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Community Cats Podcast: Featured Cat Video Channel🎬

Become Part of a YT Community That Helps Feral and Stray Cats.

The mission of the Community Cats Podcast is to provide education, information, and dialogue that will create a supportive environment empowering people to help cats in their community. It is the place to turn your passion for cats into action. 

 

The podcast series is the brainchild of Stacy LeBaron (our July Cat Person of the Month). Stacy has almost 30 years of experience working with Community Cats. She is also the President of PAWSitive Pantry and Treasurer of the United Spay Alliance.

Cat Crusader Stacy LeBaron

Photos courtesy of Stacy LeBaron

Stacy LeBaron was the President of the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society (MRFRS) from 1996- 2012. She rejoined the board of directors in 2020 and is currently their Treasurer. While at MRFRS she started a national mentoring program with funding from several foundations that assisted over 80 organizations setting up TNR programs in their communities from 2011-2014. 

 

In 2016, Stacy started the Community Cats Podcast which now has almost 500 episodes, over 100 different webinars, and the Community Cats Grants program to help small grassroots TNR-focused organizations raise funds to support spay/neuter.

Mewla:  Welcome back, Stacy!  Tell us about the topics covered on the Community Cats Podcast Youtube channel.
 
Stacy:  We share our weekly podcast on the YouTube Channel as well as any free webinars that we do during the course of the year.  We have a series of six free webinars that we are hosting for Neighborhood Cats which cover the key components of trap, neuter, and return(TNR).  We also do periodic live events and we share them on YouTube.  
 
Mewla: In addition to the podcast, Community Cats offers virtual education, workshops (with certification), and webinars. 
 
 
If someone has just happened upon a colony of underfed cats living outdoors in their community, what first steps should they take to learn how to best help them? 
 
 
Stacy:  I would highly recommend they check out the Trapper Tips and Tricks video (https://youtu.be/aL6kSPjrBbQ, see below). Then watch our live sessions. We will be holding another our next one on March 18th. This is a good starting point. 
 
Mewla: How about a cute story from one of your many trappings or fosterings?
 
 
Stacy:  As you can imagine, many of the cats I have had over the years were cats/kittens that I fostered that I ended up keeping. This story involves two very different kitties. I fostered older kitties that were surrendered to our program. Many cats over 10 years of age that came to the MRFRS would end up fostering with me until a home could be found.  Some of those cats we ended up adopting. 
 
 
One of those kitties was Ramses.  He was a lovely very large cat that came with a companion cat, Pyewacket.  Ramses and Pyewacket stayed with me for several months. When we found a home for Pyewacket, Ramses was integrated into my household and became buddies with a feral cat from the neighborhood that I took in, named Tange.  They were fast friends, but Tange was pretty old and passed away within a year or two. 

Want to see how TNR works?

Click this video link.

At that point, Ramses became very sad and depressed.  
 
At the shelter, there had been a very feral calico kitty named Kachina. She had been with us for almost 2 years and never socialized at all.  Instead, Kachina lived most of her days on the top of the cages in the adoption center. 
 
Kachina had been in other foster homes but was always returned. She liked other cats, but not people. So, I decided to adopt Kachina as a companion to Ramses who was about 12 years old at the time (Kachina was 2 years old).  I gave Kachina a long lecture at the adoption center about what her job was.  I had other cats in the house so I wasn’t certain if bringing her home was going to work, but it was a huge success!  She bonded with Ramses right away! She was with him until the end.
 
I hope this story will encourage people to consider adopting shy, sometimes labeled as “unadoptable,” kitties as companions for their cats who are lonely (for example, after the loss of the cat’s life partner). Ramses and Kachina were a match made in heaven. 

Put Your Passion for Cats into Action. Watch this Workshop on Mobilizing the Community to Make TNR Happen

Mewla: Awww. You are such a generous soul, Stacy. I love that story. We are so honored to be able to help spread your great passion. 

 

Are you a cat lover? Stacy’s motto is, “Turn your passion for cats into action!”  Watch these videos and share them with your friends. : )

 

In addition to her YT channel, you will find information about how to help cats at:

Community Cats Website, www.communitycatspodcast.com

Community Cats Podcast YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@communitycatspodcast

🐈😸😽

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