Last month, we alerted you about two Alabama state bills affecting cats and dogs, and asked you to contact your state legislators about them. The Alabama state legislative session ended earlier this week, and we have mixed news to report on those two bills.

HB 238 would have required animal pounds and shelters receiving government dollars to disclose information about the outcomes of animals in their care. We are disappointed to report that the bill failed to receive a vote in the state Senate. Transparency is crucial to holding pounds and shelters accountable for animals’ lives.

SB 25 would have imposed unfair restrictions on the state's low-cost spay/neuter clinics. We are happy to report that this bill failed. Now low-cost spay/neuter clinics in Alabama are safe!

Thank you for taking action on these two important bills. Alley Cat Allies will continue to fight for humane laws that protect and improve the lives of animals in Alabama, and everywhere.

Alley Cat Allies is currently working to coordinate care in the area among local resources.

If you, or a cat caregiver you know, needs remote assistance email Alley Cat Allies at info@alleycat.org, Subject: Oklahoma Tornado, or call toll-free 1-866-271-5534.

When you contact us for help, please let us know:

• The type of animal assistance you need
• Where you are located
• Number of cats
• Your contact information

If you would like to help our disaster response effort in Oklahoma, please donate to our Disaster Response Fund.

Many local and national resources are available to help animals displaced or endangered by the tornadoes in Oklahoma:

Animal Rescue Resource Center, Inc. in Oklahoma
Central Oklahoma Humane Society 
Lost & Found Animals Oklahoma Tornadoes
Moore Oklahoma Tornado Lost & Found Animals
Moore Oklahoma Tornado Recovery
OKC Metro Area Lost & Found Pets
Safe Haven Animal Rescue, [Facebook]

Please note: You should NOT show up at disaster sites or receiving agencies unless you have contacted a participating agency directly and have been approved to arrive. Also, please contact organizations directly to see how you can help. Coordinating volunteers and unsolicited supplies may not be these organizations' first priorities.

Cats' instinct is to find cover and shelter until they feel reasonably safe. At this point many of the cats affected by the tornado may be in hiding—and may not emerge for 3 or 4 days. Efforts to locate and care for these cats are on-going.

We will keep you updated with resources and information as we receive them!

Read the Press Release.

Our hearts go out to all of those effected by the recent tornados in Oklahoma.

For the safety of your pets, feral cat colonies, your family, and your own peace of mind, being prepared and having a disaster plan is essential. See our advice for disaster tips at http://www.alleycat.org/DisasterTips

After the disaster has passed and it is safe to return:

• Begin cleaning up the colony area to remove any potential hazards for the cats. Check feeding stations and outdoor shelters for damage.
• Look for the cats in your colony. If any are missing, immediately:
  • Determine which agencies, if any, are on the ground in your area assisting animals. Contact those organizations directly and provide a description of the cats you are missing. Determine how you can claim these cats if they are found.
  • Contact your local shelters. Ask if they are trapping cats in your area, and determine how long they will hold feral cats. Shelters may be experiencing a high volume of calls and influx of animals. For this reason, we advise that caregivers go to the shelters in person to find missing cats. Determine from shelter staff how you can claim your cats.
• Don't panic if the cats aren’t waiting when you get back. Cats can hide for days after severe weather before returning to their colonies.

We are currently assessing the situation in Oklahoma with local and national partners. Stay tuned for more information soon!

We should all be working to make it easier for people to rescue animals—but tomorrow, South Carolina representatives will consider a bill that would actually make it much harder. HB 3492 could make it much more difficult for the state’s animal shelters and rescue organizations to engage in life-saving work.

HB 3492 would impose restrictions that appear to benefit animals, but in fact would stand in the way of an animal getting adopted from a pound or shelter. For example,

• Already short-staffed shelters would be required to have a veterinarian examine every animal before adoption, creating unnecessary barriers that could actually decrease the number of animals that are adopted.
• It would increase shelter costs—often paid with tax dollars—to adopt animals and result in more animals euthanized.
• Other provisions, like prohibiting animal shelters from using public grant money to operate spay/neuter clinics, just make no sense.

This bill would impose undue burdens on shelters’ and rescue groups’ critical work and decrease the number of adoptions. It could be a death sentence for many of the animals at your local shelter.

South Carolina Residents: Take Action!
Not in South Carolina? Learn how you can improve the lives of cats in your community.

We're proud to announce the release of our latest Law & Policy Brief, “Trap-Neuter-Return Ordinances and Policies in the United States: The Future of Animal Control.”

The first comprehensive look at Trap-Neuter-Return policies across the United States, this report is proof that animal control policies are finally catching up with the core values of this country. Local governments are moving toward TNR because it is the effective, humane approach to feral cats.

The number of local governments with policies favoring Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) for outdoor cats has risen exponentially over the past decade, from just 23 in 2003 to 240 this year. States with the highest number of TNR ordinances include New Jersey with 58, California with 33, and Texas with 29 ordinances. Major municipalities and counties that have adopted TNR include San Francisco, the District of Columbia, and New York City.

Download the report.
Read the press release.

Looking for a way to show you care? We've got you covered!

Enlist a cuddly kitten with her loving mother cat to help you show your mom—and all of the mothers in your life—how much you care by sending a free eCard from Alley Cat Allies. We’ve got three cards featuring moms and their kittens, and all you have to do is pick your favorite.

Send a free Alley Cat Allies eCard to make tomorrow a special mother's day for the moms in your life.

There’s something extra you do when you give an Alley Cat Allies eCard: You help spread the word about the work we’re doing to change communities and make them safe for cats.

Send a Mother’s Day eCard today!

A bill that would help save animals in Texas pounds and shelters is on its way to a vote in the Texas House of Representatives. HB 2981 would prohibit pounds and shelters in counties of at least 75,000 people from killing animals when rescue groups are willing to save them. Today we're asking Texas residents to reach out to their State Representatives and urge him or her to support HB 2981.

This bill will save the lives of many cats and dogs in shelters, and as a result, save tax dollars that would otherwise be spent “euthanizing” animals. HB 2981 is a win-win bill for Texas’ taxpayers and for animals. It would result in countless cats and dogs being adopted into loving homes instead of being killed in shelters.

Texas Residents: Take Action!
Not in Texas? Learn how you can improve the lives of cats in your community.

Today, we're pleased to announce that we're launching http://www.CommonSenseForCats.com.

This online resource explains the massive failure of catch and kill, introduces our innovative approach of on-the-ground activism to increase Trap-Neuter-Return, and debunks the misinformation that plagues nearly every media story about outdoor cats.

Humane treatment of outdoor cats isn't complicated, it's just common sense! There isn't a choice, because needless killing can never be an answer.

While some people justify their claims based on junk science, we're advocating for a different approach. And today we're asking you to ask your friends, family, and neighbors to stand up for cats and join the national movement that's coming together around common sense policies for their care.

Visit CommonSenseForCats.com
Share on Facebook and Twitter.

Today we delivered to the Smithsonian Institution a petition signed by more than 55,000 Americans to protest a controversial study the institution funded on cats and wildlife.

The signatures were delivered by Alley Cat Allies president and co-founder Becky Robinson to Smithsonian Undersecretary of Science Eva Pell, along with an analysis by an independent researcher that found major flaws in the Smithsonian study.

Gregory J. Matthews of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst conducted a thorough and independent review of the Smithsonian study which appeared in the journal Nature Communications. Matthews found numerous flaws in the study, like the method used by the researchers to come up with the number of birds killed. The Smithsonian researchers took one study on a small sample of cats over three summer months in one specific geographic area and extrapolated it to cats all across the United States, over all seasons. Some of the studies researchers used to make their case were decades old, including one from 1930. Matthews concluded that had he been a peer reviewer of this paper, he would have graded it unacceptable for publication.

The researchers at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute who conducted the study have a history of publishing papers blaming cats for wildlife decline and calling for an end to Trap-Neuter-Return. There is abundant scientific evidence that TNR works. More and more local governments and states are adopting TNR because it is the only humane and effective way to reduce feral cat populations.

Read the Press Release.

Last week we asked our supporters to urge their commissioners to support a pilot program that would save 4,000 cats’ lives—and they listened! Today, Hillsborough County Commissioners endorsed the two-year Community Cat Pilot Program with a 6-1 vote. Thanks to everyone who reached out to your commissioners!

The program will redirect 2,000 feral (community) cats each year from the county shelter, where they almost certainly would be killed, to Trap-Neuter-Return programs, allowing them to live out their lives in their outdoor home. The commissioners did not expand the program to include all feral cats like we hoped they would, but this is still a huge step forward for the county.

We will continue to keep you updated on this program and programs like it nationwide!

Read the Press Release.

A positive bill for animals has passed the House of Representatives and is now headed to the Senate!

HB 238 would require animal pounds and shelters receiving government dollars to disclose information about the outcomes of animals in their care. These pounds and shelters would be required to disclose the number of cats and dogs taken in, adopted out, transferred to rescue groups, and euthanized (killed).

Having access to accurate and complete information about how many animals are impounded and how well each pound or shelter saves animals’ lives is incredibly important. With this information, we can determine what is happening to each animal impounded.

Alabama Residents: Take Action!
Not in Alabama? Learn how you can improve the lives of cats in your community.

Alabama’s spay/neuter clinics are under attack again! Alabama Senate Bill 25 would impose excessive and unnecessary regulations on the state’s low-cost spay/neuter clinics that could force them to shut down.

Alabama only has four spay/neuter clinics that provide much-needed services including high-quality, low-cost spay and neuter procedures and basic care like vaccinations and deworming. The services at these clinics are performed by licensed, experienced veterinarians who have the animals’ best interests in mind. Together, the clinics have spayed and neutered more than 100,000 animals since 2007!

SB 25 would put the future of low-cost spay/neuter clinics in Alabama in doubt.

Alabama Residents: Take Action!
Not in Alabama? Learn how you can improve the lives of cats in your community.

We’re thrilled to announce that Alley Cat Allies is holding our National Conference November 8-10, 2013 in Arlington, Virginia—minutes from Washington, DC.

Whether you’re a single caregiver or municipal employee, or you’re affiliated with a shelter, rescue, or Trap-Neuter-Return group, this conference will give you the tools, skills and easy to implement programs that will empower you to save more cats’ lives.

Learn more at http://www.alleycat.org/Conference  

We are happy to report that Florida Governor Rick Scott signed into law the bill supporting pound and shelter transparency—and it was amended to also endorse Trap-Neuter-Return!

Pounds and shelters will now have to report the number of animals they adopt, transfer to rescue groups, trap-neuter-return, and kill (euthanize). Another great development is that this new law confirms that TNR for feral or outdoor cats is unequivocally legal in Florida. This is a huge step forward for Florida. Thanks to everyone who took action!

A bill on shelter transparency recently passed the Maryland state legislature, and similar bills are now making progress in Illinois and Alabama. Nationwide people are standing up to the needless killing of millions of innocent, healthy animals.

Read the Press Release.
Find out how to change your community to improve the lives of cats.

One week from today, on May 1, Hillsborough County Commissioners will consider a pilot program that would save the lives of 4,000 cats within two years. The two-year Community Cat Pilot Program, a core component of Animal Service’s plan to decrease the number of animals killed in the county shelter, would save the lives of 2,000 impounded feral (community) cats each year by redirecting them to Trap-Neuter-Return programs.

But why stop at 2,000 cats a year? We're asking Hillsborough County Florida residents to ask their commissioners to vote to include all feral cats in the program.

Hillsborough County, Florida Residents: Take Action!
Not in Florida? Learn how you can improve the lives of cats in your community.

We’re creating a brand new T-shirt design, and we need your help—we can’t decide which one to choose! To say thanks for all you do for us, we’re inviting YOU to help pick. Vote for your favorite shirt by April 24. Then, with a $30 donation, receive a shirt with the winning design to wear proudly. Whichever design wins, you’re sure to get a lovely shirt that honors your commitment to cats, and your donation will go toward saving cats’ lives all across the country.

Cast your vote today!

At a hearing yesterday, Brevard County Commissioners held off on any decisions about the county’s feral cat ordinance and did not lift the moratorium on registrations of feral cat colonies. Commissioners directed county staff to develop recommendations for ordinance amendments.

Commissioners heard the sensible recommendations proposed by the Animal Advisory Board based on the AAB’s months of study, and they heard of positive progress that local animal organizations and Animal Services have made since last summer. Alley Cat Allies testified about our engagement with Animal Services to improve the county’s response to feral cats.

Thank you to everyone who contacted their County Commissioners on this issue. Alley Cat Allies will continue to stay involved in Brevard County, and we will let you know when to contact your Commissioners again!

Read the Press Release.
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Learn how you can improve the lives of cats in your community.

Florida state legislators are considering a pair of groundbreaking bills (matching bills in the House and the Senate) that could save the lives of countless animals.

These bills would give the voters in each county the chance to vote for more funding for lifesaving animal services. Voters could choose to dedicate a portion of their property taxes to expanded spay/neuter resources, low-cost veterinary care, and other positive programs for animals in their own county. It’s a clear-cut way to protecting Florida’s animals.

This is an opportunity to revolutionize the protection of animals in Florida. Ensure that voters gets the chance to weigh in on funding important programs for animals!

Florida residents: TAKE ACTION!
Not in Florida? Learn how you can improve the lives of cats in your community.

Alley Cat Allies sponsored a special “Spay-a-Thon” Saturday, March 30 in which 42 feral cats were neutered by veterinarians with Stray Aid & Rescue of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., before being returned to their outdoor homes.

The Spay-a-Thon aimed to curb “kitten season”—perhaps the most important time of the year to bring attention to the importance of spay/neuter and Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) to prevent litters of kittens born outdoors.

TNR is the only effective and humane approach to stabilize feral cat populations in the community. Thousands of volunteer caregivers in Broward County and across the state of Florida carry out TNR programs in their communities, and a bill (S.B. 1320/H.B. 1121) that would encourage more communities to embrace TNR is currently working its way through the state legislature.

Read the Press Release.
Learn more about Alley Cat Allies' Nationwide Spay Days 2013 Campaign.

On March 27, the Florida Shelter Transparency Bill HB 997 unanimously passed the Agriculture subcommittee, with the changes Alley Cat Allies had requested!

The Florida Shelter Transparency Bill would require animal pounds and shelters to make public the “outcomes” of animals in their care: the number of cats and dogs taken in, adopted out, transferred to rescue groups, and euthanized (killed).

HB 997, and its Senate companion bill, SB 674, have now each passed one committee. Both bills will need to pass more committees, and their respective chambers, before shelter transparency becomes law in Florida.

Florida Residents: TAKE ACTION!
Not in Florida? Learn how you can improve the lives of cats in your community.