veterinarian Archives - The Community Cats Podcast

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 10, 2016

Interview! Marvin Mackie, DVM, Co-Creator of the Quick Spay Technique

“In the human side of things, you can never get to zero in something that you think is absolutely ideal.” Dr. Marvin Mackie began his lifelong work with animals from an early age. Raised on a farm around cows and horses, he entered veterinary school with the intent of becoming a large animal […]

August 12, 2016

Interview! Amber Sitko, Founder, All About Animals Rescue, MI

“We don’t ever want anyone to come to the clinic and say we don’t have enough traps for you.” A computer consultant with Microsoft by day, Amber channeled both her passion for cats and her business-sense into launching Michigan’s All About Animals Rescue in 2005. Since then, she has raised […]

August 18, 2016

Interview! Rick DuCharme, Founder and Executive Director, First Coast No More Homeless Pets

“What really keeps me and most of our team coming to work every day is the fact that we have seen such great success.” A national expert in animal welfare issues, Rick is an advocate for spay/neuter programs targeting low income pet owners. He founded Jacksonville, Florida’s First “Coast No […]

September 9, 2016

Interview! Bonnie Geisler, President and Founder, Felines and Friends Foundation (VT)

“We met at my dining room table, got organized and off we went.” Bonnie’s utilized partnerships with many different organizations to contribute to the success of the Feline and Friends Foundation, which has helped 2000 cats in just three years, in one of Vermont’s poorest countries. She borrowed her game […]

September 29, 2016

Interview! Holly Putnam, Faculty Clinician, Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program, Cornell University

“This is the time to get the ideas into [students’] heads…. I think [vets] have a hard time accepting new information once they’ve been doing what they’re doing; it’s hard to change people’s minds. But our veterinary students are there to be educated, and they already have open minds.” Dr. Holly Putnam graduated […]

October 4, 2016

Interview! Christie Kamiya, Chief of Shelter Medicine, Humane Society Silicon Valley

“What we found in the past decade or so is that there is a connection between stress, illness, and housing that ultimately has an effect on a cat.” At nine years old, Dr. Kamiya’s first experience adopting a dog sparked a lifelong passion for battling animal welfare issues. A graduate of […]

October 19, 2016

Interview! Dr. Peggy Larson, Founder of Cat Spay and Neuter Clinic, Colchester, VT

“You have to balance, to make sure that that cat’s going to be alright going back to where he came from.” Peggy Larson, founder of National Spay/Neuter Coalition, holds degrees from Ohio State Vet School, UC Davis, and Vermont Law School. She has used her education to support fellow vets trying […]

October 22, 2016

Interview! Aimee St. Arnaud, Director at Humane Alliance a Program of the ASPCA

“We need to focus on stopping the problem at the root… that’s why we focus on prevention.” Aimee St. Arnaud works for the Humane Alliance training vets and community advocates who want to open spay-neuter clinics. She first got the idea to open her own spay-neuter clinic when volunteering with […]

October 26, 2016

Interview! Jill O’Connell, Executive Director and Crystal Arnott, Communications and Fundraising Manager, Lowell Humane Society (MA)

“No matter how we operate, we all have the same goals which is to help community cats.” In another episode extolling the benefits of collaboration, Jill and Crystal describe how their relationships with other organizations have benefitted the cats and llower-income residents of Lowell. By bringing low-cost spay/neuter to the […]

October 28, 2016

Interview! Martha Smith-Blackmore, DVM, Founder of Forensic Veterinary Investigations, LLC

“Don’t worry about things you can’t change…take that passion and make it action and see what you can do.” *Please note, while not graphic, this episode deals with topics related to animal cruelty that some listeners may find disturbing. If you need to skip it, might we suggest listening to […]

November 8, 2016

Interview! Dr. Margaret Slater, Senior Director of Veterinary Epidemiology Research and Development for the ASPCA

“One of the things that we’ve found really helpful in all kinds of programs and projects is to couch it as a pilot… you can succeed and the prove that it does actually work…” Author of Feral Cats: Problems, Alternatives, and Recommendations and Veterinary Epidemiology: An Evidence Based Approach, Dr. […]

December 3, 2016

Interview! Dr. Christine Wilford, Founder, The Feral Cat Project

“Sometimes helping means us having to not do something, and us realizing that, for this cat, bringing it inside means it’s going to be scared everyday of its life. Would that be what you would want?” Dr. Wilford, founder of Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project in Lynnwood, Washington returns to Community […]

December 6, 2016

Interview! Dr. Julie Levy, Maddie’s Professor of Shelter Medicine at University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine

“Our goal is to enculturation these life-saving key initiatives into animal sheltering… so that this becomes [the norm.]” Dr. Julie Levy is a professor of shelter medicine at the University of Florida, as well as a prolific publisher of scientific articles on small animal medicine. She began her work with community […]

December 17, 2016

Interview! Dr. Sara White, Founder Spay ASAP Inc.- VT

“We haven’t really been taught… how to take care of [our bodies as] this instrument that we have.” Dr. Sara White is a mixed-animal veterinarian with experience both in private and shelter medicine, and the operator of Spay ASAP Inc., a mobile MASH clinic. Since 2006, Dr. White has spayed and […]

December 22, 2016

Interview! Dr. Marty Becker, “America’s Veterinarian” and Founder of the Fear Free Initiative

“To finally realize we were causing psychological damage to animals…once you know it, you can’t not know it.” After being a renowned veterinarian, including being the resident vet on Good Morning America for 17 years, Dr. Becker says, “I’m not retiring…I’m refiring!” His latest initiative is an innovative program that helps […]

January 12, 2017

Interview! Dr. Caitlyn Neal, HVHQSN Veterinarian in Washington, DC and Maryland

“We have enormous community support through our foster network and feeders who really want to go the distance for their cats” Just two years out of veterinary school, Dr. Neal has been drawn to shelter medicine for quite some time. This spay/neuter “dynamo” has been involved with a number of […]

January 31, 2017

Interview! Myles Chadwick, Vice President of the New School at Emancipet

“In order to reach people who haven’t been [reached] before, we have to do a lot of listening, not just a lot of telling.” What do line cooks and high-volume spay-neuter vets have in common? Coming to the animal welfare world from a background in restaurants and cooking, Myles didn’t know the first […]

February 4, 2017

Interview! Joe Miele, TNR project coordinator, Broken Promises SW

“A tight-knit colony is going to keep other [cats] out of the area.” Joe Miele is the TNR project coordinator for Broken Promises SW, a non-profit that seeks to address community cat overpopulation in Las Cruces, New Mexico and the surrounding county. Joe has been working with community cats since […]

February 9, 2017

Interview! Rob Leinberger, President, National Animal Care and Control Association

“The communities that I have seen do best have a network.” Rob Leinberger has been in the animal control game for 25 years—first starting as a veterinary assistant in high school, then working as an animal control officer for Chesterfield County in Virginia. He is the president of the National Animal […]

March 14, 2017

Interview! Dr. Dena Mangiamele, Author/Lecturer

“‘Safety first’ does not exclude cats at all.” When Dena Mangiamele started to practice veterinary medicine with the City of Los Angeles Department of Animal Control in the 1990s, animal sheltering procedures and best practices looked very different from how they do now. Dena helped to implement groundbreaking (at the time) programs like […]

May 30, 2017

Interview! Bianca Leos, Student at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University

“Animals lives are going to depend on me one day, so I need to know all this information.” Bianca Leos is a student at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University. She intends to become a shelter veterinarian working in a high quality, high volume spay-neuter program. When […]

July 15, 2017

Interview! Meredith Hippert, Director of Field Operations, Animal Balance

“Through this work, I recognized my passion for serving the underserved, and working with communities to implement change for animals.” Though largely self-educated in the field, Meredith Hippert holds an impressively broad resume in animal welfare, from admission guidelines and outreach to foster programming and TNR. Her journey started when she began […]

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 […]

February 17, 2018

Interview! Kimberley Heeney, Vice President of Operations Activ4Pets

“My goal is that anyone, anytime, anywhere, irregardless of economics or world areas, would be able to utilize Activ4Pets for their pet’s well-being and health.” With over twenty-five years of experience in the human healthcare industry, Kimberley Heeney brings a wealth of expertise to the Activ4Pets team. She has always […]

March 5, 2018

March 5, 2018

The May Spay Challenge

Our guest blogger this week is Brianna Grant, Communications Associate at Alley Cat Rescue in Mt. Rainier, Maryland. Alley Cat Rescue’s May Spay Challenge has become a powerful program to engage local veterinarians in the battle against feline overpopulation. Here’s Brianna’s take: Back in 2010, we were looking for creative […]

March 11, 2018

March Microchipping Madness

March is one of my favorite months, as it is usually the calm before the spring and summer storm of trapping, fostering, and transporting. In March, many communities hold town-sponsored rabies vaccination clinics. These clinics are a good way for the community to come together to care for and celebrate […]

March 17, 2018

Interview! Dr. Lynn Bahr, Feline Veterinarian and Owner of Dezi and Roo

“I like to look at life through a cat’s point of view, not my point of view, and I think that that helps me to understand them better, to communicate with them better, and to know what they need.” How did a dog-loving legal secretary end up becoming a cat-only […]

May 5, 2018

Interview! Part 1 – Dr. Sara Pizano, Veterinarian and Animal Welfare Consultant

“Northern Kentucky will be no-kill for cats this year, absolutely, hands-down!” Dr. Sara Pizano, who joined us previously on Episode 171, is a veterinarian who has been involved in animal welfare for over thirty years. She has extensive experience helping shelters move away from euthanasia as a means of population […]

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 […]

June 2, 2018

Interview! Dr. Philip Bushby, Professor of Humane Ethics and Animal Welfare at Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine

“I long for the day when I can walk into a shelter and not find any cats in the shelter — and it’s achievable.” Dr. Philip Bushby, a veterinarian and well-known advocate for early age spay/neuter, can’t remember a time that he didn’t want to be a veterinarian. He became […]

November 3, 2018

HubCats TV! Featuring Dr. William Snell, Veterinarian at Blue Pearl Pet Hospital

“You didn’t sign up to be a vet to get the bills paid. You signed up to help animals.” This week our show is a little different. In addition to hosting The Community Cats Podcast, Stacy LeBaron also appears on HubCats TV, a show on Chelsea Cable Access where she […]

December 3, 2018

Q&A with a CCP Listener

We recently received a wonderful note from a CCP listener, Sarah Hollars, who was kind enough to reach out and let us know how much CCP has touched her life. Not only do we love hearing from our listeners, we also love sharing their stories with our community so that […]

January 19, 2019

Interview! Dr. Graham Brayshaw, Director of Animal Services at Animal Humane Society

“We’ve got to sterilize absolutely everyone we can.” Dr. Graham Brayshaw, a 2004 graduate of Texas A&M’s veterinary school, is both the chief veterinarian and the director of animal services for the Animal Humane Society (AHS), an organization based in the twin cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Dr. Brayshaw’s interest […]

January 20, 2019

Benefitting from Opportunity Zones?

You might have heard reference to Opportunity Zones in the news, but you’ve likely never really thought about how they might impact Community Cats. Opportunity Zones designations were created in 2017 as a way to encourage investment in communities that need job growth and support. This is a perk for […]

August 13, 2019

Betsy Banks Saul, Founder of Petfinder and Heal House Call Veterinarian (Part 2)

“There’s something that can happen in the home that can’t happen in the clinic.” Listen to Episode #312 Now In the second part of this two-part episode, Stacy talks more with Betsy Banks Saul, this time about her new business venture, a franchise of house-call veterinary practices called Heal House […]

January 7, 2020

Dr. Jennifer Conrad, The Paw Project

“We know that this is the wrong thing to do to cats. No matter where you are, it’s the wrong thing.” Listen to Episode #333 now This episode is sponsored by Dr. Elsey’s Veterinarian Formulated Quality Products for Cats, makers of “litter we’re so confident you’ll love, your first […]

February 18, 2020

Dr. Andy Kaplan, The Toby Project

“I’ve always been passionate about saving lives. That’s just who I am as a vet.” Listen to Episode #339 Now In this episode, Stacy speaks with Dr. Andrew Kaplan, the veterinarian behind New York City’s The Toby Project. Andrew has been an animal advocate since he was a child. […]

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 […]

May 7, 2020

Small is Beautiful During COVID-19

“Small is Beautiful” is going to be my mantra for community cat programs and clinics this summer. As states begin to open up their restrictions on what businesses can and can’t do, we will need to be creative in adjusting to different working conditions. The most nimble organizations are going […]

May 14, 2020

COVID-19: The Impact on Pets in Chelsea, MA

As we all do, I wear many hats. In addition to heading up the Community Cats Podcast and all of our educational programs, I am also the program administrator for a small group in Chelsea, MA called HubCats Chelsea (HCC). This group started up about four years ago to do a […]

June 23, 2020

Elizabeth Finch, Good Mews Animal Foundation

“We’re now able to expand our mission to help community cats.” Listen to Episode #357 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Fosterspace, powered by Doobert. Visit them online to learn more. Stacy talks with Elizabeth Finch, a member of the board of directors and full-time marketing and communications […]

July 21, 2020

Dr. Bob Weedon, TLC PetSnip & Alliance for Contraception in Cats & Dogs

“When you start talking about the public health benefits of TNVR programs, you engage a whole different group of stakeholders.” Listen to Episode #361 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Fosterspace, powered by Doobert. Visit them online to learn more. In this information-packed episode, Stacy sits down with […]

September 15, 2020

Holly Ganz, Animal Biome

“I consider it very much a labor of love.” Listen to Episode #369 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Doobert.com’s FosterSpace, C5, and The American Association of Feline Practitioners. In this episode, Stacy chats with Holly Ganz, Ph.D., a micro-ecologist who studies how microbes and mammals interact, […]

October 6, 2020

Sarah Moore & Dr. Teri Kidd, Animal Protective League

“Veterinary medicine in general and spay/neuter in particular are essential services.” Listen to Episode #372 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Doobert.com, Boulder Holistic Vet, and Kitty Sift. In this episode, Stacy chats with Sarah Moore, the clinic manager for the Animal Protective League (APL) of Springfield […]

December 1, 2020

Best of 2020 – Dr. Jennifer Conrad, The Paw Project

“We know that this is the wrong thing to do to cats. No matter where you are, it’s the wrong thing.” Listen to Episode #380 now This episode is sponsored in part by Doobert.com, and KittySift. In this episode, Dr. Jennifer Conrad, who founded The Paw Project in 1999, joins […]

December 22, 2020

Best of 2020 – Dr. Bob Weedon, TLC PetSnip & Alliance for Contraception in Cats & Dogs

“When you start talking about the public health benefits of TNVR programs, you engage a whole different group of stakeholders.” Listen to Episode #383 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Fosterspace, powered by Doobert. Visit them online to learn more. In this information-packed episode, Stacy sits down with […]

December 29, 2020

Best of 2020 – Holly Ganz, Animal Biome

“I consider it very much a labor of love.” Listen to Episode #384 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Doobert.com’s FosterSpace. In this episode, Stacy chats with Holly Ganz, Ph.D., a micro-ecologist who studies how microbes and mammals interact, with a specific interest in the role that […]

January 5, 2021

Dr. Michael Blackwell, Director of the Program for Pet Health Equity, University of Tennessee

“If you want to improve the health outcomes for animals…then you need to factor in people and you need to factor in the environment or their ecosystem. Likewise improving the outcomes for humans, requires an attention to the animals and the environment or ecosystem.” Listen to Episode #385 Now […]

January 12, 2021

Mikaela Fleisher, PennyFix

“What if we added a penny a can to every can of cat and dog food sold in the United States and we used that money to fund spaying and neutering, rabies and distemper vaccines?” Listen to Episode #386 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Doobert.com. Mikaela […]

January 19, 2021

Allen Kamrava, Eusoh

“I was just really fed up with healthcare, not as a physician, but with the structural mechanisms of how healthcare operates, and really focused in on what was happening with insurance” Listen to Episode #387 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Doobert.com. Our guest this week, Allen […]

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 […]

October 19, 2021

Dr. Nicholas Dodman, BVMS, DVA, DACVAA, DACVB, Professor Emeritus—Tufts University, Author, and Co-founder of the Center for Canine Behaviour Studies

“The more you know… the better you can deal with issues that arrive [which leads] to reduced surrender. Preventive behavioral treatment [is] educating owners about what actually to expect and what they can do about it.” Listen to Episode #426 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Smalls […]

November 30, 2021

Dr. Jacquie Rand, Executive Director and Chief Scientist, Australian Pet Welfare Foundation

“The problem is that TNR is illegal across Australia. For example, the state that I live in, un-owned cats are classed as 3, 4, and 6 ‘restricted matter.’ They can’t be fed, they can’t be moved, they can’t be rehomed or sold.” Listen to Episode #432 Now This episode […]

January 11, 2022

Blending Holistic and Traditional Veterinary Care for Cats with Dr. Gary Richter, MS, DVM

“Now there’s a lot more thought put into what the animal’s experience is.” Listen to Episode #438 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Humane Network, Doobert.com and Maddie’s Fund. This week, Stacy checks in with the very accomplished Dr. Gray Richter. Dr. Richter is a certified veterinary acupuncturist and […]

January 18, 2022

Beverly Means, LMSW, Founder and Executive Director of Transitions Pet Care

“When people are facing these major illnesses…they are unable to get the support they need to care for their pet and they’re not ready to rehome them either…they count on that comfort.” Listen to Episode #439 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Humane Network, Doobert.com and Maddie’s Fund. Turning […]

January 25, 2022

Michael Bricker, Chief of Engagement of Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity™ (CARE)

“For anything – as far as animals are related – to be completely sustainable, it has to happen in the community, it has to happen the community.” Listen to Episode #440 Now This episode is sponsored in part by Humane Network, Doobert.com and Maddie’s Fund. Mike Bricker has spent years in […]

July 28, 2022

What To Do If You Find Kittens

Contributed by Cristin Bates Have you ever come across stray kittens outside and wondered what you should do? You might be surprised to learn that leaving them where they are is oftentimes the most helpful thing you can do. From birth to eight weeks, mother cats provide their kittens with […]

April 24, 2024

Empowering Veterinarians to Combat Pet Overpopulation: Insights from Brother Wolf Animal Rescue’s Mobile Clinic

This article was contributed by Kendall Wapner, Social Cat at the Community Cats Podcast In the ongoing battle against pet overpopulation, innovative solutions like mobile veterinary clinics are proving to be game-changers. Recently, I had the privilege of speaking with Leah Craig Chumbley, the Executive Director at Brother Wolf Animal […]

May 30, 2024

From Grooming to Advocacy: A Journey of Compassion in Animal Welfare

This article was contributed by Colette Resnikoff, Virtual Volunteer I found myself injured in 2019 in a car accident that broke my dominant wrist in 3 places. I was diagnosed with early arthritis, and with repetitive motion injuries to wrists, back, and shoulders from dog grooming, I was in chronic […]

June 26, 2024

Drive Change with Every Mile: How the Georgia Pet Foundation License Plate Program Supports Community Cats through TNR Initiatives

This article was contributed by Jackie Van Loan, Content Writer, and Marketer at Helps2 for Non-Profits and Purpose-Driven Brands. The 2024 Georgia Pet Foundation plate was designed by popular Georgia street/folk artist Kyle Brooks seen above. In the heart of Georgia, a unique initiative by the Georgia Pet Foundation is […]

July 25, 2024

Tough Questions (and Answers) from Online Feline Leukemia Day

At the 2024 Online Feline Leukemia Day we had a new session, called Tough Questions panel where we had presenters Margaret Tompkins, president of the Tompkins Foundation for FeLV Advocacy, and Dr. Nathalie Dowgray, head of the International Society of Feline Medicine at icatcare.org, responded to some of the “tough […]

August 29, 2024

three human hands placed on top of each other with an orange cat paw on top symbolizing teamwork

August 29, 2024

A Unified Effort to Tackle Pet Overpopulation – Massachusetts Animal Shelter Support (MASS) Coalition

The Massachusetts Animal Shelter Support (MASS) coalition was born out of a deep commitment to collaboration among animal welfare organizations in the state. The idea emerged through ongoing conversations about the growing challenges in the field of animal welfare. The participating organizations, already familiar with working together, recognized that the […]

August 6, 2016

Interview! Jill O’Connell, Executive Director and Crystal Arnott, Communications and Fundraising Manager, Lowell Humane Society (MA)

October 28, 2016

Interview! Dr. Julie Levy, Maddie’s Professor of Shelter Medicine at University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine

December 17, 2016

Interview! Dr. Philip Bushby, Professor of Humane Ethics and Animal Welfare at Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine

November 3, 2018

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

October 19, 2021

Dr. Nicholas Dodman, BVMS, DVA, DACVAA, DACVB, Professor Emeritus—Tufts University, Author, and Co-founder of the Center for Canine Behaviour Studies

November 30, 2021

Drive Change with Every Mile: How the Georgia Pet Foundation License Plate Program Supports Community Cats through TNR Initiatives

July 25, 2024

Tough Questions (and Answers) from Online Feline Leukemia Day

August 29, 2024

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