The Community Cats Podcast

"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 weapons of mass destruction, a flexible spine, and no apologies. When the uh-oh happens, are you ready? In this episode, Stacy sits down with Arden Moore, bestselling author, host of the longest-running pet podcast on the planet, and founder of Pet First Aid 4 U, to talk about what every cat caregiver — whether you're a TNR volunteer, a shelter worker, a foster, or a pet parent — needs to know when a cat is in crisis.
Arden draws on 15 years as a master certified pet first aid and CPR instructor to break down how to safely approach an injured or unconscious cat, the right way to perform two-handed CPR (and yes, even kitten CPR), how to transport an injured cat without spiking their fear and stress, and what to keep in your car and home to be truly safety-ready. Stacy and Arden also talk about why community cats present a unique challenge — and how many of the same skills transfer directly to TNR work in the field.
You'll also hear about the surprising void in veterinary education around pet first aid, why even vets have frozen during a pet emergency, and how Arden's famous sidekick, Pet Safety Cat Casey — a shelter alum from San Diego Humane Society who stole the show at the Virginia Cat Festival with over 350 people in the room — makes learning these life-saving skills both practical and fun.
Stacy and Arden are proud partners through the Community Cats Central e-learning platform, where group packages allow organizations to get their entire teams certified together. If your group of 10 wants to watch, learn, and get individually certified, this is the course for you.
Less than 5% of pet owners have ever taken a pet first aid class. That's a big void — and this episode is your invitation to fill it.
Press Play Now For:
Why cats in emergencies are nothing like small dogs — and how to adjust your approach for their unique physiology and stress responses
How to perform one- and two-handed CPR on a cat, including two-finger CPR for neonatal kittens
The kitty Heimlich, safe towel-wrapping technique, and the right way to use a top-loading carrier for transport
What to keep in your car and home for a pet first aid kit — and when to check it (hint: sync it with clock changes)
Why TNR caregivers are uniquely positioned to respond to field emergencies, and why a transfer cage may be better than a carrier
The ASPCA Poison Control and Pet Poison Helpline as 24/7 resources for toxic ingestions
Why you should always call ahead to the vet — and put your hazards on during transport
How Arden's "Arden's Army" of 500+ certified instructors is spreading life-saving skills across shelters, rescues, vet clinics, and beyond
How to become a certified pet first aid instructor yourself through the ProPet Hero instructor program
How the Community Cat Central / Pet First Aid 4 U partnership works, including group certification packages
Resources & Links
Pet First Aid 4 U
Arden Moore's Website
Oh Behave! Podcast on Pet Life Radio
ProPet Hero Instructor Training
Arden Moore on YouTube
Arden Moore on Instagram
Arden Moore on Facebook
ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center  (888) 426-4435, available 24/7
Pet Poison Helpline  (855) 764-7661, available 24/7

"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 spring, but this year, Shelter Animals Count has the data to prove exactly how big the wave will be — and which organizations will feel it hardest. If your shelter or rescue isn't already ramping up fosters, supplies, and community outreach, this episode is your signal to start today.
Tori Fugate is the Director of Communications for Shelter Animals Count — now a program of the ASPCA — and she has spent more than a decade at the intersection of animal welfare and strategic communications. Before joining SAC, she was Chief Communications Officer at KC Pet Project, where she helped transform one of the country's most visible municipal shelters into a national model for innovative, lifesaving work.
Tori joins host Stacy LeBaron to unpack the latest findings from SAC's 2025 Annual Data Report — including the striking reality that 59% of all cats entering shelters in 2025 were kittens under five months of age. They dig into how to use zip-code-level intake data to target foster recruitment and community outreach before the floodgates open, and why creative thinking — think paper collars with QR codes to crowdfund spay/neuter costs — may be just as important as resources and policy.
They also tackle one of the industry's most alarming trends: only 23% of cats entering shelters in 2025 arrived already spayed or neutered, nearly 3% below pre-pandemic levels. Tori explains how SAC's groundbreaking Altered Status at Intake Report is helping organizations understand where access-to-care gaps are widest — and what shelter communicators can do right now to start closing them.
Press Play Now For:
Why cats and kittens are just as marketable as dogs — and why the most ridiculous cat names often drive the most adoptions
The significance of 59% of all 2025 cat shelter intake being kittens under five months of age
How government shelters and contract shelters are seeing disproportionately higher intake of kittens under eight weeks
Why only 23% of cats entering shelters in 2025 were already spayed or neutered — and what that means for resource allocation
SAC's Altered Status at Intake Report: five years of data showing a nearly 3% decline from 2019 pre-pandemic levels
Creative approaches to community spay/neuter funding, including paper collar QR codes to crowdfund costs
How shelters can use zip-code-level intake data to target outreach, neighborhood meetings, and foster recruitment
Practical kitten season communication strategies: media outreach, foster spotlights, and targeted Amazon wishlists
The importance of flexible, dynamic thinking when managing kitten surges — and how to support community members who can't bring kittens in right away
SAC's publicly available dashboards including the National Animal Welfare Statistics Dashboard (10 years of data!) and state-level breakdowns
Resources & Links
Shelter Animals Count
SAC 2025 Annual Data Report
SAC Data Reports
SAC Altered Status at Intake Report
KC Pet Project
PetHelpFinder.org
Pets.FindHelp.com
United Spay Alliance
United Spay Alliance Spay/Neuter Locator
Community Cats Central

"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 Underfoot. Together, they unpack the "hidden cat crisis" affecting urban communities—particularly in New York City—and explore why traditional approaches to rescue and adoption fall short of creating lasting change.
Will shares how his background in strategy and communications shaped a systems-level approach to animal welfare, leading to a bold realization: rescue alone doesn't scale. Instead, sustainable impact lies in increasing access to affordable veterinary care, particularly high-volume spay/neuter services. The conversation dives into the evolution from grassroots rescue work to launching a full-scale clinic, Flatbush Vet, which performed over 7,000 surgeries in a single year.
This episode goes beyond storytelling—it's a blueprint for change. From addressing volunteer burnout to building scalable teams, advocating for municipal accountability, and reimagining the role of cities in animal welfare, Will outlines a transformative vision for 2035. Listeners will gain insight into how policy, funding, and public awareness intersect—and why nonprofits must often lead the charge in both service delivery and media storytelling.
Whether you're a seasoned rescuer, nonprofit leader, or passionate advocate, this episode challenges you to think bigger, act strategically, and embrace solutions that create lasting impact for cats and communities alike.
Press Play Now For:
Why rescue and adoption alone cannot solve cat overpopulation
The concept of the "hidden cat crisis" and why it lacks media coverage
How scaling spay/neuter services creates measurable, long-term impact
The transition from volunteer rescue work to building a veterinary clinic
Practical strategies to prevent volunteer burnout through delegation and systems
The role of municipalities—and why policy inaction is a key barrier
A bold 2035 vision for animal welfare infrastructure in major cities
How storytelling and media can drive awareness and systemic change
Resources & Links
Flatbush Cats
Flatbush on Instagram
Flatbush on Facebook
Flatbush on TikTok
Flatbush on YouTube
Underfoot
Flatbush Vet

"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, philanthropist, and founder of Let's Be Smart Greece—to explore how one vision is reshaping feline welfare across borders.
Julie shares the story behind her move from the United States to Greece and how witnessing widespread stray populations sparked a mission rooted in education, community collaboration, and sustainable solutions. Through Let's Be Smart, Julie has developed a multifaceted model that blends Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), municipality partnerships, and innovative "Smart Yards" to create safer, more structured environments for community cats.
Listeners will get an inside look at Julie's unique shelter concept—a home-like villa where cats live freely alongside volunteers from around the world. This approach not only improves feline well-being but also accelerates socialization and adoption success. Julie also discusses the organization's growing "adoption vacation" initiative, helping tourists responsibly bring Greek cats home after proper medical preparation.
The conversation dives into recent legislative progress in Greece, the importance of youth education, and the evolving role of municipalities in animal welfare. Julie's long-term vision? A global shift toward more humane, integrated shelter models that treat animals as family—not inventory.
Whether you're involved in rescue, advocacy, or simply love cats, this episode offers a powerful reminder: meaningful change happens when compassion meets strategy.
Press Play Now For:
How Let's Be Smart Greece is tackling the stray cat crisis through education and community partnerships
The concept of "Smart Yards" and why structured feeding stations matter
A behind-the-scenes look at a villa-style, home-based cat shelter model
How international volunteers contribute to animal welfare efforts in Greece
The rise of "adoption vacations" and how tourists can responsibly adopt abroad
Why municipalities play a critical role in scaling TNR and veterinary access
Julie Kelley's long-term vision for transforming global shelter standards
Resources & Links
Let's Be Smart Greece
Julie Kelley at the Online Cat Conference 2022
Workaway Volunteer Program
Nine Lives Greece (Acropolis Cat Initiative)

"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 of the Community Cats Podcast, host Stacy LeBaron sits down with TyAnn Sumpter, Manager of Shelter Support at Charleston Animal Society, to walk through one of the most compelling TNR success stories in recent memory. TyAnn came to animal welfare from the business world, and it was that entrepreneurial mindset that helped her see past the resistance and build something lasting in Florence County, South Carolina.
TyAnn shares how she designed and launched the region's first TNR initiative using existing call log data, enthusiastic volunteers, and animal control officers who already knew which neighborhoods needed help. What started as a one-year, grant-funded pilot ended up spaying and neutering 1,700 cats in year one alone. By year two, the shelter that had previously taken in roughly a thousand cats annually had dropped its intake to just 73.
The ripple effects are just as remarkable. Neighboring Darlington County started calling to ask why they didn't have a program, and TyAnn helped them get set up. Florence County eventually hired its own dedicated community cat coordinator, purchased its own transport van, and secured permanent budget funding — all things that would have seemed unimaginable when TyAnn first walked through that shelter door. She also makes a compelling case for using complaint call reductions and cost savings to win over skeptical municipal administrators.
Press Play Now For:
How TyAnn built Florence County's first TNR program with no roadmap and no buy-in
Why mining call log data was the key to finding the community's hidden cat advocates
The dramatic shelter intake drop — from 1,000 cats per year to just 73
How the program expanded into neighboring counties and became permanently self-funded
The role animal control officers played in identifying colonies and building community trust
Making the financial case to county administrators using complaint call metrics
How Charleston Animal Society handles high-volume TNR surgeries two hours away
Why a nonjudgmental, community-first approach is the most powerful tool in TNR
The unexpected expansions: pet pantries, low-cost owned-cat spay/neuter, and more
Resources & Links:
Charleston Animal Society
TyAnn Sumpter on LinkedIn
Best Friends Animal Society
United Spay Alliance