Interview! Jonathan Rosenberg, Founder of Tabby's Place

"I wanted to do something for the cats nobody wanted."

Jonathan Rosenberg wasn't very interested in animal welfare—or even considered himself a "cat person"—until he met Tabby. When a stray cat showed up on his porch one day, begging for food and a place to sleep, Jonathan and his wife took him in and gave him a very happy life for the next sixteen years. When Tabby was diagnosed with and subsequently passed from terminal cancer, however, Jonathan's whole life focus changed. He quit his job and started Tabby's Place, a sanctuary for special needs cats and cats in otherwise "helpless" situations. Tabby's place helps about 120 domestic cats a year and countless more community cats. Located in New Jersey, Tabby's Place boasts a large, fence-in outdoor area for cats who are too sick or needy to leave the sanctuary, an in-house medical clinic, as well as a wide scope of different programs. Jonathan describes to Stacy his journey towards becoming an advocate for cats as well as the expansion of his own ideas of how and where cats should live. To learn more about Tabby's Place, or to sponsor a cat at the sanctuary, please visit tabbysplace.org.

*Correction! Jonathan Rosenberg, the subject of this interview, made us aware of an error in this episode and we'd like to make sure you know the facts! In the intro to this podcast, we said, "Tabby's Place boasts a large, fenced-in outdoor area for cats who are too sick or needy to leave the sanctuary," Jonathan tells us this is not so. There isn't a large, outdoor area. Tabby's Place has many special needs cats, mixed in with other cats, inside the sanctuary. There are multiple "sun rooms" (rooms with three walls and a forth screened-in wall), that provide cats exposure to sunlight and fresh air. Most cats have access to these rooms.