On this episode of Connecting Communities, a podcast about the environment in Kalamazoo and the people working on it, the hosts talk with Dee Chauvin about a years-long passion project caring for stray cats in their neighborhood.
Chauvin traces the project back to moving into a new neighborhood and encountering stray cats for the first time, an experience that started as curiosity and turned into a deeper commitment after becoming attached to a sick cat in need of help. From there, Chauvin got involved in trapping, vetting, fixing, and rehoming stray cats, and talks through what that work actually looks like on the ground, including the practical limits of local shelter space.
The conversation also digs into the environmental side of the issue, including the impact stray and outdoor cats can have on local birds and amphibians, and what that means for pet owners like spaying and neutering, flea prevention, and keeping cats indoors or supervised outside through options like leashes and catios.
For anyone who’s ever had a stray cat show up on their porch and wondered what to do next, Chauvin offers a practical starting point: a regular feeding schedule to build trust, paired with getting connected to local spay/neuter resources.
