Interview! Daniel Spehar, Co-Founder of the Together Initiative for Ohio's Community Cats

"I hope all of us can focus on a shared goal of fewer community cats instead of focusing on the differences. Let's focus on the most effective and humane ways to reach our common goal."

Daniel works to enact animal-friendly legislation as a volunteer with the Humane Society of the United States, along with working with the Together Initiative for Ohio's Community Cats. This specific group is committed to promoting and facilitating collaboration among community cat stakeholders of around 150 members, who work together to accomplish their goals. They run workshops and events, as well as provide other educational opportunities.

He co-authored two recent published papers about the effectiveness of TNR and how it has reduced free-roaming cat populations and has also been conducting research on community cats and their management since 2013. He will be presenting findings of a Case Study, which examined an iconic TNR Program (Newberry Port) at the 2018 HSUS Expo.

Daniel's passion for cats began when he was a boy, and in 2003, he had a group of feral kittens move into his yard. He ended up learning how to trap them and learned specifics about TNR and how to help them, and his passion further was ignited. This led him to decide that he wanted to dedicate the rest of his career towards the wellness of animals, specifically cats.

Through his research and case study work, he has learned of so many innovations that have been implemented that have become standard practice in many TNR programs around the country. It has helped to create a kind of "toolkit" for animal welfare, that can be used as a guide. This is what was the inspiration behind the Together Initiative for Ohio's Community Cats, which has turned into a 2-pronged mission:

1. Education and Outreach
2. Promote and facilite collaboration

Daniel can be reached through his program at communitycatsohio.org, which also has his article available.