2012 No More Homeless Pets Conference—Some Highlights

30 Oct 2012

I’m only now starting to catch my breath (nowhere close to catching up on my sleep!) after this year’s No More Homeless Pets Conference in Las Vegas (video highlights here). Among the numerous attendees and presenters I was able to spend time with (too little in every case) were* Bonney Brown, executive director of the Nevada Humane Society; Jackson Galaxy, star of My Cat From Hell and author of Cat Daddy;Frank Hamilton, co-founder and president of the Animal Coalition of Tampa; Dr. Ellen Jefferson, executive director of Austin Pets Alive!; Katie Lisnik, director of cat protection and policy for the Humane Society of the United States; Christi Metropole, founder and executive director of Stray Cat Alliance; Dr. Jeff Newman, co-founder and director of Caring Hands Animal Support and Education; Becky Robinson, co-founder and president of Alley Cat Allies; Christie Rogero, targeted spay/neuter manager for the Animal Welfare Association; Holly Sizemore director of community programs and services for Best Friends; Lori Weise, founder and director of Downtown Dog Rescue; and, last but certainly not least, longtime friends Bob Miegl and Corinne Mitchell from PAWS of Coronado.

I also had the opportunity to chat (again, too briefly) with Best Friends co-founders Francis Battista, Judah Battista , Gregory Castle, and Faith Maloney. Congratulations one and all on an informative, inspirational event—and thank you for inviting me to participate!

Taking It to the Street (Cats): Grassroots Advocacy for Community Cats—which I had the honor of presenting alongside Laura Nirenberg, legislative attorney for Best Friends’ Focus on Felines campaign, and Lisa Tudor, Director of Development and Outreach for the Foundation Against Companion-Animal Euthanasia (FACE) and founder and executive director of IndyFeral—was a great success. Many thanks to all who attended—your commitment to the stray, abandoned, and feral cats in your communities is an inspiration.

Two of the most memorable take-aways:

Phase 2 of Best Friends’ NKLA initiative, launched earlier this year, will include a program aimed specifically at saving kittens under eight weeks of age (of which, we were told, approximately 7,000 are killed in the L.A. shelter system each year).
The remarkable success of San José’s Feral Freedom program. Jon Cicirelli, deputy director of San José Animal Care and Services, shared with us some very impressive data—which I hope to make the focus of a future post.

Unfortunately, many attendees’ plans were disrupted by Hurricane Sandy, forcing some of leave early while others were stranded in Las Vegas. My thoughts go out to all of those in Sandy’s path, as well as the various animals—owned and unowned alike—in their care.

* I know even as I type this out that I’m overlooking people—my apologies!

2012 No More Homeless Pets Conference Begins Today!

25 Oct 2012

Looking forward to seeing old friends and making some new ones, too.

Hope to see you there!

2012 No More Homeless Pets National Conference

17 Sep 2012

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.

Best Friends Co-founder Francis Battista Calls B.S. on TNR Opponents

30 Jun 2012

The next time I see Francis Battista, I’m buying the man a drink.

It’s the least I can do after his post on the Best Friends blog Thursday. In it, Francis, one of Best Friends’ founders, took TNR opponents to task for their indefensible position.

“Despite the inescapable logic that fixing free-roaming cats in a given neighborhood will reduce the ability of those cats to reproduce, the dogma of those opposed to trap/neuter/return (TNR) protocols prevents them from acknowledging the mathematical effects of spay/neuter on population control.”

The position of TNR opponents, Francis argues, is supported neither by the science, nor by public opinion.

“Setting aside—if indeed that is possible—the ugliness of such a plan, who would they propose undertake the campaign and how would they sell it to the cat-loving public? Municipalities certainly don’t have the resources to deploy hundreds of trappers who would, in any event, quickly become the target of animal activists’ ire. Are the bird groups planning to do it? The idea is as unworkable as it is cruel. Catching and killing stray cats was standard operating procedure for decades prior to the rise of TNR, yet catch-and-kill policies were notably ineffective in controlling community cat populations.”

He then goes on to point out that prohibiting TNR is, in fact, likely to be detrimental to the very species opponents claim to want to protect (a point I’ve made previously). “I suppose their logic goes that it’s better to let cat populations go entirely unchecked rather than open the door even a crack to TNR.”

Unfortunately, it’ll be nearly four months until I have the opportunity to buy Francis that drink—when we see each other at the 2012 No More Homeless Pets Conference, at which I’ve been invited to speak. (For a $25 discount on your registration fee, enter the discount code “Wolf” when asked for payment information.)

Until then, Francis, keep those blog posts coming!

2012 No More Homeless Pets National Conference

17 May 2012

Have you registered yet for Best Friends’ No More Homeless Pets National Conference? Vox Felina readers can save an additional $25 off the early-bird rate of $275!

Simply visit the conference website, and click on “Register Now.” When asked for payment information, enter the discount code “Wolf.”

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

Oh, and yours truly.

Laura Nirenberg, legislative analyst for Best Friends’ Cat Initiatives, and I will be presenting Taking It to the Street (Cats): Grassroots Advocacy for Community Cats Sunday morning.

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.

Terrible Twos

20 Apr 2012

Where were you two years ago today?

I was, as I am now, typing away on my laptop well into the night—compelled, as I wrote on the blog’s About page, to speak out on behalf of stray, abandoned, and feral cats. Two years—and 147 posts—later, it’s clear that people are listening.

In the past year alone, 213 additional readers have become subscribers, bringing the total to 370. And the Vox Felina Facebook page is up to 1,239 “Likes,” double what it was on the one-year anniversary.

And word continues to spread.

Over the past 12 months, Vox Felina has been mentioned in Animal People, Conservation magazine and The Washingtonian. In addition, I’ve been profiled in Best Friends magazine, interviewed on Animal Wise Radio, and invited to speak at the 2011 Animal Grantmakers conference.

And the next year is already shaping up to be at least as busy, with, for example, speaking commitments at the No Kill Conference in August and the No More Homeless Pets National Conference in October.

Although there’s already plenty on my to-do list, I’m always interested in hearing from Vox Felina readers. What can I do to help you advocate for stray, abandoned, and feral cats? Send me a note: peter[at]voxfelina.com. (Please be patient—none of my “assistants” has opposable thumbs.)

And, as always, thank you for your support—and for all that you’re doing on behalf of our community cats!

Peter

2011 No More Homeless Pets National Conference

20 Oct 2011

I’m off to Las Vegas for the 2011 No More Homeless Pets National Conference! Not sure I’ll have time (not to mention the typing skills) for any live blogging, but I’ll be posting photos and occasional updates on the Vox Felina Facebook page.

Looking forward to the informative workshops, inspirational speakers, and—best of all—catching up with friends and colleagues I don’t see often enough. If you’ll be there, please track me down and say hello.