Conversations with Stacy LeBaron

Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacy LeBaron.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am all about turning your passion for cats into action! I have been involved in animal welfare for over 20 years. I currently host a weekly podcast called the Community Cats Podcast, where I interview nationally and internationally renowned experts helping with the problem of cat overpopulation and cat welfare. In addition to the podcast, I am committed to the model of virtual education by holding three-weekend conferences, the Online Cat Conference, The United Spay Alliance Conference, and the Online Kitten Conference. I host day-long sessions covering specific topics around Feline Leukemia, Behavior, and Fundraising. At the end of 2020, I also partnered with Neighborhood Cats to hold monthly virtually trapper training and certification workshops to better introduce individuals to best practices for trapping community cats. 

Previous to starting the podcast, I served for 16 years as president of the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society (MRFRS). During my tenure, the MRFRS assisted over 105,000 cats and kittens through a variety of innovative programs. Among the MRFRS’s programs are two mobile spay/neuter clinics, known as the Catmobiles, and an adoption center in Salisbury, MA. I also ran the MRFRS Mentoring Program, which began in 2011 and assisted 11,000 cats through its work with 77 different animal welfare groups in 14 states. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There are always struggles when you are building and growing a business. Luckily, I am an optimist by nature, which helps. However, we are dealing with severe staffing shortages in the veterinary community, which hurts our ability to get the necessary help for cats and kittens in need. Many groups and individuals that I work with have started to be creative in developing efficient solutions to assist cats. That is why I have gotten involved with a very exciting project in Georgia called the Community Cat Clinic (www.communitycatclinic.com), which will serve as an efficient model to support all cats in our communities. Everyone should have access to the services that they need for their cats. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am known for connecting folks to help them be able to turn their passion for cats into action. I meet so many people that feel like they are all alone in caring for cats, and I am here to share that we are all humane folks that care about cats, and we can all be part of the team to supports cats. Even if you don’t like cats, you can help cats. I pride myself on being a connector and problem solver. I would say we are first the leader in training folks on how to be TNR (Trap, Neuter, and Return) certified. This online program teaches individuals how they can safely help cats. We walk people through why it is ok to return a cat to the community and how to determine who to return. 

Many people ask me how to determine if a cat is owned or needs assistance. We created a paper collar template that is a simple yet effective resource. For organizations looking to be strategic with their resources, we created the Community Cat Pyramid. This helps an organization really look at how their resources are impacting the cats in the community. 

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I believe that my ability to be an active listener helps me a lot. There are many reasons why people want to help cats, and we need to use those skills effectively. Having the ability to delegate and work with others is also extremely important. Lastly, being able to “turn off” and recharge, etc. is critical. This is a marathon. Compassion fatigue and burnout is very common in animal welfare. We need to change that. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.communitycatspodcast.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/communitycatspodcast/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/communitycatspodcast
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/community-cats-podcast
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@communitycatspodcast