How to Work With Municipalities to Save Community Cats By Rick DuCharme, Founder and Director of First Coast No More Homeless Pets , August 2012 If saving the lives of your community's cats is your goal, you'll probably find yourself having to work with a government agency at some point. It could be the most important relationship you ever invest in. The government is a big part of our lives, whether we like it or not, and in most areas they are a big part of animal welfare. The government is often the most financially invested animal welfare shareholder in a community, either through directly operating animal control or through an animal control contract with a private organization. (I use the term "shareholder" rather than "stakeholder" because the groups we are interested in working with are those that have invested in animal welfare, not just those that are affected by, or have an interest in, animal welfare.) The fact is that if municipal or contracted private animal shelters are where the cats are dying, then you must work with the shelter if you want to save their lives. Relationship Building The relationships that a group builds are assets of that organization to be used in the pursuit of their mission. There are many levels of the government to work with, and each of those levels requires different skills and tactics. In Jacksonville, FL, where I work for First Coast No More Homeless Pets (FCNMHP), we deal with the government on