The following story is featured in the Alley Cat Action® 2026 Summer Newsletter. Read the full newsletter edition here.
In just the past year, Alley Cat Allies’ expert team has taken anti-cruelty action on behalf of hundreds of cats and kittens. Some of those cats have healed after emergency care and are enjoying the happiness and safety they always deserved. For those who did not get that chance, we fight for justice in their memory—and we win.
We Put Ryan Berlanga in Handcuffs
LEFT: Coryn Julien, Alley Cat Allies’ Program Communications Officer, walking into court in Washington, D.C. RIGHT: Photo courtesy of Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
In November of 2025, a surveillance camera of a San Antonio, Texas, apartment complex recorded a man chasing and then committing a horrific act of cruelty against a kitten. The kitten did not survive the attack. Leveraging the power of the people, Alley Cat Allies worked with the San Antonio Police Department and issued a $10,000 reward for any information leading to an arrest and conviction. Our supporters and advocates signal-boosted our call and images of the perpetrator not just across Texas, but nationwide.
Within a week of announcing our reward, a key tip was called in, and Ryan Berlanga was in handcuffs. Then, we reached out to the prosecutor in the case and called for the maximum sentence under Texas law. We were right there in the courtroom in May 2026 when he pleaded no contest to not just one felony charge of animal cruelty, but two.
Healing and Justice for Shadow
After Alley Cat Allies issued a $10,000 reward for information on who shot Shadow in the eye with a blowgun dart, police identified and arrested 45-year-old Jacob Cushingham for the crime. At the same time, we connected with the advocates providing Shadow with emergency veterinary care and helped cover the costs of his treatment. Unfortunately, his eye was too damaged by the dart to be saved. Shadow fully recovered and was adopted into a home where he can start anew and adored. And, Cushingham was officially convicted of third-degree animal cruelty earlier this year.
Demanding Arrest and Charges of a Mayor and His Wife
In the small town of Lincolnton, Georgia, a cat was senselessly hunted down, shot, and killed in April of 2026. According to a police report and body camera footage, the shooter was Lizzy Long, the wife of Lincolnton Mayor Mike McCombs. Even more disturbingly, McCombs actively encouraged the killing of the cat. Alley Cat Allies is demanding the arrest and filing of criminal charges against Mayor McCombs, Lizzy Long, and the cat’s owner. We are also demanding the immediate removal of McCombs from office.
“It is critical to send the message that elected officials are not above the law. They will be held to its standard—even stronger,” said Coryn Julien, Alley Cat Allies’ Program Communications Officer.
Click Here to view 10 Ways We Take On Cruelty with larger type.
