2012 No More Homeless Pets National Conference

Just two more days to take advantage of the early-bird registration rate of $275!

And Vox Felina readers can save an additional $25 by entering the discount code “Wolf.” Simply visit the conference website, and click on “Register Now.” (When asked for payment information, be sure to use your discount code.)

Among this year’s speakers are Jackson Galaxy, star of My Cat From Hell and author of Cat Daddy, Ellen Jefferson, executive director of Austin Pets Alive!, Christi Metropole, founder and executive director of Stray Cat Alliance, and Becky Robinson, co-founder and president of Alley Cat Allies.

And, for those hard-core attendees who stick around until Sunday…

Laura Nirenberg, legislative analyst for Best Friends’ Focus on Felines campaign, Lisa Tudor, Director of Development and Outreach, the Foundation Against Companion-Animal Euthanasia (FACE), and I will be presenting Taking It to the Street (Cats): Grassroots Advocacy for Community Cats Sunday morning. (Apologies in advance to those who will be staying out too late Saturday night!)

Hope to see you there!

When: October 25–28, 2012
Where: Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas
Cost:
$275 early-bird rate ($325 after September 19)

For updates and additional information, check out the conference Facebook page. Questions? conferences@bestfriends.org.

TNR In Prime Time

“We need to explode the concept of what a cat guy looks like, what a cat girl looks like,” argues Jackson Galaxy in his book, Cat Daddy: What the World’s Most Incorrigible Cat Taught Me About Life, Love, and Coming Clean. “We need a country literally full of cat guys and cat girls, bikers, politicians, clergy, and everyone in between, in order to keep millions from dying without homes.”

In Jackson’s case, the look includes a shaved head, sculpted facial hair, enormous earrings, and loads of tattoos. On last week’s episode of his wildly successful show, My Cat From Hell (which you can watch online), he revealed a new accessory: a humane trap. Read more

You Make a Statement, RCTees Will Make a Donation

Three reasons to sign up for Jackson Galaxy’s e-mail list:

  1. You’ll be supporting Jackson, a tireless advocate for all cats—including those living on the streets. (In May, he took time out of his crazy schedule to help raise money for Spay/Neuter Hotline’s TNR program here in Arizona.)
  2. You’ll learn how to better understand your cats’ behaviors—and how to change them—from the star of Animal Planet’s My Cat From Hell. Happier cats, happier guardians—you get the idea.
  3. You’ll learn about deals like this one. For all of July, the folks at RCTees are donating $2.00 from every purchase of their Real Men Love Cats design to Much Love Animal Rescue. The shirt—a favorite of Jackson’s—is available in men’s and women’s sizes, short- and long-sleeve, and a variety of colors.

You’re welcome.

BlogPaws 2012 Recap

I survived BlogPaws 2012.

After three days of talks about Word Press, WP plugins, SEO, and the like, my head is still spinning. (And my suspicions have been confirmed: Vox Felina is due for some serious revisions.)

Among the highlights were two keynote addresses—the first from Betsy Saul, co-founder of Petfinder.com, who, to her credit, made cats (including community cats) the first item on her list of issues that the companion animal welfare community needs to focus on. The second was a pull-no-punches wake-up call from Lena West, who challenged all of us to treat our blogging like a business—and in doing so, increase the good we can do.

Easily the best part of the event, though, was spending time with so many bloggers I’d known only virtually until now—including: Tamar Arslanian (I Have Cat); Angie Bailey (Catladyland); Deb Barnes (The Chronicles of Zee and Zoey); Crystal Fogg, who blogs about her “special needs” cat, Moki at The Wobbly Cat; Debbie Glovatsky (Glogirly), winner of BlogPaws’ Nose-to-Nose Award for Best Meow Blog; Stephanie Harwin (Catsparella); Janea Kelley (Paws and Effect); Ingrid King (The Conscious Cat); Joanne McGonagle (The Tiniest Tiger Conservation Cub Club); Christine Michaels (Riverfront Cats); Karen Nichols (Mousebreath), winner of the Nose-to-Nose Award for Best Blog Design; Robin Olson (Covered in Cat Hair), and Dorian Wagner (Your Daily Cute).

The Catification Lounge, the creation of Kate Benjamin, “Miss Moderncat,” and “Cat Daddy” Jackson Galaxy, proved to be an excellent venue for conversations both serious and light (the latter being aided immeasurably by Jill Delzer owner of Ally McPets).

I hope to see you all again at BlogPaws 2013!

BlogPaws 2012

Soon, I’ll be headed to Salt Lake City for the BlogPaws conference, where I’m looking forward to meeting (finally) several fellow bloggers I know only virtually (many of whom helped push Smudge and me over the top last weekend).

Look for me in the Catification Lounge, a showcase of some of the best-designed cat products on the market, pulled together by Kate Benjamin, “Miss Moderncat,” and “Cat Daddy” Jackson Galaxy.

Hope to see you there!

Who’s Your (Cat) Daddy?

If you’re in the Phoenix area, please join me on Thursday, May 17th when Cat Daddy Jackson Galaxy will be here for two special events promoting his new book Cat Daddy: What the World’s Most Incorrigible Cat Taught Me About Life, Love and Coming Clean.

Lunch with Jackson: Special Fundraiser for Spay/Neuter Hotline’s TNR Program
Duck & Decanter (1651 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix, AZ) is hosting a lunch (vegetarian and vegan options) from noon until 2:00 pm. Tickets are $50 per person (includes lunch and a copy of Cat Daddy). The event will be held in a private area and limited to just 60 attendees. Jackson will be signing books and greeting guests.

Jackson is a huge supporter of TNR, and was impressed by how many other supporters he met during his February visit. So, a portion of each ticket sale will be donated to the Spay/Neuter Hotline’s TNR program. Last year, this program—one of the largest in the country—sterilized more than 10,000 community cats, and it’s on track for 12,000 this year. Since its founding in 2009, the Spay/Neuter Hotline has sterilized more than 30,000 of the area’s free-roaming cats.

Reserve your tickets now by calling Duck & Decanter at 602-274-5429. This event is sponsored by Changing Hands Bookstore, Duck & Decanter, and Vox Felina.

Book Signing at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe
Thursday evening, Jackson will be at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe for a book signing. Anyone who purchases a copy of Cat Daddy from Changing Hands (pre-order online) will be issued two tickets for the book signing. Doors open at 6:00 pm for people with tickets. At 6:45, any remaining seats (don’t count on it!) will be open for general seating. The event starts at 7:00.

The book signing is sponsored by Changing Hands Bookstore, Tarcher/Penguin Books, and Moderncat.

Pre-order Cat Daddy and help shelter cats
Only one day left! Order your copy of Cat Daddy before May 10th, and Tarcher/Penguin will donate $1.00 to the cause of saving shelter cats. To make your pre-order count, simply e-mail a photo or scan of your receipt to: CatDaddyBook@gmail.com.

Donations will go to Best Friends Animal Society, Stray Cat Alliance, and Neighborhood Cats.

Also:
• Read my review of Cat Daddy for Moderncat.
Cat Daddy book tour details.
Cat Daddy audio book info.

The Daily Show’s Take on the Cat-Bird Debate

Screenshot--The Daily Show

By now, many—perhaps most—readers have already seen the segment of Monday night’s episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart in which correspondent Aasif Mandvi satirized the cat-bird debate (described all too accurately, I’m afraid, by Mandvi as an “intractable war”).

Interviewed for the piece were American Bird Conservancy president George Fenwick and Alley Cat Allies president Becky Robinson (the cats’ “moneyed lobbyist,” as Mandvi explained, tongue firmly in cheek), while Jackson Galaxy’s contribution was, sadly, reduced to little more than a cameo.

I can’t imagine Fenwick’s pleased with how he came off, but perhaps he should be counting his blessings.

Frankly, I’d like to have seen Fenwick in the hot seat—Jim Kramer-style—defending his talking points (e.g., “cats are super-predators, especially when it comes to birds,” “cats kill hundreds of millions of birds,” etc.) to an unsympathetic Stewart.

Special Event: Downtown L.A.

Later this week, I’ll be joining Kate Benjamin, the woman behind Moderncat and Moderncat Studio, and Jackson Galaxy, cat behaviorist extraordinaire and host of My Cat From Hell, for this month’s Meow Mingle Cat Social at Pussy & Pooch pet boutique.

If you’re in the Los Angeles area, please stop by and say hello!

When: Wednesday, May 25; 6:00pm–8:00pm
Where:
Pussy & Pooch Pethouse and Pawbar; 564 S. Main Street, Los Angeles (map)