The Community Cats Podcast

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Ep65 Linda Gage Sep 14, 2016

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Interview! Linda Gage, No More Homeless Pets Network Specialist, Best Friends Animal Society

Linda outlines the myriad resources that the No More Homeless Pets Network offers to small organizations around the country: ideas on how to get a Community Cats program started, marketing tool kits, grants and financial aid and the opportunity for sharing ideas and connecting with other groups currently engaged in the same activities. "There's no need to reinvent the wheel," she observes. "A lot of groups are doing this really well." She works with both urban and rural groups, each of whom have their own challenges. "People have a pre-conceived notion about what's best for a cat they see outdoors. When I see that mindset change, I get excited." For more information please visit fcnmhp.org.

Ep 64 - Ollie Davidson Sep 13, 2016

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Interview! Ollie Davidson of Almond & Olive Ollie has two passions: animal welfare and music. He and his musical partner, Natalie Alms, are about to drop their debut album, and are donating a portion of its sales to the Jackson Galaxy Foundation. Ollie met Jackson (who also plays music in his spare time) a few years ago and they've kept in touch given their shared interests. Ollie has played a number of professional roles in the animal welfare world, involved with programs, shelter operations, managing volunteers and digital marketing. He discusses the importance of "balance" to avoid burnout among staff and volunteers, the challenge of having a non-profit's board and staff aligned as to the organization's goals, and his 'fantastic looking" backyard colony of cats. For more information please visit facebook.com/almondolivemusic.

Ep63 - Kelley Bollen Sep 10, 2016

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Interview! Kelley Bollen, Owner and Director of Animal Alliances Consulting Firm

Kelley earned a Master's in Animal Behavior, has taught at Cornell Veterinary School, and now consults with both pet owners and shelters to improve life and outcomes for companion animals. She and Stacy talk all things behavior, and how to make life for cats happier and healthier. Kelley offers some useful tips to help Stacy's rotund cat slim down, a number of great ideas for providing more enjoyment and enrichment for a kitty [play some bird song CD's!] and tackles the always-problematic issue of litter box avoidance. She notes that she frequently feels like a detective when trying to narrow down the reasons why a cat is eliminating inappropriately. About covered boxes, she notes, "How do you feel when you have to go into a Porta-potty? That's what a covered box can be for a cat." For more information please visit animalalliances.com.

Ep62 - Bonnie Geisler Sep 09, 2016

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Interview! Bonnie Geisler, President and Founder, Felines and Friends Foundation (VT)

Bonnie's utilized partnerships with many different organizations to contribute to the success of the Feline and Friends Foundation, which has helped 2000 cats in just three years, in one of Vermont's poorest countries. She borrowed her game plan from NY's renowned Neighborhood Cats, built a relationship with an open admission shelter to handle the friendly cats and kittens her group finds, and partnered with a supportive veterinary practice to provide surgeries and health care. She proposes that TNR is not just for cats but for the community: both the caretakers who love the cats, and the "non-cat" people who want to see the local feline population reduced. "We're making our communities more livable for everyone." For more information please visit fffvt.org.

Ep61 - Cameron Moore Sep 08, 2016

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Interview! Cameron Moore, Project Manager, Target Zero

Given Cameron's contribution to a diverse number of game-changing initiatives, she and Stacy have a wide-ranging conversation about a number of topics related to TNR, abandonment and adoption programs, and helping communities get the support they need to get to the goal of zero euthanasias for healthy dogs and cats. Cameron discusses "community cat diversion": the retraining of people to stop bringing outdoor cats to shelters and, rather, to spay/neuter/vaccinate them and return them to their outdoor homes. She also stresses the importance of removing barriers for cat owners to get their pets fixed: "it's on their to-do list, but things get in the way." "Cats are part of our landscape...we need to do what we can to help them and the people who take care of them." For more information please visit target-zero.org.

Ep60 - Sherri Gustafson Sep 07, 2016

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Interview! Sherri Gustafson, Spay/Neuter Community Liaison for the Massachusetts Animal Fund

Sherri serves as the Spay/Neuter Community Liaison for the Massachusetts Animal Fund, which provides a voucher program for low income pet owners. This program focuses on three main priorities: S/N support for municipal shelters, providing vouchers for low income pet owners, and providing TNR opportunities for community cats. She and Stacy also discuss Animal Control Officer training, rabies control within feral colonies, and emergency funding for issues such as animal hoarding.

For more information please visit massanimalfund.com.

Ep 59 - Pamela Krausz Sep 06, 2016

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Interview! Pamela Krausz, Founder and Executive Director of Vermont Companion Animal Neutering Pamela is a founder and the executive director of Vermont Companion Animal Neutering (VT-CAN), a low cost, high volume spay/neuter clinic. As a stationary clinic with a mash-stlye component, VT-CAN performs approximately 3,200 spays/neuters per year in central Vermont, with an additional 2,000 per year as partner to the Felines and Friends Foundation in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom. Pamela has extensive experience working with barn cat populations, a common situation in rural areas. She discusses certain challenges related to this type of cat community, including the misconception that barns are healthier places for stray or abandoned in-tact community cats than shelters. Pamela also discusses the challenge of retaining veterinarians for S/N clinics, the Spay the Mom program, and grant writing. For more information please visit vt-can.org.

Ep 58 - Heidi Colonna Sep 03, 2016

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Interview! Heidi Colonna, Curriculum Development Manager for the Humane Society of the United States and Board Member with Association of Professional Humane Educators

Heidi was volunteering at a local shelter in 1994, which compelled her to choose animal science and public policy over a potential business degree. She discusses her focus on 'preventable people problems' and believes education and awareness are key to changing attitudes about all aspects of animal welfare. She and Stacy discuss an array of subjects including past mentors, community cat education through literature, relationships with schools, and the importance of providing engaging activities for school age children. Heidi also outlines an array of education opportunities the Humane Society Academy has to offer, including online trainings and the Certified Humane Education Specialist program. For more information please visit humanesociety.org.

Ep 57 - Kaleel Sakakeeny Sep 02, 2016

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Interview! Kaleel Sakakeeny, Founder, The Other Me Coaching

After experiencing the passing of a companion cat, Kaleel's initial interest in animal communication led him to a deeper study of this intuitive practice. In his discussion with Stacy, he explains the premise of animal communication, including the quieting of the mind to facilitate a connection with the animal client. A relationship coach as well as animal communicator, Kaleel volunteers at Gifford Animal Shelter and is a strong advocate of using interspecies communication to create stress-free environments for shelter cats, community cats, and all animal companions. For more information please visit theothermecoaching.com.

Ep 56 - Sarah Pizano Sep 01, 2016

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A graduate of Cornell's College of Veterinary program, Sarah is the Program Director for Target Zero, a national initiative focused on assisting financially struggling shelters. She discusses the ways in which this program helps subsidize fixed income pet owners across the country, allowing spay and neuter opportunities that result in drastic decreases in shelter intake. The Community Cat Diversion Program, implemented by Target Zero, prioritizes updating antiquated ordinances and codes through communicating with and educating elected officials. Sarah and Stacy also discuss the debate over the definition of an 'abandoned' cat, and ways to determine abandonment. Sarah's passion and commitment is clear as she shares her views and experiences. For more information please visit target-zero.org.

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