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…
NYC Landmark © 2013 Sheila Massey
Grady Tate © 2013 Sheila Massey
NYC Correctional Facility © 2014 Sheila Massey
Mia, bodega cat © 2013 Sheila Massey
Morris-Jumel Cat Colony Locations
Enhancing Neighborhood Relations
© 2014 Sheila Massey
2 Key Elements won support:
•
Visible feeding stations
forced public interactions.
•
Being a people-advocate,
not a cat-advocate.
Mr. McMagee © 2011 Sheila Massey
© 2011 Sheila Massey
Enhancing Neighborhood Relations
© 2014 Sheila Massey
Visible Feeding Stations
• TNR
in action = opportunity
• Open,
happy to discuss.
• Forget
biases. Nothing in life
is 100% consistent.
• Three-sentence
• Get
spiel.
name, contact info
• Focus:
what’s in it for them?
Enhancing Neighborhood Relations
© 2014 Sheila Massey
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.
Enhancing Neighborhood Relations
Silver Daddy, ©2009 Sheila Massey
Silver Daddy © 2009 Sheila Massey
© 2014 Sheila Massey
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.
Enhancing Neighborhood Relations
© 2014 Sheila Massey
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
Coco Bean © 2011 Sheila Massey
Enhancing Neighborhood Relations
© 2014 Sheila Massey
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.
Enhancing Neighborhood Relations
Courtesy of Philipp Rassmann
© 2014 Sheila Massey
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
The Good, Bad and Ugly
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
Common Complaints:
TNR diminishes the nuisance behaviors.
Yowling while mating,
Foul smelling marking of territory
Fighting over mates and food
AND NO MORE KITTENS!!
Focus on the Person
Learn Negotiating Skills
• Careful of body language
• Learn to read people
• Be Approachable
Property can change hands. Be flexible and be
prepared to move shelters or feeding stations
2
1
3
6
4
5
7
Dealing with Differences:
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
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:
Have
Literature
Handy to
Share
Save the Birds
Show Bird Lovers This Video
from Alleycat.org
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DTawDmrMxU
Questions:
See Resource Sheet!