Explore every episode of the podcast The Community Cats Podcast
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| Ep 688: The Alien in Your Living Room: What Cats Really Need, with Dr. Katie Hankins, Veterinarian and Founder of Savvy Enrichment | 27 oct. 2026 | 00:28:24 | |
"They're not actually trying to scratch your couch and cause disaster. They're just doing what cats do." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and The Community Cat Clinic. Dr. Katie Hankins has been a veterinarian for nearly 30 years, and much of that time she's spent on behavioral medicine, where the root issue usually turns out to be unmet needs rather than a "bad" animal. Joining Stacy from Sydney, Australia, Katie argues that we've gotten the idea of enrichment backward. We treat it as an optional extra, like icing on a cupcake, when it's really about recognizing that we've brought a completely different species into our homes and asking what that species needs to thrive. For cats, that means scratching surfaces, vertical space, room to get away from housemates, and food that takes some work to get. Katie walks through five categories of enrichment (physical, social, dietary, sensory, and cognitive) and explains why indoor cats in particular need us to curate their world. Stressed cats don't announce it. Instead they turn up at the vet with urinary problems, over-grooming, or gut issues. She also covers practical feeding advice for both indoor cats and TNR colonies, plus why food and water bowls shouldn't sit side by side. Litter boxes get a thorough look, too. Katie explains why litter box trouble is such an avoidable reason cats end up in shelters, why three boxes lined up in a row count as just one, and why she'd happily ban long-lasting crystal litter. She shares a recent home visit where a narrow hallway turned into contested territory between two cats, and how a few shelves solved it. Finally, she introduces Savvy Enrichment, an app she built to make daily enrichment easy instead of one more thing to feel guilty about. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 687: Trapping Colonies, Not Cats, with Julie Morriss Community and Outreach Associate for Animal Birth Control Clinic | 20 oct. 2026 | 00:26:36 | |
"If you're not doing targeted trapping, you're working too hard. You're working way too hard." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and Jessica Dolce, Compassion Fatigue + Grief Educator. Julie Morriss has 30 years in animal welfare behind her, but the Summerlee Sustainable Solutions Grant Program still changed how she works. After taking the Community Cat Program Management course, she brought targeted trapping home to Waco, Texas. The results came fast. Julie walks through a 40-to-55-cat colony that reached 99% sterilization in about seven and a half months and had no new kittens this year. She also shares how she uses trap training and drop traps on the toughest cats. Stacy and Julie also discuss who the course is for and why every town needs a community cat expert. Julie's message to everyone in the field is to keep going, because every cat counts. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 686: The Free Helpline Keeping Cats in Their Homes, with Matt Wildman, Founder and Director of National Cat Behavior Helpline | 13 oct. 2026 | 00:33:25 | |
"In terms of surrender prevention, this is low-hanging fruit. It costs nothing." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and Jessica Dolce, Compassion Fatigue + Grief Educator. Matt Wildman grew up with as many as nine rescue dogs and didn't have a real relationship with a cat until he was 26. That's when he met his girlfriend and her six cats. One of them, Shirley, licked him on the head while he was resting, and he was smitten. Matt went from teaching high school history in Brooklyn to humane education at Animal Care Centers of NYC. Later, at a Humane World for Animals surrender-prevention program, he asked certified cat behavior consultant Beth Adelman to teach him everything she knew. Three years and dozens of cases under her mentorship turned him into a cat behaviorist. The idea for a national helpline had been on his mind since 2013, when he built a cat behavior counseling course that trained 250 shelter and rescue staff and volunteers. Shelters kept losing their trained counselors to turnover, though, and the gap never closed. When Humane World asked him to rebuild the course, Matt saw his chance. He emailed all 250 past students, recruited his first volunteers from that list, and launched the National Cat Behavior Helpline in March. It's free for shelters and for cat owners, it runs entirely by phone, and it's built on follow-up. Volunteers keep calling until a case is resolved, and they offer practical, judgment-free advice that fits each person's time and budget. Stacy and Matt also get into the questions shelters hear every day. They cover play aggression in under-stimulated cats, why you shouldn't adopt a second cat to fix a behavior problem, how spay/neuter can change behavior, and what to do when community cats outside the window upset the cat inside. Matt also shares his "small desert" approach to litter boxes. His request to shelters is simple: send cases his way, because keeping cats in their homes is what the helpline is for.[/one_second] [one_second]Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 685: Feeding Plans, Not Feeding Bans, with Danielle Bays, Senior Program Manager for Cat Protection and Policy at Humane World for Animals | 06 oct. 2026 | 00:29:26 | |
"We're not hiding in back alleys in the dark at night. We're out there on the streets, on the front lines, and we're in city hall." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and Jessica Dolce, Compassion Fatigue + Grief Educator. Danielle Bays planned to be a veterinarian until a cat with his leg caught in a leghold trap was left in the parking lot of the clinic where she worked. He recovered, but the question stayed with her: how does this happen in the first place? That question led her into animal policy, and years later a family of feral cats in her new backyard brought her back to cats and to building a citywide community cat program for Washington, D.C. In this conversation with Stacy, Danielle explains where the laws that affect cats are really made: at your city council and county commission, not in Congress. The people in those seats are your neighbors. They have a lot on their plates, and you should assume they know nothing about TNR. Her advice is to introduce yourself before there's a problem, because the first thing an official usually hears about cats is a complaint. That's often how feeding bans happen. Danielle describes how cats get folded into wildlife feeding restrictions without anyone noticing until the ordinance has passed. She also lays out the alternative: timed meals instead of food left out, clean sites, permission from property owners, and caretakers who feel safe feeding in the open. As she points out, once you prohibit something, you can no longer monitor whether it's being done well. Danielle and Stacy also get into return-to-field, including what sets it apart from TNR and why the updated Return-to-Field Handbook moves away from yes-or-no rules toward decisions about each individual cat. They close with the veterinary shortage and a reminder for tense times: whatever someone's politics, you can almost always find common ground by talking about cats.[/one_second] [one_second]Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 684: Building TNR That Lasts: A Data-Driven Model From Penang, with Daniel Leung, Co-Founder and CEO of Catsoterra | 29 sept. 2026 | 00:36:20 | |
"In truth, we prove statistically how little funding is needed to create a real impact." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, TNR Training Workshop Presented by Neighborhood Cats, and Jessica Dolce, Compassion Fatigue + Grief Educator. Daniel Leung got into TNR the way many of us do. He worked on a farm in college, ignored his manager's warning never to feed the stray cats, and soon had dozens of them. A local TNR group came in to help, Daniel started volunteering with them, and he kept doing the work, first in Maryland and later with a large colony at a New Jersey hotel while he was traveling as a respiratory therapist during COVID. Then a trip to Penang, Malaysia, changed everything. On an island that may be home to 70,000 to 100,000 stray cats, he saw cats at every market stall and on every street. After several years volunteering with local groups, Daniel felt the system was stuck, so he started something new. Cats of Penang began as a small grassroots effort and has grown into Catsoterra, which is built around the problems local caretakers kept running into: no government support, high costs and prices nobody would disclose. Daniel negotiated fixed rates with partner clinics and pre-funded the surgeries. He also built an online dashboard where volunteers book appointments, track outcomes and map where the cats come from. Volunteers pay an annual membership of 60 ringgit and can bring in as many cats as they need all year. So far, nearly 900 cats have been sterilized for about US$14,000. Stacy and Daniel talk about what scale really requires. That includes the veterinary shortage in Malaysia, the cultural habit of letting owned cats roam, and why a 10-year plan matters when you're trying to move a whole island's numbers. They also get into apathy, business partnerships and Stacy's vision of a "cat church" in every town where neighbors help one another care for community cats. Daniel's message to the field is to get out of the old models and let the data make the case. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 683: They're Not Spicy, They're Scared - Handling Fearful and Aggressive Shelter Cats, with Berlin Waters, Founder of The Spicy Cat Project | 22 sept. 2026 | 00:28:08 | |
"Cats aren't spicy. They're not mean. They're just scared." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and Jessica Dolce, Compassion Fatigue + Grief Educator. Berlin Waters grew up in a house full of cats, with a mom who handled TNR for the neighborhood, and she's been a cat lover ever since. That lifelong interest led her to a master's in shelter medicine, where her research focused on handling and socializing fearful and aggressive cats. The result is The Spicy Cat Project, a resource for shelters and caregivers who want a more humane, effective approach to cats with challenging behavior. Berlin is now a third-year vet student with her sights set on shelter medicine and access to care. In this conversation with host Stacy LeBaron, Berlin explains why the cats she works with in shelters are usually owner-surrendered, not feral. They came from homes and they're simply terrified. Rather than leaving hissing cats alone to "decompress" for days or weeks, she argues for early, guided intervention that shows them things are going to be okay. She walks through her slow, step-by-step approach to a cat in a kennel, why she gave up on tools like the fake hand on a stick, and how she uses feral boxes, carriers, and thick folded towels to keep both herself and the cat safe. Stacy and Berlin also dig into some bigger questions in cat welfare. Berlin shares why she thinks we've become over-reliant on gabapentin, which she sees as a useful adjunct but not a substitute for real socialization. Both question the value of behavioral evaluations at intake, comparing them to judging a cat's personality during a vet visit. They also touch on the possible role of pain and stress in aggressive behavior. Berlin's message to adopters and shelters is a cultural shift: a cat that hisses and growls is a scared cat, with a sweet one hiding underneath.[/one_second] [one_second]Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 682: Too Small Is Not a Diagnosis, with Jordyn Purpura Feline Director, Yolo County SPCA; Strategic Advisor, Orphan Kitten Club; Clinical Researcher, Vernau Laboratory at UC Davis | 15 sept. 2026 | 00:22:22 | |
"When we say age is not a disease, we also mean it for the youngest." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and Jessica Dolce, Compassion Fatigue + Grief Educator. Jordyn Purpura started out smuggling orphaned raccoons into his childhood bedroom. Twelve years of neonatal fostering later, he's in his final year of veterinary school, chasing a gap he kept running into from both sides of the exam table: almost nothing in veterinary education begins before eight weeks of age. As a foster parent, that gap sounded like a doctor saying there wasn't much anyone could do. As a shelter worker placing bottle babies, and sometimes being the one present for their euthanasia when no foster could be found, it looked like an entirely preventable loss. For a long time there was a defensible reason not to push harder on kitten medicine: it doesn't matter what a veterinarian is willing to diagnose or prescribe if there's nobody to take that kitten home and feed it every two hours. Jordyn's argument is that this excuse has quietly expired. Foster networks have grown, nurseries have opened, funding has followed. What hasn't caught up is the reflex — too small for blood work, too small for imaging, too small for a medication that was never labeled for a body this size. That reflex has a body count. Kittens remain the animals least likely to leave a shelter alive, not because their medicine is impossible but because almost no one was taught it. Jordyn is teaching it now, to veterinary technicians, to emergency teams, to his own cohort. And he'd like the rest of us to start asking for it out loud.[/one_second] [one_second]Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 681: Making the Case for TNR Without County Buy-In, with Eve Salimbene, President of Street Cat Project of Polk County | 08 sept. 2026 | 00:28:07 | |
"Today's inside cat is tomorrow's outside cat." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and The Community Cat Clinic. Eve Salimbene spent her career in the legal field before moving into animal welfare 26 years ago — and by her own admission, she was a dog person until she landed in Polk County, Florida. There she found a county with groups working on dogs and essentially nothing for cats: a high shelter kill rate, no low-cost spay/neuter anywhere in the county, and a year-round breeding season with none of the winter respite she'd known up north. She posted a question online asking what was being done. The response pulled her in, and in 2020 a brand-new group of volunteers TNR'd 133 cats. Six years later the count is roughly 6,700 — and the 133 looks like the tip of the iceberg. The complication is that TNR isn't condoned in Polk County. The Board of County Commissioners and the sheriff who runs animal control don't believe it works, which puts Eve's team in a strange middle space: vocal enough that caregivers know they aren't alone, careful enough not to get shut down. Some of the people they've helped won't give testimonials for fear of retribution. Eve and Stacy dig into where the cats actually come from, why Eve believes proactive municipal investment beats two more decades of trap and kill, and what a real pilot project would need to look like. Three smaller municipalities have now approached her about running one — and she's pushing for a five-year window with honest baseline numbers. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 680: Small and Mighty: Inside Jersey City's Feral Fixers TNR Club, with Robyn Alcock & Jen Scott, Co-Founders of Feral Fixers TNR Club (Jersey City, NJ) | 01 sept. 2026 | 00:35:56 | |
"It's okay to be small and grassroots." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and The Community Cat Clinic. Robyn Alcock and Jen Scott joined host Stacy LeBaron to talk about Feral Fixers TNR Club, the Jersey City nonprofit they co-founded in 2024 alongside Kathryn Parker after years of trapping independently. In just two years, the all-volunteer group — who all keep full-time jobs — has helped more than 375 cats through TNR, rescue, and medical care. Much of the conversation centered on the realities of running a small "operational board" nonprofit: the governance lessons that shaped their early structure, why they held off on setting formal growth metrics in year one, and how nearly half of the cats they trap turn out to be friendly, adoptable animals rather than TNR candidates — a shift driven largely by the lack of low-cost spay/neuter access in Jersey City. Stacy, Robyn, and Jen also dug into practical solutions: MASH-style pop-up clinic models from groups like Animal Balance and Slomba Shelter Solutions as ways to bring high-volume spay/neuter directly into underserved neighborhoods, and the fundraising path that took Feral Fixers from small individual donors to their first Mission Meow grant and a matching grant from United Spay Alliance's Community Cats Grants program at their two-year mark. It's a useful blueprint for any small, grassroots group trying to prove — as Robyn puts it — that it's okay to be small. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 679: Running on Empty: Compassion Fatigue and Grief in TNR, with Jen Blough, LPC Licensed Professional Counselor & Author | 25 août 2026 | 00:32:41 | |
"It's about knowing your limits, knowing where you are energy-wise, time-wise, resource-wise, and just doing what you can — and knowing that is enough, and that is making a difference." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and Neighborhood Cats TNR Certification Workshop. Jen Blough returns to the podcast after nearly a decade away — she was featured in the show's first fifty episodes — to talk about the work she's built in the years since: helping animal welfare professionals name and navigate the emotional toll of the field. A licensed professional counselor, former shelter worker and animal control officer, and lifelong animal advocate, Jen didn't set out to specialize in compassion fatigue. She backed into it in grad school, when a professor described the symptoms of secondary traumatic stress and she realized he was describing her own life. Much of the conversation is spent untangling terms that get used interchangeably but aren't the same thing. Jen breaks down compassion fatigue as the combination of burnout (which comes from your environment — under-resourced organizations, systemic failures, day-to-day friction) and secondary traumatic stress (which comes from absorbing someone else's trauma, human or animal). She walks through how moral distress and moral injury fit in — the no-good-options decisions that TNR caregivers and shelter workers face constantly — and why none of these, despite how real they feel, show up in the DSM. The back half of the conversation turns to grief, and this is where the discussion gets specific to community cat work. Jen introduces two concepts: disenfranchised grief (loss that society doesn't validate, which often includes animal loss) and ambiguous loss (grief without closure — not knowing what happened to a cat who stops showing up at a colony). Stacy and Jen talk through the real tension caregivers face around outdoor cats aging out of a colony, and how organizations can handle transparency with volunteers about euthanasia and loss without either traumatizing them or leaving them in the dark. Jen closes with practical advice on knowing your limits and recognizing that showing up in smaller ways — a donation, a shared post, a bag of food — still counts as meaningful advocacy. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 678: Ctrl+Alt+Meow: How an IT Guy Built a Home for Cat Lovers, with Darein Gray, Founder of Paw-Events.com | 18 août 2026 | 00:19:51 | |
"There's not a lot of that — you don't really hear about cat parks or cat meetups. So I wanted to try and change that." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and The Community Cat Clinic. Darein Gray never set out to build a pet-industry platform — he's an IT guy by trade, working in data and business analytics. But when he noticed there was no real gathering space for cat people the way there is for dog people, he taught himself the tools to build one. What started as a solo passion project has grown into Paw-Events.com, a free directory now covering 60-plus U.S. cities, connecting cat and dog lovers with adoption days, spay/neuter clinics, rescue fundraisers, cat cafés, and community meetups in one searchable place. Host Stacy LeBaron and Darein dig into how the platform actually works for TNR and community cat programs specifically — not just the bake-sale-and-fun-run events people usually picture. Organizations running mobile spay/neuter clinics, trapping events, or vaccination and microchipping days can list by city and neighborhood, filtered so people can find exactly what's happening near them. Darein talks through how smaller grassroots groups, which often don't have the advertising muscle of a PAWS or a Humane Society, can get the same visibility as the big names — and how individuals, not just organizations, are welcome to list events too, after a basic vetting process. The conversation also covers the platform's education side (ESA and service animal resources, vaccination info, cat training events), its city-hub structure and how organic communities form within bigger metro areas, and Darein's openness to expanding into new states and regions when local advocates reach out. For anyone doing outreach for a workshop, clinic, or trapping event, this episode is a look at a free tool built specifically to solve the "how do we get the word out" problem. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 677: The Environment Makes the Cat: The SAFE Framework for Community Cat Adoption, with Jodi Belongié, RVT, Co-founder of Chico Cat Café, Founder & Executive Director of The CATS Foundation | 11 août 2026 | 00:27:47 | |
"The environment we build around a cat shapes her outcome more than any single intervention we can ever make." his episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and The Community Cat Clinic. Jodi Belongié has spent more than 25 years in animal welfare and shelter medicine, driven by a question that traces back to age 14, when she talked her way into fostering an abandoned pregnant cat with no rescue to call. That instinct — that the systems cats need don't have to already exist, you can build them — led her to co-found the Chico Cat Café in 2021, which became the proving ground for what she calls the SAFE framework: an original behavioral welfare model, developed through the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program, that reframes adoption assessment around a single question — not "is this cat adoptable?" but "is this environment giving her a fair chance to show us who she is?"
Jodi and Stacey dig into what that looked like in practice: the café's deliberately home-like design, hard caps on capacity (never more than 12–14 cats, nine visitors an hour), and a rescue-based intake process built to get cats settled before they ever meet an adopter. The conversation widens into Jodi's vision for community cat management's next chapter — small, replicable hubs that go beyond adoption into trap depots, spay/neuter access, and food pantries, especially in the rural and under-resourced areas philanthropy tends to overlook. That's the mission behind The CATS Foundation, launching spring 2027.
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Editor's note: Since this conversation was recorded, Jodi has closed Chico Cat Café, paused The CATS Foundation, and consolidated her cats-centric consulting and publishing work under Nine Lives Strategies. | |||
| Ep 676: The Cat Who Came Home After Five Years: Inside a Shelter's Return-to-Home Playbook with Corinne Bourgoin, Shelter Operations Supervisor at the MSPCA Boston Adoption Center | 04 août 2026 | 00:30:49 | |
This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and The Community Cat Clinic. Corinne Bourgoin returns to the podcast five years after her first appearance, and the numbers show what's changed: the MSPCA Boston Adoption Center's return-to-home rate for cats hit 33% in 2025, more than six times the roughly 5% national average. She draws a careful distinction between "return to owner" and "return to home" — sometimes a cat goes back to one caretaker, sometimes to a neighborhood that's been caring for it collectively — and traces the results back to a mindset shift: assume every stray has someone looking for it, and treat reunification as the shelter's job, not just the owner's. From there, Corinne gets practical. A dedicated, well-followed Facebook page puts stray photos in front of the neighborhoods cats actually came from. For microchipped cats, she doesn't stop at the manufacturer's registry — she cross-checks petmicrochiplookup.com for the most current database, then follows up with whoever implanted the chip. She also shares how anyone can do this detective work before a cat ever reaches a shelter: neighbor conversations, Nextdoor and community Facebook posts, flyers, and "paper collars" — a strip of paper taped around a friendly cat's neck asking, "Is this your cat?" Technology like AirTags helps, but she's clear it's only half the equation; the other half is neighbors staying present in their own communities. The conversation turns to ear tips and how "community cat" has shifted from a behavioral judgment call to a population-risk one — any unaltered outdoor cat, tipped or not. Corinne's years at Maui Humane Society gave that shift real stakes: during the Maui wildfires, more than 600 cats survived the burn zone, many already sterilized and ear-tipped, which meant no kitten boom compounding the recovery. She closes with Tiger, a geriatric cat who arrived at the shelter after five years missing — his microchip led her to an owner who'd long given up hope, and he walked straight to the cabinet where his food bowl used to sit. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 675: Cats Pick Their People: Inside Florida's First Cat Cafe Franchise with Sandra Cagan Founder & CEO of the Orlando Cat Cafe | 28 juil. 2026 | 00:26:34 | |
This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and The Community Cat Clinic. Sandra Cagan spent decades in property management before a milestone birthday and a brief human-interest news story about a New York cat cafe sent her in a new direction. She cold-emailed her county commissioner in Lake County, Florida — "You're gonna think I'm crazy, but this is what I want to do" — and had his support within the hour. The Orlando Cat Cafe opened in September 2016 as Florida's first cat cafe, and this year marks its 10th anniversary alongside the Community Cats Podcast's own. Sandra built it as a business first: a full-service cafe rather than packaged snacks, separate AC and filtration systems to keep the cafe and cat areas from cross-contaminating, and a "sweet spot" of about 28 cats at a time in a 1,000-square-foot play area, refreshed weekly by exclusive shelter partner SPCA Florida. All 489 adoptions facilitated last year sent 100% of the fee straight to SPCA Florida — a public-private model she credits partly to a public administration master's she earned during the pandemic. That same pandemic tested her resolve: Florida ordered the cafe closed, and she kept it shut into late July rather than reopen too soon, paying her staff the whole time. Her advice to other cat cafe owners: keep six months of reserves and treat the business like any other, rather than publicly asking for help with basics like a broken AC unit. Ten years in, Sandra has turned that playbook into the country's first cat cafe franchise: 18 months of groundwork, a 500-plus-page operations manual, a $42,750 initial fee, and total investment of roughly $450,000–$650,000 depending on location. She and her team vet franchisees closely and personally scout a shelter partner in every new market, favoring slow, strategic growth — currently focused on the Southeast — over rapid expansion. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 674: From One Alley Cat to 700 Spay/Neuter Surgeries a Year with Debra Magaldi, Director of CatPAWS | 21 juil. 2026 | 00:22:50 | |
"People have to feel like they are making a difference, not earning a buck." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and Neighborhood Cats' TNR Certification Workshop. Debra Magaldi never set out to run a nonprofit. What began as feeding a neighborhood stray in her alley turned into a chance encounter with Helen Sanders herself, and after Helen's passing in 2005, a small fund to feed her jetty cats grew into CatPAWS, a Long Beach and Orange County organization now operating with an all-volunteer board, paid veterinary contractors, and a growing spay/neuter program. Sixteen years in, Debra brings her business background and MBA to a mission she says still runs on a fundamentally different fuel than any company she's worked for. Debra and host Stacy LeBaron dig into what it actually takes to build a volunteer-run organization that lasts. Debra pushes back on the advice to "run your nonprofit like a business," arguing that while structure and strategy matter, people show up because they believe in the cause, not because of a bonus or a quota. She's candid about the cost of starting a new program: it takes far more money than founders expect, and grant and donor funding won't arrive until there's a track record to earn it. She also talks through the hard boundary-setting that comes with leadership, including learning to say no to well-meaning ideas that don't fit the organization's priorities. On the ground, CatPAWS has scaled its spay/neuter access dramatically, moving from a mobile trailer serving only community cats in 2023 to a full surgical suite that opened in 2025 and now serves owned cats as well, with almost 700 cats served since the start of the year and typical wait times of only one to two weeks. Debra also walks through CatPAWS's approach to the question every community cat organization fields constantly: what to do when someone finds a litter of kittens. Her answer starts with checking whether mom is coming back, since kittens who stay with mom have far better survival odds, and points to the organization's "Help, I Found a Cat" guide and DIY kitten kit program as tools that keep vulnerable kittens out of shelters that aren't equipped to bottle-feed around the clock.[/one_second] [one_second]Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 673: The 42-Point Gap Between Loving Your Cat and Getting It to the Vet with Gina Fortunato, Executive Director of the CATalyst Council with Kristin Wuhrman | 14 juil. 2026 | 00:30:00 | |
"It is not a lack of care or love. They love, love, love their cats. They would do anything to give their cat a longer life." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and Feline Infectious Disease Summit 2026. Host Stacy LeBaron talks with Gina Fortunato, Executive Director of CATalyst Council, and Kristin Wuhrman, the organization's Chair and co-founder/Chief Experience Officer of CatsOnly Veterinary Services, about a stark gap in feline care: cats now make up nearly half of U.S. household pets, yet get only a fraction of the veterinary visits dogs do. CATalyst Council, founded in 2008, exists to close that gap with data. Gina explains how a decade-old feline usage study first exposed the problem, while years of "veterinary visits are declining" headlines actually masked cat visits quietly climbing as dog visits fell. She also flags a number that matters to TNR advocates directly: over half of cats are acquired through informal channels rather than shelters, meaning they may never enter a system connected to routine care. Kristin breaks down the real barriers between cat parents and the vet — affordability, carrier stress, and the myth that adult cats need less care — and the data behind them: 93% of cat parents call wellness visits important, but only 51% follow through. She and Gina talk through what's actually working: reframing reminders around a longer life rather than a routine shot, flexible visit schedules, and mobile vet care reaching cats who'd otherwise go without. The conversation closes on Kristin's own work building CatsOnly Veterinary Services, a feline-only hospital model minimizing stress from car to exam room, and a lighter note: the "crazy cat lady" stereotype no longer holds up, with cat ownership now split evenly by gender and a rising share of millennial cat dads. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 672: How Mumbai's Feline Foundation Is Systematically Tackling a Million-Cat City with Pallavi Kamath, Executive Director of The Feline Foundation, Mumbai, India | 07 juil. 2026 | 00:28:33 | |
"The more I work in this field, the more there is to learn — and there's multiple strategies that you have to implement." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and Feline Infectious Disease Summit 2026. Pallavi Kamath grew up fostering kittens in Mumbai, studied animal science at UC Davis, earned a master's in animal public policy, and returned home to lead The Feline Foundation — an NGO she describes as the first in Maharashtra to systematically address the needs of community cats. With an estimated one million cats on Mumbai's streets and no existing population data to work from, the Foundation built its entire approach around a Logical Framework Matrix: a structured problem tree that mapped every welfare challenge and converted each into a program goal, giving the organization three focused pillars — population management, healthcare, and community involvement. On the ground, that means zone-by-zone sterilization across Andheri West, Mumbai's largest suburb. The Foundation divides the area into zones, conducts exhaustive street-by-street cat censuses, organizes local feeders into "carer collectives," and sets monthly TNR targets before returning to repeat the census. Once a zone hits 80% sterilized, it moves into maintenance mode — with community members taking the lead. Six of their 12 zones have crossed that threshold. Pallavi and Stacy also dig into the logistical realities most programs never face: nearly zero access to commercial traps, a handful of expert cat catchers who learned entirely on the job, and a city so geographically dense that sterilizing one neighborhood means immediately contending with cats flowing in from the next. The conversation closes on scalability — how a cat cafe can seed community buy-in, why Mumbai's municipal government is a rare progressive funding partner, and what it would take to open additional centers across a city that still has nowhere near enough sterilization resources. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 671: Saving the African Wildcat: The Race Against Hybridization in South Africa with Louise Holton, President & Founder, and Debbie Holzer, Development & Fundraising Manager, Alley Cat Rescue | 30 juin 2026 | 00:31:27 | |
"The goal isn't so much a set number as the area, and 100% sterilization — which is a lofty goal. But the only thing we can do is keep going." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and Feline Infectious Disease Summit 2026. Louise Holton has been working to protect cats for decades and across continents — from TNR work with the Johannesburg SPCA in the 1970s, to helping establish TNR programs in the UK, to founding Alley Cat Rescue in 1997 as the first national organization in the US dedicated to all cats, friendly and feral alike. She's joined this episode by Debbie Holzer, who has worked alongside her since 2020 and brings a nonprofit development background to ACR's writing, programs, and day-to-day operations. Together they share how their own early connections to cats — Louise's mother's habit of rescuing strays, Debbie's childhood cat she called her best friend — set the stage for lifelong advocacy. Stacy and the team dig into how the community cat landscape itself has shifted: TNR programs built in the '90s for antisocial, "spitfire" feral cats now have to account for a growing population of social, unowned cats living outdoors without a dedicated caregiver. Debbie and Louise talk through what that means for how programs prioritize care, and why leaving a friendly, adoptable-seeming cat outdoors can still be the better outcome when shelter capacity can't absorb every cat that could technically come inside. The conversation's centerpiece is Alley Cat Rescue's African wildcat conservation work. The African wildcat — ancestor of the modern housecat — is losing genetic purity as it interbreeds with domestic and stray cats along the borders of places like Kruger National Park. ACR's strategy is a sterilization "buffer zone" along those borders: spay/neuter and rabies-vaccinate every domestic cat in town after town, closing one community at a time to stop the intermingling. To date, the program has sterilized around 6,000 cats on Kruger's borders and roughly 11,000 more in the Cape region, where a local caregiver has identified seven hybrid cats through DNA testing. Louise and Debbie are candid about the obstacles: a severe veterinary shortage in South Africa (many vets have emigrated), unreliable population data, and almost no dedicated funding for small wild cat species. They highlight mobile vets like Dr. Ina Visser, who packs her own equipment into a car — or a plane — to set up clinics in remote farming communities, including one stop at an abandoned diamond mine with 120 free-roaming cats. The episode closes with a reminder that nobody needs a veterinary degree to help build spay/neuter capacity in their own community, and an invitation for listeners' vets to join Alley Cat Rescue's Feral Fix Challenge, the annual global TNR initiative that has helped sterilize over 600,000 community cats to date.[/one_second] [one_second]Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 670: Bridging the Gap Between Vets and Community Cat Caregivers with Dr. Kevin Lynch, DVM, Veterinarian, Author, and Founder of The Moriches Hospital for Animals | 23 juin 2026 | 00:28:20 | |
"That's my own formula — passion and compassion tempered by dedication and humor." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and Drop Traps: Beginning and Advanced Certification Workshop. After more than five decades behind the exam table, Dr. Kevin Lynch has treated thousands of pets, mentored generations of veterinary staff, and built one of Long Island's longest-running animal hospitals. His new memoir, Off the Leash: Tales From a Lifetime of Healing Pets and Wonder, traces that journey from a 13-year-old kid who talked his way into a part-time job at a local animal hospital to a veterinarian whose guiding philosophy is simple: treating the animal is only half the work, and tending to the person on the other end of the leash is the rest. Dr. Lynch and Stacy dig into one of the thorniest debates in animal welfare: the divide between "indoor-only" advocates and the realities of outdoor and community cat caregiving. Drawing on his own farm-cat memories from working summers on a dairy farm before vet school, he makes the case for listening over judging, and for meeting cat caregivers where they are instead of where a textbook says they should be. From there, the conversation turns practical: how should trappers and community cat program managers actually approach a veterinarian for the first time? Dr. Lynch's answer centers on intention, relationship-building, and showing up with a plan rather than a crisis. The episode also gets personal. Dr. Lynch opens up about compassion fatigue and burnout, a topic he says is as urgent in veterinary medicine today as it's ever been, and shares the daily habits, including a deliberately disciplined relationship with his phone, that keep him from burning out after 51 years in practice. He and Stacy also revisit one of the most harrowing chapters of his career: volunteering with search-and-rescue dogs at Ground Zero after 9/11, an experience he says revealed both the depths of tragedy and the best of human nature. Rounding out the conversation, Dr. Lynch shares a few of the stories from his book, including an unforgettable lesson in slowing down before attempting a DIY tick removal. He also talks about where listeners can find his memoir, his YouTube series The Pet Mindset Show, and the dental care device he invented for dogs and cats. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 669: 10 Years of Community Cats Podcast: A Conversation with Stacy, Kristen, and Mike | 16 juin 2026 | 00:41:09 | |
"We may not all be the same organization, but we all have a very similar goal, and that is a better world for cats ultimately." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and Drop Traps: Beginning and Advanced Certification Workshop. To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Community Cats Podcast, host Stacy LeBaron is joined by Kristen Petrie, Community Cats Central's Technical Tabby, and frequent guest/guest host Mike Phillips of the Urban Cat League in New York City. Rather than a traditional interview, this episode is a candid conversation about the podcast's journey, the evolution of the community cat movement, and what they see on the horizon. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 668: City Kitties: Inside New York's Bodega Cat Movement, with Dan Rimada, Founder of Bodega Cats of New York and Co-Founder of Cats About Town Tours | 09 juin 2026 | 00:27:15 | |
"You can both celebrate them and advocate for them at the same time." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and Drop Traps: Beginning and Advanced Certification Workshop. Dan Rimada didn't set out to start a movement. He just started noticing cats. During the stillness of COVID, when New York City slowed down enough to actually look around, he began noticing the cats living in the bodegas of his Fort Greene, Brooklyn neighborhood and photographing them on his iPhone. What began as a hyper-local Instagram project quickly grew into something much larger — a citywide archive, an advocacy platform, a walking tour company, and now a forthcoming book. Today, Bodega Cats of New York is the most detailed documentation of working cats in New York City corner stores ever assembled, built on four years of relationship-building across all five boroughs. At the heart of Dan's work is a real tension: bodega cats are beloved New York City cultural icons — neighborhood anchors, pest controllers, familiar faces — and they are technically illegal. Under current New York City Health Code, keeping a live animal in a food establishment can result in fines between $200 and $1,500. Dan's 14,000-signature petition changed that conversation. It led to City Council legislation that would eliminate those fines and fund spay/neuter and vaccinations for bodega cats — with Council Member Frank Morano now carrying the bill forward after Keith Powers was term-limited out. A parallel state-level bill, introduced by Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal, goes further, establishing official care standards: designated cat zones, clean water, nutritious food, rest areas, and mandatory spay/neuter. The two bills are designed to work in tandem. Dan also co-founded Cats About Town Tours with cat historian Peggy Gavan, whose blog hatchingcatnyc.com and books on New York City's animal history made her the perfect partner. The tours run through Brooklyn Heights, the Lower East Side, and the Financial District, uncovering the hidden feline history of New York from the 1800s and 1900s — and every ticket sold triggers food donations to a 501(c)(3) cat rescue. His book, Bodega Cats of New York, featuring photography by Gulce Kilkis, arrives from Quarto Publishing in October 2026. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 667: Building the Prevention Layer Animal Welfare Has Been Missing, with BJ Adkins, Founder and Director of Animal Angels Foundation | 02 juin 2026 | 00:16:50 | |
"With animal welfare, we're basically waiting till the roof falls in — when the animals are at the shelter, that's the roof falling in. We have to catch them earlier." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and The Kitten Conference. What if the animal welfare system stopped waiting for families to walk through the shelter door — and started showing up before they ever got there? That's the question driving BJ Adkins, disabled veteran and founder of Animal Angels Foundation (AAF), a prevention-first nonprofit serving seven counties in central Alabama. After years of fostering and watching intake numbers refuse to budge, BJ decided to stop patching the system and start rebuilding its missing layer. AAF isn't a rescue organization. It's prevention infrastructure: programs designed to solve the problems that force pet surrender before surrender ever becomes an option. Those programs include SNIP, a spay/neuter assistance initiative with a $100 stipend for income-qualifying owners; The Bridge, which addresses the financial and housing barriers that most often precede surrender; Finder-to-Foster; Adoption Boost; Landlord Partnership; and Sniff and Greet. Connecting it all is the Animal Welfare Resource Network (AWRN) — a shared technology platform that replaces organizational silos with real-time coordination across shelters, rescues, vet clinics, and community partners. Three participation levels and no cost to join means even change-resistant organizations can get on board. To measure what's working, BJ is partnering with a University of Tennessee researcher to build the evidence base for prevention-first animal welfare — while already fielding calls from Colorado, Tennessee, and the Canadian SPCA. The data is being collected. The network is growing. And if BJ has anything to say about it, the roof won't have to fall in anymore. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 666: Holistic Health for Community Cats - What Nature Already Provides with Angela Ardolino Certified Cannabis & Fungi Clinician and Founder of MycoDog, MycoCat & CBD Dog Health | 26 mai 2026 | 00:29:14 | |
"Mother Nature provides us with all the food and medicine that we need. Food is medicine — and it is the number one thing you can do for any person or animal to help them stay healthy and help their immune system operate." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and The Kitten Conference. What if the best medicine for your community cats isn't found in a bottle — but in a bowl? In this episode, host Stacy LeBaron sits down with Angela Ardolino, a certified cannabis and fungi clinician with over 20 years of expertise in holistic pet wellness and founder of MycoDog, MycoCat, and CBD Dog Health. Angela's path to holistic animal care began with her own recovery from rheumatoid arthritis using plants, mushrooms, and diet — which led her to discover that every animal shares an endocannabinoid system, the body's master regulatory system. With no quality animal products on the market, she spent two years formulating and testing full-spectrum hemp extract and medicinal mushroom tinctures at her rescue farm before bringing them to the public. Stacy and Angela dig into the real cost of kibble — not just financially, but biologically — and make the case for real food, even in small increments, for both owned cats and colony cats. Angela also offers practical guidance on supporting senior and geriatric cats with full-spectrum hemp extract, how to spot trustworthy supplements (look for a COA), and why the endocannabinoid system is the key to keeping cats healthy from the inside out. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 665: From One to Many: Building a Neighborhood-Based Community Cat Program with Tonya Cook, Community Cat Program Manager at Ohio Alleycat Resource | 19 mai 2026 | 00:24:14 | |
"When we look at things on a neighborhood level and we're noticing patterns, noticing new colonies — when something's predictable, it's preventable." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and The Kitten Conference. What does it look like to build a community cat program from scratch — not just logistically, but with real intention about how change happens in a neighborhood? In this episode, Stacy LeBaron speaks with Tonya Cook, Community Cat Program Manager at Ohio Alleycat Resource (OAR) in Cincinnati, about her remarkable journey from neonatal kitten foster to full-time community cat advocate, and what she's learned about scaling impact when you're a team of one. Tonya's path into animal welfare began in 2020 when she started fostering neonatal kittens with Cincinnati Animal CARE. Night feedings and fragile lives gave her a front-row seat to how many kittens were being born outside — and how few resources existed to stop the cycle at the source. That question drove her toward TNR and, ultimately, toward a complete career change. In 2022, she left behind 15 years as a professional photographer to pursue animal welfare full-time, gaining hands-on experience at UCAN and Cincinnati Animal CARE before joining OAR in 2025 to build its community cat program from the ground up. In its pilot year, that program has facilitated the TNR of over 400 cats — most of them trapped by Tonya herself, two days a week, before she recognized the limits of that approach. When burnout began to set in, she did something harder than trapping: she stepped back. That decision led to the creation of OAR's Neighborhood Cat Ambassador Program, which embeds trained volunteers directly into high-need zip codes identified through shelter and rescue data. Ambassadors walk their streets, distribute flyers with QR codes linking to a community cat census, connect caregivers to resources, mediate neighbor disputes, and trap for those who can't. The result is a program that feels less like a service and more like a movement — and one that's bringing neighbors together in the process. Tonya also shares an inspiring story from a mobile home park 20 miles outside Cincinnati, where she spent last spring trapping 58 cats. Earlier this year, the park reached back out — not to ask for help, but to learn how to do it themselves. They've since purchased their own traps, gone door to door, posted on social media, and started bringing cats in weekly. That's the long game Tonya is playing: not just TNR, but teaching communities to sustain the work themselves. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 664: When the Uh-Oh Happens: Pet First Aid and CPR for Every Cat Caregiver with Arden Moore, America's Pet Health and Safety Coach | 12 mai 2026 | 00:27:00 | |
"If you wanna have a real superpower, learn cat first aid." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and Strategies to Reunite Lost Cats with Families Certification Workshop and Increasing Your Impact With Targeted TNR Certification Workshop. Cats are both predator and prey — and that dual nature means they respond to emergencies unlike any other animal. They have five weapons of mass destruction, a flexible spine, and no apologies. When the uh-oh happens, are you ready? In this episode, Stacy sits down with Arden Moore, bestselling author, host of the longest-running pet podcast on the planet, and founder of Pet First Aid 4 U, to talk about what every cat caregiver — whether you're a TNR volunteer, a shelter worker, a foster, or a pet parent — needs to know when a cat is in crisis. Arden draws on 15 years as a master certified pet first aid and CPR instructor to break down how to safely approach an injured or unconscious cat, the right way to perform two-handed CPR (and yes, even kitten CPR), how to transport an injured cat without spiking their fear and stress, and what to keep in your car and home to be truly safety-ready. Stacy and Arden also talk about why community cats present a unique challenge — and how many of the same skills transfer directly to TNR work in the field. You'll also hear about the surprising void in veterinary education around pet first aid, why even vets have frozen during a pet emergency, and how Arden's famous sidekick, Pet Safety Cat Casey — a shelter alum from San Diego Humane Society who stole the show at the Virginia Cat Festival with over 350 people in the room — makes learning these life-saving skills both practical and fun. Stacy and Arden are proud partners through the Community Cats Central e-learning platform, where group packages allow organizations to get their entire teams certified together. If your group of 10 wants to watch, learn, and get individually certified, this is the course for you. Less than 5% of pet owners have ever taken a pet first aid class. That's a big void — and this episode is your invitation to fill it. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 663: Kitten Season Is Coming: What the Data Says and What to Do About It with Tori Fugate, Director of SAC Communications for the ASPCA | 05 mai 2026 | 00:33:25 | |
"If we all came together to solve the problem, to solve the issue, and work together — those are the areas that we would see the most improvement." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and Strategies to Reunite Lost Cats with Families Certification Workshop and Increasing Your Impact With Targeted TNR Certification Workshop. The kittens are coming. We know it every spring, but this year, Shelter Animals Count has the data to prove exactly how big the wave will be — and which organizations will feel it hardest. If your shelter or rescue isn't already ramping up fosters, supplies, and community outreach, this episode is your signal to start today. Tori Fugate is the Director of Communications for Shelter Animals Count — now a program of the ASPCA — and she has spent more than a decade at the intersection of animal welfare and strategic communications. Before joining SAC, she was Chief Communications Officer at KC Pet Project, where she helped transform one of the country's most visible municipal shelters into a national model for innovative, lifesaving work. Tori joins host Stacy LeBaron to unpack the latest findings from SAC's 2025 Annual Data Report — including the striking reality that 59% of all cats entering shelters in 2025 were kittens under five months of age. They dig into how to use zip-code-level intake data to target foster recruitment and community outreach before the floodgates open, and why creative thinking — think paper collars with QR codes to crowdfund spay/neuter costs — may be just as important as resources and policy. They also tackle one of the industry's most alarming trends: only 23% of cats entering shelters in 2025 arrived already spayed or neutered, nearly 3% below pre-pandemic levels. Tori explains how SAC's groundbreaking Altered Status at Intake Report is helping organizations understand where access-to-care gaps are widest — and what shelter communicators can do right now to start closing them. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 662: Scaling Spay/Neuter, Systems Thinking, and the Future of Urban Animal Welfare with Will Zweigart, Executive Director of Flatbush Cats | 28 avr. 2026 | 00:31:28 | |
"Rescue and adoption actually don't scale. It doesn't matter how many you do—you're not preventing more from showing up." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and The Community Cat Clinic. In this compelling episode of the Community Cats Podcast, host Stacey LeBaron sits down with Will Zweigart, the visionary behind Flatbush Cats and creator of the investigative podcast Underfoot. Together, they unpack the "hidden cat crisis" affecting urban communities—particularly in New York City—and explore why traditional approaches to rescue and adoption fall short of creating lasting change. Will shares how his background in strategy and communications shaped a systems-level approach to animal welfare, leading to a bold realization: rescue alone doesn't scale. Instead, sustainable impact lies in increasing access to affordable veterinary care, particularly high-volume spay/neuter services. The conversation dives into the evolution from grassroots rescue work to launching a full-scale clinic, Flatbush Vet, which performed over 7,000 surgeries in a single year. This episode goes beyond storytelling—it's a blueprint for change. From addressing volunteer burnout to building scalable teams, advocating for municipal accountability, and reimagining the role of cities in animal welfare, Will outlines a transformative vision for 2035. Listeners will gain insight into how policy, funding, and public awareness intersect—and why nonprofits must often lead the charge in both service delivery and media storytelling. Whether you're a seasoned rescuer, nonprofit leader, or passionate advocate, this episode challenges you to think bigger, act strategically, and embrace solutions that create lasting impact for cats and communities alike. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 661: From Stray Streets to Smart Shelters: Transforming Cat Welfare in Greece with Julie Kelley, Founder of Let's Be S.M.A.R.T. | 21 avr. 2026 | 00:22:15 | |
"What's better than bringing home a life you saved instead of a souvenir that just sits on a shelf?" This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and The Community Cat Clinic. What does it take to transform a country's approach to stray animal care? In this inspiring episode of the Community Cats Podcast, host Stacy LeBaron reconnects with Julie Kelley—entrepreneur, philanthropist, and founder of Let's Be Smart Greece—to explore how one vision is reshaping feline welfare across borders. Julie shares the story behind her move from the United States to Greece and how witnessing widespread stray populations sparked a mission rooted in education, community collaboration, and sustainable solutions. Through Let's Be Smart, Julie has developed a multifaceted model that blends Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), municipality partnerships, and innovative "Smart Yards" to create safer, more structured environments for community cats. Listeners will get an inside look at Julie's unique shelter concept—a home-like villa where cats live freely alongside volunteers from around the world. This approach not only improves feline well-being but also accelerates socialization and adoption success. Julie also discusses the organization's growing "adoption vacation" initiative, helping tourists responsibly bring Greek cats home after proper medical preparation. The conversation dives into recent legislative progress in Greece, the importance of youth education, and the evolving role of municipalities in animal welfare. Julie's long-term vision? A global shift toward more humane, integrated shelter models that treat animals as family—not inventory. Whether you're involved in rescue, advocacy, or simply love cats, this episode offers a powerful reminder: meaningful change happens when compassion meets strategy. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 660: From Skeptics to Advocates: Launching TNR in an Underserved Rural Community with TyAnn Sumpter, Manager of Shelter Support at Charleston Animal Society | 14 avr. 2026 | 00:36:11 | |
"Community cats — it's really about the community. It brings the community together." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and the Feline Behavior Summit 2026. What does it take to build a community cat program from scratch in a rural, under-resourced area where nearly everyone — officers, residents, and administrators alike — is convinced it won't work? In this episode of the Community Cats Podcast, host Stacy LeBaron sits down with TyAnn Sumpter, Manager of Shelter Support at Charleston Animal Society, to walk through one of the most compelling TNR success stories in recent memory. TyAnn came to animal welfare from the business world, and it was that entrepreneurial mindset that helped her see past the resistance and build something lasting in Florence County, South Carolina. TyAnn shares how she designed and launched the region's first TNR initiative using existing call log data, enthusiastic volunteers, and animal control officers who already knew which neighborhoods needed help. What started as a one-year, grant-funded pilot ended up spaying and neutering 1,700 cats in year one alone. By year two, the shelter that had previously taken in roughly a thousand cats annually had dropped its intake to just 73. The ripple effects are just as remarkable. Neighboring Darlington County started calling to ask why they didn't have a program, and TyAnn helped them get set up. Florence County eventually hired its own dedicated community cat coordinator, purchased its own transport van, and secured permanent budget funding — all things that would have seemed unimaginable when TyAnn first walked through that shelter door. She also makes a compelling case for using complaint call reductions and cost savings to win over skeptical municipal administrators. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 656: Bridging the Gap in Access to Care with Claire Schuch, Associate Director of Research for University of Tennessee, Knoxville Center for Pet Family Well-Being | 07 avr. 2026 | 00:26:36 | |
"We might think access to veterinary care is just an issue for low-income families—but the reality is, it affects people across income levels, for very different reasons." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and the Feline Behavior Summit 2026. Access to veterinary care is one of the most pressing—and complex—issues facing pet families today. In this episode of the Community Cats Podcast, host Stacy LeBaron sits down with researcher Claire Shuch, PhD, to unpack the latest findings from a groundbreaking national study on barriers to veterinary care. Drawing from her work with the University of Tennessee Knoxville's Program for Pet Health Equity, Claire shares insights from the updated Access to Veterinary Care: Barriers and Insights from Pet Families report. This research builds on the foundational 2018 study and reveals how economic pressures, workforce shortages, and lingering pandemic effects continue to shape how—and whether—families can care for their pets. Listeners will discover surprising truths about who struggles to access care (hint: it's not just low-income households), why many cats remain unspayed or unvaccinated, and how logistical challenges like scheduling and clinic availability play a major role. The conversation also explores the broader "One Health" framework, highlighting how human, animal, and environmental health are deeply interconnected. For community cat advocates, this episode offers valuable context on intake trends, stray adoption patterns, and opportunities for intervention through education and accessible services. Claire also paints a compelling vision of a more integrated future—where human and animal healthcare services are co-located or mobile, reaching underserved communities more effectively. Whether you're a rescuer, veterinarian, policymaker, or passionate cat lover, this episode provides both data-driven insights and hopeful possibilities for improving care access nationwide. Press Play Now For:
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Episode Update! Since the recording of this episode, The Program for Pet Health Equity (PPHE) is now the Center for Pet Family Well-Being (CPFW). The links listed above and mentioned in the episode should forward you to the new, relevant information, but you can check out this article for all the details about the change. | |||
| Ep 658: The Cat Health Breakthrough No One Thought Was Possible with Steve Dale, Pet Journalist and Renowned Advocate | 31 mars 2026 | 00:33:39 | |
"I'm announcing that FIP is no longer considered fatal… and I looked up to see tears in the eyes of veterinarians around the world." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, the Feline Behavior Summit 2026, and the TNR Certification Workshop. In this powerful and emotional episode of the Community Cats Podcast, host Stacy LeBaron sits down with renowned animal behavior expert and advocate Steve Dale to explore groundbreaking advancements in feline health that are changing—and saving—lives. Steve shares the deeply personal story of his cat Ricky, whose diagnosis with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) sparked a decades-long mission to fund critical research through the EveryCat Health Foundation. What began as heartbreak has led to hope, including the development of a promising drug that can reverse heart enlargement in cats when caught early. The conversation then turns to one of the most historically devastating feline diseases: FIP (feline infectious peritonitis). Once considered a death sentence, FIP is now treatable thanks to years of persistence, research funding, and global collaboration. Steve walks us through the science, the setbacks, and the stunning breakthrough that has saved countless kittens—and even contributed to antiviral treatments used during the COVID-19 pandemic. Beyond the science, this episode highlights the evolving human-cat bond, the importance of understanding feline behavior, and why we are truly living in the "era of the cat." Whether you're a shelter professional, foster caregiver, or devoted cat owner, this conversation will leave you informed, inspired, and hopeful about the future of feline welfare. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 657: Feline Leukemia Explained: What Every Cat Lover Needs to Know About FeLV with Margaret Tompkins, Feline Leukemia Expert & Advocate | 24 mars 2026 | 00:35:37 | |
"No cat should be euthanized because it tests positive for a virus—period." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, The Animal Rights Foundation, Reduce Surrenders with Feline Behavior Support Certification Workshop, and The Community Cat Clinic. Feline leukemia (FeLV) has long been one of the most misunderstood—and often feared—diagnoses in the cat world. In this eye-opening episode of the Community Cats Podcast, host Stacy LeBaron welcomes feline leukemia advocate and expert Margaret Tompkins to break down the myths, realities, and latest advancements surrounding this complex virus. Margaret shares her personal journey into the world of FeLV advocacy, sparked by a group of rescue kittens that changed her life. From there, she dives into the science behind feline leukemia, explaining how it differs from FIV, how it spreads, and why today's understanding of the disease is far more hopeful than it was just a few decades ago. Listeners will gain clarity on key topics such as progressive vs. regressive infections, the importance of spay/neuter in disease prevention, and whether testing is always necessary—especially in TNR (trap-neuter-return) programs. Margaret also tackles one of the most emotional questions caregivers face: what to do when a cat tests positive, and why euthanasia should not be the default response. The conversation also explores managing mixed households, vaccine advancements (including promising new mRNA technology), and how strong immune systems play a critical role in outcomes for FeLV-positive cats. Whether you're a rescuer, foster, veterinarian, or cat lover, this episode offers practical guidance, science-backed insights, and a much-needed shift in perspective. Feline leukemia is no longer a guaranteed death sentence—and with education, compassion, and proactive care, these cats can live meaningful, happy lives. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 656: Building a Culture of TNR with Chelsea Winter, Community Cat Program Manager at Street Cat Hub | 17 mars 2026 | 00:29:16 | |
"You can't possibly trap every cat. So we teach the community how to do it themselves — and give them the tools to fully sterilize entire colonies." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, The Animal Rights Foundation, The Feline Behavior Summit, and The Community Cat Clinic. What happens when a community stops trapping two cats at a time — and starts thinking in entire neighborhoods? In this episode, Stacy LeBaron sits down with Chelsea Winter, Community Cat Program Manager at Street Cat Hub in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to explore how targeted, whole-colony TNR is driving measurable impact — including a 30% drop in kitten intake at the local shelter. Chelsea shares how her journey from bottle-feeding neonatal kittens led her to a deeper question: What's causing this constant flood of kittens? That curiosity turned into a strategic, data-driven approach to Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), focused on empowering community caretakers to trap entire colonies at once — not piecemeal. With more than 50,000 cats sterilized in the organization's history and 6,000 cats fixed annually, Street Cat Hub combines municipal contracts, mapping technology, community education, and high-volume clinic capacity to create sustainable change. Instead of working strictly from a first-come, first-served waitlist, the team targets "hot pockets" identified through shelter intake data, DOA mapping, and caretaker requests — maximizing impact in concentrated areas. Chelsea also shares practical insights on managing waitlists, engaging reluctant feeders, navigating mixed colonies, and building a culture where TNR becomes a shared community responsibility. If you're looking for a scalable, collaborative model that reduces kitten intake and improves live outcomes, this episode delivers both inspiration and a tactical roadmap. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 655: Full Circle TNR: Solving the Kitten Crisis at the Source with Hannah Shaw, Founder of Orphan Kitten Club | 10 mars 2026 | 00:32:08 | |
"The goal is really to do the maximum good. Not bring in kittens who don't need to be there today, but make sure we have a plan for the future … and importantly that we have a plan to return and sterilize everyone…" his episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, The Animal Rights Foundation, The Trapper's Tips & Tricks Workshop, and The Community Cat Clinic. What if the key to saving more kittens isn't working harder — but working smarter? In this powerful return to the show, Kitten Lady Hannah Shaw, humane educator and founder of Orphan Kitten Club, joins Stacy LeBaron to unpack the biggest shifts in kitten welfare over the past decade. Celebrating 10 years of impact, Hannah shares compelling national data showing a 35% drop in kitten non-live outcomes — and explains why foster programs, community education, and strategic data use are driving real change. But the conversation doesn't stop there. Hannah breaks down the "CASA" method — a practical, field-ready framework for deciding when to intervene (and when not to) if you find kittens outdoors. She dives deep into "Full Circle TNR," a strategic approach that turns every kitten intake into an opportunity to identify and sterilize entire colonies — addressing the source, not just the symptom. You'll also hear insights from the 2025 Hill's State of Shelter Pet Adoption Report, including surprising trends around foster participation, generational differences, fear of attachment, and misconceptions about cost. If your organization struggles with foster recruitment or retention, this episode is a must-listen. As kitten season approaches, Hannah shares exactly how shelters can prepare now — from staffing and supply planning to smarter data tracking and community messaging. This is a masterclass in kitten strategy, sustainability, and compassion. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 654: Governance for Good: The Hidden Key to Animal Shelter Success with Tim Crum, CEO of Animal Shelter Services | 03 mars 2026 | 00:44:01 | |
"The board should govern, and the executive director should lead the day-to-day operations. When those lines blur, that's when things get messy." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, The Animal Rights Foundation, The Trapper's Tips & Tricks Workshop, and The Community Cat Clinic. Strong missions save lives but strong governance sustains them. In this essential episode of the Community Cats Podcast, Stacy LeBaron welcomes back Tim Crum, CEO and founder of Animal Shelter Services, for a deep dive into nonprofit board governance. If you've ever wondered what a board of directors should be doing (versus what they often end up doing), this conversation is for you. Tim breaks down the core purpose of a nonprofit board: governance, not operations. From fiduciary responsibility to strategic planning, he outlines the three legal duties every board member must understand—duty of loyalty, duty of care, and duty of obedience (think "LOCO" to remember them). He also shares real-world examples of common governance missteps, including conflicts of interest, related board members, executive directors serving as voting board members, and the risks of poorly documented board minutes. For growing animal welfare organizations—especially those transitioning from all-volunteer to staffed operations—this episode offers practical guidance on when to hire an executive director, how to structure bylaws and policies, and why board composition matters. Tim also addresses board giving requirements, succession planning, and how to recruit skilled board members by first getting your "house in order." Whether you're a founder wearing too many hats, a seasoned board member, or stepping into governance for the first time, this episode provides clear, actionable insights to help your organization grow responsibly, ethically, and sustainably. Good governance isn't just paperwork…it's the foundation for saving more lives. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 653: How One Humane Society is Scaling TNR to Save Thousands with Cheryl McCormick CEO of Athens Area Humane Society | 24 févr. 2026 | 00:38:03 | |
"Small to mid-size organizations can accomplish a tremendous amount of impact when they work together, shoulder to shoulder in joyful service." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, The Animal Rights Foundation, The Trapper's Tips & Tricks Certification Workshop, and The Community Cat Clinic. In this episode of the Community Cats Podcast, host Stacy LeBaron sits down with Dr. Cheryl McCormick, CEO of the Athens Area Humane Society, for an energetic and inspiring conversation on scaling high-impact, humane strategies for managing community cats. Drawing on her rich background in wildlife ecology and nonprofit leadership, Cheryl shares how her visit to Operation Catnip in Florida sparked a major shift in her organization's approach—resulting in a game-changing, high-volume spay/neuter initiative dubbed "Snip & Tip." Listeners will hear how Cheryl and her team implemented this model in Georgia, overcoming scorching summer heat, logistical hurdles, and community challenges to sterilize 166 cats in just two days. She outlines the lean-staff, volunteer-driven model powered by professional trappers, strategic scheduling, and strong partnerships with funders. The episode is filled with practical strategies, insights into vet school partnerships, and tips for leveraging data and geography to reduce feline overpopulation—especially in underserved rural areas. If you're looking for ways to improve cat welfare, build collaborative rescue models, or create sustainable TNR programs, this episode is a masterclass in innovation and impact at scale. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 652: Price Check, Please! How One Pet Parent Turned Vet Bill Shock into a Tech Solution with Pietro Kabeya, Founder of FareVet | 17 févr. 2026 | 00:27:44 | |
"I just thought—why can't we know what care costs before we walk through the door? That's what FairVet is here to solve." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, The Animal Rights Foundation, The Underfoot Podcast, and The Community Cat Clinic. When a pet emergency nearly cost him both his beloved dog and thousands of dollars, Pietro Kabeya decided enough was enough. In this compelling episode, Stacy LeBaron chats with Pietro, the founder of Farevet, an app designed to bring price transparency and affordability to veterinary care. Pietro shares the emotional story of his dog King, whose medical emergency revealed an alarming disparity in vet costs—from a $5,000 quote to the same procedure for $1,500 just miles apart. This experience sparked his mission to build a platform where pet parents can compare vet prices in real time, crowdsource cost estimates, and avoid unnecessary financial stress during moments of crisis. Listeners will discover how FareVet works, why price transparency matters, and how the veterinary care landscape varies across regions. Pietro also introduces their upcoming AI chatbot, which aims to simplify the vet search process and help users budget for their pet's care more accurately. Whether you're rescuing community cats or navigating your own pet's health journey, this conversation is a must-hear for anyone seeking to turn compassion into action—and save money doing it. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 651: The Future Is Feline: Vet Care, Consent & Compassion with Dr. Angie Krause, DVM, and JoJo Smith, Veterinary Nurse | 10 févr. 2026 | 00:36:30 | |
"The future is feline. Let's keep understanding our cats." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, The Animal Rights Foundation, The Underfoot Podcast, and The Community Cat Clinic. In this heartfelt and thought-provoking episode, Stacy LeBaron sits down with Dr. Angie Krause, a holistic small-animal veterinarian from Boulder, Colorado, and her veterinary nurse, JoJo Smith. Together, they explore the evolving landscape of feline veterinary care, community cat welfare, and the powerful human-animal bond that fuels it all. Dr. Angie shares her lifelong love for cats and how her holistic approach—combined with home visits and mobile vet care—provides a less stressful, more authentic picture of feline health. JoJo opens up about the unique emotional richness of end-of-life care and the urgent need to advocate for underserved cats with the same passion and grace we afford to dogs. From discussing consent in feline handling to championing spay/neuter accessibility and the nuances of community cat caregiving, this conversation will leave you both inspired and informed. You'll also learn about their podcast, Tails of Truth: The Truth About Veterinary Medicine, which dives deeper into these topics. Whether you're a cat parent, TNR advocate, or simply feline curious, this episode is your invitation to better understand and uplift the cats in your life and community. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep 650: From Shy to Shine: Transforming Cat Behavior in Shelters with Dr. Jacklyn Ellis, Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and Director of Behavior at the Toronto Humane Society | 03 févr. 2026 | 00:40:39 | |
"The cat was telling me—I was just the one writing it down." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, The Animal Rights Foundation, and The Underfoot Podcast. What if there were a scientifically validated system to help shy, fearful, or traumatized cats become adoptable and happy? In this eye-opening episode, Dr. Jacklyn Ellis, Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and Director of Behavior at the Toronto Humane Society, sits down with host Stacy LeBaron to share her groundbreaking work in feline behavior and welfare. With a PhD in animal welfare and a passion ignited in second grade, Dr. Ellis has built a career helping cats communicate their needs through data-driven insights. At the heart of the conversation is Dr. Ellis's revolutionary ordinal rating scale system, used to assess behaviors like food intake, response to petting, and play participation. She explains how this simple yet powerful tool not only improves individual case outcomes but also transforms how shelters approach feline care on a larger scale. Hear about whimsical enrichment rooms sponsored by brands, the unique challenges of conflict aggression, and why indoor-only cats need enrichment just as much as their outdoor counterparts. If you're working with "in-betweener" cats—those that sit on the fence between adoptable and feral—this episode is packed with tools, inspiration, and insights to turn passion into meaningful outcomes. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep. 649: Saving Cats Through Working Cat Programs with Mary Scott, Director of the ASAP Working Cats Program | 27 janv. 2026 | 00:27:38 | |
"No matter what's going on out there, there's always hope." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, The Animal Rights Foundation, and The Underfoot Podcast. What happens to cats deemed unadoptable due to behavioral challenges? In this episode of the Community Cats Podcast, host Stacy LeBaron welcomes back Mary Scott, Director of the ASAP Working Cats Program in Santa Barbara, California. With over 17 years of animal welfare experience, Mary sheds light on the complex and often misunderstood issue of behavioral euthanasia in shelters—and offers a powerful alternative. Mary shares how her Working Cats program provides safe, fulfilling lives for semi-social and non-social cats who might otherwise face euthanasia. By partnering with cat-savvy caretakers and relocating these felines to barns, sheds, or outbuildings, the program offers these cats a chance to thrive in an environment aligned with their needs. Through structured acclimation, sound matching, and supportive protocols, Mary and her team have achieved a remarkable 95% live release rate and a 67%+ retention rate for placed cats. This candid and inspiring conversation is a must-listen for anyone passionate about finding innovative solutions to shelter overpopulation, reducing euthanasia rates, and celebrating every cat's right to a dignified life. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep. 648: Who's Throwing the Cats in the River? Rethinking Rescue and Prevention, Featuring Harry Eckman, Global Advisor for Cat Population Management, International Cat Care | 20 janv. 2026 | 00:35:19 | |
"The ultimate goal is to make cat welfare and population management so normal, so embedded in our communities, that it's simply what a community does." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, The Animal Rights Foundation, and The Underfoot Podcast. In this insightful follow-up to episode 605, Stacy LeBaron welcomes back global animal welfare strategist Harry Eckman, who shares groundbreaking findings from an ambitious five-country research initiative on cat population management. Funded by the Bates Global Enablers Grant and spearheaded by International Cat Care, the project explores the cat welfare landscapes of Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Australia, and the UK—identifying challenges, public perceptions, and innovative strategies tailored to each country. Harry delves into what makes this research unique: over 120 in-depth stakeholder interviews, public opinion surveys, and detailed country reports culminating in two critical resources—a foundational 18-month strategy and a visionary 10-year framework. With an upstream-thinking approach, he emphasizes aligning communities, funders, and policymakers under shared goals, whether on a city block or a national level. Whether you're managing a colony or planning municipal policies, this episode will inspire you to think bigger—and upstream—about community cat care. Press Play Now For:
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| Ep. 646: The Power of a Penny to End Pet Overpopulation, featuring Carrie Weber of PennyFix | 13 janv. 2026 | 00:24:53 | |
"It's not what we think they need—it's about what they actually need. And sometimes, that's just food and space to be left alone." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund and the Underfoot Podcast. In this inspiring episode of the Community Cats Podcast, host Stacy LeBaron welcomes longtime animal welfare advocate Carrie Weber to discuss her three-decade journey championing the needs of cats and how one tiny idea could solve a massive problem. Carrie's passion for animals stems from a childhood filled with rescues—both human and animal—guided by her mother's compassionate example. Her career has included roles in adoption, temperament testing, medical assistance, TNR, and hospice care, as well as leadership positions in multiple nonprofits. But it's her work with PennyFix, a nonprofit striving to solve pet overpopulation through a groundbreaking one-penny-per-can model, that's capturing attention. Carrie discusses how her views on animal needs have evolved, emphasizing the importance of understanding what animals actually need—not what humans wish for them. She also opens up about her time at The Best Little Cat House in Pennsylvania, the nation's oldest cat hospice, and her hands-on experience with fostering, board service, and the vital (if often overlooked) role of volunteers. The episode dives deep into how PennyFix awards spay/neuter grants, their efforts to partner with pet food manufacturers, and the challenges of rising vet costs and a shrinking workforce. Carrie also shares smart fundraising strategies—from posters in unexpected places to donor-advised funds—and introduces PennyFix's new "Penny a Day" campaign, showing how small donations can make a massive impact. Press Play Now For:
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| Justice for Animals and the Legal Fight to End Cruelty, Featuring Joyce Glass, Attorney at Joyce M. Glass, P.C. | 06 janv. 2026 | 00:30:12 | |
"One person can definitely make a difference. Don't be afraid to be the first voice—sometimes the biggest cases start with one person speaking up." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund and the Underfoot Podcast. In this powerful and enlightening episode, Stacy LeBaron sits down with attorney Joyce Glass, a passionate and pioneering voice in animal welfare law. From her start as a bankruptcy attorney to becoming a tireless advocate for animals, Joyce shares the deeply personal journey that led her to found a pro bono legal practice focused on protecting animals from cruelty and neglect. Her mission is clear: addressing animal cruelty not only helps animals but also creates safer, more compassionate communities. Joyce walks us through her work drafting legislation, collaborating with law enforcement, and handling complex animal cruelty cases across New York, Connecticut, and North Carolina. Learn how laws like Desmond's Law in Connecticut and innovative partnerships such as the Fund for Animal Cruelty Treatment of Suffolk Inc. are creating new models for justice. She explains why recognizing the link between animal abuse and interpersonal violence is crucial, and why community collaboration is key to long-term solutions. Listeners will gain insight into the legal classification of animals, the challenges of prosecuting cruelty cases, and the evolving role of courtroom advocates. Whether you're a community cat caregiver or just passionate about animal welfare, this episode empowers you to take action and be the voice animals need. Press Play Now For:
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| Leadership, Legacy & A New Chapter for Community Cats, Featuring Stacy LeBaron, Head Cat for Community Cats Central | 30 déc. 2025 | 00:33:40 | |
"Helping that one cat is incredibly valuable... but it also represents a new behavior, a new calling, as to how we are addressing cats in our community." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund and the Underfoot Podcast. As 2025 draws to a close, host Stacy LeBaron takes the mic solo to share heartfelt reflections, bold vision, and a rallying cry for cat advocates everywhere. In this special year-end episode, Stacy unveils Community Cats Central, a transformative evolution of the Community Cats Podcast, designed to deepen education, networking, and support for cat lovers turning their passion into action. This isn't just a look back—it's a forward march. Stacy encourages each listener to embrace their leadership potential, set attainable goals for 2026, and build stronger bonds within their communities. With stories like the Newburyport case study and a touching tribute to her late friend Betty Bro, this episode bridges the personal and the strategic, reminding us that every cat saved starts with a connection, a plan, and a little courage. Whether you're new to TNR or a seasoned advocate, this episode is your invitation to step into leadership and create lasting change. Press Play Now For:
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| From Greece to Global: Transforming TNR With Passion and Purpose, Featuring Adelle Louise and Alex Ricard, Founders of the Saaving the Streets Podcast, Travel Animal Rescue, and Saaving Lives | 23 déc. 2025 | 00:30:50 | |
"Taking that first step is going to change your life—but it's also going to change the lives of so many animals." – Alex Ricard This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund and the Underfoot Podcast. In this globally-minded episode of the Community Cats Podcast, host Stacy LeBaron chats with Adelle Louise and Alex Ricard—two trailblazing young leaders reshaping the future of TNR. As founders of the Saaving the Streets podcast and grassroots nonprofits spanning Europe, Asia, and the Americas, Adelle and Alex have turned compassion into action, collectively sterilizing over 3,000 cats while mentoring others along the way. Adelle shares her shift from general rescue work in Vietnam to high-volume TNR operations in Greece, supported by collaborations with local and international organizations. Alex opens up about how rescuing one kitten in a dog's mouth on a Greek island set her on a mission to tackle the root causes of feline overpopulation. Together, they explore how cultural context, veterinary access, and community engagement impact outcomes—offering practical advice for improving programs at any scale. With a focus on strategy, collaboration, and the power of storytelling, this episode is a must-listen for anyone ready to level up their approach to TNR—whether in a city, on a farm, or across borders. Press Play Now For:
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| Targeted TNR: Getting the Most Bang for Your Buck, Part 2, Featuring Bryan Kortis, National Programs Director for Neighborhood Cats | 16 déc. 2025 | 00:35:08 | |
"Knowing where the cats are is only half the battle—knowing how to reach the people who care for them is what makes targeting truly work." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund. In Part 2 of this dynamic webinar, Brian Kortis of Neighborhood Cats returns to guide us through the nuts and bolts of implementing a targeted TNR program. If Part 1 was the "why," this episode is the "how." Learn how to identify where to focus your resources using data such as shelter intake, complaint calls, and community insights. Brian explains how to structure your outreach—from yard signs to door knocking—and how to overcome challenges like uncooperative caretakers or underestimated cat populations. Through real-world case studies and expert recommendations, you'll understand the importance of spatial continuity, microtargeting, and setting achievable sterilization goals, even when resources are tight. You'll also explore tools for measuring program success—whether you're tracking shelter intake, complaint reduction, or cat population decline through on-the-ground censuses. Whether you're targeting an entire city or a single block, this episode equips you with strategic tools to design and execute efficient, high-impact TNR campaigns. Press Play Now For:
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| Targeted TNR: Getting the Most Bang for Your Buck, Part 1 featuring Bryan Kortis, National Programs Director for Neighborhood Cats | 09 déc. 2025 | 00:51:32 | |
"You don't need to fix all the cats to make a difference—you just need to fix the right ones, in the right places, at the right time." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund. In Part 1 of this two-part webinar, Bryan Kortis, National Programs Director for Neighborhood Cats, breaks down the power of targeted TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) and why it's essential for managing community cat populations effectively. Hosted in partnership with the Community Cats Podcast, this episode dives deep into the theory behind concentrating resources in high-need areas and why traditional, scattered approaches often fall short. Using real-world case studies and expert insight, Bryan illustrates how geographic targeting, colony-level focus, and an understanding of carrying capacity and the vacuum effect can dramatically increase the impact of your spay/neuter efforts. You'll also discover how strategic targeting has successfully transformed neighborhoods from overrun to manageable, with results that include reduced shelter intake, lower euthanasia rates, and fewer cat complaints. If your organization has limited resources and big goals, this session is your roadmap to making the most of every dollar—and every surgery. Whether you're running a spay/neuter clinic, a grassroots rescue, or a municipal program, Bryan offers scalable advice that adapts to any community size. Learn how to prioritize, structure, and execute a targeted TNR program for maximum effect. Press Play Now For:
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| Beyond the Bottle: A Smarter Way to Save Kittens featuring Jackie Noble, Executive Director of the Orphan Kitten Club | 02 déc. 2025 | 00:33:11 | |
"We are dedicated to making sure the kittens that we take in are the last kittens born in that colony." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund. What do neonate kittens, a chance wedding conversation, and a global mission to stop kitten overpopulation have in common? Jackie Noble. In this lively episode, Stacy LeBaron welcomes Jackie Noble, Executive Director of the Orphan Kitten Club, to dish on all things kitten rescue, and the bold vision to end the cycle once and for all. With a career that began thanks to a wedding guest and a little wine, Jackie now leads one of the most impactful organizations in the kitten welfare world. You'll hear how Jackie and her team are flipping the script on kitten rescue with their "Full-Circle TNR" approach. Because saving one kitten just isn't enough when you know there's a whole colony behind it. From identifying "kitten hotspots" to preventing disease outbreaks, Jackie reveals how data, partnerships, and smart strategy are reshaping how we help our tiniest feline friends. Plus, discover why spay/neuter isn't just a vet visit, it's a movement, how research is saving kittens' eyes and lives (literally), and why every trap, foster, and grant dollar counts. Press Play Now For:
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| Return to Field with Neighborhood Cats – Part 2, featuring Bryan Kortis, National Programs Director of Neighborhood Cats | 25 nov. 2025 | 00:40:59 | |
"The goal is simple. Do what's best for this individual cat—not what's easiest for us." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund. In Part 2 of the Return to Field training, Bryan Kortis walks us through the practical side of RTF implementation—how to assess which cats qualify, how to safely house and return them, and what to do when friendly cats enter the system. With an emphasis on individualized outcomes, this session covers the real-world nuance of returning cats to their original locations while balancing public concerns, shelter capacity, and cat welfare. You'll hear how shelters can handle complaints, use targeted TNR to reduce future intake, and avoid legal pitfalls. This is the roadmap for anyone serious about humane, effective community cat management. Press Play Now For:
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| Return to Field with Neighborhood Cats, Part 1, Featuring Bryan Kortis, National Programs Director at Neighborhood Cats | 18 nov. 2025 | 00:33:17 | |
"Euthanasia is a dead-end policy. We've tried it for decades and the cats are still here." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund. In Part 1 of this informative workshop replay, Bryan Kortis and Susan Richmond of Neighborhood Cats dive into the effective approach of Return to Field (RTF), reshaping how shelters manage community cats. As a key evolution of Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), RTF empowers shelters to sterilize, vaccinate, and return healthy, unowned cats to their territories rather than euthanizing them. Bryan traces the roots of the movement back to Jacksonville, Florida, where an experimental collaboration between a spay/neuter clinic and the city shelter resulted in a 90% reduction in euthanasia. You'll discover how RTF improves shelter morale, increases public support, and significantly lowers intake over time. With deep experience in fieldwork and policy, Bryan and Susan bring practical wisdom and data-backed insights into why this method is saving lives—and reshaping entire communities. Press Play Now For:
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