The Community Cats Podcast

Danielle is responsible for staying on top of cat policy issues, and she fills us in on current cat legislation around the nation, including Delaware, where a community cat bill is currently on the governor’s desk; Rhode Island, where a TNR bill got some not-so-useful things added; Wisconsin, where much discussion is happening among all the stakeholders involved in community cat issues; and Hawaii, where the idea of a pet food surcharge to help raise funds for spay/neuter has been put forth.

Humane Rescue Alliance’s community cat programs have gone from being a small, grassroots, volunteer-based part of the organization to becoming truly mission-critical. The program offers free TNR for cats within Washington, D.C., including spay/neuter surgery, distemper and rabies vaccinations, topical treatment for parasites, and microchipping as part of their TNR packages. Erin feels that it’s important to do as much as possible for community cats’ health in one visit.

Pamela Merritt — better known as “Dear Pammy” through her cat advice blog — didn’t become a cat fan until she married one. At the time, she says, cats were really still second-class citizens. There weren’t any no-kill shelters, and she and her first husband rescued many cats themselves. Pam learned how to be a “cat appreciator” from her first husband, and she came to realize that cats are our equals, and that our relationships with them work best if we don’t think in terms of a master-own

John has been involved in several projects trying to delve into whether TNR is an effective way to manage large numbers of cats. In looking at these issues, John believes that it is helpful to have an awareness of the bigger issues surrounding any TNR project, as well as the individual welfare issues connected to each cat that is affected. One major project in this area of research is launching in July of 2018 in Washington, D.C.

In part two of Stacy's interview, Mike & Carmine offer their tips for people who hit a hurdle in their efforts at advocating for change, talk transport, and the future of animal welfare.

Both Mike & Carmine have been in the animal welfare field as long as Stacy has, and the two of them speak together regularly at conferences and programs. Both recognized as leaders and innovators, they discuss many topics with Stacy in this episode, including the trends and changes they have seen with community cats over the years. Mike & Carmine go on to talk with Stacy about their community outreach programs, and how there is a big need for more low-cost services, particularly around dental care for pets.

Ellen Quinlan, Executive Director of Darbster Foundation, was one of those kids who always brought home every stray animal she found, and that passion for helping animals has stayed with her as an adult. The mission of Ellen’s group is to reduce the number of adoptable cats, kittens, dogs, and puppies that are being euthanized in Palm Beach County and south Florida by partnering with shelters and rescues in Florida to transport pets to rescue partners in New Hampshire and throughout New England.

Chad Nelson, a lawyer by trade, is the Advocacy Director at PawsWatch Rhode Island, an all-volunteer network for community cats. Chad came to his work in TNR and cat issues through an initial interest in the broader animal rights and vegan movement. His cat Dagney inspired him to look at the world through animals’ eyes, and once Chad started to read Nathan Winograd’s work, he realized that cats and dogs still face serious issues in this country.

Joyce is back to talk about the ACC&D symposium being held in Boston, July 22-24. The three-day conference kicks off with a reception and refresher class on dog and cat reproduction and then goes into two full days of content, featuring over forty speakers. ACC&D is focused on non-surgical approaches to fertility control, and Joyce knows how difficult it can be to have enough surgical resources for community cats that need it. A non-surgical sterilization is a great addition to our toolbox.

A legislative attorney for Best Friends Animal Society, Richard is a long-time animal welfare advocate who fell into animal law when he ran across the story of a pit bull in need of help. He simply couldn’t walk away. For years, Richard had a private legal practice dealing with companion animal issues, and towards the end of that part of his career, he began to get more and more involved with community cat caretakers and the issues they were facing with ordinances that prevented or curtailed TNR efforts.

In this episode, Niki and Stacy debunk several commonly held myths about FeLV in particular, including the idea that FeLV is extremely contagious, and that cats and kittens with it always live shortened lifespans. They also talk about the idea that FeLV and FIV+ cats can in fact co-exist with negative cats in home (and colony) environments. Those cats are properly vaccinated and combo tested regularly, and have always remained negative.

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 vet. He became interested in veterinary medicine at an early age by helping nurse sick puppies back to health, and at school, he fell in love with surgery. It wasn’t until Dr. Bushby did an internship at an animal hospital in New York City in the 1970s, however, that he began to learn about the staggering pet overpopulation problem this country was facing.

Michele Tilford has over five years of experience as a cat-assisted therapy handler. She explains that one of the biggest keys in deciding whether or not your cat might be a good therapy cat is his or her personality. A therapy cat should ideally be calm, curious and outgoing. The cat can then be trained to become comfortable with unfamiliar surroundings and with wearing a harness, being in a carrier, and traveling.

Kim Freeman turned her lifelong love for cats into a career as a professional missing cat finder. When her own cat Mr. Purr went missing in 2008, Kim realized how little support families with missing cats received. She set out to change this.

Dr. Pizano discusses her recent work on steering committees with Best Friends and Million Cat Challenge. Best Friends, she tells us, has the goal of making this country no kill. They focus on shelters with the highest euthanasia numbers, and then ask them what they need and how Best Friends can help them connect to the resources they need. It’s all about strategizing around support for shelters that still use euthanasia for space/population control.