Monica Frenden

Monica Frenden-Tarant

Maddie's Director of Feline Lifesaving for American Pets Alive!

Monica Frenden-Tarant is the Director of Feline Lifesaving at American Pets Alive!, an instructor for the American Pets Alive!'s Maddie’s® Learning Academy, and a City of Austin Animal Advisory Commissioner. Before teaching the Austin No Kill Model to students, she founded a trap-neuter-return organization in rural Illinois and pioneered one of the nation's first, and largest, working cat programs. In 2012, she joined Austin Pets Alive! where she served as the Cat Program Manager, led her team to an 88 percent growth in cat adoptions and helped Austin achieve a citywide 98 percent live release rate for cats. Monica is a frequent speaker and advisor on innovative ways to save every cat, including cats with feline leukemia, community cats, and shelter cats in need of medical care.

Friday Feb 28th, 2020

New AAFP FeLV/FIV Guidelines: 5 Critical Takeaways for Your Shelter

Clock Icon7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Map Icon Capitol D, Sheraton Austin at the Capitol

Using the latest research, Dr. Levy and Monica Frenden shatter misconceptions and bring you current on every must-know feline leukemia detail. You'll learn the best practices in shelter housing, testing, and treatment. You'll master how to find fosters and adopters for your FeLV+ friends. And most importantly, you'll gain the knowledge and skills you need to tackle the next frontier in cat lifesaving!

Sunday Mar 1st, 2020

Every Cat! Live Outcome Options for All of Them

Clock Icon3:30 pm - 4:10 pm
Map Icon Capitol D, Sheraton Austin at the Capitol

It's a new decade and there are new, and better, ways for shelters to serve cats! Progressive organizations are breaking the molds of past policies and now realize that cats require unique and species-appropriate care, services, and sheltering. In this session, we'll take a look at innovative programs for cats that work, and outdated practices we still need to replace.


What Do We Do About Our Long Stays?

Clock Icon5:20 pm - 6:00 pm
Map Icon Capitol F-H, Sheraton Austin at the Capitol

What is the average length of time animals stay in your shelter? Attend this session and learn how to analyze this information and know what to do with it. You will learn how to fast-track animals and save more dogs and cats.


FeLV Roundtables

Clock Icon5:20 pm - 6:00 pm
Map Icon Capitol D, Sheraton Austin at the Capitol

Is FeLV still a reason cats are not being adopted out in your community? Are you unsure what a FeLV diagnosis means? Are FeLV cats being killed in your shelter or rescue? Come learn from shelter medicine expert, Dr. Levy and leading cat advocates, Monica Frenden and Natascha Hamman, about the most current research and best practices for rehoming this vulnerable cat population.


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