sheltering Archives - The Community Cats Podcast

April 13, 2019

Interview! Kate Hurley, DVM, Director of U.C. Davis Koret School of Veterinary Medicine and Co-founder of Million Cat Challenge

“In the time I’ll talk to you, twenty fewer cats will lose their lives in animal shelters because of the progress we’ve made in this field in the last five years.” You may remember Dr. Kate Hurley, Director of U.C. Davis Koret School of Veterinary Medicine and co-founder of Million […]

June 1, 2019

Interview! Sarah Dunsmore, CDE Animal Cages

“We only want shelters to have to shop for cages one time.” Listen to Episode #302 Now In this episode, Stacy is joined by Sarah Dunsmore, who co-owns CDE Animal Cages with her husband. Lifelong animal lovers, Sarah and her husband purchased the thirty-year old company several years ago […]

May 19, 2020

Lora O’Connor, The National Kitten Coalition

“I was very excited to be given an opportunity to … really focus solely on cats.” Listen to Episode #352 Now Stacy sits down with Lora O’Connor, Executive Director of The National Kitten Coalition (NKC), in this episode to talk about the organization, and about its partnership with Community […]

July 9, 2020

Webinar Review: How Gateway Pet Guardians Uses Community Programming During COVID-19

Today’s guest post comes to us from Emma Gabbert, Digital Content Specialist Intern at Whisker Media. Last month, Jamie Case and Janet Alderson from Gateway Pet Guardians (GPG) in East St. Louis, Illinois (just across the river from St. Louis, Missouri) hosted a webinar called Keeping Families Together: Pivoting Community Programming […]

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 13, 2020

Recent Study Identifies Key Indicators in Building High-Impact Community Cat Programs

Today’s guest post comes to us from Anna Murrin of Metro Denver CAT. Cat homelessness and overpopulation are problems that face animal welfare groups and the communities they support across the country. Addressing such a widespread problem is daunting when the data is incomplete. Metro Denver CAT is a program created […]

October 20, 2020

Meagan King, Volunteer & Advocate

“We need people to save animals. We always have to work with people … the only way we’re going to get this done is with people.” Listen to Episode #374 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Doobert.com, Heaven Can Wait, and C5. This week Stacy talks to […]

October 29, 2020

Pam Johnson-Bennett, Certified Cat Behavior Consultant and Author

Happy National Cat Day! Listen to Episode #375-2 Now In this special episode, we celebrate National Cat Day by talking with Pam Johnson-Bennett, Certified Cat Behavior Consultant and best-selling author. Pam and Stacy discuss how Pam started her career and why we need to “think like a cat,” as well as […]

June 7, 2021

Special Rebroadcast – Pam Johnson-Bennett, Certified Cat Behavior Consultant and Author

“…there are no bad cats.” Listen to Episode #407 Now Originally broadcast as a special episode for National Cat Day, in this episode, we celebrate by talking with Pam Johnson-Bennett, Certified Cat Behavior Consultant and best-selling author. Pam and Stacy discuss how Pam started her career and why we need to […]

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 […]

October 12, 2021

Dr. Kelly Diehl, D.V.M., Senior Director of Science and Communication of Morris Animal Foundation, Small Animal Internal Medicine Specialist and Veterinary Journalist

“We all know that behavior problems are the number one reason that cats end up in shelters and rescues, and it’s a major cause of euthanasia. It’s one of the top causes of euthanasia in pets.” Listen to Episode #425 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Smalls […]

June 14, 2022

Stress in Pets with Kristen Levine, Nationally Acclaimed Pet Expert and Influencer

“I think we probably overthink it sometimes. And sometimes it’s just a matter of trying different things to see what the cat seems to prefer or what eliminates the behavior that we’re trying to eliminate.” Listen to Episode #460 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Humane Network, Doobert, and […]

June 16, 2022

Computers Are Good For More Than Cat Memes

Contributed by Valerie Benka, Director of Programs at Alliance for Contraception in Cats & Dogs (ACC&D) Computers, specifically computer modeling, can save the lives of free-roaming cats (FRCs). Despite the increasing popularity of TNR, there are still limited real-world data on what makes a TNR project most successful in terms […]

July 19, 2022

Together We Trap with Angéline Fahey, Community Cat Program Manager at Humane Society of Southern Arizona

“I think it all comes from being compassionate and coming to them from a place of empathy [and] understanding.” [on dealing with community members] Listen to Episode #465 Now This episode is sponsored in part by CARE, Doobert, and Maddie’s Fund. Stacy speaks with Angéline Fahey, who is the Community […]

August 16, 2022

Habitats for Cats with Mario Arbore, Founder and Owner of Square Paws

So if you’re doing something where they’re feeling engaged with that fun, I think it’s a better experience for people to bond with a cat.” Listen to Episode #469 Now This episode is sponsored in part by CARE, Doobert, and Maddie’s Fund. In this episode, Mario Abore returns to the […]

September 27, 2022

Reducing Cats’ Distress with Mikkel Becker, Leader Trainer for Fear Free Pets and Fear Free Happy Homes

“Fear free is all about educating people to understand their cat’s emotional needs, which are deep and complex.” Listen to Episode #475 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Kensington Books, Doobert, and Maddie’s Fund. In this episode, Stacy speaks with Mikkel Becker, a certified trainer and behavior consultant, […]

November 29, 2022

How to Reunite Pets and Owners with Corinne Bourgoin, Operations Coordinator, MSPCA Boston Adoption Center

“Nothing feels better than helping a pet get back to their family that loves them.” Listen to Episode #484 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Doobert and Maddie’s Fund. In this episode, Stacy chats with Corinne Bourgoin, who serves as the Operations Coordinator at the MSPCA Boston Adoption Center. […]

December 20, 2022

Training Tomorrow’s Trappers with Bryan Kortis, Programs Director at Neighborhood Cats

“There’s still a disconnect between the grassroots groups (that are primarily doing trap-neuter-return) and the larger shelters (that are involved in return-to-field) and we need to get to a point where those two parts of the system are working together.” Listen to Episode #487 Now This episode is sponsored […]

February 27, 2023

Saving the World One Cat at a Time with Rachel Geller, President of All Cats All the Time

“Often times, providing people with the necessary items, the support, the kindness, [and] the caring – that can be the very important difference between a person keeping the cat and surrendering the cat.” Listen to Episode #497 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Doobert.com, and Maddie’s Fund. In […]

March 21, 2023

A Mountain of Veterinary Conversation with Dr. Jeff Young, Founder of Planned Pethood and star of Dr. Jeff: Rocky Mountain Vet

“I’ve always tried to make a difference. . . I want to make a difference in the long run.” Listen to Episode #500 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Doobert.com, and Maddie’s Fund. On this special 500th episode of Community Cats Podcast, Stacy is joined by Dr. Jeff […]

July 18, 2023

Tracking the Stats for Cats with Stephanie Filer, Executive Director of Shelter Animals Count

“There’s a lot of tools that we offer to make really understanding the data easier and start to identify where the need still exists.” Listen to Episode #517 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Cats of the Wild Podcast, Doobert.com, and Maddie’s Fund. In this episode, Stacy […]

August 22, 2023

Reporting on Resources with Daniel Spehar, Co-Founder of the Together Initiative for Ohio’s Community Cats

“We really need to explore the unique needs and challenges that exist in the different parts of the state . . . so that when potential remedies are offered or additional resources are created, they can be targeted.” Listen to Episode #522 Now This episode is sponsored in part […]

August 29, 2023

Fostering Relationships with Niki Cudsworth, Board Member of the Visalia Feral Cat Coalition

“One cat at a time, we can make a difference.” Listen to Episode #523 Now This episode is sponsored in part by The Urban Cat League, Doobert.com, and Maddie’s Fund. On this episode, Stacy chats with Niki Cudsworth, a board member of the Visalia Feral Cat Coalition (VFCC), an […]

October 10, 2023

Cat Pawsitive 360 with Jackson Galaxy, Star of Animal Planet’s My Cat from Hell and Founder of The Jackson Galaxy Project, and Steve Kaufman, Vice President of Operations for the GOODS Program at Greater Good Charities

“It’s just the willingness to go where it takes you. And it will always take you somewhere.” Listen to Episode #529 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Urban Cat League, Doobert.com, and Maddie’s Fund. In this special episode, the Cat Daddy himself, Jackson Galaxy, returns to the […]

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 […]

November 27, 2024

From Farm to Trap and Back: A Photo Essay Exploring How TNR Saved a Feline Herd in Vermont

Article and photos contributed by Kristen Petrie, Technical Tabby, for the Community Cats Podcast (and one heck of a trapper.) As the sun rose over picturesque mountains and farmhands led the cows to their stalls to be milked, a herd of cats scampered down from the hayloft and through the […]