educations Archives - The Community Cats Podcast

June 20, 2016

Interview! Sandy Monterose, Executive Director, Jackson Galaxy Foundation

“When we work together, we exemplify a humane world.” Sandy reflects on her long career in animal welfare, why working with people might be more effective than hands-on work with animals, and the Jackson Galaxy Foundation’s current initiative to improve conditions and adoptability for shelter cats. To find out more […]

June 24, 2016

Interview! Kit Lilly, Founder and Board President, Charles River Alley Cats, Boston MA

“I realized there was a whole world of feral cats out there” Kit, the founder of the largest TNR group in the greater Boston area, provides insights on how to develop an effective TNR program. Because 50% of the cats found by Charles River Alley Cats are “friendlies,” the group […]

June 25, 2016

Interview! Marnie Russ, Founder and Board Member, National Kitten Coalition

“Once you save one, you’re hooked for life.” Marnie tells Stacy about her commitment to increasing the survival rates for neonatal kittens through education, information sharing, cooperation and hands on learning. Her organization, the National Kitten Coalition, specializes in helping shelters, rescue organizations, the veterinary community and individuals, better understand […]

June 28, 2016

Interview! Mike Keiley, Director, Noble Family Animal Care and Adoption Center, MSPCA at Nevins Farm, Methuen, MA

“We were literally swimming in cats.” In this episode, Mike describes the profound improvements and progress for cats he has seen in his 20+ year career at the MSPCA. By implementing programs to reduce the stress of cats in the shelter, aggressively targeting communities with low cost spay/neuter services, and […]

June 29, 2016

Interview! Dr. Diana Newman, Former Director of the Barry County (Michigan) Animal Shelter.

“People are mad…they want kittens and now there are no kittens!” Dr. Newman describes how the Barry County Animal Shelter implemented a TNR program — with the help of the MRFRS Mentoring Program and PetSmart Charities — that has resulted in a drastic reduction in unwanted litters among unowned cats. […]

June 30, 2016

Interview! Betsy McFarland, Former Vice President, The Humane Society of the United States

“The answer comes from all of us.” Formerly a “true blue dog person,” Betsy tells about the kitten on a woodpile outside her house that fueled her interest in assisting community cats. She also addresses the challenges found on the human side of the equation in animal welfare and rescues: […]

July 1, 2016

Interview! Laura Burns, President of Habitat for Cats, Rochester NY

“I had never seen one cat outside, let alone one hundred!” Stacy talks with veteran trapper Laura Burns about her experiences, advice and resources for those seeking to make a difference for cats. Laura discusses the use of box traps versus drop traps, her approach to feral kittens and relocating […]

July 2, 2016

Interview! Bryan Kortis, Director of National Programs for Neighborhood Cats, New York NY

“We know TNR works, now it’s just a matter of executing.” Nationally recognized expert Bryan Kortis talks with Stacy about all things TNR: his beginnings trapping a colony of cats on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, the founding of Neighborhood Cats.org to help teach TNR to others in New York and […]

July 5, 2016

Interview! Christie Rogero, Manager, Jackson Galaxy Foundation

“Nobody goes into this knowing everything you need to know.” Christie and Stacy have a wide-ranging discussion about low cost spay/neuter, developing a successful TNR effort by building community coalitions, and Christie’s experience with the Pets for Life program, which she states changed her mind completely about the pets of […]

July 7, 2016

Interview! Katie Lisnik, Director of Cat Policy and Protection, Humane Society of the United States

“We simply can’t say, “I’m an animal person…I don’t want to deal with people.” In this episode, Katie chronicles her wide-ranging activities as a proponent for improving outcomes for cats and communities. She details her work helping improve public policies relating to cats, advocating for coalitions to join together in a […]

July 8, 2016

Interview! Karen Little, Founder, Alley Cat Advocates, Louisville KY

“Long term vision and careful planning leads to success.” In this episode, Karen describes how she went about determining what type of efforts and program might best solve the community cat problem in Louisville. She’s a big believer in planning and patience; when founding Alley Cat Advocates, she spent a […]

July 9, 2016

Interview! Rachel Geller, Vice President, Ellen M. Gifford Shelter for Homeless Cats, Brighton MA

“If we can keep a cat that has a solvable, fixable behavior problem in its home, it’s better for the cat and for the owner.” Volunteering at the Gifford Shelter, and helping socialize fearful, shy and semi-feral cats launched Rachel into her role today as a certified cat behaviorist. She describes […]

July 12, 2016

Interview! Julie White, Former Senior Director of Grants, Programs and Field Initiatives at PetSmart Charities

“You can save more lives by fixing one cat than you can with one adoption.” Julie applied her for-profit experience and strategic mindset to the issues facing Community Cats in her years at PetSmart Charities and Executive Director of the Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Program in Washington State. She points out […]

July 13, 2016

Interview! Jessica Lifford, Former Executive Director, Indy Humane Animal Welfare Center

“Cats are resourceful and a lot smarter than we give them credit for.” Jessica has had broad exposure to many different functions necessary to helping community cats: TNR, high volume spay/neuter clinics, and even managing a pet food pantry. When she joined Indy Humane, there were nearly 800 cats on the waiting […]

July 14, 2016

Ask Stacy! Questions and Answers for Inquiring Cats

“We all have stories…and it’s those stories that can empower us to believe that we can do more for cats.” In this episode, Stacy’s in the interview chair and speaks about her motivation for launching the Community Cats Podcast, the wide array of volunteers, services and skills necessary to support […]

July 15, 2016

Interview! Nancy McCall, Chief Development Officer, Brandywine Valley SPCA

“The first thing you want to do is find out who’s going to be a good partner.” Nancy, who has been involved in the start-up of community cat TNR programs in Florida and now in Delaware, identifies several of the critical factors for building a successful effort: educating and developing working partnerships […]

July 16, 2016

Interview! Rachael Max, Founder of Here Today, Adopted Tomorrow Sanctuary, Brimfield MA

“Don’t be afraid to ask complete strangers for help.” Rachael started her career as an academic scientist and brings disciplined thinking to her cageless cat shelter and TNR efforts. She and her mother founded Here Today, Adopted Tomorrow after attending a Best Friends workshop. She describes how the cats in her care […]

July 19, 2016

Interview! Kit Jenkins, Former Grant and Adoptions Programs Manager for PetSmart Charities

“You don’t have to change the world in 20 minutes.” Kit reflects on the “bad old days” 30 years ago when “cats were third class citizens, who came in and went out the back door” and there was no formal way for rescues or shelters to share information and build community regarding […]

July 21, 2016

Interview! Ashley Davis, Director, Scituate (MA) Animal Shelter

“People may be the problem but they’re also the solution.” After TNR’ing 43 cats and fostering multiple litters of kittens, Ashley became “addicted” to trapping and decided that a career in animal welfare was inevitable for her. She speaks about her communications efforts to educate individual neighborhoods about the importance […]

July 22, 2016

Interview! Shelby Parsons, Communications Manager at Mississippi Spay and Neuter

“Even though we’re behind, we don’t want to be.” Shelby describes the challenges of helping community cats in the rural South, where 40% of residents have no access to the internet. So, she reaches out to local social services organizations to get information to individuals who don’t even know what spay/neuter […]

July 23, 2016

Shauna McVey, Program Coordinator for State of Delaware Office of Animal Welfare and Spay/Neuter Program Manager

July 23, 2016

Interview! Shauna McVey, Program Coordinator for State of Delaware Office of Animal Welfare

“We’re all about working through compassion.” The State of Delaware has legislation in effect establishing a spay/neuter program for non-profits and low-income individuals, which is funded by a $3 surcharge on rabies vaccines. Shauna talks about how those funds are put to work through with participating veterinarians and local shelters. […]

July 26, 2016

Interview! Marlan Roberts, “Families Better Together” Manager for Spay and Neuter Kansas City (Missouri)

“I knew I could be the voice for the animals and wanted to help.” Marlan leads a “boots on the ground” initiative to go into Kansas City’s underserved communities to provide education, wellness and other resources to keep families and pets together. These efforts include a pet food pantry that distributes more […]

July 27, 2016

Interview! Bonney Brown, President, Founder, and Principal Consultant at Humane Network

“The connection of one to one is really magical.” After reminiscing about their early work together, Bonney and Stacy discuss fundraising strategies and the importance of focusing your message on successes and future opportunities. It can be overwhelming to think about thousands of animals in need, but inspiring to tell […]

July 28, 2016

Interview! JaneA Kelley, Blogger at Paws-and-Effect.com, Secretary and Social Media Manager at Diabetic Cats in Need

“Diabetes is not a death sentence for cats.” Have a diabetic cat, or know someone who does? JaneA describes her experience with her own cat plus the work she does as a member of the “virtual” team that runs Diabetic Cats in Need. (DCIN). DCIN assists cat owners with education and […]

July 29, 2016

Interview! Kara Holmquist, Director of Advocacy, Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

“It’s hard and it’s messy and it’s not pretty, but when it works we can really change policies that impact so many animals.” A veteran advocate for animals, Kara talks about her involvement in several game-changing initiatives — a license plate program and tax check-off — that created funding sources […]

July 30, 2016

Interview! Julia Pesek, Community Outreach Coordinator for the MSPCA at Nevins Farm (MA), and Vice President of the Massachusetts Animal Coalition (MAC)

“I think I was born a cat lady.” Julia says that earning her Masters in Animals and Public Policy at Tufts gave her a perfect “launching pad” for what she wanted to do with her life. It also led her to take an active role at the Massachusetts Animal Coalition, which […]

August 6, 2016

Interview! Dr. David Haworth, DVM, PetSmart Charities President

“I am extremely optimistic about the future.” Dr. David Haworth, DVM, PhD has impact on his mind. He discusses how he works to help PetSmart Charities save 1,400 lives a day, through grantmaking, adoption centers, supporting spay/neuter and other initiatives. To find out more visit PetSmart Charities online. Listen to Episode […]

August 9, 2016

Interview! Ellen Carozza, LVT, Nova Cat Clinic, Arlington, VA

“The canine has always been given more precedence in medical care.” Ellen Carozza is a veterinary technician with a passion for rescuing and raising neonatal kittens. She lovingly brings the kittens she raises everywhere with her, and implements innovative ways to care for them, including electrolytes, probiotics and plasma. With […]

June 20, 2016

Interview! Julia Pesek, Community Outreach Coordinator for the MSPCA at Nevins Farm (MA), and Vice President of the Massachusetts Animal Coalition (MAC)

August 6, 2016

Interview! Dr. David Haworth, DVM, PetSmart Charities President

August 9, 2016

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