Felis catus - the “domestic house cat”. What does that label mean for the hundreds of millions of domesticated yet house-less cats - and how does the answer to this connect to both human and cat welfare? In this special episode, released during October’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we’ll be joined by Community Cats Podcast host Stacy LeBaron, who will share success stories of the “mosaic of support” that benefits both humans and their feline family members. We’re grateful to also have two special guests from the Urban Resource Institute who shed light on the #1 cause of homelessness in New York City, and why cats are a part of the solution. And we’ll have a cameo from returning guest Jackson Galaxy, star of Animal Planet’s hit series, My Cat From Hell and founder of The Jackson Galaxy Project, a program of The Greater Good Charities.

If you or someone you know is healing from ongoing or past power-based interpersonal violence (IPV; domestic violence) you are not alone, there is never an excuse and you have resources - for U.S. listeners, thehotline.org has a clearinghouse of free, trauma-informed service providers. For international listeners, the No More Global Directory has region-specific hotlines at nomoredirectory.org. And if you’d like to get involved, visit righttobe.org for bystander intervention resources and more.

• Post-episode body scan exercise (materials courtesy The Greater Good Science Center at University of California - Berkeley): https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/body_scan_meditation


• Special thanks to Kristin DeFur of The Urban Resource Institute (URI) and Kyle of the TASC group for facilitating the URI interview.

Support the podcast at https://ko-fi.com/6degreesofcats for as little as $1 / month for stickers, early access to new episodes and behind the scenes audio. View the show notes and more on The Captain’s Log, the companion podcast newsletter here: linktr.ee/6degreesofcats.

And check out these supplementary episodes:

• Community CATalysts: Kosovans Caring for Their Animal Survivors


• Beyond Taylor Swift: Who Are Cat People?


• Our Feline Fictive Kin: Are Cats Full Fledged Family? [Season 2 Finale]

About the experts:

• Elizabeth Rose is a domestic violence survivor, mother and 2024 URI Celebration Triumph Award recipient. After escaping abuse in 2019 with her daughter Hazel and their cat Bebe, she found safety and healing through the Urban Resource Institute’s People and Animals Living Safely (PALS) program. Today, Elizabeth shares her story as a testament to resilience and the lifesaving impact of programs that keepfamilies and pets together.


• Teal Inzunza, L.C.S.W., is the Associate Vice President of Justice Initiatives at the Urban Resource Institute (URI), where she leads programs supporting survivors of domestic violence and homeless families. With a background as URI’s Director of Economic Empowerment, Inzunza is a nationally recognized advocate for economic justice, LGBTQ survivor support and systemic change. She co-chairs the NYC Domestic Violence & Economic Justice Taskforce and has been honored with awards from Her Justice and the Anti-Violence Project for her transformative work.


• Stacy LeBaron has been involved in animal welfare for over 30 years and considers herself a feline entrepreneur. She currently hosts the Community Cats Podcast where she interviews renowned experts about cat overpopulation and welfare solutions. The podcast hosts three certification programs covering the topics of Trap, Neuter, and Return, Surrender Prevention, and Return to Home. Stacy is also a partner of the Community Cat Clinic in Woodstock and Duluth, Georgia; President of PAWSitive Pantry in Vermont and Massachusetts; Treasurer at the Vermont Humane Federation, the Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society and Community Cat Champions; and Treasurer and Director of Strategy at The United Spay Alliance. Stacy graduated from Vassar College with a degree in Urban Studies. She now lives in Vermont and Switzerland with her husband.


• Jackson Galaxy is a cat behavior and wellness expert, YouTube creator, musician and the star of hit Animal Planet series, My Cat From Hell. Visit https://www.jacksongalaxyproject and follow @catdaddy on YouTube and all social media platforms.

Producer, writer, editor, sound designer, host, basically everything*

• Captain Kitty (Amanda B.)

* with co-executive producers Binky & Snuggles and new associate Peanut

Animal voices include:

• Binky, Snuggles and Peanut _^..^_

Music:

• Leathered: "Look Alive" © 2025


• Additional sound effects from Pixabay.com

Logo design:

• Edward Anthony © 2025 (Instagram: itsmyunzii)

Research used:

• Animal cruelty and domestic violence - the link between cruelty to animals and violence toward humans. Animal Legal Defense Fund. (2022, January 3). https://aldf.org/article/the-link-between-cruelty-to-animals-and-violence-toward-humans-2/


• Global Homelessness Statistics. Homeless World Cup. (n.d.). https://www.homelessworldcup.org/homelessness-statistics


• Marshall, L. (2025, August 29). Katrina 20 years later: What we’ve learned. CU Boulder Today. https://www.colorado.edu/today/2025/08/29/katrina-20-years-later-what-weve-learned


• Randall, K. (2025, August 28). Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina, many of us are still missing all that we lost—and grappling with one of the country’s worst disasters. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/twenty-years-after-hurricane-katrina-many-of-us-are-still-missing-all-that-we-lostand-grappling-with-one-of-the-countrys-worst-disasters-180987253/


• The State of Pet Homelessness Project. (2024). https://stateofpethomelessness.com/


• These innovative projects are tackling homelessness around the world. World Economic Forum. (2021, October). https://www.weforum.org/stories/2021/10/innovative-projects-tackling-homelessness-around-the-world/


• Tillery, B., Ray, A., Cruz, E., & Waters, E. (2017). Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and HIV-Affected Hate and Intimate Partner Violence in 2017. The NYC Anti-Violence Project. https://avp.org/2017-hv-ipv-report/


• Understanding the link between animal abuse and family violence. American Humane Society. (2024, December 13). https://www.americanhumane.org/public-education/understanding-the-link-between-animal-abuse-and-family-violence/


• Walton-Moss, B. J., Manganello, J., Frye, V., & Campbell, J. C. (2005, October). Risk factors for intimate partner violence and associated injury among urban women. Journal of community health. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16175959/