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It's been a challenging year for everyone, but we’re proud of the work our staff, supporters, caretakers, donors and others have done to keep us moving forward. To commemorate all that hard work, we’ve designated Nov. 15-21 Alley Cat Advocates Week! Usually, we would include an in-person gathering but of course, due to the pandemic, we won’t be able to do this year. Instead, we’re going to spend this week across social media letting you know about the supplies we need to continue our work. Consider it a “supplies drive” – and it’s an easy way to [...]

Alley Cat Advocates' online store offers several options for gifts that will delight the recipient while providing support for Alley Cat Advocates' work. Like it or not, masks are a part of our every day lives for now. So, you might as well wear one that shows off your love of cats. With a donation of $45, you can receive your choice of one of these adorable hand-made masks. Shop our apparel store for a variety of logo wear options that show the world that you love cats! Tees, tanks and sweatshirts are all available. [...]

The cats at the Community Cat Complex love to see Betty Overstreet. Over the years, Betty has helped with the Big Fix, trap distribution and return, surgical recovery and surgery pack preparation. Her current volunteer jobs include lots of clean up – trap washing and breakfast with the kitties. The morning after surgery the cats are awake and ready for breakfast and lately Betty has been helping to get them fed. Betty learned about Alley Cat Advocates from a good friend and saw the need for trap-neuter-return in our community. She loves that she can [...]

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 [...]

Alley Cat Advocates (ACA) has received an emergency grant from the Kentucky Colonels. The funds will be used to purchase a surgery light to be used in the surgical suite of the Community Cat Complex. Additional funds will also provide for 150 spay/neuter surgeries for cats in the community. The funds will help ACA reduce the number of cats euthanized in local shelters by providing spay/neuter surgeries, vaccinations, and veterinary care.

The little tortie girl came in for a spay over a month ago, but was unable to have surgery. Her abdomen was full of fluid and our veterinary team was very concerned. Ginger was sent to an emergency hospital for further evaluation. Doctors there saw problems with her kidneys and heart and the outlook was bleak. We were devastated that there was so little hope for such a young cat. But the hospital team continued to try and to the amazement of everyone she pulled through! While she recovered, the mystery remained - what was [...]

Cathy Miller is relatively new to the Alley Cat Advocates Board of Directors. Having just joined the organization this year, she is excited to bring her skills to the board knowing that she can help steer the organization and support fundraising efforts to continue the great work of helping community cats lead better, healthier lives. She is a full time Realtor with Coldwell Banker McMahan and a proud wife to Capt. Andrew Sasse of the St. Matthews Fire Department. They are now empty-nesters, except for three horses (Domino, Chaos, & Earring), a cat (Meow), and [...]

For the last 6 months Rosie Scott has been faithfully helping keeping fresh laundry on the shelves at the Community Cat Complex. Rosie is a cat lover, that believes in the great work that Alley Cat Advocates does in the community. All of the volunteers at Alley Cat Advocates are a vital part of the team that makes the work of spaying/neutering and providing care for community cats happen. This includes doing mountains of laundry every day! Rose is the oldest of seven children in a close-nit family. She is retired after 24 years at [...]

The Alley Cat Advocates 2021 Calendar has arrived. Pre-orders are being shipped, but there are still a few calendars left in stock. These beautiful, cat-filled, full-color, wall calendars make the perfect gift or stocking-stuffer for friends, family and co­-workers. Remember, supplies are limited. So order your copies today. All proceeds from the sale of the 2021 wall calendar will be used to provide spay or neuter services, vaccinations and medical care for community cats in our region.  Order yours here!

HAPPY ENDING UPDATE: Hope is doing great!  She is scheduled for her spay surgery next week and her caretaker is looking forward to having her home!   A few weeks ago Alley Cat Advocates was faced with a difficult decision.  A young cat came in for TNR services that was clearly struggling to breathe.  When the veterinary staff further examined her, they found that she had pyothorax, an accumulation of bacteria filled fluid around her heart and lungs.   The treatment for this involves intensive care in a hospital setting with strong antibiotics, a chest tube [...]

 Alley Cat Advocates thanks Alley Cat Allies for their Emergency Grant Funding.  The grant has allowed us to spay or neuter over 430 community cats at no cost to their caretakers in the past 2 months in our new Community Cat Complex. At times like these, with distractions of pandemic and social unrest, it is especially meaningful to have the help of this funding. When Alley Cat Advocates spays or neuters over 90 cats a week, lives change,  Not only the lives of the cats we physically touch but the lives of their caretakers.  No [...]

Lauren Kehr has been a volunteer with Alley Cat Advocates for over 20 years. In that time, she has served two terms on the board of directors, recruited and engaged volunteers through the Personnel Team, and given talks about Alley Cat Advocates and trap-neuter-return to groups and organizations across the area. Lauren has spent many hours doing hands on work at the Big Fixes. She has also shared her passion for helping community cats with others through community canvasing walks and tables at events. She enjoys mailing out thank you letters to donors, helping in [...]

Alley Cat Advocates is excited join over 500 local non-profits participating in Give for Good Louisville on September 17. This annual day of giving, hosted by the Community Foundation of Louisville, invites everyone to be a force for good in our community. Because of your support, Alley Cat Advocates will spay or neuter 5000 community cats in the Louisville area this year – dramatically reducing intake at local shelters and euthanasia of stray cats. How can you help us on this special day? #1 Click Fundraise on Our Page This simple 3-step process gives you [...]

A local news story brought Alley Cat Advocates to the attention of retiree Nancy Alsip. With time on her hands, Nancy decided to join Alley Cat Advocates as a volunteer and has been an asset to the organization for the last 15 months. Nancy enjoys working with the staff and other volunteers in several roles at the Community Cat Complex. She helps the cats receive treatments and recover from anesthesia on surgery days, she helps with cleaning and office work on Fridays and she helps caregivers at Saturday Trap Distribution. She has also been known [...]

Volunteer Kathy Jo Crooks says she was drawn to Alley Cat Advocates because of her respect for the work we do for the community cat population in Louisville. Kathy Jo loves cats and enjoys being around other people that feel the same way. She helps with general tasks around the office and tackles the mountains of laundry that is generated on a daily basis at the Community Cat Complex. Kathy Jo is a retired legal assistant who has cohabited with cats for over 50 years. Her current household includes three cats, a dog and a [...]

Cindy Reinhart has been volunteering with Alley Cat Advocates for 9 years. Over her time as a volunteer Cindy has helped at Big Fix events, served on the Development Team, screened calls and fostered. She currently coordinates donation boxes in the community, manages the call transcription team and does weekly data entry and donor letter prep at home. Cindy came to Alley Cat Advocates through her friend who is also still a volunteer. Cindy loves that her service to Alley Cat Advocates helps to improve the lives of community cats. When she isn’t working hard [...]

A very generous and committed friend with a big heart for stray cats has agreed to match every dollar you give to Alley Cat Advocates. All you have to do is make your donation by August 31 and it will be matched up to $20,000! This rare opportunity doesn't happen often, so take advantage of this match. This is the perfect time of year to give and help cats in our community. Click here to donate now!

Recently, we were contacted by a woman who had suffered the loss of her uncle. One of her uncle’s great joys in his life were his cats. Unfortunately, the cats were left unaltered and had multiplied over the years. One cat in particular, was a favorite of the uncle and was very special for another reason. Cross Bones, named for his twisted back leg, quickly captured everyone's heart. The super sweet cat was struggling to maneuver a severely disfigured rear leg. Because of his unique situation, an adoption partner will provide him with the medical care he [...]

View Article here:  The Impact of Return-to-Field and Targeted Trap-Neuter-Return on Feline Intake and Euthanasia at a Municipal Animal Shelter in Jefferson County, Kentucky

For over 10 years Heather Tolle has been a volunteer with Alley Cat Advocates. Heather worked at every volunteer opportunity available at the Big Fix and has also been a volunteer with trap distribution days and currently does the laundry at the Community Cat Complex. She is always helpful and willing to pitch in cheerfully wherever she is needed. Heather says that her favorite part of volunteering is all of the friends that she has made over the years. Heather works with a company that helps schools improve and also works at a local senior [...]

While we enjoy the option of performing most services that community cats need right here at the Community Cat Complex, there are cases that require specialty services. Sasha is one such kitty. Sasha suffered from severe dental disease that required extensive surgery and the removal of all of her teeth. For that type of service, Alley Cat Advocates reaches out to partner veterinarians in the community. Sasha has had her dental surgery, but the special skills and equipment of the partner vet don't come with a small price tag. The current bill is at over [...]

In these uncertain times, we want to make sure our supporters are safe. That’s why we are introducing special feline themed face masks for you to use in the coming weeks and months. Show your passion for cats and support for our work with these fun, stylish face masks. We’ll send you one for a donation of $45. These are available while supplies last! Just click here to learn more and make your donation.

During Bible reading in the morning, Marley located himself in a place where Dewey would be sure to notice him. After he retired from teaching, he was looking into volunteer activities locally, Dewey Beadle found an online list of volunteer opportunities, and it was there that he first saw Alley Cats Advocates.  He says’ “I believe I may have heard of Alley Cat Advocates before then, because I had talked with Karen Little a year earlier when I was facing having my cat’s hind leg amputated. Someone with Shamrock Foundation had told me [...]

Marshall Simmons has been volunteering with Alley Cat Advocates for about 4 years. He found Alley Cat Advocates when he was feeding a community cat that needed to be TNR’d. He was so grateful for Alley Cat Advocates’ help that he vowed to volunteer for one year to show him appreciation. He says, “After that year, I just didn’t want to stop.” Marshall provides transportation for cats going to and from vet appointments and is available at a moment’s notice to rush a kitty to the hospital when there is an emergency. Marshall has also [...]

Check out the latest newsletter highlighting our awesome work here.  This months newsletter features one of our special needs cats that enjoys life on Nigel's Catio.