part 2 of learning about Dogs, Cats and  many more! Let's talk about where we left of with Mariangela and Sterling Davis! 

Let's learn more about Karen!

Karen Shinevar is co-founder and President of CPAW NJ, a nonprofit group located in northern NJ with the mission of saving lives through trap, neuter, vaccinate, return (TNRV) and surrender prevention. A retired general counsel and public policy advocate, Karen grew up on a farm in southern Michigan and is a lifelong animal lover. She received her JD from University of Michigan Law School and worked as in house counsel for almost two decades. After volunteering at her local shelter for three years, she realized that there had to be more that could be done to save the lives of cats than the few spaces available in any shelter. After researching and talking with animal welfare experts, she helped found Communities Promoting Animal Welfare (NJ) to help educate the general public about outdoor cats living in our communities and how we can help them. She believes that TNVR is more important than ever now that COVID has closed shelters or reduced their capacity. It is time for the community to become the shelter and through CPAW NJ she loves helping local groups start their own tnvr groups or just teaching someone how to help the outdoor cat they are feeding. Since a high percentage of kittens born outside don't make it, TNVR not only helps outdoor cats become better neighbors but it also saves literally thousands of lives. Karen has two sons who live in MI and MA, a grandcat, and six rescue cats of her own.

Get to know about her! 

Get to know more about Cat Furniture and where to get them!

Darryl Michaelson has always had an issue with cat furniture. The pet industry has never done it right. It’s always cheap, not very sturdy and never made with the cat’s comfort and usage in mind. It’s the merchandise you see online and in big box pet stores. 

He knew the only way to fix it was to build his own. In 1991, the Minneapolis, Minn. native started Purrniture at the age of 24 during the Minnesota State Fair. It started as a hobby in his basement the year before, when he couldn’t find sturdy cat furniture for his two new kittens

The Wolfkeeper,Chinelle and TrapKing!!

Get to know about Stacy LeBaron and how she loves cat! 

Stacy LeBaron has been involved in animal welfare for over 20 years. She currently hosts a weekly podcast called the Community Cats Podcast where she interviews nationally and internationally renowned experts helping with the problem of cat overpopulation and cat welfare.

Previous to starting the podcast, Stacy served for 16 years as president of the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society (MRFRS). Under her leadership, the MRFRS assisted over 105,000 cats and kittens through a variety of innovative programs. Among the MRFRS’s programs are two mobile spay/neuter clinics, known as the Catmobiles, and an adoption center in Salisbury, MA.

During her tenure with MRFRS, Stacy also served as a board member and oversaw the MRFRS mentoring program, as well as co-chaired the organization’s Development Committee, growing the budget from $45,000 a year to $1.5 million dollars. The MRFRS Mentoring Program, which began in 2011, assisted 11,000 cats through its work with 77 different animal welfare groups in 14 states.

An expert in her field, Stacy is a current member of the Shelter Medicine Committee at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University, an adviser to the Massachusetts Animal Coalition (MAC), Vice President of the Board for PAWSitive Pantry in Vermont, and committee member for HubCats Chelsea. She is a past board member of MAC and the New England Federation of Humane Societies. She serves as the current administrative trustee for the LeBaron Foundation. Stacy also facilitates two smaller coalitions in Massachusetts, the Boston Homeless Cats group and Merrimack Valley Partnership.

Stacy graduated from Vassar College. She now lives in Vermont with her husband, son, daughter and one cat.