Natascha Hamman

Natascha Hamman is the feline leukemia and Matchmaker Program manager for Austin Pets Alive!. She has overseen the intake and placement of over 1,000 FeLV cats since 2017. Growing up, she spent a lot of time volunteering in Houston area shelters, which spurred her love of feline welfare. She started working for APA! in 2015 and quickly started the Cat Matchmakers Program that very year. The Cat Matchmakers team exists to assist adopters in finding a cat that is a perfect fit for their household, to increase the number of special needs cats adopted, and to improve customer service. In 2017, she become the feline leukemia research coordinator for a large two year study funded by Maddie's on best testing practices for FeLV in shelters. The study was a partnership between the University of Flora, National Vet Lab, IDEXX, and the University of Glasgow. Natascha continues to be a No Kill advocate with a focus on special needs, FeLV, and cats with other medical or behavioral challenges.

In her personal life, Natascha does major medical and hospice fostering, and has had over 150 animals come through her home in the last three years. She lives in Austin with her dog and two cats (all APA! alumni) who she loves more than anything else in the world.