about the various cat programs available at Austin Pets Alive! She describes the “Fel-V fever” that spreads once people in the community start adopting feline-leukemia positive […]

August 19, 2017

Interview! Pat Brayer, Clinic Director at the Humane Society of Southern Arizona

“The adopters that are drawn to the shy feral kittens are the ones that are going to make them blossom the most.” Pat Brayer is the clinic director at the Humane Society of Southern Arizona. In her shelter work, she has pioneered some of the field’s most innovative programs, such […]

December 23, 2017

Interview! Haydn Hilton, Owner of Java Cats Cafe in Atlanta, GA

“If I would have known how much work a cat cafe was, I might have turned around, but the cats are where the magic is. They market the coffee shop all by themselves when people walk by!” Meet twenty-six-year-old Haydn Hilton, owner of Java Cats Café. Located in the heart […]

February 3, 2018

Interview! Ann Dunn, Founder of Cat Town, Oakland, CA

“Nobody wanted to be standing in a cafe making coffee, they wanted to be helping the cats. But now, we’re seeing how helpful it has been to forgotten kittens and see how successful it has been.” Ann Dunn founded Cat Town, an Oakland, CA organization focused on helping the most […]

March 25, 2018

Introducing the Community Cat Pyramid

Are you interested in making a significant reduction in the numbers of cats in your community? If the answer is yes, then I think the Community Cat Pyramid will be of interest to you. I hope this graphic will illustrate just how important certain programs are to impacting cat numbers. […]

April 22, 2018

Clear out the Shelters – How to Make it Happen

In late March I saw several posts by large organizations in Massachusetts sharing the fact that they didn’t have any dogs available for adoption (T.J. O’Connor Animal Control) and only three cats (MSPCA Boston). This is so incredibly amazing … I really didn’t think we would see something like this […]

April 29, 2018

Cat Cycling – How to Make Your Spay/Neuter Programs Most Impactful and not Overwhelm Your Staff

I am a person who likes to do things efficiently, with the biggest possible bang for the buck! One thing that I am not sure we think about enough is how to strategically operate spay/neuter programs within an adoption agency. With these programs, it is often all about just getting […]

May 6, 2018

Thoughts about Transport and the Future for Cats and Kittens

I want to first go on the record and say that I am not an expert in transporting cats and kittens around the country. I have never participated in an out-of-state transport of cats, and I will admit that I was always pretty adamant about helping the cats and kittens […]

May 12, 2018

Interview! Part 2 – Dr. Sara Pizano, Veterinarian and Animal Welfare Consultant

“You don’t need millions of dollars—you need to allocate your pie of resources intelligently … that’s really the key.” In part 2 of our two-part episode with Dr. Sara Pizano, she talks about the big picture in animal welfare these days, and about where she feels the focus should be […]

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 […]

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 14, 2018

Interview! Mike Keiley (MSPCA) & Carmine DiCenso (Dakin Humane Society), “The Mike & Carmine Show,” Part I

“Overpopulation is very, very different than not allowing your animals to leave your shelter.” – C.D. Stacy speaks with Mike Keiley, the Director of Adoption Centers and Programs at the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA), and Carmine DiCenso, Executive Director of the Dakin Humane Society […]

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 21, 2018

Interview! Mike Keiley (MSPCA) & Carmine DiCenso (Dakin Humane Society), “The Mike & Carmine Show,” Part 2

“I think it’s time for us to pull together and really work towards how we might be able to help the largest number of people and animals.” – MK Tune in to the second part of “The Mike and Carmine Show,” with Mike Keiley of the MSPCA and Carmine DiCenso […]

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 […]

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 […]

December 1, 2018

A Best of CCP Episode! Mike Keiley (MSPCA) & Carmine DiCenso (Dakin Humane Society)

“Overpopulation is very, very different than not allowing your animals to leave your shelter.” – C.D. Durning the month of December, we’re revisiting some of our favorite, most informative shows. This is a rebroadcast of episodes 256 and 257 which we dubbed “The Mike & Carmine Show” – enjoy! Stacy speaks […]

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 25, 2019

FeLV-positive Adoption Program Profile Series: Humane Society Naples

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 23, 2019

Interview! Dr. Mikel Maria Delgado, Cat Behaviorist

“I don’t think of shelter cats as…any different from pet cats, except that yesterday they were a pet and today they’re in a shelter, and their behavior may not really reflect who they were in that previous home.” Dr. Mikel Maria Delgado, a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist with a Ph.D. […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 26, 2019

Dr. Rachel Geller, Certified Cat Behavior & Retention Specialist

“Every time I help a cat, I’m helping a person too.” Listen to Episode #310 Now Stacy is once again joined by Dr. Rachel Geller, who has previously appeared on CCP Episode 18 and Episode 146. A certified Humane Education Specialist and Cat Behavior & Retention Specialist, Rachel is celebrating […]

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 […]

October 1, 2019

Tabitha Kucera, Chirrups & Chatter Cat Behavior Consulting and Education

“Handling is a skill and we need to practice it like anything else.” Listen to Episode #319 now Tabitha Kucera, a presenter at this past January’s CCP Online Cat Conference, joins Stacy to discuss low-stress cat handling, clicker training, and more. Tabitha is a registered veterinary technician and a certified […]

October 8, 2019

Shelly Simmons, CAWA, Division Manager, Greenville (SC) County Animal Care

“While the population entering the shelter is going down, the need to spay and neuter out in the community is going to be ongoing.” Listen to Episode #320 now Shelly Simmons has worked for Greenville County Animal Care, the largest open-admission shelter in South Carolina, for twelve years now. She […]

November 26, 2019

Ashley Morrison, Foster Caregiver & Cat Advocate

“You realize that you’re making a difference and it’s helping you just as much as it helps them.” Listen to Episode #327 now Ashley Morrison is an independent kitten foster home and cat advocate in Washington state. She has fostered over 300 cats and kittens over the past four years. […]

February 25, 2020

Britney Fox Hover, Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society

“Whenever we can try to keep cats and people together, we do.” Listen to Episode #340 Now Britney Fox Hover, the shelter director at the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society (MRFRS) in Salisbury, Massachusetts, began at MRFRS as a volunteer in 2009. In addition to now running the group’s […]

April 30, 2020

Where Are the Foster Homes for People Trapping Community Cats During COVID-19?

An Open Letter to Folks Who Trap Community Cats I am concerned that there will be kittens and cats that need our help and we won’t be to help them. You might think I am crazy, as the whole world seems to want to be a foster home. Groups are […]

August 6, 2020

You Found a Stray Kitten in Your Yard. Now What?

Today’s guest post comes to us from Krista Beucler, Marketing & Communications Intern at Community Cats Podcast. The warmer weather ushers in kitten season, which can last a long time and put a lot of stress on your local shelters and rescues. Now you’ve found a stray kitten in your […]

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 […]

November 9, 2020

Sarah Archer, Writer, Curator, Design & Material Culture Historian

“I was fascinated by cats from an early age.” Listen to Episode #377 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Doobert.com. Writer, curator, and design and material culture historian Sarah Archer speaks with Stacy about how her love of her rescue cats led her to her newest project. […]

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 31, 2020

Home 4 the Holidays Adoption Campaign

Today’s guest post comes to us from Krista Beucler, Marketing & Communications Intern at Community Cats Podcast. Home 4 the Holidays is a campaign put on by the Helen Woodward Animal Center, along with their partner Blue Buffalo Pet Food. The campaign is a three-month adopt-a-thon that connects adopters looking […]

June 29, 2021

Juli Cialone and Marla Valentine, Rock N’ Rescue

“We save animals to save people” Listen to Episode #410 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Smalls Fresh Cat Food and Doobert.com. Juli Cialone and Marla Valentine of Rock N’ Rescue chat with Stacy this week about their unique approach to cat rescue. Juli is the co-founder and […]

September 14, 2021

Hannah Senser, Ruff Start Rescue

“We really, really trust in our fosters to be the best advocate for their foster animal.” Listen to Episode #421 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Smalls Fresh Cat Food and Doobert.com. Hannah Senser is the cat foster manager for Ruff Start Rescue. RSR is a foster-based rescue […]

September 21, 2021

Mandy Evans, Better Together Animal Alliance

“There is an opportunity for us to reinvent ourselves; to be out there and helping our community. If that means saving resources by extending your shelter into homes and allowing these pets to go from one home to another then, why not?” Listen to Episode #422 Now This episode […]

September 28, 2021

Suzi Langer, Advocate for Specially Abled Animals

“When they told me Bifford had special needs … if I had let that stop me I wouldn’t have fallen in love with my best friend.” Listen to Episode #423 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Smalls Fresh Cat Food and Doobert.com. Suzi Langer is a vet tech […]

October 5, 2021

Kristen Hassen, Maddie’s® American Pets Alive! Director overseeing Human Animal Support Services (HASS)

“Our hope… is that the future of sheltering means that we turn the entire community into animal services so that the [existing] animal services can just help those animals that truly need to be taken in to save their lives.” Listen to Episode #424 Now This episode is sponsored […]

January 4, 2022

Aaron Hancox, Documentary Filmmaker of Running Wild: the Cats of Cornwall

“Until the average person understands the implications of putting a cat outside —whether it is owned or not — and how there can be this huge ripple effect, we’re not going to get anywhere.” Listen to Episode #437 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Humane Network, Doobert.com and Maddie’s […]

February 9, 2023

Six Months is Too Late – Fix Before Five!

Contributed by United Spay Alliance. Special thanks to Brettt Albren for sharing his story with us! February is Feline Fix by Five month! All month long, we’re asking everyone we know to get those kittens fixed before five months. You can help! Find simple ways to get involved on our […]

March 9, 2023

It all started with Adam and Eve: Going back to basics

Contributed by Head Cat, Stacy LeBaron. Last week, I presented Strategies to Reduce Cat Overpopulation as a free webinar to Community Cats Podcast listeners. I received quite a few comments after the session that reminded me how important it is that we all focus on fundamental basics. If we strive […]

March 27, 2023

Bringing Home a New Kitten: What You Need to Know to Make Your Baby Cat Feel Safe, Happy, and Comfortable in Their New Home

Contributed by Allison Hunter-Frederick, Certified Cat Behavior Consultant & Trainer Are you thinking about adopting a new kitten? My husband and I have raised a kitten of our own and fostered almost 40. This article will cover the basics of how to prepare your home for a new kitten and how […]

April 27, 2023

The Community Cat Pyramid and Kitten Season-Strategy

Without fail I approach spring and summer with trepidation. I will be honest and ever since I became involved in animal welfare, “kitten season” was never a time of the year I looked forward to. February has become my favorite month. Unfortunately, we do have “kitten season”. Some parts of […]

February 6, 2024

Facing Feline Leukemia with Facts, Not Fear with Margaret Tompkins, Founder of the Tompkins Foundation

“I’m used to digesting scientific information, so to me data speaks to everything, and there just didn’t seem to make sense to euthanize these cats. And now the world seems to have pretty much come around to our way of thinking…so that’s good!” Listen to Episode #546 Now This […]

February 13, 2024

The Free Feral Fix in Texas with Tiffany Ditto, Director of Marketing and Communication at Texas Coalition for Animal Protection

“I think the number one thing that’s missing is probably a deeper understanding of the unique needs of feral cats and just cat colonies in general.” Listen to Episode #547 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Maddie’s Fund, Tomahawk Live Trap, and United Spay Alliance. Have you […]

February 27, 2024

Tech That Plays Fetch with Chris Roy, Founder of Doobert.com

“There’s just so much information, as you said, in your pyramid to go through and collect and get. If we could do that in the blink of an eye, we would be able to get more organizations to do it because it takes a lot of time, and effort, and […]

March 5, 2024

Rethinking the Shelter with Erin-Claire (EC) Michaels, Executive Director of the Cat Care Society

“I think one of the things that is incredibly important about cat sheltering is allowing people into the experience of what a cat shelter may look like versus what may be the concept they have in their head.” Listen to Episode #550 Now This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie’s […]

May 14, 2024

Earning Ferals’ Faith and Trust, with Caitlin Porter, Executive Director of From Feral to Family

“It’s really special to go through that process, to start with a cat that is hissing at you, growling at you, sometimes lunging at you trying to scratch you, bite you, being very defensive. And then to, over time, have that cat sometimes turn into a lap cat, those are […]