"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

"We might think access to veterinary care is just an issue for low-income families—but the reality is, it affects people across income levels, for very different reasons."

This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, and the Feline Behavior Summit 2026.

Access to veterinary care is one of the most pressing—and complex—issues facing pet families today. In this episode of the Community Cats Podcast, host Stacy LeBaron sits down with researcher Claire Shuch, PhD, to unpack the latest findings from a groundbreaking national study on barriers to veterinary care.

Drawing from her work with the University of Tennessee Knoxville's Program for Pet Health Equity, Claire shares insights from the updated Access to Veterinary Care: Barriers and Insights from Pet Families report. This research builds on the foundational 2018 study and reveals how economic pressures, workforce shortages, and lingering pandemic effects continue to shape how—and whether—families can care for their pets.

Listeners will discover surprising truths about who struggles to access care (hint: it's not just low-income households), why many cats remain unspayed or unvaccinated, and how logistical challenges like scheduling and clinic availability play a major role. The conversation also explores the broader "One Health" framework, highlighting how human, animal, and environmental health are deeply interconnected.

For community cat advocates, this episode offers valuable context on intake trends, stray adoption patterns, and opportunities for intervention through education and accessible services. Claire also paints a compelling vision of a more integrated future—where human and animal healthcare services are co-located or mobile, reaching underserved communities more effectively.

Whether you're a rescuer, veterinarian, policymaker, or passionate cat lover, this episode provides both data-driven insights and hopeful possibilities for improving care access nationwide.

Press Play Now For:

• Key findings from the latest national veterinary care access study
• Why affordability is only part of the access problem
• Insights into cat ownership trends and stray intake patterns
• The real reasons cats aren't always spayed or neutered
• How COVID-19 reshaped pet ownership and care challenges
• The growing impact of veterinary workforce shortages
• A practical introduction to the "One Health" model
• Innovative ideas for co-located and mobile care services
• How community programs can better support both pets and people

Resources & Links

• Access to Veterinary Care: Barriers and Insights from Pet Families
• University of Tennessee Knoxville – Program for Pet Health Equity (PPHE)
• One Health Community Forum (Maddie's Fund)
• Original 2018 Access to Veterinary Care Study (AVCC)

"I'm announcing that FIP is no longer considered fatal… and I looked up to see tears in the eyes of veterinarians around the world."

This episode is sponsored-in-part by Maddie's Fund, OcuTrap, the Feline Behavior Summit 2026, and the TNR Certification Workshop.

In this powerful and emotional episode of the Community Cats Podcast, host Stacy LeBaron sits down with renowned animal behavior expert and advocate Steve Dale to explore groundbreaking advancements in feline health that are changing—and saving—lives.

Steve shares the deeply personal story of his cat Ricky, whose diagnosis with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) sparked a decades-long mission to fund critical research through the EveryCat Health Foundation. What began as heartbreak has led to hope, including the development of a promising drug that can reverse heart enlargement in cats when caught early.

The conversation then turns to one of the most historically devastating feline diseases: FIP (feline infectious peritonitis). Once considered a death sentence, FIP is now treatable thanks to years of persistence, research funding, and global collaboration. Steve walks us through the science, the setbacks, and the stunning breakthrough that has saved countless kittens—and even contributed to antiviral treatments used during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Beyond the science, this episode highlights the evolving human-cat bond, the importance of understanding feline behavior, and why we are truly living in the "era of the cat." Whether you're a shelter professional, foster caregiver, or devoted cat owner, this conversation will leave you informed, inspired, and hopeful about the future of feline welfare.

Press Play Now For:

• The surprising origin story of a piano-playing cat that changed everything
• How one cat's diagnosis led to life-saving HCM research
• A clear, accessible explanation of FIP and why it was once always fatal
• The breakthrough antiviral treatments now curing FIP in kittens
• How feline research contributed to human COVID-19 treatment
• Why understanding animal behavior can prevent bites and build trust
• The growing momentum behind "The Year (and Decade) of the Cat"

Resources & Links

• EveryCat Health Foundation
• Steve Dale's Blog & Newsletter
• Ask the Dog by Steve Dale
• FIP Warriors
• Zen By Cat