It's Maria's MutS and Stuff. What a great idea on iHeartRadio.
Welcome to Maria's MutS and Stuff, and with me is the founder of Flatbush Cats and Flatbush Veterinary Clinic in Brooklyn, New York. It is Will Zweigert. So will thank you for taking some time out. I know you're busy, you got a lot going on, but I wanted to talk to you about Flatbush Cats and all that you do.
Thank you so much, Maria, glad to be here.
Yeah, so tell me what made you decide, like how long has Flatbush Cats been around and what made you decide to start up?
Yeah, it was kind of pulled into this after running into a lot of cats in central Brooklyn. My partner and I had lived in different parts of New York, in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and it wasn't until we moved to central Brooklyn start to see colonies of cats kittens outside and this was totally new to me, life long cat lover, long time New Yorker, and I guess I just didn't realize that there was such a huge problem,
particularly in the outer boroughs. Sure, and so it was really the cats themselves in our immediate area that kind of pulled me in. And as soon as we got started rescuing, we learned about trap need to return and just started trying to work our way through things right right, And.
I mean when you said about all the cats, these are all pretty much feral cats.
There are a bunch of feral cats outside. There are also a bunch of friendly cats who lived indoors at some point, And so we can also use the term community cats, which can encompass both. So, because oftentimes we're doing a trap need to return project, we may bring ten cats in, we're actually finding that three or four of them are friendly. They've just been outside for a little while and needs time to decompress.
Sure, no, that makes sense, And I mean, I mean, I guess is it common sense? Or like why do you like do you feel like the problem has increased over the years because people are in Spain and neutering their cats, like or what do you think is really the bottom line problem of why it's you know, grow it's grown so much, the population has grown so much.
I think one of the biggest issues is that many New Yorkers are not even aware this is a problem. Don't we don't see it? We don't know about it, we don't hear about it, and so there's sort of a problem blindness around this issue at all unless you're exposed to it directly. So I would say that's that's one issue. The other macro trend that we're seeing is that veterinary costs, the cost of carrying for pet have increased well over three hundred percent over the last few decades.
The New York Times had a study that showed far beyond inflation, veterinary costs are are rising quickly. So many New Yorkers, like many Americans sure, are now shogging to cover basic costs and wondering how they're going to feed themselves and their pets, let alone cover you know that that built, yeah.
Which I think is a reason why to a lot of you know, dogs and cats are winding up in shelters more so than before because people, like you said, they're not even sure they can feed themselves or keep a roof over their heads. And I think that that I mean, I think it's it's a problem all around, as you said, throughout the country as well as as here. We'll tell let's talk about for you, what's a day in like in your life, like how does your day start with Flatbush Cats and and how does it end
or does it ever end? Like do you get any sleep? Because I have a feeling that you don't get a lot of sleep. But let's talk about a day in the life of you will.
Yeah. So it is true that the majority of rescues and I would say almost all T and R volunteers are volunteers. That's why you that term, and so it is often the second job. And for the first several years I was working in corporate advertising. I would, you know, take the Q train from Flatbush to Midtown and I was just doing my regular work from nine to six or seven at an agency and then I would come home and do all the volunteer work. So that was
my life for several years. My life now is different because this is a long term challenge and so it's really important that we prioritize sustainability and a balance. And so as the executive director of Flatbush Cats, I need to set the tone for how we work as a team and how we show up for each other, and so we actually set really strong boundaries for each other.
Part of the reason why this organization has grown and has several hundred active volunteers out right now is this is really hard, isolating work to do by yourself, right, So we don't we don't want to be martyrs. We don't want to be burning ourselves out, burning the candle at both ends. We've tried to build team based approaches because anyone out there who's rescued a cat or foster to cat knows it's a lot of work to do by yourself. Sure, And so my day to day is
really now as a leader about team support. My last discussion was just looking at one of our teams and making sure that everyone has the resources that they need to succeed, because this is a long term effort and you can go really hard by yourself rescuing cats, but it's going to take a big team, moving slowly and thoughtfully to solve this at a systemic level.
Right right. And those resources, like, what are they that a team would need?
Well, I think we I mean your greatest resources time, right, Yeah, So having clarity around one of the questions that we ask our donors and we ask our team members is the same what kind of impact do you want to have? And so we start with that. The biggest impact we want to have is we want to address why there
are so many casts outside suffering. Because we're in the middle of kitten season right now rescues where we brought in a litter of nine kittens, all each one with its own medical issues, some of them had to go to the er. So we have to really look up stream and say, assume that there's almost an endless supply of casts needing help, more than you can possibly get to.
So the kind of impact we want to have is we want to prevent those casts from ever needing help in the future, and that starts with providing our neighbors, New Yorkers and pet owners with access to affordable veterinary care, which is why a little bit less than two years ago, we launched our first nonprofit veterinary clinic in Flatbush. It's called Flatbush Veterinary Clinic. And the reason why we did
that is because Spain neoter is under prevention. The best way that we can prevent thousands of casts from needing help outside has been sure New Yorkers have access to span and or surgeries.
Okay, so and let's talk about the Flatbush Veterinary Clinic because that seems to be the answer that we need all over the country in small towns, big towns, cities, because basically, you know, people can't afford to get their pets spade and neutered. So let's talk a little bit about that, because I feel like you have a plan or have had a master plan that you're working on and currently doing. So let's talk about that a little bit.
Yeah, and a lot of this comes from my experience directly as a rescuer, because you know, I've been I've been through burnout many times. I've been through that feeling of frustration like no matter what you do, it's not enough, right, And so we really had to take a step back and say how we're going to get in front of this.
And so I spent years learning from other folks, talking to folks around the country, just trying to understand what could we do at a city level that would actually reduce the number of cats and dogs showing up at shelters, because our partners at the shelter are given an impossible task. If you show up every Monday and there are several hundred animals waiting for you to place them somewhere, and there's nowhere for you to place them, then we as a city have set you up to fail.
Correct.
So Flatbush VET was designed as an upstream model as a solution to over crowded shelters here in New York, and it is a scalable model. To your point, this is something that nonprofits and city leaders can bring to their town, can bring to their county or city, because everyone does need affordable ventery care. Over half of all Americans right now can't afford a spade utter surgery. And so we know this. We know the data that shows
two thirds of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. So it's no surprise that affordability is both the number one reason why people surrender pets and also the number one reason why people say they can no longer afford to adopt. It's so heartbreaking and you think about your pets, right, and I have people come up to me and say, hey, my pets are my life, but when they pass, I'm not going to be able to adopt again. I've heard that heartbreaking that is it is.
Yeah, I've heard the same exact thing, because people are just I can't do it, and it's really sad. It's very sad. I mean, it's sad for us as humans because I feel, you know, we're the human pet bond is just so incredible, and it's important for us to have pets in our lives, just as important it is for us to be in their lives. And the fact that so many people are not going to do it moving forward, you know, that's not good. It's not good either way.
Yeah, you know, yeah, you're right. And the good news is I look at this as a solvable problem. I mean, the human healthcare system is a total mass it's it's pretty much, you know, it's not working for most Americans. It's not giving us the outcomes that we want. The good news is that the veterinary care system is not currently dependent on the same insurance model, and so as a nonprofit vet clinic, our goal is to make these services affordable. They don't need to be they don't need
to be free. People just need a fair shot, They just need a chance to be able to provide for their pets. And the city does play a role in this. So the majority of our support and the reason why flablished Veterinary Clinic exists is because animal loving supporters from around the country, not just New York. That I need to see this happen because I want to see it happen somewhere, and if we can make it happen in
New York, you know, the same anywhere. Yeah. So this is really something that animal lovers can can fund here in New York and in their towns. And then we also need to get the city involved because our message to City Council, and we've recently testified at the latest budget hearings, is that this is actually a cost saving measure for the city. So when we talk to City council members, we say, look, I don't it doesn't matter whether you're an animal lover or not. This is just
common sense. If we can provide more New Yorkers, the Spain and Ent appointments are going to be spending a lot less money sheltering animals.
Right, yeah, yeah, And I'm sure that was met with agreeable you know, city council people agreeing with that because it's logical.
Yeah. Start, I start every conversation by saying, the number one issue for New Yorkers is affordability, So let's talk about it, and we're bringing a solution here. It's not every day that you could introduce something like a new budget measure. There's a one point five million dollars Spade
neuter budget measure in this upcoming budget. It's not every day you can introduce something that actually makes life better for your constituents and helps the bottom line because you're saving about seventy five percent her animal if you just give them the services that they need so they can stay with their family instead of having to pay to shelter them.
Sure, no, I mean that makes it's it's almost it makes so much sense that people don't get it. If that makes sense, you know what I mean? Like, sometimes things are so filled with common sense and what you scratch your head like, wait, why it hasn't this happened before?
You know?
Yeah, So let's I've heard you use the word you've said upstream a couple of times. Talk to me about that. I know that's you use that as opposed to downstream. Explain I like it, but explain upstream to my listeners.
Yeah. The premise is that it was actually an analogy based on having to pull people out of a river where you're trying to you're trying to go in and save someone's life by pulling them out of the river, and it's kind of an old folk tale and someone says, well, I'm going to go upstream and figure out why they keep falling in right, And so the premise behind upstream is that the best time to solve a problem is before it happens, correct.
Yeah, yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Actually, So what do you see in I want to say, not the near future, but what do you see five years from now for you with flat bush cats? For the pet uh you know, I want to I don't want to call it industry because that sounds like I'm not talking about you know, food and toys, but for the pet population. What do you think, like, what's your gut down the road and maybe not even five years you know, down in the future.
Yeah, how did it? Yeah, we're looking. Yeah, that's a great question. We're looking five to ten years out right now because a lot of these problems are very large and you don't solve complex problems quickly. I think the biggest win for us, and I say us, I mean animal lovers around the trade, around the world. The biggest win for us would be a mindset shift. There's a lot of individualism, there's a lot of blame and judgment around if someone needs to surrender their pet due to
life circumstances. We've always been told don't adopt a pet if you can't afford to care for it. I would like to see and we're going to be working on a collective mindset shifts so that we can start taking better care of each other. When we do that, we can take better care of ourselves and our pets. Because when you actually meet someone and talk to them about their pet, you see that they're the light of their world. You realize we actually, we all believe that pets are family.
And that mindset shift is so important because this is not something that we're going to be able to solve through an individual lens. We need to think about our collective responsibility to care for each other, and we need to imagine a world where we're able to provide basics for each other and then actually expect those services to be provided by our local government. Because right now in New York City, most New Yorkers are not aware of
this problem. They're not aware of a solution. And when I say solution, I mean affordable community clinics around in every borough, and so they're not asking, they're not asking for it. They're not asking city council members to fund these types of initiatives. So when I say mindset shift is because a lot of this work has to start with us. What we believe is possible and what we're willing to work for makes sense.
So let me ask you this, did you ever do you ever think about getting involved in politics locally?
I am involved in politics. I am working to increase city funding for spade hooter and affordable veterinary care, and all New Yorkers have the ability to know the love and joy and companionship that our pets provide, and we are going to be increasing our efforts in this area. I can tell you, I tell you what's on my agenda. If you'd like to hear it, I would love to
hear it. Yes, Okay, So right now, New York City is spending about forty one million dollars on sheltering animals, which is a necessary function, that is a necessary thing the city should do. But they're spending zero dollars maria on spade inner services, and so we need that number
to increase dramatically. New York City should be a leader in this and that would mean spending significantly more per capita on animal welfare services, which right now is less than zero point zero two five percent of the city budget.
That's embarrassing.
You need to get real. It is embarrassing.
It'ssing.
We need to get real. Yeah, let's get real about what it's actually going to cost to take this problem seriously. And let's let's give our politicians credit for being able to walk and show them at the same time, we're able to have parks and subways and mass transit and affordable housing. We're able to push for multiple things at once and as long as our tax dollars are used effectively. The other thing I would like to see is the
creation of a Department of Animal Welfare. And this may look different in different cities and counties around the country, but New York City is large enough that it needs a standalone, funded department that is baselined in the budget.
It's not the whim of a new mayor. And we have meaningful resources and support, not just for shelters and not just for affordable veteran care, but for the thousands of T and R and rescue volunteers who are out there doing the city's job for free, with out the resources that they need to do the job, and we're not going to be able to accomplish that through the
Department of Health as things are standing now. The last thing I would like to see on our agenda is we need legislation and funding that mandates the creation of nonprofit veteran clinics in every borough period.
Yes, you're absolutely right, and you know you said it because I was gonna say, I just find it ridiculous, and I don't. I'm not sure if it's like that in other cities around the country, but the fact that animal welfare is part of the Department of Health, it just yeah, it just kind of it just doesn't make sense to me. It never made sense over the years, and the fact that it's still continuing the same way it doesn't make sense. And I'm and I actually you
probably might know more than me. Is it like that in other cities around the country.
Generally yes, And that's because we haven't meaningfully updated animal welfare legislation and policy in decades, decades, like the role that animals play in our lives now. When these departments were created, the job was to was to protect people from animals, right and now now that they're part of our families and they're sleeping in our beds. Yeah, we need to be resourcing these much more meaningfully. Yeah.
I feel like it's from like hundreds of years ago, you know, like let's update it a little bit too.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, So we have to That starts with us though, right, we can't criticize We can't criticize our elected officials for not passing legislation that no one asks for.
Well, that's true.
So the first step starts with us. We need a vision what's possible, and then we need to go ask for it. And I believe that our pets deserve nothing less.
I agree with you. I agree. So will for someone who's listening right now and they want to do something and they want to help you do survive on donations. Correct, you know you're a nonprofit, So they could go to flatbushcats dot org to help out.
Absolutely. Our greatest need is financial support, and we are our vessel for the supporters out there who want to see meaningful and structural change. We will deliver it, and we love folks to join us as a monthly supporter. They could visit flatbushcats dot org slash donate to make a one time or recurring donation and they can keep up with all of our rescue stories and updates on Facebook, Instagram, on YouTube wherever you you like your videos.
Well will thank you for all that you do. Keep fighting the good fight. And I you know when I asked you about getting into politics and you said you are, but I would really like to see you in an elected position because I think you just have the drive and the knowledge and the passion to do that. So if you ever decide to take that road.
Something, I really I appreciate that. And we'll keep pushing from wherever we can. And thank everyone listening for joining us on this mission.
Absolutely well, thank you again and thanks for all you do. We'll definitely talk again because I think we're going to have a lot more news too as time goes on.
Let's make some news, yeah,