Interview! Julie Jacobson, Spay Tennessee and CCP Grants Coordinator
October 6, 2018
Interview! Kelly Duer, Foster Program Consultant with Maddie’s Fund
October 13, 2018
It seems like over the last few weeks, the news has been filled with references to Kavanaugh, Ford, #metoo and the Supreme Court. While you might think these issues have nothing to do with cats, I think they do. We need to support an environment where everyone feels it is their civic duty to get out and vote. It is the only way to make change in our society. Being aware of the proposals set forth in our community and the Community Cat sentiment at our local city halls is very important for all of us….
I will be honest and say that advocacy has never been high on my list of things to do. I have voted for national campaigns, but my local record isn’t the best. Advocacy always seemed like an obtuse concept and I was busy replying to calls, doing adoptions, booking appointments and raising money. But after seeing how vulnerable we are to change at the national level, I now believe local advocacy is a much more important issue, regardless of which candidate you support.
Many states have made it very easy to vote. You don’t even have to actually show up in person on November 6. I would highly recommend doing absentee voting if you think you won’t be able to make it on the 6th. That is what I plan to do. You might want to check out this link to learn more: usa.gov/absentee-voting.
Not only should we vote ourselves, we should also really encourage others to vote. In many states, there are proposals that have been put forth that affect animals and we need to consider these options and make informed choices. If you missed them, you might want to tune into my interviews with Danielle Bayes and Katie Lisnik on pending legislation around the country. You can find Danielle on Episode 261 and Katie’s most recent interview on Episode 219. You can also learn more about current legislative efforts involving animals at the Humane Society’s state legislation page, as well as more about how to get involved in advocacy for cats at Alley Cat Allies’ Community Change page.
