On May 15, several members of Alley Cat Allies’ staff, including President Becky Robinson, were featured speakers at the Texas Coalition for Animal Protection Conference in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. The conference was an opportunity for humane organizations and caregivers to come together to educate one another on improving the lives of cats in North Texas. Alley Cat Allies’ presentations covered talking to community members about TNR, addressing opposition to outdoor cats, and discussing cat policies with local officials.
The conference created a new model of bringing caregivers and animal control officers together to learn about Trap-Neuter-Return in an unprecedented coalition. A session for animal control officers only was held where ACO’s could ask questions to an expert panel about TNR and humanely controlling the feral cat population. The conference recognized the crucial role animal control officers can play when they support life-saving programs such as Trap-Neuter-Return.