The Community Cats Podcast

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Ep105 - Katie Lisnik Nov 15, 2016

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

"Taking an active role in legislation is the only way we're going to move the ball forward."

In her return appearance on the Podcast, Katie plays "Around the Country Policy for Cats" with Stacy, detailing the successes and challenges in four different states: Delaware, Hawaii, Virginia and Illinois. In her role at HSUS, Katie's on the front line of legislative and public policy efforts that can impact positive change for Community Cats. She calls Hawaii "a cauldron of challenges" due to its indigenous species vulnerable to cats, and calls Delaware a "great pilot area to test new ideas." Not surprisingly, progress only comes when disparate groups come together to work out their differences. She stresses how important policy can be in outcomes for cats: "In many cases we need to make some changes at the state and ordinance level in order to do the life-saving work we want to do." For more information, visit humanesociety.org.

Ep104 - Sally Williams Nov 12, 2016

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Interview! Sally Williams, Founder, The Brodie Fund

"I think the thing that makes us a little different, and our goals quite lofty as well, is that we are putting the focus on quality of life and not the diagnosis."

Sally is a cat behavior consultant and the founder and director of The Brodie Fund, a non-profit organization offering financial assistance to pet owners dealing with a pet's cancer diagnosis. Sally's beloved cat Brodie, a shelter rescue with a large and loving personality, battled cancer at the age of twelve. Through conversations with the oncologist and fellow pet owners about the overwhelming financial hurdles, The Brodie Fund was born. Sally discusses what makes this program stand out from others, including availability for senior pets and adoptable shelter pets to qualify for assistance. She shares success stories and promotes The Brodie Fund Movie, a short video on YouTube. For more information, visit thebrodiefund.org and Team Brodie on Facebook.

Ep103 - Sharon Secovich Nov 10, 2016

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Interview! Sharon Secovich, Co-founder, Spay Maine

"What I've found is a lot of people will feed but they don't have the knowledge or wherewithal or the means to trap. So the only way to get our feral cat population down is with trapping help."

After her first career as an environmental geologist, Sharon pursued a public policy career that led to work as a legislative advocate and community cat program manager for the Animal Welfare Society shelter in West Kennebunk Maine. As a volunteer for the government-run spay/neuter program Help Fix Me, she speaks candidly with Stacy about the frustration she has experienced while defending funding through legislation and policy, particularly against pet food lobbyists. Sharon also discusses her work with The Cleo Fund, Maine's very first spay/neuter program that offers free spay/neuter for feral cats and low cost health care for dogs and cats across the state.

For more information, email Sharon at sjsecovich@gmail.com or visit spaymaine.org and their Facebook page.

Ep102 - Dr. Margaret Slater Nov 08, 2016

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Interview! Dr. Margaret Slater, Senior Director of Veterinary Epidemiology Research and Development for the ASPCA

"One of the things that we've found really helpful in all kinds of programs and projects is to couch it as a pilot… you can succeed and the prove that it does actually work…"

Author of Feral Cats: Problems, Alternatives, and Recommendations and Veterinary Epidemiology: An Evidence Based Approach, Dr. Slater's tireless efforts have educated both the animal welfare and general communities since she began studying epidemiology in the early nineties. Her first experience starting a TNR program was inspired by a student at Texas A & M University campus, where she taught for over fifteen years. In her discussion with Stacy, she offers ways to tackle management of college campus cat colonies. Dr. Slater also discusses the importance of data-tracking for TNR techniques, colony lifestyles, and grant-funding. Dr. Slater's work involving population dynamics modeling with the Alliance for Contraception for Cats and Dogs has been key element in promoting and cultivating new TNR techniques. For more information, contact Dr. Slater at margaret.slater@aspca.org.

Ep101 - Audra Farrell Nov 05, 2016

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Interview! Audra Farrell, Community Cares Program Supervisor at the San Francisco SPCA

"I have found even the fiercest of ferals can be really great moms, so their concern is more taking care of their kittens than have to deal with us."

Through the Mama from the Streets program, San Francisco's shelters are combining TNR for feral mothers with adoption of their kittens. As San Francisco's SPCA's Community Cares Program Supervisor, Audra advocates strongly for this humane way of gradually decreasing numbers in cat colonies. She discusses the correlation between TNR numbers and shelter intake as a positive gauge for TNR effectiveness, and believes spay/neuter education is key to winning the battle against overpopulation.

To learn more, visit sfspca.org or call the Community Cares line in San Francisco at 414-522-3539.

Ep100 - Deborah Schutt Nov 03, 2016

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Interview! Deborah Schutt, Co-Founder Michigan Pet Fund Alliance

"Attending conferences, understanding what other people are doing, and adding to the tool kit is really important."

The co-founder of the Michigan Pet Fund Alliance, Deborah began her journey into the animal welfare field with dog fostering. Time and experience led her to TNR, feral cat welfare, and a passion for exploring different tactics to improve shelters and rescues. She and Stacy discuss no-kill philosophies and goals, as well as the process of uniting home-based rescues and shelters through education and data analysis. With approximately 185 shelters in Michigan, the Pet Fund Alliance produced data-based performance reports that created a deeper understanding of both impacts and needs of shelters across the state. Michigan boasts over 100 no-kill shelters, with fifty four out of eighty counties being no-kill. Deborah's understanding of the many different approaches to the homeless animal dilemma has no doubt influenced these statistics. To learn more, visit michiganpetfund.org as well as the Michigan Pet Fund Alliance's Facebook page.

Ep99 - Kristen Petrie Nov 01, 2016

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Interview! Kristen Petrie, Creative Director, Mellarium and Technical Cat, Community Cats Podcast

"The brand is important and it is an asset to any organization, whether they are big or small. It's your face to the rest of the world."

Kristen began her career in cat rescue as an adoption counselor at the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society while launching her own graphic design business. She subsequently became involved in both the branding and production components of both MRFRS and Community Cats Podcast, bringing her enthusiasm, experience, and love of cats to the world of non-profits. Stacy and Kristen discuss challenges and rewards to non-profit branding, and what to look for in a brand manager as well as support volunteers. Known for her penchant for fostering the more challenging sick and feral cats, Kristen remains active on the frontlines as well as behind the scenes. To learn more, contact Kristen at kp@mellarium.com or visit mellariumcreative.com.

Ep98 - Sheila Massey Oct 29, 2016

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Interview! Sheila Massey, Neighborhood Activist - NYC

"I found that I spent half my time explaining TNR and working with the community so that they would buy in and accept the cats."

Sheila dove into the world of community cats after retiring from work as a forensic accountant and corporate fraud auditor. She became certified in TNR in 2008, now volunteers at the Brooklyn Cat Café, and is a diligent advocate for New York City's feral cat communities. From the city's 600 or so community gardens to various church and prison grounds, cat colonies have the potential to provide a significant solution to the city's overwhelming rat population and subsequent health issues. She discusses her struggles and goals to involve the Department of Health and the ASPCA in community education on the process and benefits of TNR. With this goal in mind, Sheila is highly active in NYC's Neighborhood Relations Workshops.

To learn more, visit morrisjumelcats.tumblr.com and catcafebk.com. You can email Sheila at morrisjumelcats@gmail.com.

Ep97 - Martha Smith-Blackmore, DVM Oct 27, 2016

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Interview! Martha Smith-Blackmore, DVM, Founder of Forensic Veterinary Investigations, LLC

"Don't worry about things you can't change…take that passion and make it action and see what you can do."

*Please note, while not graphic, this episode deals with topics related to animal cruelty that some listeners may find disturbing. If you need to skip it, might we suggest listening to this gem from an earlier episode?

During her work as a shelter veterinarian, Martha became curious about a field that barely existed: applying medical forensics to injured and deceased animals. With a group of like-minded thinkers, Martha helped found the International Veterinary Forensic Sciences Association. In her role as an forensic investigator, Martha says one must "take what you see and what you know. and craft a story about what happened." She is a skilled witness during court cases involving animal abuse, neglect and cruelty, with a goal of being "a voice for the animal". She gives advice for cat colony caretakers to help them figure out how to get help when a member of their colony is injured or killed.

For more information visit vetinvestigator.com.

Ep96 - Emma Clifford Oct 27, 2016

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Interview! Emma Clifford, Founder and Executive Director of Animal Balance

"Islands are helping islands, which is exactly what we wanted to happen."

Don't miss this fascinating look at how community cats are being helped around the world by Animal Balance, the brainchild of its founder, Emma Clifford. Beginning with a program in 2004 to assist the Galapagos Islands in managing cats and dogs, which were being poisoned to control their population, Emma describes how Animal Balance put together a "humane animal management plan", despite the fact that there wasn't even a veterinarian in the Galapagos at the time! The program she developed with the support and engagement of the local community has been adapted and brought to 10 other countries, including the Dominican Republic and American Samoa. A plan for Cuba is now in the works. A must listen!

To volunteer: http://animalbalance.net/volunteer/ To donate: http://animalbalance.net/donate/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnimalBalance/

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