Presents

Neighbor Relations & Public Outreach With:

Sheila Massey, Founder Morris-Jumel Cats – New York City

Mike Phillips, President, Co-Founder of Urban Cat League

This workshop will offer:

Approaches on how to build support for TNR within the community.Methods that have helped solve “people problems” involving feral cat colonies.

No Magic Wand…

Morris-Jumel Cat Colony Locations Enhancing Neighborhood Relations © 2014 Sheila Massey

NYC Landmark © 2013 Sheila Massey NYC Correctional Facility © 2014 Sheila Massey

Grady Tate © 2013 Sheila MasseyMia, bodega cat © 2013 Sheila Massey

2 Key Elements won support:

• Visible feeding stations forced public interactions.

• Being a people-advocate, not a cat-advocate.

© 2014 Sheila MasseyEnhancing Neighborhood Relations

© 2011 Sheila Massey

Mr. McMagee © 2011 Sheila Massey

Visible Feeding Stations

• TNR in action = opportunity

• Open, happy to discuss.

• Forget biases. Nothing in life is 100% consistent.

• Three-sentence spiel.

• Get name, contact info

• Focus: what’s in it for them?

© 2014 Sheila MasseyEnhancing Neighborhood Relations

Goal in these Encounters

• Goal: That they trust me, not that they like the cats.

• Talk to everyone as an ally.

• Find something to agree on.

• Serious: “Program of the Mayor’s Alliance for Animals”.

• Knowledgeable, capable person performing community service.

© 2014 Sheila Massey

Silver Daddy, ©2009 Sheila MasseySilver Daddy © 2009 Sheila Massey

Enhancing Neighborhood Relations

Be a People-advocate

• Take their cat-complaints seriously.• Don’t defend the cats. Offer solutions.• Position self as helpful neighbor, not cat-advocate.• There is no conflict: what we do helps people.• TNR+M controls cat and rat populations.• Most people are self-serving; they will go along with something if it makes sense and benefits them.

© 2014 Sheila MasseyEnhancing Neighborhood Relations

TNR Caretaker as Community Helper

Toxoplasmosis• Cornell article

• Rare burgers and raw veggies

Cats use garden plot as a litter box

• Solutions for gardeners

Feral cats killing birds

• “Let’s document it (pix, dates)”

• “Bell” the friendly ones

© 2014 Sheila Massey

Coco Bean © 2011 Sheila Massey

Enhancing Neighborhood Relations

Recap….•Remember goal and message.

•Don’t try to convince anybody of anything.

•Laissez-faire attitude. Who cares what they think. Their prerogative to dislike cats.

•Own it (why you do TNR).

•Stay with YOUR facts, your scripts.

•Ask for info / their help. Everybody knows a piece of the puzzle. Disarming.

•“Deep bench” for community cats.© 2014 Sheila Massey

Courtesy of Philipp Rassmann

Enhancing Neighborhood Relations

NYPD - Humane Law Enforcement

•Makes friends with the NYPD

•Monthly meetings at the local precinct “Community Council”

• http://www.nyc.gov/html/nypd/html/home/precincts.shtml

•Attend Public Safety Committee Mtg. of your Community Board

• http://www.nyc.gov/html/cau/html/cb/cb.shtml

•Same principles apply - serious, grounded; TNR as public service

•Hide the Catnip!

Enhancing Neighborhood Relations © 2014 Sheila Massey

GOOD: Opportunity to teach; opportunity to positively resolve

nuisance complaints; support and participation of the neighborhood

BAD: Difficult to resolve complaints; low support & cooperation; cats might

be criticized but you are still able to implement TNR and care for the cats

UGLY: You or the cats are threatened and/or harmed

The Good, Bad and Ugly

TNR diminishes the nuisance behaviors. Yowling while mating, Foul smelling marking of territory Fighting over mates and food AND NO MORE KITTENS!!

Common Complaints:

Focus on the Person

Learn Negotiating Skills

• Careful of body language• Learn to read people• Be Approachable

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Property can change hands. Be flexible and be prepared to move shelters or feeding stations

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Large Cities are full of diversity

•Gender differences•Cultural differences•Class differences

How to get the TNR message through communication blocks?

• Language translators • Cultural awareness• Use animal-friendly person from that community

Dealing with Differences:

Public Outreach to People Who DO Have Compassion for the Cats

When You Do Have a Receptive Ear - Spread the Word About TNR

•“Expand the circle of Compassion” Albert Schweitzer•Carry support literature.•Recruit more people to do TNR.•Include everybody on the team, no matter how small the contribution.

Be “proud” about your involvement in serving the community.

Give feral cats a “seat” by attending community forums.

Be Patient: Make contact first, THEN make TNR converts.

What’s Success?

Table Visuals:Double-sided in Spanish!

Have Literatu

re Handy

to Share

Show Bird Lovers This Video

from Alleycat.org

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DTawDmrMxU

Save the Birds

Questions:

See Resource Sheet!