After the success in zip code 40215, Alley Cat Advocates turned its attention to the Louisville Metro Council. We wanted to improve a portion of the city’s animal ordinances, the portion that required that all cats be owned, licensed, vaccinated and remain on the owner’s property. The ordinance required cats who were not in compliance to be rounded up, taken to Metro Animal Services, and euthanized if inside homes were not found, which was typically the reality. Using legislative models from other communities, Executive Director Karen Little worked closely with Metro Council members to develop a revised ordinance that supported both owned and un-owned cats, and also mandated TNR. This change to the ordinance passed unanimously! The Council provided such strong support because Alley Cat Advocates, a grassroots organization supplying statistical evidence, was there to illustrate the effectiveness of the change. As a result of the changed ordinance, owned cats are still defined as those cats owned by a person who is willing to vaccinate, license and keep the cat on their property. But a new designation, “Community Cats”, was created for all other cats…cats who are free-roaming or are loosely-owned. Another change to the ordinance affected the holding period for cats. Previously, all cats dropped off at Metro Animal Services were required to remain at the shelter for five days. Now, community cats no longer have that holding period! With community cats, the goal is to spay/neuter, vaccinate and place the cat back into its neighborhood immediately. Only 1% to 2% of cats in shelters are ever reunited with a lost owner, so it is much more likely that a cat will find its way home if it’s put back into its own neighborhood. In addition to serving these community cats, Alley Cat Advocates also supports their caretakers…those humans who provide food, shelter and humane care to these stray animals.