The Community Cats Podcast

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Elizabeth Finch, Good Mews Animal Foundation Jun 23, 2020

Show notes

Stacy talks with Elizabeth Finch, a member of the board of directors and full-time marketing and communications volunteer at Good Mews Animal Foundation in Marietta, Georgia. Elizabeth comes from a varied professional background and began donating her time to Good Mews after early retirement. "It's my full-time gig," she tells Stacy, "and I love it more than anything I've ever done."

Stacy and Elizabeth discuss Good Mews's five-year-old shelter, which is focused on cage-less space, as well as an appropriately separate kitten, intake, and isolation spaces for the 100+ cats that are housed there. The new shelter also has a state-of-the-art surgery suite. That, combined with the hiring of a high-volume spay/neuter veterinarian, put the organization in a great spot to take on expanding into helping community cats, and in the latter half of 2019, Good Mews took over the Cobb County Community Cat program from Best Friends.

To learn more, visit the Good Mews Animal Foundation website, or follow them on Instagram or Facebook.

Mary Howard, Community Cat Coordinator at McKamey Animal Center Jun 16, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, Stacy talks with Mary Howard, the community cat coordinator at McKamey Animal Center in Chattanooga, TN. The program started in 2018 with a grant from Best Friends Animal Society and since inception, the organization's return to habitat releases has gone up by 145%.

Stacy and Mary discuss the many programs McKamey offers, including a barn cat program, kitten nursery, trapping services, a pet food bank, low-cost vaccine clinics, and an on-site feral colony for cats that cannot safely be released back to the areas in which they were trapped. McKamey is connected with the city's animal control services, and Mary talks with Stacy about how she works with animal control, and how she maintains good relationships there. Mary also shares some trapping tips and tricks, and discuss how, from 2018 to 2019, the organization's save rate increased by 12% to 90%.

To learn more, visit McKamey's website, where you can click on "Services" and then "Community Cats" for information about the Community Cats Program.

Mary Tan, Whisker Media Jun 09, 2020

Show notes

Stacy sits down with Mary Tan, owner and chief storyteller at Whisker Media, a boutique strategic communications agency that focuses on marketing and public relations for pet-related businesses and animal welfare nonprofits. Mary, who previously worked as a news reporter and in government communications, is also the public relations manager for Animal Humane Society in Golden Valley, Minnesota, which is one of the country's largest open-admission shelters.

Mary and Stacy talk about why it's important even for small organizations to capture and leverage stories, and why it's important for all groups to have relationships with the media. Mary talks about the concept of "newsjacking," and gives some advice on how to contact and start relationships with your local media. She also talks about press releases and when to use them, and tells groups that "You need public relations and marketing."

To learn more about Whisker Media and contact Mary, visit the Whisker Media website.

Karen Little, Alley Cat Advocates Jun 02, 2020

Show notes

Karen Little, featured previously on CCP Episode 17 and Episode 112, joins Stacy to discuss the new things going on with the organization she and her husband founded in Louisville, Kentucky in 1999, Alley Cat Advocates. In the 21 years since its inception, ACA has altered over 50,000 community cats and has worked to transform the culture of care provided to community cats in the region.

Stacy and Karen talk a bit about how Karen and her husband came to the idea of TNR and starting ACA, and about how they accomplish their spay/neuter numbers. Karen tells Stacy about ACA's new facility and their relationship with the city of Louisville, which includes a municipal contract with the city.

Karen shares some advice for people thinking about how to change the culture for community cats in their area and reminds us all that sometimes, "We have to get outside of our comfort zone to help the cats."

For more information about Alley Cat Advocates and the work they do, visit their website. You can also feel free to email them, or even call, as they are always glad to talk with folks from all over the country about helping cats.

Marian Pekar, My Nine Lives Video Game May 26, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, Marian Pekar, a software developer based in the Czech Republic, joins Stacy to talk about My Nine Lives, a game he is developing to raise money for cat-related charities. Marian became involved in cat charities after adopting Max, a stray kitten, and earlier this year, he decided to use his skills and passion to find a way to help support those charities.

Marian and Stacy discuss My Nine Lives, in which the player takes on the role of a cat trying to survive by hunting prey and avoiding predators. He explains that it will be suitable for all ages, as there are no gory scenes. He also tells Stacy about how the game will generate revenue through a "pay as you wish" model, and how he will distribute the game.

To learn more about My Nine Lives, visit the game's website, where you can sign up to be notified when the game is released, and watch a trailer for the game. You can also follow Marian's progress on Twitter.

Lora O'Connor, The National Kitten Coalition May 19, 2020

Show notes

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 Cats Podcast on the Online Kitten Conference. Lora has been working in animal welfare for 20 years and is an animal behaviorist. She talks about how things were for cats 20 years ago, and how she felt cats just weren't getting the same resources dogs were. "We needed to elevate their status," Lora says.

Lora and Stacy discuss the upcoming Online Kitten Conference and the importance of continuing education in the animal welfare world. NKC offers many webinar training sessions, particularly around caring for neonatal kittens, and they are working to expand their resources for shelters, foster homes, and others. "We want The National Kitten Coalition to be the number one place that you go to when you have any questions kitten-related," Lora tells Stacy.

To learn more about The National Kitten Coalition and access their webinar archives and Kitten Nursery Manual, visit the NKC website or find them on social media. To learn more about the Online Kitten Conference and buy tickets (or recordings after the event is over), visit the conference webpage. To hear CCP interviews with other folks from NKC, visit the Community Cats Podcast website and type "National Kitten Coalition" into the search bar.

Dean Killingbeck, Pets Strong CBD May 12, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, Dean Killingbeck of Pets Strong CBD joins Stacy to discuss CBD and Pet Strong's products. Born and raised on a farm, Dean developed a deep appreciation of nature and herbal medicine, and when his senior dog began to develop mobility issues, Dean decided to try CBD. The results were positive, but Dean was dismayed by the quality of products available for pets, and by the misinformation, he found online. So he decided to start his own company and write a book to help educate pet owners about how CBD can help pets.

Dean explains to Stacy what CBD is, how the products you see on the market may differ from each other, and why some are better than others. Dean and Stacy talk about the issues that CBD tends to be the most helpful with, including pain/mobility issues, anxiety, skin and coat issues, and loss of appetite. Dean tells Stacy what you should look for in a CBD product, and they discuss some tips and tricks on how to give CBD to cats—plus Dean offers CCP listeners a discount code on their first Pets Strong order (and an ongoing discount for nonprofit customers).

To learn more, or purchase Pets Strong CBD products or Dean's book, CBD for Pets: A Guide to Pet Wellness with CBD, visit the Pets Strong website.

Arden Moore, Pet Health and Safety Coach May 05, 2020

Show notes

The multi-talented Arden Moore joins Stacy in this episode to discuss all things C-A-T. Arden is a radio show host, author, professional speaker, editor, media consultant, dog/cat behavior consultant, and a master pet first aid instructor. She and Stacy discuss the details of her podcast, Oh Behave, hosted by PetLifeRadio and selected by Oprah as one of her top three favorite pet podcasts for the past two years.

Arden was a reporter and editor at a major newspaper for 20 years before she got into the pet field, and when she did, she realized there was one big thing missing from many training programs: safety—so she set out to change that by becoming a master certified instructor in pet first aid. Arden and Stacy talk about Arden's cat Casey, her "teaching partner," who is also a certified therapy cat. Arden believes strongly that cats can learn to do amazing, fun things that are also great for enrichment. As she puts it, "You've got a really amazing being there in your house who purrs… let's work his noodle!"

Arden and Stacy go on to discuss the Fear Free program (including the program's newest FREE track for shelters), Arden's newest family member, and why they think that it's a good time to be a cat right now.

To find out more about Arden, her podcast, and her new book, A Kid's Guide to Cats, visit her website or her Facebook page.

Julie Posluns, Cat School Apr 28, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, Stacy sits down with Julie Posluns, the founder and owner of Cat School, an online training school for cats that uses clicker training to teach fun and practical behaviors and strengthen the bond between cats and their human in the process.

Julie, who is a trained animal behaviorist, worked entirely with dogs until a small black kitten showed up at her back door. The cat, now called Jones, convinced the humans and the dogs in the family that he should stay—and he soon showed an interest in the training Julie was doing with her dogs. Julie began training Jones as well, and the rest is history!

Stacy and Julie talk about what clicker training is, what its benefits are, and how this kind of enrichment differs from other types. (Hint: This kind is good for both of you!) Julie explains that clicker training is based on positive reinforcement, and she talks about what her program consists of, how the plan works, and how it can work in different situations (training for fun vs. training for behavior medication, for instance).

They also talk about how training can work with multiple cats, how it can work in shelter environments, and about training cats to wash on a leash/harness or ride in a backpack or stroller.

To learn more (or to enroll), visit the Cat School website. You can also check out their Instagram page to see lots of fun videos, including a free tutorial on how to teach your cat to fist bump.

Tina Traster, Catnip Nation Apr 21, 2020

Show notes

Award-winning journalist, author, and filmmaker Tina Traster, previously featured on CCP Episode 186, joins Stacy again to update us on her documentary, Catnip Nation. The film advocates for TNR through the stories of four Good Samaritans caring for community cats around the country.

Since being on CCP a couple of years ago, Tina has taken Catnip Nation on the film festival circuit, where it won several awards and has successfully landed a distributor. The documentary is available on DVD, and Tina is in the process of getting distribution on streaming services.

Tina and Stacy discuss the need for TNR to become a more widely recognized issue that is taken up by local officials, and how TNR advocates can best work with municipalities. "What we need in this country," Tina says, "is a grassroots movement where it becomes imperative for politicians to recognize the role of a municipality in supporting TNR."

To learn more about Catnip Nation or to order a DVD of the film, visit the Catnip Nation website.

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