News

 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.

Bonnie Herman has devoted much of her life to caring for animals. Bonnie served as Executive Director at Kentucky Humane Society for 10 years and has always been the type of person to help an animal in need. As a caretaker herself, Bonnie is perfectly suited to make calls to remind caretakers for their appointments each week at Alley Cat Advocates. Bonnie shares her home with one rescued beagle, Rosie, and three rescued cats. Socks is a large Maine Coon mix and Millie and Charlie are brother and sister tabbies that decided to move inside [...]

Autumn O'Neal joined Alley Cat Advocates in 2018 as the Community Cat Outreach Coordinator. Through the Operation Target Kentucky grant, Autumn worked closely with many surrounding counties' animal control officers and shelter staff to help them build return to field and trap neuter return programs in their communities. Autumn is also responsible for social media and website communications and the Education and Community Outreach Team (ECOT). She acts as the assistant to the executive director and also fills in during surgery in the recovery area. Autumn has always felt a connection to animals and co-founded [...]

Thank you to the wonderful donors who made Nigel's Catio even more beautiful than before. The landscaping, design and install were all donated by generous donors who were thrilled to see the cats enjoying the new surroundings. The added interest has given the cats and the humans even more to enjoy. As the weather continues to warm, everyone has been slipping outside for some catio time.

Jimmy was in a fight for his life. Severe dental disease, emaciated, kidney disease, anemia - any of these are tough to deal with. Jimmy has faced them all. We didn't know exactly what happened to Jimmy, but we knew he needed our help. He desperately needed dental work to ease the pain in his mouth, but afterward he became very anemic. He was rushed to an emergency veterinarian for a life-saving blood transfusion. Things have been touch and go for Jimmy, but at this point he is doing well. He has moved into the [...]

Fifteen years ago, Terri Hoge read an article in the Courier Journal about the work that Alley Cat Advocates does. Shortly after, she attended a volunteer orientation. She started volunteering at Big Fixes, eventually moving in to a team leader role in the post-surgery area. She has also helped with discharge and feeding of cats the morning after surgery. At one time, Terri oversaw all of Alley Cat Advocates donation boxes around the community. Currently, she collects donations monthly from 3 boxes. She is also always available to spread the word about Alley Cat Advocates [...]

Karla Spencer is an advocate for cats. With a long history volunteering for animal groups and a love of cats, Karla found Alley Cat Advocates to be a great fit when she was looking for a new volunteer job in 2015. Karla started volunteering at the Big Fix with her friend and moved into other opportunities as they developed. Karla really enjoys making new friends that love cats and connecting with caretakers at trap distribution and check-in. Karla has raised 2 animal loving daughters and lives with just one kitty at home. She always has [...]

Chelsea Anderson has been a volunteer with Alley Cat Advocates since November 2019. In that time she has found her niche in transcription, but we can count on her wherever she is needed – creating holiday vet baskets, trap distribution and tabling. Of course, the cats are what drew Chelsea’s attention to Alley Cat Advocates. She says she knew she wanted to be involved with a feline related organization and “after seeing and hearing everything that they’ve done in the community, I knew it was a great organization to be involved with.” Chelsea loves knowing [...]

During this unprecedented time, the Alley Cat Advocates board has a special message for our supporters, donors and volunteers. Please consider donating to Alley Cat Advocates by visiting us here or participating in #givingtuesdaynow on May 5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwmitXnuNRY

Alley Cat Advocates has continued to provide Trap-Neuter-Return services to your community cats throughout the tumult of the last six weeks. We are happy to be on the list of essential businesses allowed to operate and would not want it any other way. Here is how we have adjusted to the new, restricted normal and what we see the future bringing. And, just as importantly, here is how you can help. CDC Recommendations We have been able to implement social distancing measures in all our processes involving the public. We care deeply about our caretakers, [...]

Jan Scarbrough has been volunteering with Alley Cat Advocates for about 5 years. She mostly volunteers during trap distribution, where she enjoys meeting all of the caretakers that use our services. Jan loves the caring people that she has met through Alley Cat Advocates. Jan enjoys her retirement with her husband, 2 corgis and 1 calico cat, Folly. Jan also enjoys horseback riding and writes romance novels. You can read her blog post about volunteering with Alley Cat Advocates here:  http://janscarbrough.com//blog/good-people-find-their-way-to-alley-cat-advocates Folly Scarbrough