Interview! Chad Nelson, Advocacy Director at PawsWatch Rhode Island

"Tons and tons of cat lovers have no idea … that there's this whole population of cats that really need our help."

Chad Nelson, a lawyer by trade, is the Advocacy Director at PawsWatch Rhode Island, an all-volunteer network for community cats. Chad came to his work in TNR and cat issues through an initial interest in the broader animal rights and vegan movement. His cat Dagney inspired him to look at the world through animals' eyes, and once Chad started to read Nathan Winograd's work, he realized that cats and dogs still face serious issues in this country.

As Director of Advocacy at PawsWatch, Chad's role is to go out and educate the community, attract new people to the organization, and make people aware of what they're doing and the issues that cats face. He takes a lot of pride in trying to convey a message that's simple and basic, and that people who have no idea about the issues can absorb in a five-minute sound bite. The biggest challenge, Chad tells us, is helping people understand that the issues cats face are serious – not just for the cats, but for people, too.

All in all, Chad feels that cats are doing pretty well in Rhode Island, much like they are in the rest of New England, but that there's still a ton of work to be done. The state is progressive in that groups actively practice TNR, and in that the major shelter in the state is on board with TNR and RTF (return-to-field) and the broader issues cats face — but Chad feels that in spite of all this, the policy makers at the government level don't really get it that there's a cat problem and that there's a proper way to address it.

To learn more about PawsWatch and their upcoming targeted TNR project in the city of Providence, visit pawswatch.org, or look for them on Facebook or at their brand new Instagram page @pawswatchri.