The Community Cats Podcast

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Ep206 - Kate Benjamin Jul 22, 2017

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Interview! Kate Benjamin, Designer, Blogger of Hauspanther, Part 1

"I'm not just writing about cool-looking stuff. I'm writing about stuff that's going to make a difference in these cats' lives."

Kate Benjamin has combined her professional knowledge of design and product development with her love of cats to fill a unique niche—she blogs about cat products designed with the cat consumer in mind! She's been writing her blog, House Panther, for about ten years now, which eventually led to two New York Times best-sellers, Catification and Catify to Satisfy. Co-authored with Jackson Galaxy, the books blend his behavioral knowledge and her design perspective to instruct on how best to "catify" your home in ways that are both aesthetically pleasing and most suitable for your cat's unique behavioral needs. Kate believes that if more cat products are designed with the needs of the cat in mind—a design concept called "user-centered design theory"—pesky behavioral problems like peeing outside the litterbox and scratching on furniture can be eliminated, leading to less declawing and less shelter surrenders.

In Part 1 of this two-part episode, Kate explains how small pet stores and Etsy designers have influenced big-box pet stores to design more cat-centered products, which makes the products themselves more accessible to a pet owner on a budget. If you're still concerned about price, though, not to worry: Kate has tips on DIY products for those of us with "a creative streak and a little bit of time."

Check out Kate's blog at www.hauspanther.com.

Ep205 - Meredith Hippert Jul 15, 2017

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Interview! Meredith Hippert, Director of Field Operations, Animal Balance

"Through this work, I recognized my passion for serving the underserved, and working with communities to implement change for animals."

Though largely self-educated in the field, Meredith Hippert holds an impressively broad resume in animal welfare, from admission guidelines and outreach to foster programming and TNR. Her journey started when she began caring for a colony of cats living behind the tattoo parlor where she worked in Pittsburg, PA. Using online resources such as Alleycat Allies, Meredith learned as much as she could about community cats management and care, and she now serves as the director of operations at Animal Balance in Austin, TX. Under the guidance of former CCP guests Miles Chadwick and Emma Clifford, Meredith has grown in her advocacy for animals everywhere, especially the remote islands that Animal Balance currently assists.

For more information about Animal Balance, please visit animalbalance.org. You can also get in touch with Meredith directly by emailing her at mhippert@animalbalance.org. And, for more information on veterinarian and animal behaviorist Dr. Sophia Yin, please visit her website.

Ep204 - Anthony Amos Jul 08, 2017

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Interview! Anthony Amos, Owner, HydroDog and Founder of the Bathe to Save Tour

"If you want to become a part of HydroDog, you're not just part of a franchise; you're committing to a long-term partnership with the animal rescue world."

Anthony Amos is the owner of HydroDog, a mobile grooming salon in Australia that travels from house to house bathing beloved household pooches. He took the idea to the U.S. when he moved here with his wife, three children, three rabbits, and rescue puppy to start the Bathe to Save tour. Over the next twelve months, Anthony and his family will travel through all fifty states, washing dogs at shelters and holding events in an effort to raise $1,000,000 for sheltering, rescue, and adoption initiatives. Anthony talks about how ambitious the project was from the beginning, and the nine months he had to spend "re-learning" how to apply the business to an American context. If you're interested in donating or attending an event, please visit bathetosave.com to see where Anthony and his family are headed next!

Ep203 - Erika Kelly Jul 01, 2017

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Interview! Erika Kelly, founder of Operation Git-Meow

"The Navy has always been tied to cats, and that's how the cats got to the base in the first place."

Only a year after graduating college, Erika Kelly is already well on her way to making waves in the animal welfare community—she started Operation Git-Meow in December 2016, a non-profit designed to help community cats living on the Guantanamo Bay Naval Station. As you may remember from Stacy's conversation with naval-base resident Caitlyn Macintosh (Episode 53), TNR is strictly prohibited on naval bases. Instead, most community cats are trapped and euthanized, which is ineffective at controlling population and costly to the taxpayer. Operation Git-Meow is in the process of requesting an exception to the law, offering as an alternative an SPCA-funded TNR program that will manage the population of community cats on the base and transport them back to the U.S. at no cost to the taxpayer. Besides this large initiative, Operation Git-Meow seeks to make vaccination, vet check-ups, and microchipping accessible to residents on the naval base and surrounding communities for their pets. Operation Git-Meow is still very much in its nascency, and it needs all the help it can get! If you are interested in donating, please send a check to P.O. Box 52337, Springfield, VA, 22152. You can also help out by liking and sharing Operation Git-Meow on Facebook at facebook.com/operationgitmeow. For any other questions, please email operationgitmeow@gmail.com.

Ep202 - Karen Hollish Jun 29, 2017

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Interview! Karen Hollish, Director of Development and Marketing, Pima Animal Care Center

"The community cats project has not only helped us save outdoor community cats; it's helped us provide a better experience for the cats inside our shelters."

Karen Hollish is the director of development and marketing at Pima Animal Care Center. In March 2014, she started a development program for the government-run, open-admission shelter in Pima County, Arizona. The program was hugely successful: she raised millions of dollars through fundraising initiatives, and the shelter started to take in about 24,000 pets per year with a save rate of around 70%! In a state like Arizona where pet overpopulation is a big problem and kitten season lasts virtually all year round, this is a huge accomplishment.

Pima Animal Care Center has managed to raise its save rate to 90% thanks to its community cat program, and it also has a unique kitten program for people with dementia and other memory issues. While the kitten is socialized, the patients receive all the health benefits of close contact with animals, including unexpected remembrances of beloved family pets!

To learn more about Pima Animal Care Center (and to watch inspiring videos of dementia patients interacting with kittens), please visit facebook.com/pimaanimalcare.

Ep201 - Erin Berry Jun 27, 2017

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Interview! Erin Berry, Executive of Marketing and Communication, BoardSource

"You have to think, "What is most important for this organization, not for myself?"

Erin Berry is the executive of marketing and communication at BoardSource, an organization that helps strengthen the boards of non-profits. Erin has twelve years of experience in non-profit management, and she's no stranger to volunteering, either—by the end of her high school career, she had logged around 400 hours of community service! Erin tells Stacy about some of the exciting resources that BoardSource has to offer, including the Board Support Program, a year-round development program with almost entirely free access—perfect for smaller grassroots organizations working on the local level. Erin also gives us some of her tips on how to build a strong board and how to start a non-profit organization. For more information, please visit boardsource.org.

Ep200 - Katie Lisnik Jun 24, 2017

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Interview! Katie Lisnik, Director of Cat Policy and Protection, Humane Society of the United States

"TNR is not a cruel act; it is a humane population management tool, and it should be defined as such."

Katie Lisnik is back for another round of "Policy Jeopardy" on the Community Cats Podcast! This time, we get the scoop on animal welfare initiatives in Illinois, New York, Nevada, New Hampshire, and some exciting initiatives on the federal level! If you are interested in getting involved with animal welfare legislation in your state, you can find your state director's contact information on humanesociety.org. You can also find resources for anything related to sheltering, rescue, animal control, TNR, or community cat related at animalsheltering.org. And, as always, you can email Katie at cats@humanesociety.org if you have any questions concerning animal welfare legislation and policy.

Ep199 - Jim Tedford Jun 22, 2017

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Interview! Jim Tedford, President and CEO of SAWA

"The strength of SAWA is in its network."

Jim Tedford is the president and CEO of the Society of Animal Welfare Administrators (SAWA). In the early 1980s, fresh out of college with a degree in animal science, he found his first job in animal welfare at a tiny humane society that was "held together with duct tape and love." Since then, Jim has seen the animal welfare game change drastically in the last few decades—Jim's last job at a shelter in New York assisted 12,000 animals a year with a staff of 70 people and over 700 volunteers. We owe much of that to SAWA's network of professionals and resources, which has grown exponentially since its inception nearly fifty years ago. According to Jim, SAWA is the only organization of big leaders in animal welfare who also work "in the trenches," to use his parlance. Jim and Stacy discuss the many resources, programs, scholarships, and conferences that SAWA has to offer up-and-coming animal welfare organizations, as well as the online support community that has sprung up in recent years in SAWA Facebook groups. You can find all of these resources and more at sawanetwork.org—and stay tuned for the website relaunch coming in July!

Ep198 - Community Cats Podcast Anniversary Show Jun 20, 2017

Show notes

Community Cats Podcast Anniversary Show, The Podcast Team

"I'm learning so much about the talents and passions it takes to make the world a better place for cats."

Community Cats Podcast celebrates it's first year online! In the Anniversary Show, Stacy shines the spotlight on the 'behind the scenes' talent that has made this past year a success. She discusses the challenges and highlights of producing episodes and working to spread education and dialogue about community cats. Stacy talks with website director Kristen Petrie, social media/writer Jamie Hovey, writer/editor Anna Domings, audio engineer Danny Ozment from Emerald City Productions, and 'Ask Stacy' host and writer Lisa Finkel.

Team links:

emeraldcitypro.com mellariumcreative.com jlhvirtualservices.com

Ep197 - Shawn Flynn Jun 17, 2017

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Interview! Shawn Flynn, Author, The Kitty Who Rescued Me After I Rescued Him

"He had a huge impact on my life, and that's why I decided to write a book about it."

Shawn Flynn is the author of The Kitty Who Rescued Me After I Rescued Him, a current finalist in the 2017 International Book Awards. It tells the story of Shawn's newfound best friend and support in a large orange community cat, who he met after purchasing a house with his fiancee in Enfield, CT. To the couple's surprise, the house came with several outdoor cats who hung around the property, one of them being Kitty—and on the day Shawn moved in, he found Kitty sitting on the front porch as if waiting for him to come home! Kitty became a central fixture in Shawn's life, helping him through some difficult personal times. The book serves as a thank-you to Kitty for his presence in Shawn's life. You can find Shawn's book here on Amazon, and you can reach the author himself at shawnpflynn@yahoo.com.

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