To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Community Cats Podcast, host Stacy LeBaron is joined by Kristen Petrie, Community Cats Central's Technical Tabby, and frequent guest/guest host Mike Phillips of the Urban Cat League in New York City. Rather than a traditional interview, this episode is a candid conversation about the podcast's journey, the evolution of the community cat movement, and what they see on the horizon.
Press Play Now For:
How the podcast launched with a five-day-a-week release schedule — and why that was, in retrospect, wildly ambitious
The evolution from a podcast into a broader educational platform, including the TNR certification workshops that have now certified over 6,000 community cat advocates
The Community Cat Pyramid — why it became a turning point for the podcast and the movement, and how it reframes the conversation around owned cats as the upstream source of community cat populations
A frank look at the veterinary access crisis: why affordable spay/neuter remains the most critical variable in population management, and what's shifting in the private practice landscape (including the potential move away from corporate ownership back toward independent practices)
The Community Cat Clinics in the Atlanta area as a model for independently owned, cat-focused veterinary practices — and how to connect with co-owner Rick DuCharme if you're curious about replicating it
The cost equation: why trap-hold-euthanize approaches are far more expensive than upstream spay/neuter investment, and how to make that case clearly to decision-makers
Advocacy strategy — including the elevator pitch, tailoring your message to your audience (a politician needs to hear "1,000 voters"; a neighbor who dislikes cats needs to hear about the vacuum effect), and the power of consistent, simple messaging
The Georgia Whole Cat Workshop — bringing community cat players together for a full-day hybrid strategic session
The Summerlee Sustainable Solutions Grant Program— an eight-week course through the University of the Pacific paired with $4,000–$8,000 in seed funding for pilot projects
What the future looks like: less hierarchy, more collaboration, and community members stepping up to answer each other's questions
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