Volunteer News

Alley Cat Advocates announced it received $65,000 from PetSmart Charities, the leading funder of animal welfare in North America, to help fuel its spay and neuter efforts in Louisville’s West End. With the help of this donation, the organization will offer discounted and no cost surgeries for stray and unowned cats being cared for in zip codes 40202, 40203, 40210, 40211, and 40212. “By providing funds for the often overlooked cats in these areas, Alley Cat Advocates, in partnership with PetSmart Charities, will reduce the number of kittens born this Spring in this section of [...]

This gift outlasts flowers or balloons. Give your valentine the gift that lasts a life-time for a community cat. Make a life-saving gift in honor of your valentine. A $100 gift provides spay or neuter, vaccinations and medical care for one cat. A gift of any amount ensures fewer unwanted litters of kittens, helps control overpopulation, saves a female cat from the cycle of pregnancy, and extends the life of a male cat who will no longer fight and roam. Make a gift to honor your valentine today!   

Caretakers call us each day asking how to keep community cats warm in these cold temperatures. We've compiled a list of tips for winter cat care and winter shelter building in our online cat care center. Cold weather increases a cat's energy and nutritional needs. Provide plenty of dry food in addition to wet, as wet food will freeze in subfreezing temperatures. Provide extra water to prevent dehydration and replace it often to keep it from freezing. Try placing a handwarmer beneath the bowl to slow freezing. Provide shelters to keep the cats warm. Read [...]

Alley Cat Advocates thanks the BISSELL Pet Foundation for their generous donation to our work. With partners such as the BISSELL Pet Foundation, we are able to support our community by providing spay and neuter surgeries to even more community cats. Thanks, BISSELL Pet Foundation. With your help, we're making Louisville the safest city in the country to be a community cat.

The year is quickly coming to an end, but there is still time to help. Please send your most generous, tax-deductible year-end gift today to make a lasting impact for community cats in our city. Please don't wait! Make your year-end, tax-deductible gift to Alley Cat Advocates today. Help us to reach forgotten stray cats in need of spay or neuter and medical care. Thank you for your kindness and support this year. You helped us to provide Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) services for thousands of unowned cats in our community. With your support, we're making Louisville [...]

2018 Alley Cat Advocates wall calendars have arrived and are ready to ship to you! These beautiful, cat-filled, full-color, wall calendars make the perfect gift or stocking-stuffer for friends, family and co­-workers. All proceeds from the wall calendar will be used to provide spay or neuter services, vaccinations and medical care for community cats! Order yours today!

Volunteers gathered to deck the halls and celebrate the holidays. These volunteers, and so many others, are heroes for community cats. Their passion and gifts of their time and talents make our great work possible! Thank you and happy holidays to our volunteers, partners, board and staff members.

We wanted to take a moment to express our gratitude today. Thank you to our founders, Karen and Hoyt Little. And, to Karen, our Executive Director who strives tirelessly to make this the safest city in the country for community cats! Thank you to our team of vets. Without you, we could not do what we do. Thank you to our volunteers who share their time and talents in every way to return every call, care for every cat and manage every detail of this important work. Thank you to our donors and supporters who [...]

It's winter shelter time. These simple winter shelters will keep your community cat warm and cozy. While supplies last ... We have 60 shelters stuffed with straw, and ready for your community cat. Pick up shelters at 536 Eastern Parkway while supplies last. Shelters are free, but we welcome and appreciate your donation to help us with this great work for community cats. Pick-up times are: Tuesday, 11/14, 4:30-6pm Wednesday, 11/15, 4:30-6:30pm (only 5 shelters left!) Or, build your own... Try this simple plan to build a winter shelter for your outdoor cats. It is [...]

Saving Nine Lives, Louisville's Feral Cat Heroes "Without warning, Stephanie Gillis whips out a can of Fancy Feast and walks down a narrow road lined by trailer homes. She snaps it open and pushes down on the metal top. Liquid slowly spills out, leaving a trail back to where we are stationed in the bright white Alley Cat Advocates van. Her goal: capturing five stray cats so they can be transported to the Snip Clinic to be spayed or neutered." Special thanks to writer Stuart Ungar and photographer Kathryn Harrington for spending time with us [...]

This awesome team of volunteers from UPS World Freight Facility dedicated their day of service to delivering coolers and building winter shelters for community cats. The team chose Alley Cat Advocates to honor the memory of Heather L. Palmer 1975-2017. Thank you UPS volunteers! Also sending special thanks to Rita Kirchner for donating bales of straw, Michelle English for collecting and storing these great coolers, and to ACA volunteers Barbara Ray, Liz Matney, and Ken Durham and Chris Durham for jumping in on the fun!

Special thanks to April Zirnheld, her family and friends, Rubbies Southside Grill & Bar, and everyone who came out last night for the annual Bernie's Buddies fundraiser! This special event, in honor of Bernie Abell, raised $1,304 for Alley Cat Advocates! We are honored to be a part of Bernie's legacy. Thanks to everyone at Rubbies Restaurant and to these event sponsors, Big O Tires- Old Shepherdsville Rd, Martini Italian Bistro, Brix Wine Bar and Bistro, Springdale Automotive, 805 Hair Studio.  

Meet Jet. When he came to Alley Cat Advocates it was clear he wasn't well. In fact, he was very, very sick. Our team did diagnostics and determined he had a life-threatening urinary obstruction that kept him from excreting waste and toxins. Untreated, the toxins had backed up into his system and would have caused death within just a few days. Jet was hospitalized for 48 hours where he was monitored and treated. He is now in our rehab program, still being closely monitored and enjoying a new diet designed to keep his bladder flowing [...]

Save the date and join us for the Bernie's Buddies Fundraiser in honor of Bernie Abell. Mr. Abell was known and loved by our team as a wonderful guardian and advocate for community cats. Enjoy food, raffles and fun, all to benefit Alley Cat Advocates! When: Saturday, November 11 at 6pm-9pm Where: Rubbies Southside Grill & Bar, 6905 Southside Drive, 40214 Learn more ...   

It was a tearful sweet reunion. Benjamin is home with his caretaker. He immediately swirled around her legs and she scooped him up and held him close. Thanks to YOU, Benjamin underwent extensive oral surgery - removal of a fractured tooth and an intricate repair to ensure the healing of the avulsion injury to his chin. YOU make happy endings possible. Thank you for giving Benjamin and his caretaker a sweet and happy ending. Read his story ...      

Join us for the Bernie's Buddies Fundraiser in honor of Bernie Abell, benefiting Alley Cat Advocates November 11th at Rubbies Southside Grill & Bar, starting at 6pm. Mr. Abell was known and loved by our team as a wonderful guardian and advocate for community cats. He is missed and we are so honored to be a part of his beautiful legacy. Enjoy food, raffles and fun, all to benefit Alley Cat Advocates! When: Saturday, November 11 at 6 PM - 9 PM Where: Rubbies Southside Grill & Bar, 6905 Southside Drive, Louisville, KY 40214 For [...]

Benjamin found his way to Alley Cat Advocates last week. We don't know how he was injured, but the flesh of his chin had been severed from the bottom of his jaw leaving an open infected flap where food and water collected when he ate. His sad eyes and sorrowful meow told us he was in pain. Yesterday Benjamin underwent extensive oral surgery - removal of a fractured tooth and an intricate repair using internal and external stitches to ensure the healing of the avulsion injury to his chin. Can you be a part of [...]

Alley Cat Advocates is excited join over 600 local non-profits participating in Give for Good Louisville on September 14. 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 [...]

Warning: graphic images, but happy ending! Thanks to my devoted caretaker and Alley Cat Advocates, I am on the mend. I went in for a simple neuter. I looked a little puny so Alley Cat Advocates gave me their "gold standard of care" ... and learned I was puny due to a dozen puncture wounds on my leg! After swelling like a balloon, my leg is now draining and healing and I am feeling well enough to demand scratches on my neck. Thanks, all, for giving me a place to rest and recover!    

Melissa's neighbor mentioned to her that he was moving. He was sad because he couldn't take the community cats along. He cared about them, but knew that they would never be happy if he tried to move them from the neighborhood they know. When he left, Melissa started feeding the cats. It quickly became clear to Melissa that the cats were not fixed! When two litters of kittens were born, Melissa's new feline family grew overnight from 2 cats to a colony of 9 cats! Even though Melissa wouldn't describe herself as a "cat person" [...]

Logan Thompson has been scouting most of his life. As a member of Boy Scout Troop 4089 in Jeffersonville, Indiana, Logan chose Alley Cat Advocates for his Eagle Scout Project. Logan designed, built and painted 20 new donation boxes with brochure holders to help Alley Cat Advocates share information and fundraise at shops and restaurants around town. After the completion of this project, Logan was awarded his Eagle Scout rank. Congratulations and thank you, Logan!

If you're a Guardians of the Galaxy fan, you probably know Sean Gunn, who plays a Ravager named Kraglin, part of Yondu's crew. Prior to GOTG, Sean played Kirk Gleason on the Gilmore Girls TV series. But what you may not know is about Sean is he has a big heart for community cats! And he's a strong supporter of the Trap-Neuter-Return strategy. Sean Gunn will be a guest star at FandomFest Louisville, July 28-30. Besides autographs, Sean will be selling special "Ravager Cat" t-shirts, created and designed by Louisville's own Ryan Patterson of Cat [...]

Alley Cat Advocates recently welcomed Rhiannon Langel and Laurel Slaughter, both students at the University of Louisville. Laurel is studying Communications and Rhiannon is studying Marketing. Both have chosen to spend the summer writing stories about Alley Cat Advocates' work for cats and their caretakers, helping to organize and promote fundraisers, sharing information with our supporters via newsletters, web and social media.  Laurel will graduate in December and will earn college credit as part of her internship. She has always been an avid cat lover. She is currently a vet tech at Crescent Hill Animal Hospital [...]

This week, good Samaritans, Mychell and her husband found a community cat on the side of the road. They stopped the car and Mychell’s husband gently pulled the lifeless cat across the pavement and onto safety in the grass. When he did that, the cat grabbed onto the concrete! “We knew he was alive. We knew he was a fighter!” Mychell recalled.  They started calling him Norris, as in tough guy Chuck Norris. Norris’ day began badly with this accident. But, he met many good Samaritans on Thursday … Michelle and her husband, his friends [...]

The Louisville Metro Housing Authority contacted Alley Cat Advocates earlier this year to request our help with community cats in Beecher Terrace. WDRB 41 Louisville News The Beecher Terrace community, located in Louisville's Russell Neighborhood, is a severely distressed public housing development. The complex is slated for phased demolition beginning this fall. The community also has a large outdoor community cat population that will be affected. Alley Cat Advocates and Louisville Metro Animal Services responded to the need. Our teams began the process of Trap-Neuter-Return in the neighborhood this week and have so far provided [...]