On Second Thought For Thursday, April 12, 2018

As the weather warms up, you may spot more outdoor cats in your neighborhood. For pet owners, raising a cat to be indoor versus outdoor is a very sensitive subject. We talk about the ethics of cat ownership with Barbara King, College of William & Mary professor emerita of anthropology.

On Second Thought for Thursday, April 12, 2018.

At the Fulton County Jail, inmates are hard at work — training dogs. Through the Canine Cellmates program, which is in its fifth year, inmates are paired with canine companions they train to prepare for adoption. On Second Thought producer Summer Evans visited the jail to see how the inmates and dogs bond.

Mercer University professor Anya Silver was awarded a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship earlier this month. Silver writers poems about depression, fear, and living with cancer. Her latest collection, “Second Bloom,” is also about life and joy. She talked about her writing with GPB Special Correspondent Celeste Headlee. 

Cuyler-Brownville, one of Savannah’s oldest African-American neighborhoods, earned its official historic status two decades ago. But since then, more than 100 historic properties have been demolished. Does historic designation actually drive demolitions? We asked Daniel Carey, president and CEO of the Historic Savannah Foundation, and Amy Bragg, president of Preservation Detroit. 

You might not recognize the name Caroll Spinney, but you would most certainly recognize his voice — or voices. Spinney plays Big Bird on Sesame Street and voices Oscar the Grouch. He’s been with the show since it debuted 1969. “I Am Big Bird" documents Spinney's life as Big Bird and plays this weekend at the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta. GPB Special Correspondent Celeste Headlee spoke to Spinney in 2015.