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In our experience, when TNRd cats are crossing busy roads, it is due to food, or lack of food. If they don't all stay on one side of the road, it is probably safe to assume some are from the other side and I would set up a feeding station over there. You might find another caregiver over on that side that is completely underestimating the number of cats to feed. Also if this is a larger busy road, people may not know their neighbors and may not think anyone else cares about the cats. If they are not from the other side of the road, I would assume this person isn't feeding enough. Do they need extra food support? We have highlighted situations like this on our social media, set up a special Amazon wishlist for them, and the food is sent directly to them. Are there shelters, or enough shelters? If that is an issue, I would work on that as well. For larger colonies, we had someone build a nice 4x8x2 shelter with 3 inside levels that housed 15-20 cats. It needed to be moved by a truck but it worked extremely well. Good luck! ------------------------------ Karen Jealous PDX Cat Trapper Portland OR ------------------------------ View Discussion

Hi there, We allow volunteers as young as 8yrs to volunteer with our animals. If they are between 8-15yrs they must be with a parent or guardian (18yrs or older). Once 16-17yrs they can volunteer on their own. All volunteers attend training and fill out a volunteer application (ours includes an indemnity clause). All of our animals are color coded and assessed so our volunteers know which ones we feel comfortable with youth and which ones need to remain adult only. Let me know if you have any questions. Erin Ellis ------------------------------ Erin Ellis Community Engagement Director Humane Society of Truckee-Tahoe --------- Foster Program & Volunteer Management Specialist ------------------------------ View Discussion

Which is the best affordable cat food online brand that's the closest to Royal Canin's wet food range, yet affordable? also suggest what the best homemade food I can make to feed my cat occasionally twice or thrice a week. Suggest what works best for your older cats (probably around 5 years). Thanks in advance ------------------------------ Hungry Dewdney Animal Welfare Coordinator Cat Food AK ------------------------------ View Discussion

Hi Chris, I'm currently an intern with Rocky Mountain French Bulldog Rescue, so while I'm not an expert on jurisdiction surrounding youth volunteers, I can share my personal experience. When I volunteered at an animal shelter at age 15, there were several age-related restrictions in place. First, volunteers had to be at least 15 years old. Those between ages 15 and 18 were required to have a parent present for supervision during their first six months participating at the shelter. After that period, I was permitted to work independently with kittens, rabbits, and other small animals until I turned 18. Volunteers 18 and older were allowed to work with dogs/bigger animals without supervision. Both my parents and I signed liability waivers, since we were all volunteering at the shelter. I hope this was helpful! ------------------------------ McKenna Van Voris Administration and Grant Writing Inter Rocky Mountain French Bulldog Rescue ------------------------------ View Discussion

Thank you so much for this information. I'll look into it. ------------------------------ Isabelle Nidetz ------------------------------ View Discussion

Hi :) No one wants to experience a serious dog fight, but knowing how to safely and effectively break them up can save lives and prevent injuries. Join us for Maddie's Monthly Behavior Connection on Thurs Feb 26 at noon PT where we'll learn about this important skill from @Laurie Lawless and @Trish Mcmillan don't miss this one! Sign me up! About the webcast: One of the most important ways we can meet shelter dogs' needs and reduce behavior problems is to allow our dogs contact and playtime with their own species. Many staff and volunteers are concerned about giving dogs this vital exercise, enrichment, and important natural behavior outlet because of a fear of dog fights. While dog fights can sound scary, most are just "spit and noise" and cause little to no damage, many of us have seen fights that caused more damage, or fights where a person was also injured. Most of the ways we naturally approach breaking up a dog fight can actually make things worse, so teaching people how to break dog fights up efficiently and safely is an important part of onboarding any employees who may supervise dog interactions. Laurie Lawless (of Shelter Behavior Integrations) and Trish McMillan (of Shelter Behavior Hub) are shelter behavior experts with decades of experience monitoring and facilitating dog play in many different contexts, but especially with shelter dogs. This webinar will review the tools and techniques they believe shelters should have on hand and ... View Discussion

At Elle's House Animal Rescue, temporary fostering is not a pause. It is protection. In January 2026, we rescued three puppies off Panama Lane. They were scared, hungry, and overwhelmed. Instead of placing them immediately into high-traffic adoption events, we used short-term foster placement inside our home-based rescue setting. Within days, their behavior changed. • Eating consistently • Sleeping through the night • Learning to trust hands and voices • Playing instead of hiding Luna was one of those puppies. She stayed in short-term care while we completed her health check, vaccination schedule, and socialization work. That temporary stability allowed her to decompress. She was adopted February 15, 2026, into a loving home 250 miles away. No fee. No donation. Just the right placement. Temporary fostering has also helped us keep pets with their families. We have provided short-term holding for owners facing medical procedures and housing instability. Instead of surrendering permanently, families were able to reclaim their pets once stable. That prevented trauma for the animal and heartbreak for the family. Short-term care also protects shelter capacity. When municipal shelters are full, even a few days of decompression in a foster environment prevents kennel stress, illness spread, and behavioral decline. A stressed dog in a loud kennel can shut down quickly. In a home setting, that same dog can reset. We have seen shy cats become social within 48 hours of quiet ... View Discussion

We are a foster based rescue in Northern Nevada. We work with a local veterinary practice as well as our local and surrounding shelters and animal control agencies. We are often in the position of providing safety-net type fostering in order to pull an animal out of a dangerous, life-threatening, or disadvantaged situations. One recent example is of a cat we took in on January 26th. We were contacted by community partners in Winnemucca to see if we could help. Cordelia, as we call her, was found by someone who was hiking. When they found her she was emaciated and badly injured. She had a ruptured eye and was covered in mats. We were able to assist and provide immediate foster care for her. She has been to the vet and is still recovering with her foster family. ------------------------------ Michele Ting Resource Manager Pawsibilities NV ------------------------------ View Discussion

For those organizations who have youth volunteers, at what age do you allow them to have direct contact with the animals (e.g., walking dogs and socializing with cats)? If you allow individuals under 18 to work directly with animals, do you have their parents sign an additional release/indemnification waiver? #LawsandPublicPolicy #PeopleManagement(includingVolunteerIntegration) ------------------------------ Chris Fitzgerald Director of Animal Services Town of Greece, NY - Animal Services Rochester NY cfitzgerald@greeceny.gov ------------------------------ View Discussion

Hi all! Thanks to Maddie's Fund, WisCARES is hiring a 3rd CVT! WisCARES is a community clinic in Madison, Wisconsin and is a part of the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine. We work with clients who are experiencing poverty, have social workers available, and teach veterinary students! As you all know, CVTs, like unicorns, are hard to find, so we've been struggling to find someone who is a good fit. If you are or know of someone who might be interested in being an accessible veterinary care CVT and are interested in helping to shape the next generation of veterinarians, please use or share this link: Veterinary Technician - WisCARES - Madison, Wisconsin, United States 5 reasons to work for WisCARES: We value and put into practice good work/life boundaries for all employees (in other words, you get good PTO and we'll encourage you to use it!) You get state benefits - Rock star health care for the whole family and again, the PTO We help people with few other options. Some days can be tough, but at the end of the day we all feel like our work serves an important purpose to the people and animals that come through our door. We all work together and value teamwork. We teach one of the school's most popular clinical rotations. The students love taking our rotation because we love teaching them. While teaching may sound intimidating, rotating clinical students are so ready to learn and soak up any information ... View Discussion

Hi everyone, I'm looking to gather insight on best practices regarding microchip tags at adoption. We're evaluating our current process and would love to know what works well for other organizations. Do you keep the microchip tags on-site, or do you send them home with adopters at the time of adoption? If you hold them until adoption, how do you ensure the correct tag stays with the pet's paperwork and doesn't get separated? Has anyone transitioned away from sending physical tags altogether? If so, how has that worked? We're trying to determine the most efficient and foolproof system that minimizes errors while still providing adopters with everything they need. I'd really appreciate hearing what systems, safeguards, or workflows have been successful for you. Thank you in advance for sharing what works (and what doesn't)! #AdmissionsandIntake(includingIntake-to-placement) #AdoptionsandAdoptionPrograms ------------------------------ Terri Hooks Senior Manager Lifesaving Programs SPCA of Texas Dallas TX ------------------------------ View Discussion

I would make sure there isn't a food source across the street and get all of the cats s/n. Is the caretaker providing enough food for all of the cats? Is there food available elsewhere that they like better? Cats will wander for food, to mate and shelter. I hope this helps! ------------------------------ Gina Jennings Community Impact Dynamo SPCA Wake County ------------------------------ View Discussion

We started by observing which of our local stores did "round ups" for other charities. That told us both that their computer systems could be programmed to do "round ups" and the store management was community-minded and wanted to support local charities. We then put a simple packet together about Purrfect Match including some statistics of how many cats we rescue, how we are making our community safer for residents by reducing the cat population etc. We have a physical facility so invited them for a tour. We started with area pet stores (both local and national), then grocery stores (they sell lots of pet food etc!) and then the farm stores in our area who do the same. We usually run the promotion for a month. You need to bring the check out staff on a tour, because once they see the cats in our care, they really promote the "round up" to customers as they check out! ------------------------------ Bruce Thorsen President, Board of Directors Purrfect Match Cat Rescue Millington TN ------------------------------ View Discussion

I highly recommend Madonna University. They have both an MS and a graduate certificate in non-profit leadership. It isn't exactly the MBA, but it is fully online and they also have an animal cruelty certificate that you can pair with it. Depending on what you're doing in your field, the certificate may be more applicable than you think (it includes educational modules on engaging stakeholders for animal welfare work, legal frameworks/policy,) along with of course the investigation. I also highly recommend looking into CAWA . It is industry specific, but it's also a little easier to dedicate time to than a full program and yet manages to cover so many of the same essentials. - Sorry! I know you asked for MBA but these are the two programs I've used and to be honest when I began looking to further my education I was balancing a budget and time dedication issues I truly feel like I got as much out of them as a regular MBA and bonus they were more industry specific. ------------------------------ Rachel Ide Animal Services Director Young-Williams Animal Center TN ------------------------------ View Discussion

Hi Kerrie, Apologies but I'm having trouble understanding what you wrote. Can you share a little more detail? Sheila Segurson, DVM, DACVB Board-Certified Veterinary Behaviorist Director of Shelter Solutions Maddie's Fund Maddiesfund.org 925 860-8284 Please excuse typos and abbreviations. Sent from my iPhone On Feb 18, 2026, at 3:02 PM, Kerrie King (She her hers) via Maddie's Pet Forum <Mail@maddiesfund.org> wrote:  Agreed with nothing liking to medicate dogs due to one having a allergy to a sedition med that was given to them at a clinic ------------------... -posted to the "Animal Welfare Professionals" community View Discussion

Agreed with nothing liking to medicate dogs due to one having a allergy to a sedition med that was given to them at a clinic ------------------------------ Kerrie King Owner SECOND CHANCE FOR LOVE ANIMAL RESCUE MS ------------------------------ View Discussion

Hello! I'm doing some career soul searching. I want to continue my education and improve on my skills in the animal welfare sector. I noticed that a lot of executive team members have completed an MBA program. I'm starting to explore programs but was wondering if anyone had recommendations for online MBA programs that have a non-profit concentration. Please let me know if you have any advice to share in this process too. Thank you! #EducationandTraining ------------------------------ Isabelle Nidetz ------------------------------ View Discussion

Our team is looking to purchase a portable engraver. Our community initiatives team will often set up at events. Looking to purchase 2, for about $5k, but open to adjusting for the right one. Have you tried either of these companies? Can you make a recommendation if you've tried something else. https://www.imarcengraver.com/pet_tag_engraver.html https://goscribe.com/products/goscribe-mini-engraver Thank you in advance for any help; Our community families and pets thank you too! #AdoptionsandAdoptionPrograms #CommunityPartnerships* #FieldServicesandPublicSafety* #PetSupportServices* #ReturntoHome(LostPetReunification) ------------------------------ Shonyae Johnson - CPDT-KA Learning + Development Sr. Manager Operation Kindness Humane Society | Texas Unites www.operationkindness.org texasunites@operationkindness.org Carrollton, TX, ------------------------------ View Discussion

Join your colleagues on February 25 to learn how you can apply the new ASV Guidelines for Humane Rabbit Housing in Animal Shelters to your everyday shelter scenarios. Rabbits are the new kids on the block: Most animal shelters weren't designed with this sensitive, recently-domesticated species in mind. A shelter stay can spike stress both for bunnies and the teams challenged with meeting their needs. Drs. Chumkee Aziz, Zarah Hedge, Sarah Hicks and Jonna Swanson will break down takeaways from the guidelines-developed by nearly two dozen rabbit care, facility design and shelter medicine experts. You'll learn: The why behind the recommendations and how authors bridged data gaps The highest-impact recommendations to focus on first Solutions for common shelter challenges Doable first steps for shelters with limited budgets and small teams Date & Time: Feb. 25, 2026, 12-1:30 p.m. PT Presenters: Mehnaz Chumkee Aziz, DVM, DABVP; Zarah Hedge, DVM, MPH, DABVP; Sarah Hicks, DVM; and Jonna Swanson, DVM CE: Approved for 1.5 hours of continuing education credit by RACE, CAWA, and NACA. Can't make it live? Register to receive the recording and resources after the event and return to this thread for discussion . You can find on-demand free CE in the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program Shelter Learniverse , #ThanksToMaddie! Register now #AdmissionsandIntake(includingIntake-to-placement) #Behavior,TrainingandEnrichment #Conferences,WorkshopsandWebcasts ... View Discussion

I run Spicy Kitten School through Joyful Pets Rescue, where we socialize feral and undersocialized kittens through a foster-based program. But the story I want to share is personal, because I'm one of the fosters, too. Batman and Delilah came to me as shut-down, scared kittens who wanted nothing to do with humans. My resident cat, Sunny, became their mentor. Undersocialized kittens watch resident cats. If Sunny trusted us, maybe they could too. Over the course of a year, they went from hiding to weaving around my ankles, accepting pets, and playing fetch (Delilah's specialty). Batman could be lured with chicken and learned to offer slow blinks as his version of "I love you." But I couldn't get them all the way there on my own. They still couldn't be picked up. They had one failed adoption that set them back. So I made the hard call to transfer them to another foster who could offer a different environment and take them the next step forward. The day after they left, Sunny kept checking the empty carrier. Two days later, two more spicy teenagers arrived who needed exactly what Sunny and I offer. That's safety net fostering in action. It's not always about one home getting a cat from scared to adopted. Sometimes it's a relay. One foster builds the foundation, another adds the walls, and eventually someone opens the door to forever. And Batman and Delilah? Their second foster ended up adopting them. After a year of building trust in my home, they found their person in theirs. ... View Discussion

Hey Wendy! I've been at my organization for 12 years and I've seen a lot in that time and we're still trying to come up with new ways to better reach people! We are a municipality so it may not be as easy if you're a rescue, but one of our biggest sources that's free to us is the city water bill. They have a "newsletter" that goes out every month with the water bill and we can advertise specials, fundraisers, or just general animal info email with our location. This works great for new residents who move in. We also partnered with pet friendly apartments in our city to include our information with their welcome kits for new renters since they don't get the city water bills. We try to hit up every larger festival in our area (DFW) and do offsite adoption events to not only do adoptions but further spread out name out there. We are about to launch a trial with a local Korean inspired fried chicken resturant whose owners love supporting animal welfare (they made home cooked meals and fed all of our animals this past Christmas) - where they will attach our flyer with a photo of a dog, our info and an adoption coupon and see if that works. If we see an uptick of the specialized coupons being used, we are going to branch out to other local mom and pop shops and see if they would do the same thing. I think a pizza place would be our next stop (so easy to take a flyer to a pizza box!). We've done bill boards in the past, can't say whether it was worth it or not. ... View Discussion

You make a really good point. There is still a lot we are learning about the connection between nutrition and mental health, but it is clear that what we eat plays a major role in how we feel day to day. Highly processed foods and excess sugar can definitely impact energy levels and mood. When we rely too heavily on those types of foods, it can lead to crashes, irritability, and even increased feelings of anxiety over time. On the other hand, balanced diets that focus on whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats tend to support more stable energy and better overall mental clarity. The Mediterranean diet is often praised for that reason. Its emphasis on whole, nutrient dense foods and healthy fats like olive oil seems to support both physical and mental wellbeing. It is interesting that many long living populations follow similar eating patterns. At the same time, approaches like calorie restriction and intermittent fasting still need more research when it comes to long term mental health effects. Everyone responds differently, so paying attention to how your own body and mood react is important. On a different note, just like staying mindful about what we put into our bodies, it also helps to stay organized with everyday essentials. If you shop for pet supplies, you can easily manage orders, autoship, and prescriptions through Chewy My Account at Chewy.com. Overall, I have definitely noticed that when I stray too far from a balanced diet, my mood and energy ... View Discussion

Hi! "Stomatitis" is a sign (symptom), not a diagnosis. It can be due to anything from poor husbandry/diet to FORL (resorptive disease) to to periodontal disease. It is important to get a diagnosis before choosing how to proceed and presumptive/empiric treatment with antibiotics and steroids is not recommended, especially in a shelter environment. Severe, chronic gingivostomatitis is commonly associated with retroviral infection, so we test all adult cat with severe dental disease at intake. If retroviral testing is negative, it is not necessary to isolate cats with stomatitis, as there is no other infectious cause of stomatitis. If full-mouth extractions are deemed necessary, it may be curative or it may not. Some studies show complete resolution of signs in only ~25% of cases, making lifelong medical management necessary. Organizations who choose to adopt out cats after FME must make sure adopters are aware of that possibility. ------------------------------ Rachel Powell DVM Director of Surgery Greenhill Humane Society Eugene, OR ------------------------------ View Discussion

We have used temporary fostering for a variety of needs that we have at our open-admission shelter. There are a lot of times when we see stress in our animals --especially our dogs--and ask for short-term foster volunteers to help us give them a break. This allows us to further evaluate the dog as well as give it a break from the shelter. We have also used fosters for temporary stays when our facility has an issue, such as when we recently had to paint in our kennels. We knew the paint would need a few days to dry, so we sent out a foster plea to make sure we could have as many kennels open for the painting as we needed. It was a tremendous success! We were able to keep the animals cared for and away from the painted kennels. We had to do this over a period of weeks so that we could paint the whole facility, and we managed the process over that whole time with all of our animals well. The one issue we sometimes have is that volunteers are sometimes wary to bring the dogs back to the shelter. ------------------------------ Carolyn Wiley Director of Development Animal Protection Society of Durham (APS) NC ------------------------------ View Discussion

We hope to see you on the next Maddie's Community Conversation on Monday, February 23, 2026 at 11am PT / 2pm ET for "Safe at Home - Engaging Communities," a conversation with @Stephanie Medrano , Director of Operations, and @April Gaspar , Community-based Programs Manager, for Stray Cat Alliance. The innovative Safe at Home program saves the lives of kittens, who are the most often euthanized in shelters. Unweaned, newborn kittens are an estimated 20% to 40% of the cats impounded in municipal shelters. Because they require bottle feeding and round-the-clock continuous care which most shelters do not have the staff or resources to provide, these kittens are most at risk of euthanasia. Safe at Home empowers community members to serve as foster care givers, playing an integral part in saving animal lives. At the South Los Angeles shelter, Stray Cat Alliance community engagement counselors intercept people, before kittens are impounded, and mentor and support them as fosters, providing training on all aspects from bottle feeding through adoption. The program also supplies all food and medical care. This is one of the few programs of its kind in the United States but it doesn't have to be! The hope is to expand to as many communities as possible. April and Stephanie will share how their lived experiences informs their engagement with community members. It can be discouraging for community members to seek help at the shelter and be told they're doing ... View Discussion

Hi Everybody! Our foundation recently put out a position opportunity and received an immense amount of interest. Realizing the amount of people passionate about our mission of making emergency veterinary care more accessible, we have implemented a new strategy in recruiting regional development coordinators. We are a national organization and are currently partnered/operating in CT, NY, NC, CA, GA, TX, and AZ. The idea is to develop state advisory committees - consisting of a regional development coordinator to assist in fundraising and partnerships with aligned organizations to provide our resources to. To begin it will be a volunteer position but comes with very flexible commitment hours (5-10, based on what is manageable to you), opportunity to recruit two volunteers to assist, eligibility for leadership opportunities including consideration for board or advisory positions, professional network opportunities in veterinary medicine and finance, and of course the opportunity to join us in making a meaningful impact getting animals quality care and keeping families together. Veterinary experience is not required but always appreciated. I wanted to put the opportunity out here incase there was anyone interested and wanted to speak more about the opportunity! I am being very flexible considering it is a volunteer position and I greatly appreciate anyone's time that assists us in any way. If there is a humane society or other credible organization assisting with low income ... View Discussion

We have had the same experience! How did you go about establishing "round ups" at local stores? ------------------------------ Concerned Citizens Animals Concerned Citizens for Animals ------------------------------ View Discussion

Maddie's® Insights is our ongoing webcast series with practical tips based on current research to help pets and people. Join us in March for a webinar on how early-life stress affects rescue kittens' behavior and health. Our speaker is Dr. @Jennifer Vernick , a veterinary behavioural medicine resident at Atlantic Veterinary College, UPEI in Canada. Thursday, March 12 at 12n Pacific for one hour Register here Across species, early-life stressors, such as inadequate nutrition, maternal separation, unreliable access to shelter, threats/abuse, and disease, profoundly affect brain development and behavior. Research has shown these stressors can impair cognitive, emotional, and social functions as well as alter the body's stress response systems, particularly the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. In kittens specifically, early nutritional stress and maternal separation have been linked to learning deficits, abnormal fear responses, increased aggression, and altered play behavior. At the end of this webinar, you will : - be able to identify several different examples of early life stressors - understand why hair cortisol concentration (HCC) may be useful to measure - be able to provide potential reasons for high and low HCC - understand why relative telomere length (RTL) is measured - be able to provide potential causes for shortened telomeres - be able to provide examples of how early life stressors were associated with the behaviours that ... View Discussion

We can take puppies at our small rescue in Monson, Massachusetts. Please email me: cathypienkosdvm@gmail.com or snugglestoprescue@gmail.com Thank you! ------------------------------ cathy pienkos veterinarian Snuggle Stop Rescue and Monson Animal Clinic MA ------------------------------ View Discussion

Our organization began in 2024 after a wildfire tore through our community, causing the loss of over 100 homes. I took in cats who had been abandoned/lost during the fire, and eventually found their owners or found new homes or rescues for them. Alley Cat Allies was wonderful to our community, and provided medical care to cats who were injured during the fires. We are now in "fire season" again, and we are developing a network of fosters to temporarily take cats in for families who are displaced. ------------------------------ Amy Zavala President Shadow Cats 806 TX ------------------------------ View Discussion

We did our first #FoFCatsRock! campaign last summer. We had local youth paint cat themed rocks, sponsored by local businesses and then hid them throughout the community for a scavenger hunt. It allowed us not only to raise funds but educate and bring awareness to our whole community about Cats - TNR, Spay/Neuter, etc. It was a success we are going to repeat this year. I think this could be tailored other ways - perhaps have the kids paint their pets, or pets that are available for adoption and pair it with talks about microchipping, spay/neuter, what to do if you lost your pet. CASA has some wonderful children books that helps with these topics. ------------------------------ Emmy Jenson President Friends of Ferals MO ------------------------------ View Discussion

I have a question about reading cultures. If you have a cat that has been improving (lesions going away, decrease in colonies, partial plate color change), but the tape prep is showing macroconidia with post-treatment morphology, is that considered a positive or negative? ------------------------------ Matthew Berg Certified Veterinary Assistant Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League FL ------------------------------ View Discussion

Hey everyone! My org is working on updating our walk/activity boards and I'd love to see some inspiration! I think we'd be working primarily with a white board so staff and volunteers can sign off then and there on their interactions! #Behavior,TrainingandEnrichment #CaseManagement* #PetSupportServices* ------------------------------ Hanna Hartman Behavior Coordinator SPCA of Texas TX ------------------------------ View Discussion

One of the things we've experienced in marketing at events is afterward we are inundated with people dropping off cats/kittens to a point where we do not have the space, volunteers or financial resources to handle such an inflow. So we are very deliberate in our local appearances, usually doing "round ups" at the cash register at local stores willing to do so and occasionally a booth at a local event where we sell some of our high-end crafts related to felines. So when marketing in a very public forum, be sure to consider what the "cause and effect" are going to be for your organization!!! ------------------------------ Bruce Thorsen President, Board of Directors Purrfect Match Cat Rescue Millington TN ------------------------------ View Discussion

I'm looking for studies that discuss the relationship between a reduction of the outdoor cat population and the expansion of the rat population. Is there any research that addresses this issue at all? TY ------------------------------ Osi Kaminer Super Cats b36@gardensnyc.net ------------------------------ View Discussion

At Ziva Dog Rescue , we've had the most success reaching new community members through in-person partnerships and creative fundraisers that meet people where they already are. We regularly participate in local events at yoga studios, breweries, and small businesses-puppy yoga, meet-and-greets, and adoption pop-ups. These venues bring in people who may not follow rescues online but are excited to connect when they meet a dog in person. We stay active on social media, but pairing posts with fun fundraisers that include incentives-like custom pet portraits, holiday gnomes, or themed merch-helps us reach people who might not otherwise donate. Because the items are unique, supporters share them and expand our reach organically. Honestly, one of our biggest drivers has been word of mouth. When adopters have a great experience, they tell friends, family, coworkers, and vets-and that personal recommendation has been more effective than most traditional advertising we've tried. ------------------------------ Julie Beatty Grants Coordinator Ziva Dog Rescue ------------------------------ View Discussion

Hello all, We are a small foster based rescue. We take in dogs, cats, small critters and birds and on occasion, farm animals if we can find a foster or adopter available. We have been looking at our data for the past few years and trying to figure out ways to increase our impact given the limitations we face. We are still collecting and submitting all of our data manually (to save money) so this takes some doing. We are committed though and always looking at ways to grow. My question to everyone (and I apologize if this has been asked and answered elsewhere) is, if you are a foster-based rescue, do you have a specific process that you follow in terms of the time an animal comes into your care to the time they are adopted? Do you follow certain steps or rules to promote a quicker adoption (start promoting the pet on intake for example) or do you let things flow without any set plan? If you have a plan, would you be willing to share your process? Thank you for any insights you are willing to share! #AdmissionsandIntake(includingIntake-to-placement) ------------------------------ Michele Ting Resource Manager Pawsibilities NV ------------------------------ View Discussion

You could try to install fencing? Maybe place a deterrent of some sort also. Beverly Paladinetti Philanthropy Director Purrfect Peaches Cat Rescue www.purrfectpeaches.org Do all the good you can each day. On Fri, Feb 13, 2026, 3:02 PM Carley Thompson via Maddie's Pet Forum < Mail@maddiesfund.org > wrote: I'm reaching out for help and ideas from fellow rescuers and community members. Over the past several months, we've been working with a colony of... Animal Welfare Professionals Post New Discussion Post New Discussion via Email Manage Profile Community Cat Colony Near Busy Road - Multiple HBC's Reply to Discussion Reply to Discussion via Email Reply Privately to Author Reply Privately to Author via Email Feb 13, 2026 12:00 PM Carley Thompson I'm reaching out for help and ideas from fellow rescuers and community members. Over the past several months, we've been working with a colony of approximately 20-30 feral/community cats in an urban neighborhood. The majority have been TNR'd, and some friendlier cats have been taken into rescue. Their dedicated feeder loves them dearly and provides consistent food, shelter, and care. The issue is that people speed down this road constantly, and we are losing cats to traffic. Relocating the colony is not an option at this ... View Discussion

Here are answers to the questions we did not get to during the webcast: Curious, was it the same person doing the assessments and giving feedback? Wondering if the high peaks vs low peaks were possibly due to a different person doing the assessments? Maybe Carl didn't like one person vs another. Just a thought. Dr. Ellis: The data is collected during the BMOD sessions, which are conducted by a team of highly trained volunteers who have been tested on their inter observer reliability (meaning one person's score can be trusted to be roughly the same as another person's score if they were watching the same behaviour). However, you are quite right that a cat may behave differently for one person than for another. There are many reasons that might contribute to this – for example, a cat could behave differently for men than women, or in the AM vs the PM (especially if psychopharmaceuticals are active in one session but not the other). When we conduct our follow ups we review all of these factors on the data sheet and make adjustments if we have a theory that might lead to improved BMOD results. For example, if we find a cat has better results in the AM than the PM, we may concentrate BMODs for that cat in the AM until we are consistently seeing the desired behaviours and then gradually broaden the time frame to generalize the behaviour, or we may work with the vet team to see if it is reasonable to increase the frequency of medication administration. How did you encourage ... View Discussion

Hello @Laura Anne Scheetz ., It sounds like Riff has shown some progress in the last week, and that is really promising! Now that he is reliably eating in front of you, I would start implementing a methodical approach to socialization, like the one I use at Toronto Humane Society highlighted in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSHPQVd4fMc and keep track of which step in the process you are able to get to without him going above threshold/becoming overly stressed. Based on his recent progress it sounds like you might be on the precipice of a breakthrough! But I would caution that even if you manage to socialize him further and he starts showing affection to you, it is quite possible (perhaps even likely) that he will continue to have fearful temperament and be shy with new people. I would predict that if/when you do find him an adoptive home that it will take longer than a typical cat for him to come out of his shell there as well, so make sure that you counsel any potential adopters on this possibility, and perhaps send them the training link as well (if it woks for you, that is). If you try the methodical approach in the link provided and you don't have success in a reasonable time frame, I would consider reintroducing him back into your colony. But based on what you are reporting, I suspect you will have success with our program :) Jacklyn Ellis, PhD CAAB CSB-C Director, Behaviour 11 River Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5A 4C2 ... View Discussion

We are so happy this was helpful to you! Erica ------------------------------ erica schumacher ------------------------------ View Discussion

In honor of Black History Month, CARE is hosting a private screening of our documentary called Brown and Bonded. We're giving a limited amount of individuals access to the film and on the 25th we'll all come together for a panel discussion. Please do not post to social media or any other public forum. This is a private showing. RSVP Link: https://www. surveymonkey.com/r/bbscreening After you RSVP for the event, you will be sent a link to the documentary AND the discussion on February 20th . The screening link will only be available from February 21st - February 25th . We'll be hosting a discussion of the film on the 25th from 6 PM - 7:30 PM EST and we need you there! Sign up soon, we only have 20 spots left. #AccesstoCare #AdmissionsandIntake(includingIntake-to-placement) #AdoptionsandAdoptionPrograms #Diversity,Equity,InclusionandJustice #FieldServicesandPublicSafety* #PetSupportServices* ------------------------------ Michelle George Chief of Community Animal Care Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity GA ------------------------------ View Discussion

I'm reaching out for help and ideas from fellow rescuers and community members. Over the past several months, we've been working with a colony of approximately 20-30 feral/community cats in an urban neighborhood. The majority have been TNR'd, and some friendlier cats have been taken into rescue. Their dedicated feeder loves them dearly and provides consistent food, shelter, and care. The issue is that people speed down this road constantly, and we are losing cats to traffic. Relocating the colony is not an option at this time. The cats are bonded to the territory, and the caregiver has been their anchor. We have worked worked tirelessly to socialize the cats that are not completely feral and remove them from this dangerous location. Animal Control and the town have been contacted, but so far there has been no assistance. We are trying to understand why the cats continue crossing this busy road. Possibilities include: • A second feeding location across the street • Scavenging habits • Shelter or territory expansion We're considering: • Sending a neighborhood letter to identify if others are feeding • Trying to localize feeding to one safer area • Coordinating neighbors to share food donations and responsibility • Adding additional shelters on one side to discourage crossing • Posting slow-down signage If you have successfully managed a roadside colony, what worked? Have you used deterrents? Motion lights? Landscaping barriers? Community coordination? We are open to ... View Discussion

The Barn Placement Manual and the THS - Feline Stray Intake Form are attached to this post. Note that the manual is scheduled for an update this year. ------------------------------ Alison Gibson Media Projects Manager Maddie's Fund ------------------------------ View Discussion

I hope the Petzel and Petcademy users can chime in for advice. The thing I've heard that orgs like about Petcademy is that it is text-based. But I cannot evaluate the services as a user. You could also consider Free Dog Trainers . It really is free! I just visited a shelter that has implemented it. It is free behavior support for life for anyone in your community: adopters, fosters, and just plain ol' dog owners who are having difficulties communicating with their dogs. Again, I can't comment on the program from the user side. Ultimately, any of these three programs will be more support for families in your community, and I applaud you for thinking about reaching owners before they are in crisis mode. Erika ------------------------------ Erika Shaffer Instructional Designer Maddie's Fund ------------------------------ View Discussion

For feeding, there's no strict rule about dry in the morning and wet at night - what matters most is consistency and total daily calories. Many vets recommend including wet food daily because it supports hydration, which is especially helpful if there are heart concerns. Dry can be fine too, just measure portions carefully. For skin or heart conditions, I'd strongly suggest asking your vet about a prescription or limited-ingredient diet formulated for cardiac or dermatologic support rather than choosing a regular over-the-counter food. When she's in heat, try to reduce stress and overstimulation - keep her indoors, provide soft bedding, trim her nails, and consider a recovery suit or soft cone if she's scratching herself to the point of wounds. If you're comparing specialized foods, Chewy has a good selection of prescription and sensitive-skin formulas, plus detailed ingredient info to review before discussing options with your vet. ------------------------------ Tyrone Pierce Veterinarian Maryland Hospital MD ------------------------------ View Discussion

Links to resources from the webcast: Research paper: https://jsmcah.org/index.php/jasv/article/view/116/238 Maddie's Insights: Beyond "Doing Better" Using Behavior Data to Monitor Well-Being in Cats (webcast) https://university.maddiesfund.org/products/maddies-insights-beyond-doing-better-using-behavior-data-to-monitor-well-being-in-cats-on-demand Turning Fear into Friendship: Building Trust with Shelter Cats (webcast) https://university.maddiesfund.org/products/turning-fear-into-friendship-building-trust-with-shelter-cats ASPCA. (2016). The ASPCA's Feline Spectrum Assessment: A tool to identify the socialization level in cats https://www.aspcapro.org/sites/default/files/ASPCA-FSA-manual-2016.pdf Presentation slides are attached. ------------------------------ Alison Gibson Media Projects Manager Maddie's Fund ------------------------------ View Discussion

The recording is now ready to view! NOTE: I f you'd like to earn continuing education credit for RACE, CAWA or NACA, please view this recording on Maddie's University. ------------------------------ Alison Gibson Media Projects Manager Maddie's Fund ------------------------------ View Discussion

@Samantha Guzie - The presenters did answer some questions related to Trichophyton in the Q&A PDF I attached in my post, and you can find more info in the Ringworm Guidebook here: https://www.sheltermedicine.com/library/guidebooks/ringworm/additional-information-on-nannizzia-gypsea-formerly-microsporum-gypseum-and-trichophyton-mentagrophytes . Hope this helps! ------------------------------ Elise Winn UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program - www.sheltermedicine.com ------------------------------ View Discussion

Hi @Samantha Guzie ! I've let the presenters know about your question. :) ------------------------------ Elise Winn UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program - www.sheltermedicine.com ------------------------------ View Discussion

Thanks for your patience as our presenters answered the remaining questions from last week's webinar, The Fungus Among Us: Preventing, Diagnosing, and Treating Ringworm ! Everyone submitted so many good ones; we've compiled questions and answers by topic into a PDF for you to download. If you can't find your question, feel free to add it to this discussion below. You can also find the on-demand recording and resources at Maddie's University. Want to dive deeper into all things Ringworm? Check out the newly updated Ringworm Guidebook . Thanks to everyone who registered and joined us live! ------------------------------ Elise Winn UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program - www.sheltermedicine.com ------------------------------ View Discussion

I don't know that they're on here, but in Phoenix there's a group called Altered Tails that does great work for our community!! Check them out at https://www.alteredtails.org and perhaps shoot them over an email to connect to pick their brains. ------------------------------ Katie Frederick Board President Newborn Kitten Rescue AZ ------------------------------ View Discussion

The US federal government estimates that in 2025, about 2 million people were diagnosed with cancer and just over 600,000 passed from the disease. About 40% of cancers are the result of preventable causes. Cancer is also the number one cause of death from disease in pets. About half of dogs and a third of cats will develop cancer in their lifetime. The good news is that there are steps that you can take to lower your risk of cancer from preventable causes: Quit smoking Exercise and eat well Protect your skin from the sun Get vaccinated against things like HPV There are similar steps you can take to keep your pet healthy as well: Help them maintain a healthy weight with good diet and exercise Avoid smoking around them Beware of carcinogens (cancer causing chemicals) in products you use around pets like cleaning supplies You can take this cancer prevention quiz to test your knowledge and learn more about cancer prevention! How did you do on the quiz? Did anything surprise you? What did you learn? References: National Cancer Prevention Month | Cancer Awareness Months | AACR The staggering statistics on pet cancer cats and dogs | CANCERactive How to Lower Your Cancer Risk: Tips for National Cancer Prevention Month - Mason Park Medical Clinic ------------------------------ Kaitlyn Andres, MS, MPH Research Associate Program for Pet Health Equity University of Tennessee, Knoxville ---------------------- ... View Discussion

focus on new opportunities ------------------------------ Nancy Louie Medical Office Specialist San Mateo County CA ------------------------------ View Discussion

This message was posted by a user wishing to remain anonymous Hello! I work a county ran shelter that will be offering a lot of services to help people who are in danger of surrendering their pets. We should be opening sometime this spring/summer. We are currently looking into different software/programs that will help with our mission of keeping pets with their families. One resource is training help for basic issues that may lead to surrender. I came across Petcadamy and it sounds perfect for that and for adoption and foster! We also had a meeting with Petzel. That one sounds amazing too! My question is, is it beneficial to have both? I worry for adopters it may be too much having two different programs they will be automatically signed up to. Does anyone who has both have any insight? #Behavior,TrainingandEnrichment #DataandTechnology View Discussion

Thank you, Allison... I'm not sure if I posted that question in the correct place or not, but I truly appreciate your response. I literally just joined Maddie's Fund this week, and am trying to maneuver my way around the website, and still learning where to go. I am awaiting nonprofit/501c approval in Pennsylvania, so I need to hold out on current courses, but I'm hoping things move along quickly so I can get going. I've been doing TNR, rescue and foster for about 6 years on our rural property, but finally just becoming proactive as the costs - which have been out of pocket to date - are starting to keep us from putting much needed money into house repairs. I'm currently caring for several fosters and an outdoor community of 12-20, and will be continuing to do so as long as they keep showing up! They have a safe home here. I will look through your suggestions. I think I've watched at least one of those. I'm so happy that I stumbled upon Maddie's Fund website. It seems like a great community with lots of people there to help with questions & concerns. I'm hoping to be led to a similar group here in PA. Have a great day and many blessings to you... Laura ~* Laura Anne Scheetz Landscape Designer & Consultant C: 484.401.5183 ~~~ honeybee meadow llc ~ * On Thu, Feb 12, 2026, 11:39 AM Alison ... View Discussion

Hello @Laura Anne Scheetz ., Thank you for posting your question - we know how important this is to you. If you are unable to join the webinar today, we'll ask Dr. @Jacklyn Ellis if she could offer advice here. The webinar will be recorded and if you have registered for it, you'll get an email with a link to the recording. Meanwhile, here are a few resources on Maddie's University about fostering and socializing cats that may help: Helping Cats Who Hiss and Hide: Assessments, Behavior Modification and Re-Homing Strategies for Shy and Fearful Cats Foster Care course collection Feline Lifesaving course collection Thank you for taking such good care of the kitties! Alison ------------------------------ Alison Gibson Media Projects Manager Maddie's Fund ------------------------------ View Discussion

I personally, as well as Sullivan County Humane Society, have dealt with many stomatitis cases. I've never heard of it being contagious or separated stomatitis cats for stomatitis. However, it is very common in FIV+ cats so it may be due to an underlying condition. Of the 20+ cats we have had with stomatitis, we have done a full mouth extraction (FME) each time with great success. It needs to be done by a vet who is very good with dentals-not necessarily a veterinary dentist per se but someone who is very familiar with FMEs as is imperative that they get all the fragments too. My first cat was not done with an expert and had to go back a year later and have all the fragments removed by a specialist. Anyhow, of the 20+ we have had done only one continued to have problems. He too was taken to a specialist who did not see any fragments so was started on various medications but we had the most success with laser therapy. I would highly recommend the FME. There is a stomatitis support group on facebook that discusses a lot of the various meds people have tried but again I really think a FME is best! ------------------------------ Cheryl Koenig Volunteer Executive Director Sullivan County Humane Society NH ------------------------------ View Discussion

Hi April, Thanks for the very thoughtful insight! Your take is another example of resetting where you may anchor when you encounter uncertainty, which I covered in an earlier reply post. Anchoring in the knowledge of resources and strengths can definitely stunt the stress and unease that uncertainty can bring, which puts people in a better place to start as they move forward. I hope I have an opportunity to hear about how your insight has translated into outcomes for your organization in the future. Be well, ------------------------------ Lawrence Minnis George Mason University DC ------------------------------ View Discussion

Thank you for connecting with me on social media and don't hesitate to reach out! I definitely would like to support your venture as a business owner. I hope to have you back in the audience if/when I have another opportunity to speak on my ongoing research. ------------------------------ Lawrence Minnis George Mason University DC ------------------------------ View Discussion

I've been in the position to see foster care save lives of what would be a for sure PTS outcome, it works and people are will to help. #AdmissionsandIntake(includingIntake-to-placement) #AdoptionsandAdoptionPrograms #CommunityCatManagement #CommunityPartnerships* #EducationandTraining #FieldServicesandPublicSafety* #FosterPrograms #FundraisingandDevelopment #LawsandPublicPolicy ------------------------------ Armando Gurrola Former ACO New Animal Services Manager City of Selma Animal Services CA ------------------------------ View Discussion

Hello from southeastern Pennsylvania!! I'm currently fostering three 8-month olds for adoption (2 were adopted in December). Two of the three remaining are ready to go; the third (Riff) is not yet socialized. I'm looking for advice on whether I should keep trying or let him back outside with our colony. A little background: we trapped Riff & brought him inside to make sure that he received his needed dose of antibiotic for a bad URI. That was late December. I put him into a portable catio to isolate his food, so as to work with him, socialized him, and get him ready for adoption. Well, he escaped from his catio (my fault, didn't secure one of the doors). Although he successfully completed his antibiotic regimen, I was not able to work with him because he would hide under the couch when I'd enter the room. His siblings Moppet & Buddy are now inside most of the time because we thought we had a family for them, but it fell through (and to keep Riff company!). We let them outside on decent days for a few hours because they get restless in the foster room all day & night. Just this week, Riff no longer hides right away when I come in to feed & hang out. He still defaults back under the couch but has started to edge his way out as I lure him with his food & treats, and will (cautiously) eat his food not far from me. He watches his siblings climb all over me (& my husband when he comes in), and reacts to a laser pointer and other toys. The kittens (and their momma) ... View Discussion

Hi Maddie's Pet Forum Community! We're excited to share that our monthly $3,000 grant opportunity is continuing! In 2025, we were proud to support the following organizations through this giveaway: January 2025: @Holly Argueta , Heber Valley Animal Services in Heber, Utah February 2025: @Mary Garcia , Spring Branch Rescue in Richmond, Texas March 2025: @David Diaz , Santa Barbara Animal County Services in Santa Barbara, California April 2025: @Monica Bennion , Clowder 9 Ranch in Buhl, Idaho May 2025: @Rachel Powell , Greenhill Humane Society in Eugene, Oregon June 2025: @Melinda Trueblood-Stimpson , Ludar Animal Behavior in Ohio July 2025: @Sarah Hoadley , Paws in Middle Georgia Animal Rescue in Warner Robins, Georgia August 2025: @Dina Li , Danbury Animal Welfare Society in Bethel, Connecticut September 2025: @Drew Domalick , Happily Ever After Animal Sanctuary in Green Bay, Wisconsin October 2025: @Holly Skalak , Ruff Start Rescue in Princeton, Minnesota November 2025: @Julie Beatty , Ziva Dog Rescue in Chatham, New Jersey December 2025: @Bryan Langlois , Spay/Neuter Save Network in Rome, Pennsylvania Each of these recipients is doing incredible work for pets and people in their communities, and we're grateful to help amplify their impact. If you were one of our 2025 winners, we'd love to hear from you in the comments about how you utilized the funds! ... View Discussion

I wouldn't invest too much time and energy in this person. Perhaps an occasional concrete and simple "ask" that plays to her strengths and experience? ------------------------------ April King Volunteer and Board Member Kotor Kitties +1 206 407 5336 http://www.kotorkitties.org ------------------------------ View Discussion

I would acknowledge bu not dwell on the uncertainty created by.... what? National trends? Other stuff?... and move on to what you know with certainty: more animals in need, monthly sponsor support as a foundation for budgeting, committed and talented volunteers/staff, your cost-effectiveness, and specifically what their donation of X will provide for an animal(s) in your care. Uncertainty can be addressed at each level by acknowledging our resources and strengths. That is what I took from Lawrence's presentation, talking about the "top- down" approach and the need to address things at each level within the system Look to your strengths and approach things with optimism generated by what you have already accomplished . Warm regards, ------------------------------ April King Volunteer and Board Member Kotor Kitties +1 206 407 5336 http://www.kotorkitties.org ------------------------------ View Discussion

Animal Allies is lucky enough to have a large and dedicated team of fosters and volunteers that are willing to help however they can. We've seen animals, especially dogs, adjust better to foster life and shelter life, even if it's only for a few days to decompress. We've recently had a dog, Tucker, go into foster because he has intense anxiety while in the shelter and that way he doesn't have to be around so many dog and cat smells. He's already doing better and it's even helped a little bit with his separation anxiety. ------------------------------ Bailey Evans Grant Writer Animal Allies Humane Society MN ------------------------------ View Discussion

We have struggled trying to find ways to market to new community members. We started doing street fairs and vendor events and this seems to really help spread the word. I will say in the beginning it is important to make it to as many as you can for brand recognition to start. ------------------------------ Kendall hotmer Founder Appalachian Feline Foster Network OH ------------------------------ View Discussion

We recently took in an adult cat (9 yrs old) with significant oral ulcers. She has been diagnosed with Stomatitis. We're getting conflicting information about treatment protocols so if anyone else has successfully dealt with this issue, we would love to hear from you. We are starting her on antibiotics and steroids but one recommendation is to have all the teeth removed but the other recommendation is that teeth removal will not prevent the inflammation. Also, is this contagious to other cats and how is it transmitted. She came in with another adult cat who does not have any current symptoms. #Medicine,SurgeryandSterilization ------------------------------ Kingman County Humane Society director Kingman County Humane Society KS ------------------------------ View Discussion

We've had multiple pets--fearful ones especially--thrive in foster care. They need an environment where they aren't surrounded by other smells and sounds to really decompress and show who they truly are. Dogs get a lot out of having that one-on-one attention more often than they would in the shelter. I think our foster program is one of the most important aspects of our shelter, honestly. :) ------------------------------ Caitie Andris Development Coordinator Providence Animal Rescue League RI ------------------------------ View Discussion

Thank you for the reminder @Candice Hinkle ! For those looking for practical guidance on pet oral health, VCA Animal Hospitals has clear recommendations on appropriate toothbrush types (including finger brushes and soft-bristled pet brushes) and veterinary-formulated toothpastes designed specifically for dogs and cats . Using pet-safe toothpaste is essential, as human products can be harmful if swallowed. Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine also offers excellent instructional videos demonstrating proper toothbrushing techniques for both dogs and cats -helpful for improving compliance and reducing stress for both pets and caregivers. February is also National Children's Dental Health Month It's also timely to note that February is National Children's Dental Health Month . The initiative emphasizes early prevention through education, regular dental visits, and proper nutrition. However, access disparities remain significant. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry Foundation reports that many children do not have equal access to the dental care they need. Half of the children in elementary school have cavities. According the the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , 51% of children between the ages of 6 and 11 have cavities. The American Dental Association (ADA) created the National ... View Discussion

Thank you Lawrence for answering my question thoughtfully and providing an example. I very much enjoyed your conversation and find your research compelling. I especially was interested in the mention of checking our values and feelings when we are working with people because everyone's adjustment to uncertainty is situational. I am following you on FB, Instagram and maybe may try and reach out to you in the future when I am starting my pet business. Thank you for caring! ------------------------------ Christina Veloz Animal Advocate Liaison Happy Dog and Cat Buddies ID ------------------------------ View Discussion

Maddie's Community Conversations will not hold a call in observance of Presidents' Day on Monday, February 16, 2026. We will see you again for the next Community Conversation on February 23! #EducationandTraining ------------------------------ Sheila Kouhkan Senior Education Specialist Maddie's Fund CA ------------------------------ View Discussion

CalAnimals is thrilled to announce that registration is now open for the 3 rd annual California Adopt-a-Pet Day, made possible by incredibly generous sponsorship from the ASPCA and San Francisco SPCA to cover adoption fees, promotion, and advertising. This is a fee waived adoption event for dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, and equines. (Please note there is a $500 reimbursement max on equine adoption fees.) California Adopt-a-Pet Day is an important event to celebrate the amazing animals awaiting homes in California shelters by joining together for a highly promoted day of fee-waived adoptions. The extensive advertising of this event helps us extend our message far and wide to effectively reach members of the public that have not previously adopted from a shelter. Last year we had more than 200 shelter locations participate and we adopted out 4,979 pets in one day. This year's event will be held on Saturday, June 6 th with the goal of surpassing 5,000 pets adopted. Let's do this! We are now inviting CalAnimals member shelters to register online to participate in California Adopt-a-Pet Day by Friday, May 8 th . You'll find the registration link here: https://airtable.com/app0Dog5GbCrxsnyZ/pagkkUiszdL4JQlqa/form?prefill_RFPs=2026+CalAnimals&hide_RFPs=true&prefill_Programs=CalAnimals+Event&hide_Programs=true Registration ensures that all shelter locations are included, and will give organizations access to grant funding to ... View Discussion

Temporary fostering really has helped give our full time fosters a break. A lot of our larger breed dogs are in our rescue longer, so having temp fosters in place helps us get to know the dog better, motivates our fosters to continue fostering, and helps reduce burnout. This has made a real difference for our rescue and helps benefit our adoptable pets! ------------------------------ Kelsey Quinn Volunteer Lending Paws a Hand NC ------------------------------ View Discussion

Kotor Kitties asked the municipal government where we work to add a single line to each utility bill, reminding everyone that they need to spay-neuter their pets, not abandon the offspring. There was no mention of any animal welfare group or any veterinarian in the text, but the government said they couldn't advertise like that. Would be a cheap message to every household in the municipality. ------------------------------ April King Volunteer and Board Member Kotor Kitties +1 206 407 5336 http://www.kotorkitties.org ------------------------------ View Discussion

February is Pet Dental Health Month —a perfect time to shine a light on something that’s often overlooked but essential to your pet’s overall health. What tricks do you use to keep your pet's teeth clean? View Discussion

Thanks to the 120+ people and paws who joined us on today's Community Conversations call! The recording is now available to watch on-demand. Below you'll find a recap of today's call and the resources shared. Call Recap Welcome from hosts @Kayla Wade (she/her) , Assistant Shelter Operations Manager, The Humane Society of Charlotte Sheila Kouhkan, Senior Education Specialist, Maddie's Fund Question of the Day: What is the best surprise you've received? Grant Giveaway Winners January Maddie's Community Conversations Giveaway Winners of $2,500 each @Mackenzie Schuler , Newlife Rescue and Adoption, Mount Vernon, IN "Thank you so much!!! We are a small rescue and we are so thankful! Thanks for all you do!" - Mackenzie Schuler-Ruder @Jessica Iturres , Astoria Cat Rescue, Queens, NY @Cindi Ashbeck , Lakeshore Humane Society, Manitowoc, WI @Haley Grisbaum , Closter Animal Welfare Society, Closter, NJ January Maddie's Pet Forum Giveaway Winners of $3,000 @Sarah Reida , Kansas Humane Society, Wichita, KS "Hello! I'm Sarah Reida, Director of Programs and Services at the Kansas Humane Society, one of the grant winners! I have been at KHS for almost 9 years and am in love with animal welfare work. I'm hoping to possibly use this grant to improve the outdoor lighting around our main adoptions play yard. The early sunsets during the winter make our dog-to-dog intros difficult. So, I would love to improve our ... View Discussion

Hi Joann! Thanks for your question and for attending today. I must leave a direct answer to your question up to those in the Pet Forum community with more donor experience. What I can offer, indirectly, is that you and the organization should be able to clearly articulate the uncertainties and define, in detail, the steps that will be taken to address them, if they are ever mentioned. Uncertainty prompts people to rely on emotions to navigate the way forward since knowledge is inherently limited. Being able to instill confidence and trust in the organization by donors/potential donors would blunt the impact of uncertainty about the organization and give you the best shot at raising funds. ------------------------------ Lawrence Minnis George Mason University DC ------------------------------ View Discussion

Hi Emily, Team, organization, or community embrace of uncertainty is definitely a challenge because of the natural differences uncertainty tolerance across people. This is why I stated that the start point is to have intentional discussion(s) about uncertainty and how we collectively may respond to it. The discussions should move from identifying the different forms of uncertainty responses and progress to potential alignment on narrowed ways to respond, in parallel with the localized support where needed. A large-scale embrace of uncertainty is not achievable or sustainable if all key stakeholders aren't actually engaged in the initial conversation. For instance, with your shelter behavior/community behavior example, certain sections of the community may never be engaged to share any insights. So, shelter solutions (ex., training classes, education resources, etc.) may not reach or impact the uncertainties of some community stakeholders. The internal discussions that I mentioned on the call can be applied to external stakeholders too. But, any effort should be appropriately scaled and iterative, so as to avoid overwhelming the effort to progress. ------------------------------ Lawrence Minnis George Mason University DC ------------------------------ View Discussion

Hi Christina, I'm not a clinical psychologist so I am approaching this purely from the lens of behavioral cognition and decision-making. Recall the term, heuristics (i.e., mental shortcuts), that I used in the call. One of the most common heuristics that people use is "anchoring and adjusting", which means we start with (anchor) an image or thought in mind and adjust our perception of the immediate environment from there. For example, a person may anchor in the memory of their old dog and review any adoptable dogs through comparison or contrast to their previous dog. So, they make judgments based on how the dogs in their immediate environment relate to their "old dog" memories. When facing uncertainty, trauma can become the anchor since there may be unknowns that arise during or right after a traumatic event. There may be a response to anchor in the trauma, which may be the most accessible anchor (availability heuristic), and look to judge the pending uncertainty from that point. Conceptually, strength-based approaches replace the trauma anchor with a strength as an anchor, which can change the adjustment that follows. For instance, facing uncertainty by anchoring in trauma could prompt someone to be more protective or conservative and perceive things from a negative or threatening outlook. But if anchoring in a strength, something positive, then the outlook may be more positive and less threatening because the there's more comfort and confidence in the anchor point. ... View Discussion

Hi Marion, While I cannot provide feedback on your particular circumstances, trials and time parameters are functional ways to mitigate the response to uncertainty, even when it overlaps with multiple agendas. Consider "foster fails" for example. In uncertain moments, even the perceived uncertainty of a time constraint can make change or progression a bit more palatable. As I highlighted in the call, listening and digging a bit deeper to identify a nexus or origin of uncertainty (I used the term "locus") is helpful to reach some form of alignment. Be sure to be mindful of the words or phrases that can unintentionally preserve conflict and misalignment. ------------------------------ Lawrence Minnis George Mason University DC ------------------------------ View Discussion

Thanks to our speaker, @Lawrence Minnis - and everyone who joined us today! We would love to hear from you in response to today's reflection question: How do you currently face uncertainty and what is your uncertainty tolerance for changing to improve? ------------------------------ Sheila Kouhkan Senior Education Specialist Maddie's Fund CA ------------------------------ View Discussion

Unanswered question from the chat: "I volunteer for Against All Oddz Animal Alliance, a rescue/sanctuary in NYS. I'm interested in donor relations since I am helping with raising funds. How much of the uncertainty faced by organizations can be communicated to donors and potential donors whose support can alleviate that uncertainty? Would that be seen as a weakness and actually discourage donors?" - @Joann Steinmetz ------------------------------ Community Conversations Community Conversations Committee Maddie's Fund CA ------------------------------ View Discussion

Unanswered question from the chat: "Can you speak to embracing uncertainty? We've often worked in systems that claim more certainty than we may actually have (shelter behavior predicting community behavior, the "right" way to prosecute animal "crimes" for prevention). How do you help teams and communities to transition to more acceptance of uncertainty?" - @Emily Wood ------------------------------ Community Conversations Community Conversations Committee Maddie's Fund CA ------------------------------ View Discussion

Unanswered question from the chat: "When I think of aversion to uncertainty, can you explain how trauma is or not related to a person's aversion to certainty?? How does strength based approaches work to remedy a person's uncertainty?" - @Christina Veloz ------------------------------ Community Conversations Community Conversations Committee Maddie's Fund CA ------------------------------ View Discussion

Unanswered question from the chat: "We have annual meetings with volunteers & staff at a shelter & state our issues/ideas. However, one of the Mgrs has been there for decades & is ready to retire. Any ideas on communicating with a person who is just riding out their time?" - Marion Barbato ------------------------------ Community Conversations Community Conversations Committee Maddie's Fund CA ------------------------------ View Discussion

Getting an animal out for a short amount of time is SO beneficial. We have had multiple dogs have a short term foster for medical reasons and their social media posts and promotions allowed that special pup to get adopted! I love the resources above and will utilize those for staff, too. ------------------------------ Mackenzie Schuler Volunteer Newlife Rescue and Adoption IN ------------------------------ View Discussion

I would love to know how to get a pup in the bowl! I would love to be apart of this. ------------------------------ Mackenzie Schuler Volunteer Newlife Rescue and Adoption IN ------------------------------ View Discussion

Join your colleagues on February 18 at 4 p.m. PT to talk veterinarian roles, goals, and impact on access to care across settings. Access to care looks different depending on where-and how-you practice. In this episode, we center the veterinarian's role across settings inside the shelter and out, unpacking how veterinarians balance medical priorities and operational realities, while partnering with pet owners, community organizations, and other practitioners. We'll explore the real-world impact of community clinics and high-volume surgery on shelter medicine-and how these services should shape access-to-care strategy moving forward. Join your host Dr. @Jennifer Bennett and guests Dr. Charlotte Burns (Mendocino Animal Hospital) and Dr. Jean Goh (Animal Fix Clinic) for this episode of Shelter Med LIVE if you want to: Get clear on our many roles and goals as vets when it comes to participating in shelter- and community-based care Dig into how we're redefining "gold standard" care through the access to care movement Navigate multiple care goals with partners, and explain how working within your capacity for care allows you to have the most impact Talk through what access to care means to veterinarians practicing on both sides of shelter doors, their role in pathway planning, and how the veterinarian's ability to support animal care depends on the context. Send your questions to sheltermedicine@ucdavis.edu in advance. This event has been approved ... View Discussion

Asking for funds for feral cats is difficult. I approached our local water bottling company, knowing that we did not meet their criteria to give money. However, she believes in our mission and thought of a way to help. The plant employees save their returnable ca and bottles for our on-going returnable fund raiser! So there is a way for an organization to help!! ------------------------------ Bonnie Clark President TNR Mecosta MI ------------------------------ View Discussion

At Sullivan County Humane Society, we have a program called Shaina's Safe Haven for the temporary foster of animals whose owners are experiencing homelessness, medical emergencies, domestic violence, or temporary loss of housing due to a tragedy. We have provided a haven for anything from 14 cats displaced by a house fire who we had for 2.5 months to a cat we held for 2.5 years as it was part of a court case. Most of our fosters are about 4 months and due to either homelessness or due to domestic violence. The two most memorable cases came about from my work as a nurse. I get contacted by social workers all the time about patient's pets. I was called on a patient whose cat was at his home and he was in the ICU for the last 5 days. I went to his room and had him sign paperwork and give me his keys allowing me to go into his home and feed the cat. After about a week of this, he went on hospice and was moved to a hospice center. He signed the cat over to us but before he did, I brought his cat to see him one last time. Her held her and cried for 40 minutes before he was ready to say his goodbye. He passed a few days later and his cat was adopted by a wonderful family. The other was a basset hound whose mom had a stroke. Her basset was her world so for the next 9 months, I brought her dog to see her every week to two weeks until she passed away. The dog is now happily living with another senior basset. ------------------------------ Cheryl Koenig Volunteer Executive Director Sullivan ... View Discussion

I (like many others) did not realize the puppies came from rescues/shelters, if in fact they did. It would be amazing if they gave a nod to the rescue/shelter. That would be a huge step forward in getting people to adopt. Every time Hollywood produces a movie with a dog in it that breeds seems to become popular with back yard breeders and we start getting an influx of that breed at the shelter. ------------------------------ Karen Enlow Volunteer Corona Animal Shelter CA ------------------------------ View Discussion

Agree with your concern, it’s natural to worry about things like UTIs, especially after reading mixed reviews. But these types of issues are not based on a brand alone. Whiskas wet food is generally considered safe and is approved for cats, but it may not suit every cat the same way... UTIs are usually linked to low water intake, individual sensitivity, or long-term dependence on lower-quality diets. If your cats are drinking enough water and eating a balanced diet, the risk is lower. The best approach is to give your cat homemade cat food , so it allows you to have full control over ingredients and hydration... this way, you can ensure proper moisture, high-quality protein, and no unnecessary fillers, which can support urinary health. View Discussion

2 yrs ago there was a dog from MD, Pets w/Disabilities ------------------------------ Laurie Methven Volunteer Twin Counties Humane Society Virginia ------------------------------ View Discussion

I have done this safety net fostering many times. Unfortunately, every single time the owner abandons their responsibility to the animal. Sometimes they are willing to take the animal back when they get settled and sometimes not. I have never had the person call and check up on the animal. I have never had the person give me a single dime to go towards food and up keep of the animal. Most of the times they won't even give me access to the medical files so I can't find out if the animal needs vaccines or spay/neuter or meds. I will keep the animal for 6 months and if I don't hear from the person for 3 months in a row I find the animal another home. I have never had a person call and ask for their animal back, it is usually me trying to track them down and figure out logistics to get the animal back to them. I have even driven a cat all the way from San Diego CA to its owners new residence in Texas with my money paying for transport after paying for everything for the cat for a year including neuter vaccines and an antibiotic treatment. I love animals and I don't want them to be homeless or in a place where they aren't getting love and attention. So I do it for the animals when I can. ------------------------------ April Cannizzaro CEO San Diego Last Chance Ranch CA ------------------------------ View Discussion

Hi Everyone. I am a fundraising coordinator for a 100% foster based rescue. We are a small rescue that has been operating for about 4 years now. We focus on dogs other organizations may not be able to take, providing the time, care, and resources needed to stabilize them and improve their chances of adoption. Our focus is on pit bull type and bully breed dogs. I'd really like to expand our fundraising capacity. Most of our grants come in small amounts and we often have to pause intake to catch up with all the vet bills we have for the dogs we save. I'd really love to hear from folks who have been able to take their fundraising to the next level. I'd love to be able to get our rescue into a more proactive financial level where we aren't always struggling to catch up. I've also been trying to ideate around what types of programs or projects I can create and build to be able to ask for higher levels of funding. ' Any and all ideas and suggestions or guidance would be so appreciated. We just want to save as many dogs as possible! #FundraisingandDevelopment ------------------------------ Michelle Berois Volunteer Grants Coordinator California Bully Rescue CA ------------------------------ View Discussion

No, this is just from bleach and urine inside the shelter that is going through the HVAC filtration system. ------------------------------ Kingman County Humane Society director Kingman County Humane Society KS ------------------------------ View Discussion

This was incredibly helpful and really gave me some ideas and things to think about. Thank you so much for the response. ------------------------------ Kendall hotmer Founder Appalachian Feline Foster Network OH ------------------------------ View Discussion

Id love to know as well, and no they dont all come from best friends, theres several rescues they come from, most seem to be in the NYS tristate area, ------------------------------ roy forster Director Happy Life Animal Rescue NY ------------------------------ View Discussion

that is a great question. But i thought i saw that they all come from Best Friends. ------------------------------ Carol Bridges President Winding River Paws for a Cause NC ------------------------------ View Discussion