National Feral Cat Summit 2006

Morning Session:
8:30 am	Check-In & Networking	Coffee/Tea Service & Exhibit Hall open
9:30 am	Welcome	Dr. Elliot Katz, DVM, President, In Defense of Animals
	Keynote Address:	Michael Mountain, President, Best Friends Animal Society
	Special Guest Speaker "Getting at the Source: Where Do Ferals Come From and What Can We Do About It?”	Nancy Peterson, Issues Specialist & Feral Cat Program Manager, The Humane Society of the United States
	Featured Talk "Working with Wildlife Groups to Protect Cats & Birds”	Bryan Kortis, Executive Director, Neighborhood Cats
11:15 am	Regional Reports Innovative TNR Programs from around the Country	• Friends of Roman Cats • San Francisco SPCA • Feral Cat Coalition (San Diego, CA) • NYC Feral Cat Initiative (New York) • Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon

12:30 pm	Lunch & Dessert sponsored by PetSmart Charities	Delicious, hot vegan lunch Special guest Anitra Frazier, author of The New Natural Cat,* will do book-signings and offer one-on-one Question & Answer.

Afternoon Session:
Session I 2:00 - 3:30 pm	1. "Creating a Low Cost Spay/Neuter Program” Esther Mechler, Founder & Director, SPAY USA, Dr. Laura Gay Senk, DVM, Long Island Cat Project Discover how to develop a low cost spay/neuter network in your community from Esther Mechler, the nation’s leading proponent of affordable spay/neuter services, and Dr. Laura Gay Senk, creator of the Long Island Cat Project, a county-wide feral spay/neuter initiative. 2. “How to Perform a Mass Trapping” Film Screening Followed by Q&A with the Filmmaker Emma Cobb, Neighborhood Cats & Meredith Weiss, Neighborhood Cats Learn about "Mass Trapping," the highly efficient method pioneered by Neighborhood Cats which involves the TNR of entire feral cat colonies at once. Meet the film’s co-director, Emma Cobb who will answer questions after the screening along with Meredith Weiss, Field Director for the NYC Feral Cat Initiative. 3. “Funding TNR Programs” Paul Jolly, Director, PETCO Foundation; Sandra Monterose, ASPCA; and Valerie Sicignano, Neighborhood Cats. The experts share fundraising techniques and other money-making ideas specially designed for TNR programs. 4. "How to Create Publicity Campaigns that Promote TNR, Enlist Volunteers and Get Donations" Cimeron Morrissey, Public Relations Director and Project Bay Cat Director, Homeless Cat Network Getting the word out and shaping public opinion can be crucial to your efforts to advance TNR and help the cats. Find out how from a PR expert.
Session II 4:00 - 5:30 pm	1. "Advanced Feral Cat Colony Care” Dona Baker, President, Feral Cat Caretakers Coalition (Los Angeles, CA) Tina Lestelle, Caretaker Consultant, Feral Cat Caretakers Coalition Tips on long-term maintenance of feral cat colonies, including nutrition, shelter, community relations, health care and more are shared by the lead instructor of The Feral Cat Caretakers Workshop. 2. “Feral Cats, TNR & the Law” Debora Bresch, Esq., ASPCA & Bryan Kortis, Esq., Neighborhood Cats As TNR grows in popularity and more municipal governments get involved, knowledge of what the laws pertaining to feral cats currently are and how to shape them to be more favorable is increasingly important. Hear from two lawyers with extensive experience with TNR. 3. "How to Organize a Mass Spay Day” Michael Fitzgerald, President, Feral Cat Coalition (San Diego, CA) Mass spay days involve the neutering of large numbers of cats at one time, with 100 cats in a day not being unusual. The head of the first group in the country to develop this cost-effective, highly efficient approach to TNR discusses the practical ins and outs of using the method. 4. "Tips for Handling Feral Cats: A Workshop for Veterinarians and Vet Techs" Dr. Laura Gay Senk, DVM, Long Island Cat Project Drawing on over twenty years of experience working with feral cats, Dr. Senk will provide professional guidance and share tips on how to safely and efficiently work with ferals.

Exhibit Hall	American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) Cosmic Pet Products Homeless Cat Network (featuring Project Bay Cat) Incredible Drop Trap by Laura Burns (HubCats, Inc.) East Bay SPCA In Defense of Animals Neighborhood Cats PETCO Foundation PETsMART Charities San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals The Humane Society of the United States
Hotel Information	Rooms available at a group rate ($105/night) at the Holiday Inn, located next door to the South San Francisco Conference Center. To receive the group rate, call 1-800-HOLIDAY or 1-650-873-3550, and request the Feral Cat Summit. Rooms can be booked online by going to this link and then clicking on "Check Availability" For more hotel and travel information, go to www.ssfconf.com.

For sponsorship and exhibit opportunities or further information,
please contact Neighborhood Cats at:
summit@neighborhoodcats.org or phone: 212-662-5761