The Community Cats Podcast

Latest Episodes:

Mobilizing the Community to Make TNR Happen, Part 1, with Bryan Kortis, National Programs Director for Neighborhood Cats Jul 04, 2023

Show notes

"How do you manage TNR on a much larger scale...as more of a program manager?"

This episode is sponsored in part by Cats of the Wild Podcast, Doobert.com, and Maddie's Fund.

In today's podcast, we are proud to bring you part one of the audio version of "Mobilizing the Community to Make TNR Happen Presented by Neighborhood Cats".

So many cats, so few trappers… and veterinarians… and holding space… and transporters. If you live in a well-populated urban or suburban area and you're trying to use TNR to address your city or town's entire free-roaming cat population, you'll need a lot of help! How do you mobilize the public to trap the cats in their backyards, get hands-on involvement, attract volunteers, and gain community support? In parts one and two (coming July 11th) of this Learn from the folks who started the community TNR program in New York City and helped other municipalities organize their programs as well. We'll go over training the public, providing support services, tracking success, gaining publicity, and more.

To learn more about Neighborhood Cats, you may visit their website.

If you'd like to watch this presentation, you can hop on over to our YouTube channel to check it out. To download handouts mentioned in the show, you can visit our Community Cat Care Training and Education page to find these, and a treasure trove of other TNR and community cat care education.

Picking, Protecting, and Pampering Cats with Justin Donne, Founder of The Kitty Boss Jun 27, 2023

Show notes

"There's a lot of people that really need a cat and they don't realize they do. So if I can marry up those two, I think that'd be a really great thing."

This episode is sponsored in part by Cats of the Wild Podcast, Doobert.com, and Maddie's Fund.

On this episode, Stacy chats with Justin Donne, founder of The Kitty Boss. This company provides the tools to pick, pamper, and protect your practically perfect pussycat for a lifetime of unconditional love.

In his conversation with Stacy, Justin describes the 3 P's (Pick, Pamper, and Protect) key to the mission of The Kitty Boss. He touches on what inspired him to found The Kitty Boss and previews his upcoming book.

Justin also discusses his podcast, The Kitty Boss, where he dives into the world of cats with experts in the field. Dr. Rachel Geller, a frequent collaborator with the CCP and former guest on the show, is a recurring guest on his podcast. Additionally, Stacy recently appeared as a guest on his podcast.

To learn more about Justin and The Kitty Boss, visit his website or follow him on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

The Kitty Boss podcast is available on multiple platforms.

A Mass Trapping Powerhouse with Dawn Benefiel, Executive Director of Indy Neighborhood Cats Jun 20, 2023

Show notes

"You don't have to be a cat person to support TNR."

This episode is sponsored in part by Cats of the Wild Podcast, Doobert.com, and Maddie's Fund.

On this episode, Stacy chats with Dawn Benefiel, the executive director of Indy Neighborhood Cats ("INC"), a nonprofit organization based in Indianapolis, whose mission is to improve the quality of life for free roaming cats through TNR. INC also provides colony care,spay/neuter resources, and medical care to community cats.

In her conversation with Stacy, Dawn talks all about trapping and TNR. She describes mass-trapping, which involves trapping 20 or more cats, evaluating trap sites, and managing colonies. Dawn also discusses her earlier blog post on the CCP website, which explores mass-trapping techniques.

Dawn describes some of the initiatives of INC, along with her efforts in founding a TNR program at the local municipal shelter. She also discusses INC's partnership with Friends of Indianapolis Dogs Outside, and some of the challenges the organization has encountered following the pandemic.

To learn more about Indy Neighborhood Cats, visit their website or Facebook.

Return-to-Field and Targeting Part 2 with Bryan Kortis, National Programs Director for Neighborhood Cats Jun 13, 2023

Show notes

"This brings us to one of the hot-button issues happening right now in return-to-field...what about friendly cats?"

This episode is sponsored in part by Cats of the Wild Podcast, Doobert.com, and Maddie's Fund.

In today's podcast, we are proud to bring you the audio version of "Return-to-Field & Targeting: The Community Cat Program Presented by Neighborhood Cats". In part two of this special episode, your host, Bryan Kortis, will help you learn what return-to-field and targeting are and how can we use them to save lives and reduce the number of cats living on our streets. He will give details about these approaches, the policies behind them, and the mechanics of how they work. Plus find out how Return-to-Field and targeted TNR can be combined to achieve dramatic, sustainable reductions in both euthanasia and intake at open-admission shelters.

To learn more about Neighborhood Cats, you may visit their website.

Return-to-Field and Targeting Part 1 with Bryan Kortis, National Programs Director for Neighborhood Cats Jun 06, 2023

Show notes

"How do you organize a TNR program on a very large scale and get the best results..."

This episode is sponsored in part by Cats of the Wild Podcast, Doobert.com, and Maddie's Fund.

In this episode, we are proud to bring you the audio version of "Return-to-Field & Targeting: The Community Cat Program Presented by Neighborhood Cats". In part one of this special episode, your host, Bryan Kortis, will help you learn what return-to-field and targeting are and how can we use them to save lives and reduce the number of cats living on our streets. He will give details about these approaches, the policies behind them, and the mechanics of how they work. Plus find out how Return-to-Field and targeted TNR can be combined to achieve dramatic, sustainable reductions in both euthanasia and intake at open-admission shelters.

To learn more about Neighborhood Cats, you may visit their website.

Saving Kittens with Nancy Peterson, Board Member of the National Kitten Coalition May 30, 2023

Show notes

"The National Kitten Coalition believes that every kitten deserves a chance to survive and thrive."

This episode is sponsored in part by Cats of the Wild Podcast, Doobert.com, and Maddie's Fund.

In this episode, Stacy chats with Nancy Peterson, Board Member of the National Kitten Coalition and Neighborhood Cats and former Community Cats Program Manager at the Humane Society of the United States.

In her conversation with Stacy, Nancy describes the advocacy efforts of the National Kitten Coalition, an organization that strives to increase kitten survival rates through the power of education. She highlights several of the many useful resources that the National Kitten Coalition provides, including its Kitten Nursery Manual.

Nancy also previews the upcoming 2023 Kitten Conference, presented by the National Kitten Coalition in partnership with CCP, which is scheduled for June 9-11, 2023. Additionally, she addresses kitten nurseries, veterinary burnout, and her experience as a veterinary technician.

To learn more about the National Kitten Coalition, visit their website.

Increasing Spay-Neuter Access for Cats with Robert Murtaugh, DVM, and Robert Weedon, DVM. May 23, 2023

Show notes

"I firmly believe that spay-neuter is an essential element of access to care." – Dr. Weedon

This episode is sponsored in part by Cats of the Wild Podcast, Doobert.com, and Maddie's Fund.

In this episode, Stacy chats with veterinarians Dr. Robert Murtaugh and Dr. Robert Weedon. Dr. Murtaugh is a veterinary specialist based in Austin, Texas and a candidate for the next president of the American Veterinary Medical Association ("AVMA"). Dr. Weedon, a frequent conference guest and former guest of the show (CCP episodes 361 and 383) is a high-volume spay/neuter surgeon with TLC PetSnip in Lakeland, Florida.

In their conversation with Stacy, Dr. Murtaugh and Dr. Weedon discuss the current state of the veterinary field, including some of the challenges, such as the veterinary shortage and lack of access to care. Dr. Murtaugh describes how the AVMA is addressing these issues through advocacy and legislative initiatives and outlines ideas for future initiatives to overcome these challenges.

Additionally, Dr. Murtaugh and Dr. Weeden discuss topics involving high volume spay neuter, licensure reciprocity, veterinarian technicians, and staffing issues. They also debunk some of the misconceptions surrounding the quality of high-volume spay-neuter.

To learn more about the work of AVMA, visit its website.

The following organizations are mentioned during this episode:

Dispelling Myths About Black Cats with Linda Malik, Author of Willow's Tale May 16, 2023

Show notes

"Willow's mission is to show that black cats are adorable, fun, and magical and they need to be loved just as much as any other cat."

This episode is sponsored in part by Cats of the Wild Podcast, Doobert.com, and Maddie's Fund.

On this episode, Stacy speaks with Linda Malik, author of Willow's Tale, a children's picture book about the adventures of a black cat named Willow.

In her discussion with Stacy, Linda describes the inspiration behind this story and why she chose to publish a children's picture book. She discusses the unfair stigma surrounding black cats and the importance of dispelling this fallacy at a young age.

Linda talks about Willow's additional projects, including an upcoming second book and an animated series. This animated series was produced by autistic animators (link to prior episode), who she believes are similarly unfairly stigmatized. Linda strongly encourages anyone looking to adopt to consider black cats.

To learn more about Linda's work and Willow's Tale, visit her website or Instagram.

Cats and Common Ground with Ashley Byrne, Associate Director of Campaigns, PETA May 09, 2023

Show notes

"It's empowering to realize that you can actually make a difference just by making different choices in the things that you do every day."

This episode is sponsored in part by Cats of the Wild Podcast, Doobert.com, and Maddie's Fund.

On this episode, Stacy chats with Ashley Byrne, Associate Director of Campaigns for PETA. PETA, short for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, is the largest animal rights organization in the world with more than 9 million members and supporters globally.

In her discussion with Stacy, Ashley explains how PETA's philosophy centers on the notion that animals exist for their own purposes, not for human purposes. She describes some of PETA's recent campaigns, which strive to change the way people think about animals.

Ashley also talks about PETA's Mobile Clinic, its 24-hour cruelty hotline, and Beauty Without Bunnies, a searchable database of companies that don't test on animals. She stresses the importance of knowing where your products come from. Additionally, Ashley describes PETA's stance on TNR and encourages pet lovers to adopt their pets from shelters rather than buy them from breeders.

To learn more about PETA, visit their website.

Inspiring Compassion for Animals with Nancy Robinson, Author and Animal Advocate May 02, 2023

Show notes

"Don't say, I wish somebody would help them. Go out and do it."

This episode is sponsored in part by Cats of the Wild Podcast, Doobert.com, and Maddie's Fund.

In this episode, Stacy speaks with individual animal rescuer and advocate, Nancy Robison. After receiving help to TNR the cats outside her home in Long Island, NY, Nancy made it her personal mission to gather all the information she could on low-cost or free services for animals, including spay/neuter and TNR resources. She shares those resources whenever she has the chance, to minimize obstacles and help even more people get the help they need.

Today, Nancy works with two local organizations and continues to support TNR efforts in Long Island. She also works closely with caregiver and rescuer, Cathy Moore, in upstate New York to provide as much help as she possibly can.

Stacy and Nancy talk about the role of individuals in animal rescue, and stepping up when something needs to be done. They talk about compassion, and how it impacts our approach to animals and people with unique needs and challenges.

A teacher for 35 years, Nancy strongly believes in the importance of teaching children compassion for animals. She and Stacy talk about the children's books she has authored, which were inspired by the bedtime stories her own mother used to tell about her childhood cat, Stubbs.

Nancy's books are available for sale on Amazon. All proceeds from her books are donated to animal-related charities:

To get in touch with Nancy, send an email to nanrobison@gmail.com or connect with One At A Time Cat Rescue via their Facebook group.

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