The Community Cats Podcast

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A Best of CCP Episode! Mike Keiley (MSPCA) & Carmine DiCenso (Dakin Humane Society) Dec 01, 2018

Show notes

Durning the month of December, we're revisiting some of our favorite, most informative shows. This is a rebroadcast of episodes 256 and 257 which we dubbed "The Mike & Carmine Show" - enjoy!

Stacy speaks with Mike Keiley, the Director of Adoption Centers and Programs at the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA), and Carmine DiCenso, Executive Director of the Dakin Humane Society in Leverett & Springfield MA in this first part of "The Mike & Carmine Show." You can check out Mike's first visit to Community Cats Podcast in 2016 in Episode 9

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. When Mike started in animal welfare, there was an overwhelming number of cats. In general, people felt that they were simply dealing with an unwinnable situation, with no room for strategy. In the last five years, however, the MSPCA has formulated strategies for their adoption program, their targeted spay/neuter programs, and for dealing with different populations of cats in different ways. "We are now at the point," Mike tells us, "where, largely, in New England, we are not dealing with an overpopulation of cats any longer." — which is something he would not have imagined when he first started in the field.

Carmine's experience has been fairly similar to Mike's, but he adds some words of wisdom to folks who feel they will never be able to get to where New England is, telling us that it's good to start to look at trends in numbers. Once you do, you'll start to see declines and patterns that will help things not seem so bleak. To the people who say that there are pockets of New England where there are still overpopulation issues and people are still overwhelmed, Carmine would challenge them by asking whether what your organization is experiencing is truly overpopulation and being overwhelmed — or whether it is a lack of ability to let go of animals in your care.

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. They also answer this question from Stacy: "You each have $100. You can divide it up between low-cost spay/neuter for cats, TNR, or an adoption program. How would you divide up that $100?" Listen to find out how what they say, and why both Mike & Carmine feel that animal welfare organizations are going to morph more into helping animals where they are — vs. taking them from whatever situation they are in.

To learn more about Carmine DiCenso's organization and their work, visit dakinhumane.org. You can also email Carmine at cdincenso@dakinhumane.org. To learn more about Mike Keiley's organization and their work, visit mspca.org, or email Mike at mkeiley@mspca.org.

Preparing for the Online Cat Conference with Stacy LeBaron and Kristen Petrie, Head Cat and Technical Cat of the Community Cats Podcast Nov 24, 2018

Show notes

After bringing you up to speed on how a "virtual conference" works, they chat about a special returning guest, The Kitten Lady, and the line up of brand new guest speakers and the topics they'll be presenting for attendees at this event that takes place January 25, 26, and 27, 2019. You'll learn what fun community building activities will be returning in the second year of the conference and be introduced to some of the new features that will be included this year.

Stacy and Kristen also discuss their scheduled "Best of December". They'll be bringing back some of their favorite, most interesting shows from the past few years!

From the launch date of this podcast you only have SIX DAYS to take advantage of early bird pricing for conference registration. Save $25 now by visiting onlinecatconference.comand registering on or before November 30th for just $50. On December 1st, registration will be $75.

Moshow, Cat Rapper Nov 17, 2018

Show notes

Internet sensation Moshow was born and raised in inner city Baltimore, MD. He didn't grow up with pets, and it wasn't until he was in college that what he calls "cat fever" took over. Since then, Moshow has combined his passion for cats and rap to defy the odds and build a name for himself as the "Cat Rapper." About to release his third album in late November 2018, Moshow is on a mission to share his message with the world—and his message includes raising awareness around lots of issues related to cats.

Moshow believes in rapping about what he knows, and, as he puts it, "I knew that I loved cats, I knew that I loved cat ladies, I knew that I was about peace, love, and positivity, I knew that I was about getting cats adopted, and I know that I'm just generally a positive person, so I figured that the best thing I could do for myself was to only rap about the life that I actually live."

Moshow's songs touch on topics like supporting animal shelters, the benefits of not declawing cats, adopting vs. shopping, and adopting black cats in particular. He is also a major advocate for erasing the stigma of the "crazy cat lady," using his Beautiful Cat Lady Wednesdays campaign as a way to show the world how much he loves cat ladies (including the one he shares his life with in Portland, Oregon, along with their five cats).

Moshow's latest song, "Slide," is the result of a partnership with Arm & Hammer, which has agreed to donate $10,000 to a cat welfare group called Mac's Fund if the video for Slide reaches 1 million views on You Tube by January 31, 2019.

To learn more about Moshow, his cats, his clothing line and his music, visit iammoshow.comor catrapper.com, or find him under I Am Moshow on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, SnapChat and Twitter. You can find Moshow's music on all streaming music websites, and don't forget to check out the video for Slide!

Aaron Hancox & Michael McNamara, Directors of Catwalk: Tales from the Cat Show Circuit Nov 10, 2018

Show notes

Aaron Hancox and Michael McNamara of Markham Street Films join Stacy in this episode to talk about their documentary,Catwalk: Tales from the Cat Show Circuit, which follows the Canadian competitive cat show world. Aaron is a long-time cat guy whose cat Beau was adopted from a Toronto rescue, but Michael is actually allergic to cats! Aaron stumbled across a local cat show and was surprised and fascinated by how serious and competitive the cat show world was. "If I'm a cat person and I don't know about this," he thought, "presumably many people don't know about this." And to Aaron, that was the perfect premise for a documentary.

During the year-long process, he and Michael followed several cats and their people through the competitive cat show circuit, and learned the complex rules of how cat shows work. In Canada, the cat show season lasts about ten months, and there are shows basically every weekend. Aaron and Michael tell us that cat shows differ from many dog shows in that they are more like beauty pageants, and they tend to be more technical than dog shows—and have more complicated point structures.

Aaron and Michael talk about the opportunities for non-purebred cats in these shows, and they look at this film as being just one part of a larger conversation about cats. During the filming of the documentary, they came to understand that the people who participate in cat shows see themselves as part of the solution in terms of issues facing cats, and they do their best to help in many ways, from making sure that shows work only with truly responsible breeders to donating cat show proceeds to rescue groups.

For Aaron, the bottom line is that cats bring so much joy to people's lives in so many different ways that he wanted to share this world with others. "I realized that these animals have such a great power to heal and bring people together," he tells Stacy, "and anything I could do to spread that joy and love—I'm all for it."

To see Catwalk:Tales from the Cat Show Circuit, you can download it from iTunes, the Google Play store or other streaming services, or you can visit Amazon to buy a copy.

HubCats TV! Featuring Dr. William Snell, Veterinarian at Blue Pearl Pet Hospital Nov 03, 2018

Show notes

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 and her co-host discuss animal welfare topics with an aim to educate and raise awareness. Pet health, community cats and services available to pet owners and feral cat caretakers are often the focus.

This week we're bringing you audio from one of Stacy's favorite episodes featuring an interview with Dr. William Snell of Blue Pearl Pet Hospital in Charlestown, MA. On the show, Dr Snell shares what it is like working for an emergency clinic, some of the everyday stresses veterinarians experience, what an ER visit is like for a pet and their owner, and some information about the specialties Blue Pearl offers.

If you'd like to learn more about HubCats and check out HubCats TV visit their website, hubcatschelsea.com.

If you'd like more information about 24 Hour Specialty & Emergency Vet Hospital in Charlestown, MA, you can visit their website at bluepearlvet.com/charlestown-ma.

Liz Illig, Owner of Puff & Fluff Grooming & Pet Sitting Oct 27, 2018

Show notes

Liz Illig, owner of Puff & Fluff Grooming & Pet Sitting, located in Phoenix, Arizona, joins Stacy to talk about cat grooming, and about how Puff & Fluff helps area rescue groups. Growing up on a farm in Iowa, Liz has always had a strong connection to animals. During her college years in Arizona, she began taking on pet sitting clients, and after graduation, she decided she wanted to find a business that would be complementary to that work. She purchased a grooming business from its retiring owner, and she now has four shops in the greater Phoenix area, plus she has added pet sitting to the company's services.

Liz serves as a consultant to other area businesses, and as a board member at Gabriel's Angels, an organization that assists local at-risk children by using therapy animals to help them work through issues they are experiencing. Liz is currently working on a large, day-long event with Puff & Fluff during which a number of area rescue organizations will be able to bring foster animals—particularly cats—in for grooming and photographs. The public will also be invited in to adopt animals that day.

When Liz first took over Puff & Fluff, they business saw only a handful of cats each year, but now, five years later, just one of her shops grooms over 30 cats each week.Most of these cats are mixed breeds, and many are elderly cats that are having trouble grooming themselves. Liz tells us that it takes a special, calm person to be able to groom a cat. Her shops offer a 50% discount for rescue and foster animals, and she encourages anyone listening to call around to area groomers to see if they offer rescue discounts as well, as foster and rescue animals can often benefit from professional grooming to improve their adoption prospects.

Liz & Stacy talk about some at-home grooming tips for those who aren't able to bring their cat(s) in to a pet spa, including why you need both a brush and a comb to properly care for your cat's coat. They also talk about addressing dry or oily coats, and about some of the things Liz clients do to dress up their pets around Halloween!

Liz also offers some great tips on how to tackle the often overwhelming challenge of social media promotion. Her tips and ideas are applicable to anyone working in rescue or adoption, as well as to business owners. If you have a social media presence, you'll definitely want to listen to Liz's thoughts on how to break the process down into a more manageable one.

To learn more about Puff & Fluff Grooming & Pet Sitting and the causes they support, follow @puffandfluffspa on Instagram, look them up on Facebook, or visit them at puffandfluffspa.com.

Gary Willoughby, President & CEO of SPCA Serving Erie County Oct 20, 2018

Show notes

Gary Willoughby, the President and CEO of the SPCA Serving Erie County in West Seneca, New York, joins Stacy to talk about what's going on at the nation's second oldest humane society. A passionate life-long learner, Gary joined the SPCA in 2016, after several animal welfare roles, as well as several roles in other fields.

Among other topics, Gary talks with Stacy about the SPCA's full-service wildlife clinic, and how having that clinic alongside a more traditional animal shelter has informed both the SPCA's work with and data collection around cats and trap-neuter-vaccinate-return programs. Over the years, Gary tells us, they have been able to measure the successful impact of local TNVR programs through decreased intakes into the shelter, as well as through a decrease in the number of wild animals brought into the wildlife clinic with cat-related injuries.

The SPCA Serving Erie County is big on education, including helping folks understand why just feeding stray or feral cats is only the first step (and then helping them find a way to make that next step happen). "It's so easy to love animals and just to put out some food and water for a cat," Gary says, "but taking the next steps, there's always barriers in the way." One of the ways Gary hopes to continue removing those barriers in the future is by adding a transportation component to their partnership with a local high-quality, high-volume spay/neuter clinic. He believes that this will make spay/neuter more accessible to people in more rural parts of the county.

Above all, Gary believes that groups must collaborate to come up with a strategic plan to improve communities together. "No one person or group can do it alone," he tells us, and he recommends getting to know – and then getting together regularly with – other groups in your area to discuss what's working, and putting your heads together to come up with new solutions as well.

To learn more about the work being done at the SPCA Serving Erie County, visit yourspca.org, or check them out on Twitter or Facebook.

Kelly Duer, Foster Program Consultant with Maddie's Fund Oct 13, 2018

Show notes

Kelly Duer, Foster Program Consultant for Maddie's Fund, has worked with many organizations over the years, including such big names as FEMA and Best Friends Animal Society. The goal of her work is to help groups increase live outcomes for animals through the implementation of robust foster programs.

Kelly came to this role after working on foster programs for children from Eastern Europe. A life-long cat lover, she got involved in animal welfare when her daughter became interested in working with animals and they decided to volunteer at an animal shelter together. They soon began fostering animals, and before long, the shelter staff asked Kelly to coordinate a foster care study that Maddie's Fund wanted to run on their program.

In her interview with Stacy, Kelly, who is very passionate about behavioral foster care for cats, answers Stacy's tough foster care questions, including: How do you choose who to focus on when your foster care resources are limited?; What is your gold standard of a foster care program for cats?; and If you had all the foster care coordinators in the country in one room, what tips and advice would you give them? (Hint: the answer to the last question has a lot to do with social media!)

Kelly's own hope is that eventually, foster care will become the standard of care for homeless pets, and that shelters will become more like waystations for marketing pets than places where pets spend long periods of time.

If you'd like to learn more about Kelly's work, or get access to Maddie's Fund's collection of foster care resources (including manuals, SOPs, sample agreements, etc.), email Kelly at duer@c.maddies.fund.org. You can also find and message her on Maddie's Pet Forum.

Julie Jacobson, Spay Tennessee and CCP Grants Coordinator Oct 06, 2018

Show notes

Those of you who have been CCP fans for a long time may remember hearing Stacy chat with Julie Jacobson before in Episodes 2and 92. Julie runs Spay Tennessee, but is also the CCP grants coordinator. If you don't know about the CCP grant program, here's how it works, in a nutshell: small organizations apply to the program for a matching grant. If their application is approved, they get a period of time (usually about three months) in which to conduct a new fundraiser. Once they do, CCP will match up to $1,000 raised. It's that simple!

But what about the details? In this episode, Julie & Stacy talk about the nitty-gritty of the CCP grant program, including what size groups can apply, whether you need to have a TNR program in placebeforeapplying (yes!), what the money can be used for (hint: it starts with "spay" and ends with "neuter"), what some of the pitfalls are, and what exactly qualifies as a new fundraiser (this one's easy: it can be anything, big or small, as long as your organization has never tried it before!).

During her time as CCP grant coordinator, Julie has seen this program make a big difference in many organizations' confidence level around fundraising. She has seen tons of successful events get off the ground – from simple online social media campaigns to t-shirt sales and restaurant nights to bingo games and donation jar programs. The point of the grants is to help groups feel empowered around fundraising, and to be able to go on to raise even more money to assist with community cat spay/neuter after their grant experience.

During the grant period, your group will get the added benefit of learn valuable grant-writing skills, and of being part of a group of other grant recipients that meets virtually with Julie on a regular basis to discuss what's working, what help you need, and to make connections around the country. Julie has found that people really love these group discussions and the sense of relief they bring at finding out that you're not the only ones out there struggling to do the work of helping community cats.

To date, 76 groups have successfully gone through the CCP grants program, raising a total of $116,000, and sterilizing 4,159 cats with those funds! Could your group be part of the next round?

To find out more and fill out an application, visit communitycatspodcast.com/community-cats-grants. You can also find Julie's webinar on grant-writing (and why she believes that you don't need to hire a professional!), as well as other grant-related webinars, at communitycatspodcast.com/webinar-recordings. To reach out to Julie directly, email her at grants@communitycatspodcast.com.

Anne Lindsay, Founder & President, Massachusetts Animal Coalition (MAC) – Part II Sep 29, 2018

Show notes

In Part II of this two-part episode, Stacy continues her conversation with Anne Lindsay, the founder & president of the Massachusetts Animal Coalition (MAC). Anne talks about what she feels MAC's greatest achievements – and greatest challenges – have been over the organization's history. (It turns out they are one and the same: getting so many different people with different opinions together into one organization!)

Anne tells us about MAC's three annual educational meetings: All About Dogs, Whole Cat Workshop, and "Hot Topics," a meeting that covers both cat and dog issues. This year, MAC is adding a fourth meeting about the business of running an animal welfare organization as well. MAC has lots of advice available for other folks who are thinking about setting up a coalition organization in their area, and they are happy to walk other groups through the process they went through. "It's not about making a clone of MAC," Anne says. "It's more about what is it that your area needs and how can we help you learn from our mistakes and from our successes."

Anne has been focusing her work lately on compassion fatigue, something she has seen a real need for in animal welfare over her years in the field. With her advanced degree in counseling, Anne offers compassion fatigue workshops, and she has come to realize that some of the people in animal welfare who come across as "difficult," or who don't seem to be helping animals the way they could be, are actually suffering from compassion fatigue.

Anne encourages everyone who thinks they may have an issue with compassion fatigue to start by talking with their co-workers about it. Next, she suggests looking for someone with compassion fatigue counseling experience specific to animal welfare. She emphasizes the need for self-care, time off, and notes that it's important to remember that while the system itself may be broken, that doesn't mean you have to be broken as well.

Speaking about both compassion fatigue and the benefits of being part of a coalition, Anne says, "This is difficult emotional work, and working together helps the humans and the animals… working alone is isolating, it is lonely, and you can't get as much done as an individual as you can as a group of people."

To learn more about MAC or to reach out to Anne, visit massanimalcoalition.org.

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