Alley Cat Allies

Not to be confused with Alley Cat Rescue.
Alley Cat Allies
Founded 1990
Type 501(c)(3)
Focus Animal protection
Location
Area served
USA and globally
Members
500,000 in 2014[1]
Key people

Becky Robinson, President

Donna Wilcox, VP and Board Chair[2]
Revenue
$7.2 million in 2013[3]
Employees
over 40[1]
Slogan The Cats' Leading Advocate
Website www.alleycat.org

Alley Cat Allies (incorporated on October 6, 1991)[4] is a nonprofit advocacy organization whose mission is to transform and develop communities to protect and improve the lives of cats.[1] The organization advocates for reform of public policies and institutions to better serve the interests of cats and develops educational materials on feral cats and trap-neuter-return. The organization is based in Bethesda, Maryland.

Alley Cat Allies specialize in stray and feral cat advocacy and provides extensive information on Trap-Neuter-Return, the only method of managing feral cat populations the organization considers humane and effective. Alley Cat Allies, helps communities, individuals, and grassroots groups launch or improve Trap-Neuter-Return programs and expand the accessibility of affordable spay and neuter services. Alley Cat Allies, best known as the group that introduced trap-neuter-return to the United States,[5] also educates the public about the number of cats killed in animal shelters and works to reform the shelter system to better serve the needs of feral cats.[6]

Founding

Alley Cat Allies was founded in 1990, by Becky Robinson and Louise Holton[7] after they discovered an alley with 56 cats and two smaller colonies in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, D.C.. They neutered the cats using the trap-neuter-return method.[4] Deluged by requests for help with similar work, and aware of the lack of resources and information on the method, they formed a network for feral cats.[4]

Robinson serves as the organization’s president,[8] running the organization with Vice President and Board Chair Donna Wilcox.[9] Holton left the organization in 2001, to form Alley Cat Rescue.[7]

Selected history

Programs

Future Five: Shelter Partners to Save Cats’ Lives

In 2014, Alley Cat Allies began a pilot project with five animal shelters to expand humane programs that save cats' lives. The selected shelters have committed to a Feral Cat Protection Policy, supporting trap-neuter-return and only accepting feral cats to divert them to TNR or Shelter-Neuter-Return programs. Participating shelters receive $5,000 and a year of expert guidance from Alley Cat Allies. The program is expected to result in models for shelter TNR programs that can be used even where shelters have limited funds and face challenges.[16]

National Feral Cat Day

Alley Cat Allies created National Feral Cat Day in 2001[17] and promotes it every October 16 as the annual kick-off for its national educational campaign about the protection of stray and feral cats. The day is marked with events such as spay/neuter clinics and workshops; in 2008, 90 events were planned in 30 cities across the US.[18] In 2009, Alley Cat Allies celebrated National Feral Cat Day on the CBS Early Show, where weatherman Dave Price joined Alley Cat Allies’ “I’m An Alley Cat Ally” campaign.[19]

Boardwalk Cats Project

In 2000, Alley Cat Allies formed a coalition to stop a municipal order to catch and kill cats living on and under Atlantic City's boardwalk. With the city’s cooperation, Alley Cat Allies staff and local volunteers began a Trap-Neuter-Return program for the boardwalk cats. The program celebrated its 10th anniversary in June 2010.[20]

Feral Friends Network

Alley Cat Allies' Feral Friends Network connects individuals to organizations, veterinarians, and others serving as resources on feral cats and TNR from around the world.[21] Links to other online communities are also provided.[22]

Veterinary Awareness Campaign

Alley Cat Allies launched the Veterinary Awareness Campaign in October 2009 to educate the veterinary community about proper protocols for Trap-Neuter-Return and veterinary treatment of feral cats. As part of the campaign, Alley Cat Allies attends veterinary conferences nationwide and launched an online Veterinary Resource Center.[23]

Every Kitty – Every City

Alley Cat Allies’ Every Kitty – Every City program raises awareness in targeted cities about outdoor cats, feral cat colony care, Trap-Neuter-Return, and low-cost neuter services through workshops, outreach, and organizing. Participating cities include Atlantic City, Baltimore, Chicago, Greater New Orleans, and the Washington, DC, metro area.[24]

Research and publications

"I'm an Alley Cat Ally" Campaign

In 2010,[35] the organization launched a campaign called "I'm an Alley Cat Ally" in order to "raise awareness about the millions of Americans who care for stray and feral cats in their communities."[36] Supporters print their name on a sign that says "I'm an Alley Cat Ally", take their photo holding the sign, and the photo is later added to the Photo Pledge Gallery.[37]

See also

External links

References

  1. 1 2 3 "About Us", Alley Cat Allies, accessed July 14, 2014.
  2. "Board of Directors", Alley Cat Allies, accessed July 14, 2014.
  3. "Changing Communities: Saving Lives: Fiscal Year 2013 Financials and Donor Report", Alley Cat Allies
  4. 1 2 3 Ellen Perry Berkeley, TNR: Past, Present and Future: A History of the Trap-Neuter-Return Movement (2004: Alley Cat Allies), ISBN 0-9705194-2-7, p. 8.
  5. Roger Tabor, Understanding Cats: Their History, Nature, and Behavior (Reader’s Digest: 1995), ISBN 978-0895779168, p. 44.
  6. "Our History - Alley Cat Allies". Alleycat.org. 2013-12-09. Retrieved 2014-02-25.
  7. 1 2 "Farewell to a Founder", Alley Cat Action, Summer 2001, p. 2.
  8. "Bio - Becky Robinson - Alley Cat Allies". Alleycat.org. 2013-12-09. Retrieved 2014-02-25.
  9. "Bio - Donna Wilcox - Alley Cat Allies". Alleycat.org. 2013-12-09. Retrieved 2014-02-25.
  10. "Alley Cat Allies Helps Train Veterinarians at Baltimore Wetlab", Alley Cat Action, Spring 2008, p. 1.
  11. "Case Study: Alley Cat Allies Leads Coalition to Support Trap-Neuter-Return in Baltimore", Alley Cat Allies, accessed August 19, 2014.
  12. "Alley Cat Allies Special Report: Hurricane Katrina Disaster Response", Alley Cat Allies, accessed August 19, 2014.
  13. Alley Cat Allies honored for saving cats after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita", Alley Cat Allies, Sept. 2, 2008.
  14. "Case Study: Alley Cat Allies Helps Washington, D.C. Establish Humane Cat Programs", Alley Cat Allies, accessed August 19, 2014.
  15. "Case Study: Alley Cat Allies Saves Cats’ Lives at Norfolk Naval Shipyard", Alley Cat Allies, accessed August 19, 2014.
  16. "Future Five: Shelter Partners to Save Cats’ Lives", Alley Cat Allies, accessed July 14, 2014.
  17. "National Feral Cat Day Set for Oct. 16". Catchannel.com. Retrieved 2014-02-25.
  18. "OCTOBER 16 IS NATIONAL FERAL CAT DAY - Alley Cat Allies". Alleycat.org. Retrieved 2014-02-25.
  19. "Alley Cat Allies' Celebrity Allies - Alley Cat Allies". Alleycat.org. 2013-12-09. Retrieved 2014-02-25.
  20. "Boardwalk Cats Celebrate 10-Year Anniversary | Features | News & Views". Atlantic City Weekly. 2010-07-18. Retrieved 2014-02-25.
  21. "Alley Cat Allies' Feral Friends Network", accessed July 14, 2014.
  22. "Alley Cat Allies Online Communities", Alley Cat Allies, accessed July 14, 2014.
  23. "Veterinary Awareness Campaign - Alley Cat Allies". Alleycat.org. Retrieved 2014-02-25.
  24. "Every Kitty - Every City - Alley Cat Allies". Alleycat.org. 2013-12-09. Retrieved 2014-02-25.
  25. Alley Cat Allies, “How to Help Feral Cats: A Step-By-Step Guide to Trap-Neuter-Return”, 2009, updated 2002.
  26. "Trap-Neuter-Return Ordinances and Policies in the United States: The Future of Animal Control", Elizabeth Holtz, Alley Cat Allies, January 2013.
  27. "Fact Sheet: Colony Care Guide", Alley Cat Allies, accessed August 24, 2014.
  28. "Population characteristics and neuter status of cats living in households in the United States, Karyen Chu et al., JAVMA Vol. 234, No. 8, pp 1023-1030, April 15, 2009. Study results are discussed here: "New Scientific Study Finds Vast Majority of Pet Cats Are Neutered", Alley Cat Allies, accessed August 24, 2014.
  29. U.S. Public Opinion on Humane Treatment of Stray Cats, Karyen Chu et al., Alley Cat Allies Law and Policy Brief, 2007.
  30. "Fact Sheet: Key Scientific Studies on Trap-Neuter-Return", Alley Cat Allies, accessed August 24, 2014.
  31. "Key Scientific Studies on Trap-Neuter-Return", Alley Cat Allies, accessed August 24, 2014.
  32. "Fight over ferals boils down to one question: Do alley cats live a good life?", Justin Juvenal, The Washington Post, May 24, 2011.
  33. "Feral Cat Health Analysis: Living Healthy Lives Outdoors", Alley Cat Allies, accessed August 24, 2014.
  34. "Alley Cat Action Archive", Alley Cat Allies, accessed August 24, 2014.
  35. "Shelter pets get Ellen DeGeneres' stamp of approval", Los Angeles Times, March 17, 2010.
  36. ""I’m an Alley Cat Ally" Campaign", Alley Cat Allies, accessed Sept. 20, 2014.
  37. "Show your support! Be an Alley Cat Ally", Alley Cat Allies, accessed Sept. 20, 2014.
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