Are Cats the Underdogs in Municipal Politics with Stuart Kroll, Animal Rights Advocate, Port...

"Our goal is to put as much public pressure on the town representatives as possible and to spread as much awareness as we can, because the more people that are aware of the problem, the more people are going to ask the town to do something about it." This episode is sponsored in part by Maddie’s Fund and Tomahawk Traps.
Are you ready to be inspired by a relentless advocate for feline welfare? In this episode of the Community Cats Podcast, host Stacy LeBaron chats with Stuart Kroll, a passionate animal rights advocate with over 15 years of experience. Stuart's journey began with feeding a small colony of semi-feral cats in Port Washington, Long Island, which led him to become deeply involved in animal rescue and political advocacy. He shares his mission to establish a cat shelter in North Hempstead, a wealthy town with no municipal shelter for cats, and the challenges he faces in holding municipalities accountable for animal welfare.
Join us as Stuart discusses the complexities of creating a supportive environment for community cats, the vital role of municipal responsibility, and the power of public pressure in driving change. Discover how his unique background as a commodities trader has equipped him with the skills to navigate the political landscape and advocate for the rights of homeless cats. This episode is a must-listen for anyone passionate about animal rescue, community engagement, and the fight for better conditions for our feline friends.
In this episode, you will hear:
Stuart Kroll's journey from commodities trader to animal rights advocate Challenges of creating a cat shelter in North Hempstead, Long Island The intersection of animal welfare and politics The importance of public pressure in driving municipal change Strategies for implementing effective Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs The role of nonprofits and community organizations in supporting cat welfare The need for legislative change to mandate municipal responsibility for cats Stuart's vision for a comprehensive municipal cat shelter The impact of community engagement and awareness in animal advocacy Resources:
Join the conversation on Facebook Visit Stuart’s Website Connect with Stuart by email at [e-mail] Call Stuart at 516-578-8587 Follow & Review:
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[@ninakgordon]

Some of this news is already outdated - the voucher program that we worked so hard to achieve is now active and 37 vouchers have been distributed since 8/1/24. We are also meeting with state legislators to work towards introducing a bill in the NYS legislature that would require cat owners to register & vaccinate their cats (same as dogs). This would put pressure on the town board to open a cat shelter, since they would be required by law to take in stray cats just as they are required to take in stray dogs.

[@communitycatspodcast]

Thank you so much for the update! Sounds like there's been a lot of progress. I do have a question (just to clarify, this is Kristen, not Stacy) is there any worry about their being more euthanasia due to capacity if the town opens its own shelter?

[@ninakgordon]

@@communitycatspodcast I don't see that as a problem, and I'm more focused on getting a shelter at this point than worrying about capacity. Without a shelter, we have zero capacity and cats are breeding and dying in the streets. You know the statistics: 75% of kittens born outdoors don't survive past 6 months. The existing animal shelter, which only accepts dogs, only euthanizes when dogs are very sick. They have a foster program, also. The shelter manager is on our side and wishes she could do more to help the cats in town, but they are understaffed - in order to even run the existing TNR program, they need a Feral Cat Coordinator to handle the calls and schedule the appointments - but the person who did that job quit several months ago and they haven't been able to replace her. (Maybe because the job is only 19 hours per week, offers no benefits, and includes weekends). Meanwhile the many volunteers like Stuart and myself continue to feed colonies, do TNR on our own, and advocate for better services in North Hempstead.

[@ninakgordon]

Stuart also neglected to tell your listeners that we have a RUclips channel with recordings of past protests and constituents speaking out at town meetings - www.youtube.com/@NorthHempsteadNeedsCatShelter

[@communitycatspodcast]

That's an excellent resource too! Thank you for sharing!