Ever wondered about the hurdles faced by animal rescuers in bustling metropolitan areas? Packed with first-hand accounts from these inspiring guests, Jonlyn Freeman and Meagan Licari, this episode takes a deep look into the complex realm of feline welfare in New York City. Amid the chaos of the pandemic, these dedicated cat-lovers remained undeterred, courageously navigating the challenges of an overwhelmed animal healthcare system, and the tragic issue of animal abandonment in lower-income neighborhoods. 

Join this heartfelt discussion on the urgent need for city-funded spay-neuter programs, and the brick walls they often encounter with city officials. Listen closely, as they shed light on the questionable funding allocation of large organizations like the ASPCA, and ask the hard-hitting question: Shouldn't active solution-makers be in the driver's seat of decision making? 

This episode will take you on a journey through untold stories of community collaboration, fluid communication and the potential for neighborhood clinics to help turn the tide. Yet, the battle is far from over. This episode unpacks the looming cat overpopulation crisis, the snail's pace at which city officials are recognizing it, and why private organizations need to join forces with municipal bodies to tackle it. 

Hear about Jonlyn and Meagan's ongoing initiatives, including advocating for discretionary funding and exploring legislative options. And if you've ever wondered how to turn your passion for cats into action, meet the New York City Cat Alliance, an invaluable resource to get involved. So tune in, and let's change the world for our feline friends – one paw at a time!

In this episode, you will hear:

• Rescuers unite for city-funded spay-neuter
• Lack of animal leadership in NYC
• Community involvement in animal care
• The need for dedicated animal resources
• Rescuers, vets, and spay/neuter system

Resources from this Episode

https://nyccatalliance.com/

https://www.instagram.com/nyccatrescueralliance/

https://www.puppykittynyc.org/

This episode is sponsored in part by Maddie’s Fund and Tomahawk Live Trap.

…if you have questions or concerns please email [email protected]. 

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Episode Credits

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.

 

"Another specialized use of the drop trap is when you're trying to catch a mom and her kittens..."

This episode is sponsored in part by Maddie's Fund.

This is part two of a special audio presentation of a free webinar offered to trappers earlier in 2023. If you’d like to watch this presentation, you can hop on over to our YouTube channel to check it out. To download handouts mentioned in the show, you can visit our Community Cat Care Training and Education page to find these, and a treasure trove of other TNR and community cat care education.

Join Bryan Kortis, National Programs Director of Neighborhood Cats, as he walks you through how to use a drop trap - possibly the most helpful piece of equipment a trapper can have on hand! This section of the webinar covers more advanced techniques including building platforms to conquer uneven ground, using remote controls to trigger a drop trap, how to set up a "drop trap 360", catching many cats at the same time by training them to cluster eat, and more! Join the co-designers of the first commercially available drop trap, as they discuss how to use this invaluable tool.

To learn more about Neighborhood Cats, you may visit their website.

We also encourage you to check out Tomahawk Live Traps, which Bryan is mentions in this presentation, and sign up for a TNR Certification Workshop so you can take action to help control the cat population in 2024.

And if you're excited to start using the drop trap and would like to connect with other Community Cats Podcast listeners to get more tips and tricks, to ask about issues you might run into, and of course to post pictures of your successful trapping, you can join our Facebook group!

"It's great to have the cat you're after, see another cat come in, have a bite to eat, and then leave. Nothing happens. Nothing dramatic. That can help persuade them that it's just fine to go in; nothing to worry about here."

This episode is sponsored in part by Meow Cat Lounge, Doobert.com, and Maddie's Fund.

This is part one of a special audio presentation of a free webinar offered to trappers earlier in 2023. If you’d like to watch this presentation, you can hop on over to our YouTube channel to check it out. To download handouts mentioned in the show, you can visit our Community Cat Care Training and Education page to find these, and a treasure trove of other TNR and community cat care education.

Join Bryan Kortis, National Programs Director of Neighborhood Cats, as he walks you through how to use a drop trap - possibly the most helpful piece of equipment a trapper can have on hand! Trying to catch the last cat in your colony who isn’t fixed? Got a wily feral who just won’t go into a box trap, no matter how much you spend on roasted chicken? How about catching a litter of kittens all at once—with their mom? All these tough trapping situations and more can be solved if you know how to use a drop trap! Join the co-designers of the first commercially available drop trap, as they discuss how to use this invaluable tool. Plus tips and tricks for advanced drop trappers, too.

To learn more about Neighborhood Cats, you may visit their website.

Don't forget to subscribe so you won't miss part two next week!

"The cats are a vehicle for us to all get our act together and take responsibility for every part of the community."

This episode is sponsored in part by Meow Cat Lounge, Doobert.com, and Maddie's Fund.

In this special episode, Mike Phillips of UrbanCatLeague.org sits down to interview Stacy and take a closer look at Stacy's work with Community Cats and her goal of showcasing positive influencers in the feline community. Stacy's diverse background, including achievements in sports and urban planning, emphasizes her creative problem-solving, influenced by her father's entrepreneurial spirit. As the founder of the Community Cats Podcast, Stacy is working to turn cat passion into action.

The conversation explores Stacy's podcast legacy and her commitment to helping organizations establish effective Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs. They emphasize responsiveness and the podcast's role in disseminating insightful discussions. They stress the importance of responsiveness and the podcast's role in disseminating insightful discussions to a broader audience.

Mike and Stacy stress the critical need to address cat overpopulation and spaying/neutering accessibility challenges. They highlight the positive impact of TNR programs, emphasizing collaboration for effective community cat solutions. The conversation concludes by underlining the Community Cats podcast's positive influence and Stacy's pitch for addressing feral cat issues through affordable spay-neuter services and strategic community support programs.

You can learn more about Mike and Urban Cat League on their website and don't miss his phenomenal tutorial focused on socializing feral cats and kittens on the Urban Cat League YouTube channel. (We subscribe to their channel - you might want to too!)

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy Stacy's previous interview with Mike Philips on episode #71. Give it a listen!

“Anybody could sit down and get quiet for a moment…then just get a sense. Like, is my household stressful? Is my cat living her best life? What have we got going on here that I could do that could make it easier for the cat?”

This episode is sponsored in part by Meow Cat Lounge, Doobert.com, and Maddie's Fund.

In this episode, Stacey chats with Joan Ronquette, a seasoned animal communicator. With over 30 years of experience, Joan emphasizes the importance of addressing animals' emotional well-being, focusing on anxiety.

Joan is an expert in using Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) tapping to alleviate animal anxiety. The conversation covers proactive anxiety management, the responsibilities of guardianship, and challenges in enriching indoor environments for cats.

Joan introduces her latest book on EFT for animals, detailing its content and its role in achieving lasting emotional release. The focus remains on fostering a deeper connection with animals and promoting their overall well-being.

Explore Joan's book, "Energy Healing for Animals," on Amazon here. Find more of her books on her website here. For details about Joan and to take her animal empath quiz, visit joanranquet.com.

“Little things like that…If everybody does some little thing, it will work to our benefit with the cats.”

This episode is sponsored in part by Meow Cat Lounge, Doobert.com, and Maddie's Fund.

In this episode, Stacy chats with Allia Zobel Nolan, an international best-selling author of over 150 titles, whose body of work reflects her main passions: God and cats.

Stacy and Allia talk about their love for cats and the unique relationships that can develop between cats and their people. Allia shares more about her volunteer work with cats, and the little ways she’s found to continue giving back and helping out, even if she doesn’t have the same time or resources as she’s had before.

Allia talks about the motivation and inspiration behind her newest book, Heavenly Heabutts: Reflections of Hope about Cats and Eternity. Faced with the loss of three of her cats in close succession, Allia talks about her journey to find comfort and hope. She opens up about the book and her intentions, and her sincere hope that it will be poignant, insightful – and maybe a little humorous – for anyone else who has experienced the loss of their beloved feline companion. Heavenly Headbutts: Reflections of Hope and Cats and Eternity is available to purchase on Amazon here.

More books by Allia are available to purchase on Amazon here. For more information about Allia and her publications, visit alliahwrites.com or find her on Facebook here.

In this episode, Stacy and Allia also talk about paper collars. You can find a downloadable template of that tool here.

“We’ve got to use veterinary technicians. And here’s what happens – I feel so good getting to help a pet owner and increase that pet owner-animal bond, and my veterinarian can go do doctor things! If you utilize your technicians more, you get to be a doctor more.”

This episode is sponsored in part by Meow Cat Lounge, Doobert.com, and Maddie's Fund.

In today’s show, Stacy chats with Amy Newfiled, Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT), Veterinary Technician Specialist (VTS) in Emergency & Critical Care, author, and owner of the educational platform Veterinary Team Training.

In this episode, Stacy and Amy talk about the field of veterinary medicine, and how the role of veterinary technicians in particular has grown and evolved since the 1990s. They talk about the key differences between veterinary technicians, specialists, and assistants, and what the general public should keep in mind when taking their animals to their veterinary care provider.

They also discuss the many challenges veterinarians and practices are facing today, including the worst staffing shortages – from veterinarians to veterinary technicians, to front desk support – that Amy has seen in her career. They also talk about the capabilities of veterinary technicians, and the opportunities available to veterinarians who fully utilize their teams.

Amy talks about her books in the Oops Management Series, Oops, I Became a Manager, and Oops, My Team is Toxic, aimed at helping managers and leaders in the veterinary profession build stronger leaders and create and maintain positive work cultures. The Oops Management Series currently includes three books, available to purchase on Amazon.

Amy also tells us about Vet Team Training, and her work to help develop teams through practical and real-world techniques. The website offers free information and videos for anyone with a passion for animals, as well as RACE-accredited courses for veterinary technicians looking to continue their education. More information about Vet Team Training is available at www.vetteamtraining.com. More information about the CE courses offered by Vet Team Training is available here.

"Everybody has what it takes to go raise the money they need, to fully fund their organization, to grow, to help more cats, to save more lives, to do what their mission is all about. It’s all doable.”

This episode is sponsored in part by Urban Cat League, Doobert.com, and Maddie's Fund.

In this episode, Stacy sits down once again with a long-time friend of the show and fundraiser extraordinaire, Sandy Rees, who is the founder of Fundraising TV and the Chief Encouragement Officer at Get Fully Funded.

During this episode, they dig into the realities and challenges of fundraising, and the feasibility of raising money for “unsexy” causes like community cats and spay/neuter. Sandy emphasizes her belief that every cause is “sexy” – you just have to find the right angle and the right story to share with your donors.

Stacy asks about the “core number” and how it can be leveraged to improve fundraising overall. Sandy talks about the importance of messaging, and how just a few simple shifts in our storytelling can lead to some serious ROI when it comes to fundraising.

Sandy gives her best tips and advice for organizations heading into the holiday fundraising season, including the best ways to connect with donors on social media and email, the power of saying thank you, when to get those holiday appeals in the mail, and more.

And finally, Sandy tells us more about Fundraising TV and the meaningful support and accountability the program offers to anyone interested in building their fundraising to fully fund their programs.

To learn more about Get Fully Funded, visit www.getfullyfunded.org. More information on Fundraising TV is available here. Like what you’ve heard? Submit a request for a free consultation with Get Fully Funded here.

Check out previous episodes of the podcast featuring Sandy: Episode #226 and Episode #287

“It’s a matter of starting from the ground up; not having the resources, but still getting it done."

This episode is sponsored in part by Urban Cat League and Maddie's Fund.

In this episode, Stacy chats with Dr. Becky Morrow, a shelter veterinarian and professor who is very active in the small animal community.

As a veterinarian, Dr. Morrow shines a light on what vets are typically exposed to during vet school – and just how limited their knowledge may be when it comes to community cats and the overwhelming demand for low-cost spay/neuter services.

They discuss how Dr. Morrow first began her mobile clinic – with a box trailer turned surgical suite – to offer much-needed HQHVSN services on the road, utilizing caregivers' homes, fire halls, and other community spaces to get the job done.

They conclude their conversation with the veterinary shortage, ruminating on what can be done to help create more spay/neuter opportunities in our communities. For Dr. Morrow, the solution lies in providing more training opportunities for veterinarians to gain competence – and confidence – in performing HQHVSN surgeries. They talk about the overall benefits of HQHVSN techniques, and why they shouldn’t be limited to just the animal welfare space.

To learn more about Frankie’s Friends or find more information about their veterinary training programs, visit www.frankies-friends.org.

“If we can make a small dent in helping save kitties’ lives and making people happy, . . . to us, that’s so meaningful.”

This episode is sponsored in part by Urban Cat League, Doobert.com, and Maddie's Fund.

In this episode, Stacy talks with Nicole Smith, the co-owner of Whiskers and Wine Bar. Based in San Diego, California, Whiskers and Wine Bar has adoptable cats, amazing food, and a full bar. In its first year of operation, it helped over 150 cats find homes.

In her conversation with Stacy, Nicole explains what prompted her to leave her career in the corporate world to open up a cat café. She talks about the cat café (Pounce Cat Café) that inspired her and describes what went on behind the scenes before opening the doors of Whiskers and Wine Bar. Nicole also touches on some of the features and policies of the café.

To learn more about Whiskers and Wine Bar, visit their website or visit them on Instagram or Facebook.