The Community Cats Podcast

"The more I work in this field, the more there is to learn — and there's multiple strategies that you have to implement." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund , OcuTrap , and Feline Infectious Disease Summit 2026 . Pallavi Kamath grew up fostering kittens in Mumbai, studied animal science at UC Davis, earned a master's in animal public policy, and returned home to lead The Feline Fou...

"The goal isn't so much a set number as the area, and 100% sterilization — which is a lofty goal. But the only thing we can do is keep going." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund , OcuTrap , and Feline Infectious Disease Summit 2026 . Louise Holton has been working to protect cats for decades and across continents — from TNR work with the Johannesburg SPCA in the 1970s, to helping e...

"That's my own formula — passion and compassion tempered by dedication and humor." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund , OcuTrap , and Drop Traps: Beginning and Advanced Certification Workshop . After more than five decades behind the exam table, Dr. Kevin Lynch has treated thousands of pets, mentored generations of veterinary staff, and built one of Long Island's longest-running an...

"We may not all be the same organization, but we all have a very similar goal, and that is a better world for cats ultimately." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund , OcuTrap , and Drop Traps: Beginning and Advanced Certification Workshop . To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Community Cats Podcast, host Stacy LeBaron is joined by Kristen Petrie, Community Cats Central's Tech...

"You can both celebrate them and advocate for them at the same time." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund , OcuTrap , and Drop Traps: Beginning and Advanced Certification Workshop . Dan Rimada didn't set out to start a movement. He just started noticing cats. During the stillness of COVID, when New York City slowed down enough to actually look around, he began noticing the cats livi...

"With animal welfare, we're basically waiting till the roof falls in — when the animals are at the shelter, that's the roof falling in. We have to catch them earlier." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund , OcuTrap , and The Kitten Conference . What if the animal welfare system stopped waiting for families to walk through the shelter door — and started showing up before they ever got...

"Mother Nature provides us with all the food and medicine that we need. Food is medicine — and it is the number one thing you can do for any person or animal to help them stay healthy and help their immune system operate." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund , OcuTrap , and The Kitten Conference . What if the best medicine for your community cats isn't found in a bottle — but in a b...

"When we look at things on a neighborhood level and we're noticing patterns, noticing new colonies — when something's predictable, it's preventable." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund , OcuTrap , and The Kitten Conference . What does it look like to build a community cat program from scratch — not just logistically, but with real intention about how change happens in a neighborhoo...

"If you wanna have a real superpower, learn cat first aid." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund , OcuTrap , and Strategies to Reunite Lost Cats with Families Certification Workshop and Increasing Your Impact With Targeted TNR Certification Workshop . Cats are both predator and prey — and that dual nature means they respond to emergencies unlike any other animal. They have five weapo...

"If we all came together to solve the problem, to solve the issue, and work together — those are the areas that we would see the most improvement." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund , OcuTrap , and Strategies to Reunite Lost Cats with Families Certification Workshop and Increasing Your Impact With Targeted TNR Certification Workshop . The kittens are coming. We know it every sprin...

"Rescue and adoption actually don't scale. It doesn't matter how many you do—you're not preventing more from showing up." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund , OcuTrap , and The Community Cat Clinic . In this compelling episode of the Community Cats Podcast, host Stacey LeBaron sits down with Will Zweigart, the visionary behind Flatbush Cats and creator of the investigative podcast...

"What's better than bringing home a life you saved instead of a souvenir that just sits on a shelf?" This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund , OcuTrap , and The Community Cat Clinic . What does it take to transform a country's approach to stray animal care? In this inspiring episode of the Community Cats Podcast, host Stacy LeBaron reconnects with Julie Kelley—entrepreneur, philanthropi...

"Community cats — it's really about the community. It brings the community together." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund , OcuTrap , and the Feline Behavior Summit 2026 . What does it take to build a community cat program from scratch in a rural, under-resourced area where nearly everyone — officers, residents, and administrators alike — is convinced it won't work? In this episode...

"We might think access to veterinary care is just an issue for low-income families—but the reality is, it affects people across income levels, for very different reasons." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund , OcuTrap , and the Feline Behavior Summit 2026 . Access to veterinary care is one of the most pressing—and complex—issues facing pet families today. In this episode of the Comm...

"I'm announcing that FIP is no longer considered fatal… and I looked up to see tears in the eyes of veterinarians around the world." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund , OcuTrap , the Feline Behavior Summit 2026 , and the TNR Certification Workshop . In this powerful and emotional episode of the Community Cats Podcast, host Stacy LeBaron sits down with renowned animal behavior expe...

"No cat should be euthanized because it tests positive for a virus—period." This episode is sponsored-in-part by  Maddie's Fund , The Animal Rights Foundation ,  Reduce Surrenders with Feline Behavior Support Certification Workshop , and The Community Cat Clinic . Feline leukemia (FeLV) has long been one of the most misunderstood—and often feared—diagnoses in the cat world. In this eye-opening epi...

"You can't possibly trap every cat. So we teach the community how to do it themselves — and give them the tools to fully sterilize entire colonies." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund , The Animal Rights Foundation , The Feline Behavior Summit , and The Community Cat Clinic . What happens when a community stops trapping two cats at a time — and starts thinking in entire neighborhoo...

"The goal is really to do the maximum good. Not bring in kittens who don't need to be there today, but make sure we have a plan for the future … and importantly that we have a plan to return and sterilize everyone…" his episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund , The Animal Rights Foundation , The Trapper's Tips & Tricks Workshop , and The Community Cat Clinic . What if the key to saving more...

"The board should govern, and the executive director should lead the day-to-day operations. When those lines blur, that's when things get messy." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund , The Animal Rights Foundation , The Trapper's Tips & Tricks Workshop , and The Community Cat Clinic . Strong missions save lives but strong governance sustains them. In this essential episode of the Com...

"Small to mid-size organizations can accomplish a tremendous amount of impact when they work together, shoulder to shoulder in joyful service." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund , The Animal Rights Foundation , The Trapper's Tips & Tricks Certification Workshop , and  The Community Cat Clinic . In this episode of the Community Cats Podcast, host Stacy LeBaron sits down with Dr. Ch...

"I just thought—why can't we know what care costs before we walk through the door? That's what FairVet is here to solve." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund , The Animal Rights Foundation , The Underfoot Podcast , and The Community Cat Clinic . When a pet emergency nearly cost him both his beloved dog and thousands of dollars, Pietro Kabeya decided enough was enough. In this compel...

"The future is feline. Let's keep understanding our cats." This episode is sponsored-in-part by  Maddie's Fund , The Animal Rights Foundation , The Underfoot Podcast , and The Community Cat Clinic . In this heartfelt and thought-provoking episode, Stacy LeBaron sits down with Dr. Angie Krause, a holistic small-animal veterinarian from Boulder, Colorado, and her veterinary nurse, JoJo Smith. Togeth...

"The cat was telling me—I was just the one writing it down." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund , The Animal Rights Foundation , and The Underfoot Podcast . What if there were a scientifically validated system to help shy, fearful, or traumatized cats become adoptable and happy? In this eye-opening episode, Dr. Jacklyn Ellis, Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist and Director of Beh...

"No matter what's going on out there, there's always hope." This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund , The Animal Rights Foundation , and The Underfoot Podcast . What happens to cats deemed unadoptable due to behavioral challenges? In this episode of the Community Cats Podcast, host Stacy LeBaron welcomes back Mary Scott, Director of the ASAP Working Cats Program in Santa Barbara, Califo...

"The ultimate goal is to make cat welfare and population management so normal, so embedded in our communities, that it's simply what a community does." This episode is sponsored-in-part by  Maddie's Fund , The Animal Rights Foundation , and The Underfoot Podcast . In this insightful follow-up to episode 605, Stacy LeBaron welcomes back global animal welfare strategist Harry Eckman, who shares grou...