Cat Rescue & TNR with Suse Goricke & Stacy Attenberg
Suse is a rescuer, TNR practitioner, (medical) foster, socializer, and colony caretaker in Brooklyn. She believes in rescue work being community work and has worked with her neighbors extensively to fix the NYC cat crisis on a local level. She rescued her first cat in 2018. Despite having rescued and fixed somewhere around 200 cats since then, she’s only reluctantly accepting her cat lady status (although everyone around her knows she is one). She loves all animals and has rescued dogs, birds, and even a turtle in the past. She lives in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, with her husband, two dogs (Tuco and Ozzy), four indoor cats (Bubs, Rosie, Shrimp, Oyster), and two ferals in the yard (Brucey and Gus the Girl).
Stacy Attenberg is a feral caregiver, humane trapper, socializer / independent rescuer that partners with many local CT rescuer organizations to find good homes for abandoned friendly cats. She has done TNR and rescue for 14 years and has managed and maintained feral colonies in Hamden and New Haven for that time. She now maintains 10 locations of cats daily.
In this episode, we meet the guests, Suse Goricke and Stacy Attenberg, who are independent rescuers and advocates for trap-neuter-return (TNR) and community cats. They discuss the importance of TNR in managing community cat populations and debunk the misconception that relocating cats is a viable solution. The guests also emphasize the need to give cats sufficient time to decompress after trapping and the importance of proper assessment. Additionally, they discuss the additional steps involved in TNR, such as vaccinations and other treatments. The conversation explores the challenges of snap testing and accessing services in New York, the difficulties in obtaining spay/neuter appointments, the resources and voucher programs available in Connecticut, and the different trapping methods used by the speakers. In this conversation, Stacy and Suse discuss various trapping methods for community cats, including the use of True Catch traps and drop traps. They also share the importance of securing traps with zip ties to prevent cats from escaping. The conversation then shifts to the positive impact of TNR on both the cats and the communities they inhabit. Stacy and Suse highlight success stories and the personal fulfillment they experience through their rescue work. They offer advice for individuals interested in getting involved in cat rescue and emphasize the importance of asking for help and building a support network. The role of social media in raising awareness and garnering support for rescue work is also discussed. The conversation concludes with a lighthearted discussion about sharing personal spaces with community cats.
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