Video Length: 56 minutes
Often considered unadoptable and overlooked for rescue, feral and fractious cats can be saved through a Shelter-Neuter-Return program as well as a progressive Barn Placement Program. Learn about these programs and how to start an SNR program, or a Barn Placement Program. The Stray Cat Alliance Return to Field Program has saved thousands of cats since its inception, as has the Austin Animal Center's approach using shelter diversion and the Pet Resource Center. The Austin Pets Alive! Barn Cat Program saves hundreds of feisty cats each year that would otherwise be slated for euthanasia and you can, too! This presentation was recorded by Maddie's Fund® at the 2019 American Pets Alive! Conference.
Adrienne Clark leads the Community Cats program, the Austin Animal Center/TCCC Jail Foster program, and coordinates shelter outreach efforts. She formerly served as the Wildlife Officer for the City of Austin's Animal Protection Unit. There, she developed and implemented humane strategies to mitigate human-animal conflict with a special emphasis on coyotes. She is a graduate of Evergreen State College where her degree focused on animal behavior and zoology.
Monica Frenden is the Director of Feline Lifesaving at American Pets Alive! and is an instructor for the American Pets Alive!'s Maddie's® Lifesaving Academy. Before teaching the Austin no-kill Model to students, she founded a trap-neuter-return organization in rural Illinois in 2008 and pioneered one of the nation's first, and largest, barn cat programs. In 2012, she joined Austin Pets Alive! where she served as the Cat Program Manager, led her team to an 88 percent growth in cat adoptions and helped Austin achieve a citywide 98 percent live release rate for cats. Monica is a frequent speaker and advisor on innovative ways to save every cat, including cats with feline leukemia, community cats, and shelter cats in need of medical care.
When Christi Metropole encountered a stray, in-need kitten in 1999, she was appalled to learn that little to no resources existed to help her, her cat, or the thousands like them. As a result, she founded Stray Cat Alliance and soon, feral and free-roaming cats had found a formidable ally. Under Christi's unwavering leadership, hundreds of volunteers and scores of donors have since united to provide education, human power, and skills to Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) thousands of cats who need help. She is frequently requested as a speaker on critical issues related to cat care and protection, laws regarding humane treatment, and human health-related concerns.
Wendy has dedicated her professional and personal life to her love for animals. She has enjoyed a career working with people and pets for over 27 years. When she moved to Austin, she began volunteering at a veterinary clinic which led to a job as a veterinary technician. She joined Austin Animal Services in 1995 and has worked in a number of roles. In 2017, she accepted her current position as a supervisor for the newly formed Pet Resource Center (PRC). By providing resources, information, and support, the PRC is designed to help keep pets both owned and unowned with their care-taking guardians.