The Community Cats Podcast

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Ep136 - Book Reviews with Stacy Jan 26, 2017

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Stacy's back with more recommendations in the second ever Book Review Show! These four books offer a wide variety for anyone in the animal welfare world: from a coffee table book of city kitties, to a birder's views on managing free-roaming cat populations. As last time, the final book recommendation does not talk specifically about cats, but instead offers ways in which you can build your social media presence, craft a more communicative message, and more. We've included the names of the books and authors down below, as well as links to places you can buy them! And don't forget: if you ever have any questions or book recommendations, you can always email Stacy at stacy@communitycatspodcast.com. Shop Cats of New York by Tamar Arslanian (author) and Andrew Marttila (photographer) Alley Cat Rescue's Guide to Managing Community Cats by Louise Holton Cat Wars by Peter Marra and Chris Santella Platform by Michael Hyatt

Ep135 - Emma Clifford Jan 24, 2017

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Emma Clifford, Founder and Executive Director of Animal Balance

"I don't think you can put a dollar figure on humanely managing all species."

Emma is back for another interview! This time, she tells Stacy about her most recent and fascinating trip to the Galapagos Islands in early December. There she and her team at Animal Balance Galapagos worked with the local parks service to develop a community-based sterilization program for cats (TNR in CCP speak!). She talks about working in a habitat with extremely sensitive and protected flora and fauna, and the important symbolism of the success of the program in such a place. Emma also gives us a sneak peek at her upcoming project in Hawaii, a place that presents similar environmental challenges as the Galapagos. Emma hopes that the work her team is doing in the Galapagos will serve as a template for the Hawaii program, and is excited for the future of community-based TNR in other parts of the world. Click here to listen to Emma's first interview with Stacy, or visit ABG's website to donate and learn more about their community-based sterilization program.

Ep134 - Laura Moss & Jamie Brooks Jan 21, 2017

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Laura Moss, Founder, and Jamie Brooks, Communications, AdventureCats.org

"We [are] trying to… rebrand not just what it means to be a cat lady… [but also] what a cat is."

Laura Moss and Jamie Brooks are partners in Adventure Cats, a website that promotes safe ways for cat owners to explore the outdoors with their cats, and seeks to dismantle negative stereotypes about cats and the people who own them. Barely two years old, the site has exploded with activity and popularity, and has brought together a community of people who do outdoor activities with their cats. Jamie and Laura believe that spending time outdoors with your cat improves their physical, mental, and emotional health, and they hope that Adventure Cats will show people that cats are just as multi-faceted as dogs and other animals! To learn more, please visit adventurecats.org, and be sure to check out the new Adventure Cats book that's coming out in May!

Ep133- Mary Peng Jan 19, 2017

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Interview! Mary Peng, CEO & Founder, International Center for Veterinary Services (Part 2)

"It has to be high-quality, high-volume spay-neuter, with Chinese characteristics."'

In part two of this special two-part episode, Mary Peng continues to tell the story of ICVS, and goes into more detail about the unique challenges the hospital must face in China. She says that they have had to adapt programs and practices learned in the US to Chinese situations. For example, Mary believes that the private sector must play an important role in bringing these resources to China, as the government does not have the resources to help. ICVS is in the unique situation of offering non-profit services to the public without the benefits of non-profit status, and relies heavily on donations on their website to maintain their facility and programs.

However, there are so many opportunities for those outside of China to help out. To learn more about ICVS, donate to their cause, or contact their bilingual Chinese-English staff, please visit www.icvsasia.com, or search for ICVS Asia on any major social media site.

This episode was sponsored by www.catstats.org.

Ep132 - Mary Peng Jan 17, 2017

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Interview! Mary Peng, CEO & Founder, International Center for Veterinary Services (Part 1)

"This is a program for China. It is going to raise the bar on humane animal welfare."

In part one of this special two-part episode, Stacy interviews Mary Peng,CEO and founder of International Center for Veterinary Services. Based in Beijing, ICVS is the first international standard animal hospital in China.

China is a large country with very little access to veterinary care. In 1994, Mary adopted a cat in China but found it almost impossible to access basic animal healthcare for her furry friend. She decided to put her own professional business and consulting training, as well as her knowledge as a pet owner, to tap into the potential for a pet care industry in China. ICVS was founded in 2006 and offers a myriad of veterinary services as well as training. Using programs in the US as templates, Mary and her staff teach TNR best practices and train vets to spay and neuter animals on a large scale. Though there is still a lot of work to be done, Mary is hopeful about the future for animals in China.

To learn more about ICVS, donate to their cause, or contact their bilingual Chinese-English staff, please visit www.icvsasia.com, or search for ICVS Asia on any major social media site. Special thanks CatanDog for sponsoring this episode. Visit www.catandogs.net for more information.

Ep131 - Chris Roy Jan 14, 2017

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Interview! Chris Roy, Founder, Doobert.com

"The concept behind Doobert was to automate those rescue tasks that can and should be automated."

Chris Roy is a pilot, a Milwaukeean, a husband and owner of several cats and dogs, and the creator of Doobert.com, an online software platform for animal welfare volunteers and organizations. Although Doobert started as a hub to organize the transportation of rescued animals, it has grown to offer a wide variety of services, such as photography for shelters. Chris firmly believes that we can use technology to make people and organizations more efficient in order to save more animals, and he is hopeful and excited about the doors that technology will continue to open in the animal welfare world. His next step for Doobert is to design a module for community cat concerns, and is eager for any feedback or suggestions that those who work with these animals can give.

To get in touch with Chris, visit Doobert.com and click on the orange HELP/SUPPORT button.

Ep130 - Dr. Caitlyn Neal Jan 12, 2017

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Interview! Dr. Caitlyn Neal, HVHQSN Veterinarian, Washington D.C. and Maryland

"We have enormous community support through our foster network and feeders who really want to go the distance for their cats"

Just two years out of veterinary school, Dr. Neal has been drawn to shelter medicine for quite some time. This spay/neuter "dynamo" has been involved with a number of high quality, high volume spay/neuter programs and today leads the medical efforts at CATNIPP, the Cat Neighborhood Partnership program in Washington, DC, which supports local efforts to reduce overpopulation, and keep free-roaming cats healthy, as well asi improve relationships between community cats and the people who coexist with them. Dr. Neal notes that community felines are living longer, and now just as subject to geriatric diseases as environmental challenges. She also discusses ways for veterinary students to start making a difference before they're even in practice.

Ep129 - Nina Wolf Jan 10, 2017

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Nina Wolf, Writer and Expert, Animal Nutrition and Wellness

"Think about our kids who are cuddling animals and sticking their faces down into their fur."

Nina is a passionate advocate for keeping animals safe and healthy through use of natural, non-toxic foods and treatment alternatives. She catalogs the many health issues posed to cats and dogs through use of topical flea and tick treatments (as well as their dangers to humans), and introduces Stacy to a new alternative that repels pests via electromagnetic waves. By simply adding the Catandog tag to your pet's collar, you can protect it from all flying parasites. Sound too good to be true? Nina explains the tag creates a electromagnetic field when it interacts with your pet's skin, which repels bugs and makes them "just go away." Nina also describes the benefits of diatomaceous earth for reducing pest populations around community cat colonies.

Learn more at www.catandogs.net

Ep128 - Aimee St. Arnaud Jan 07, 2017

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Interview! Aimee St. Arnaud-Relaunch- Director at Humane Alliance a Program of the ASPCA

"We need to focus on stopping the problem at the root… that's why we focus on prevention."

In today's episode we are relaunching Aimee St. Arnaud's super podcast, as we had a technical glitch. Since the episode was only live for a short period of time, we want to make sure you have a chance to listen to this awesome interview! Enjoy.

Aimee St. Arnaud works for the Humane Alliance training vets and community advocates who want to open spay-neuter clinics. She first got the idea to open her own spay-neuter clinic when volunteering with the Toledo Area Humane Society and their Operation Felix, a monthly MASH clinic. After seeing the dearth of resources for cats and the invisibility of the problem even within the animal welfare world, she started the Humane Ohio Spay/Neuter Clinic, which performs 15,000 spay/neuter surgeries a year, 70% of which are cats. She is a big advocate of "spaying it forward," which involves creating supportive community environments in which clinics can grow, making education resources accessible to advocates at any level, and respecting private vets in the area by referring clients of her clinic for most wellness cases. Find her as well as a multitude of free resources at humanealliance.org.

Ep127 - Bryan Kortis Jan 05, 2017

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Interview! Bryan Kortis, Director of National Programs, Neighborhood Cats

"We've been able to return cats to colonies that otherwise would have been lost in the system."

In his return to the Podcast, Bryan tells Stacy about his recent move to Maui (we're a little jealous!), which is in crisis when it comes to stray and feral cat populations. He and his wife moved there to bring "progressive and enlightened" thinking to how this community deals with these cats, as well as advocating for the spay/neuter and resources needed to make an impact. He and Stacy also discuss Bryan's newly available "Cat Stats" database, which is a free TNR program management tool that he built to assist caretakers, trappers, and TNR programs. It facilitates communication among participants, helps map and organize data, and professionalizes a TNR program.

Find out more at www.catstats.org

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