Amy Dudley, community manager from Weruva, joins the show to discuss how Weruva is making an impact on the quality of cat food!

Amy has been involved in the pet industry in some way or another since 2003 and she recently became Certified as a Pet Nutrition Coach. Perched in Queens, NY, she has two small rescue dogs and one senior cat, and volunteers with rescues whenever she can. Amy has an unhealthy obsession with Taco Bell and hot dogs, and you can often hear her asking "What do you feed your cat?" in the line for the bus. She loves chatting about Weruva, her pets, and making people laugh. “You’re never fully dressed without a little pet hair.”

Weruva is a family-owned pet food brand founded in 2006 by David and Stacie Forman, specializing in high-quality, hydrating wet foods for cats and dogs. Known for "human-style" recipes, they use recognizable, high-quality ingredients like boneless, skinless chicken breast and fish loins, produced in human-food facilities.

Learn More About Weruva:

• Website: weruva.com

Support the Show:

• Official Merch: Get your Shelter Cats Podcast gear at sheltercatspod.com.
• Follow Michelle (The Meow Maven): Catch her journey on TikTok.

The Team:

• Hosts: Dan "The Cat Man" & Michelle "The Meow Maven"
• Editor: Jacob Haley

Questions or Comments? Email us at dan@tylerthecat.com or sheltercatspodcast@gmail.com.

What happens to the cats that aren’t looking for a lap to curl up in? In this episode, we sit down with Sheila Massey, the founder of Hard Hat Cats®.

After a black kitten named Sadie changed her life in 2008, Sheila began performing TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) in some of the most unique corners of New York City—from prisons to landmark mansions. She quickly realized that saving cats required more than just traps; it required "Neighborhood Relations." In 2019, she launched Hard Hat Cats to give "unadoptable" feral cats a professional purpose: providing non-toxic rodent control for breweries, hotels, and shops.

In This Episode:

• The "Job" Market: How feral cats adapt to life as "employees" in NYC businesses.
• Neighborhood Diplomacy: The art of gaining community acceptance for TNR programs.
• From Fraud to Felines: How Sheila’s background as a corporate investigator and her MBA shaped her approach to animal welfare.
• The Sadie Legacy: How one kitten sparked a movement that now protects cats across the five boroughs.

Connect with Our Guest:

• Hard Hat Cats: hardhatcats.org — Check out photos of these amazing working cats in action!

Support the Show:

• Official Merch: Get your Shelter Cats Podcast gear at sheltercatspod.com.
• Follow Michelle (The Meow Maven): Catch her journey on TikTok.

The Team:

• Hosts: Dan "The Cat Man" & Michelle "The Meow Maven"
• Executive Producer: Stephen Quandt (catbehaviorhelp.com)
• Editor: Jacob Haley

Questions or Comments? Email us: dan@tylerthecat.com | sheltercatspodcast@gmail.com

What do you do when a cat climbs higher than a ladder—or a fire truck—can reach?

In this episode, we’re joined by Duane Hook, a professional tree climber and founder of Cat In A Tree Rescue. Since 2010, Duane has been combining expert arborist techniques with a deep love for animals to bring stranded cats back to solid ground.

Duane walks us through the high-pressure world of canopy rescues, from managing "indoor-only" escape artists to handling senior and feral cats in dense woods. We dive into the specialized safety gear and low-stress techniques required to keep everyone safe when the stakes (and the branches) are high.

In This Episode:

• ​The Art of the Rescue: How Duane uses modern ropes and safety gear to protect the cat and the tree.
• ​Calm in the Canopy: Techniques for reducing fear and stress for animals trapped in high-altitude environments.
• ​Treetop Stories: From backyard maples to "unclimbable" city trees, Duane shares his most memorable missions.

Connect with Duane Hook:

• ​Cat In A Tree Rescue getmeowtahere.com
• ​To donate to Duane: venmo.com/u/getmeowtahere

Support the Show:

• ​Official Merch: Shop Shelter Cats Podcast gear at sheltercatspod.com.
• ​Chewy Affiliate: Help support local shelters and this podcast by making your pet purchases through our Chewy Give Back link.
• ​Follow Michelle (The Meow Maven): Catch her journey on TikTok.

The Team:

• ​Hosts: Dan "The Cat Man" & Michelle "The Meow Maven"
• ​Executive Producer: Stephen Quandt (catbehaviorhelp.com)
• ​Editor: Jacob Haley

Questions or Comments? Email us at: dan@tylerthecat.com or sheltercatspodcast@gmail.com.