Alley Cat Advocates was founded by Karen and Hoyt Little. In the 1990s, Karen and her husband Hoyt lived in Old Louisville. Karen was employed at the nearby University of Louisville, and she enjoyed walking to and from work. During these walks, she noticed several stray cats and, because they were thought to be homeless, she began bringing those stray cats home with her. After filling their house, and also filling the homes of their friends and family, Karen and Hoyt realized that adoption was not the solution to the stray cat problem. They also understood that stray cats were an issue in many other areas of the city.
Deciding that they wanted to “make a difference” in the problem of cat overpopulation, Karen and Hoyt began looking for programs that addressed the issue of community cats. They volunteered with several animal organizations, but could not find a local group that was focused on spay and neuter.
They began traveling to conferences around the country, seeking out successful community cat programs and the reasons for their success. They identified two key components needed to build a successful program in Louisville…a high-volume spay/neuter clinic and a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program. Karen and Hoyt decided to start a volunteer TNR group, Alley Cat Advocates, as working with TNR allowed them to most easily maintain their full-time careers.