Monica Frenden-Tarant

Monica Frenden-Tarant is the Director of Feline Lifesaving at American Pets Alive!, an instructor for the American Pets Alive!'s Maddie’s® Lifesaving 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.