This feature comes from our Winter 2015 Alley Cat Action newsletter. Receive a print version, delivered to your home on a quarterly basis, when you donate $20 or more.

The original colony25 years ago in an alley in Adams Morgan.

The original colony25 years ago in an alley in Adams Morgan.

Happy New Year! It’s a very special time for Alley Cat Allies2015 marks our 25th anniversary. That’s 25 years of supporting caregivers, changing laws, improving shelters, and most importantly, saving cats. As we move into Alley Cat Allies’ next generation of cat protection, we want to share the story of how we got to this point. The road has not always been easy, but your support has allowed us to experience incredible success. We need you by our side as we charge full speed ahead into the next 25 years.

Alley Cat Allies built cat advocacy from virtually nothing. Our vision from the beginning has been to protect cats, no matter on which side of the door they lived. But the populations of cats who live outside, often in family groups called colonies, were greatly misunderstood and needed us the most. Feral cats, often referred to as “community cats,” were regularly rounded up and killed in virtually all shelters and animal pounds. We have come a long way and saved so many lives together as well as changed some shelter policiesbut not every community has embraced Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) and lifesaving programs.

In 1990, the year of our founding, there were only a few local groups carrying out TNR for community cats. Most organizations, even the most well-known national groups, did not work on behalf of community cats. But Alley Cat Allies began to lead a new movement that would change everything. Ellen Perry Berkeley’s article “Feral Cats” in the July 1990 issue of Cat Fancy is a record of the early days of TNR and of the groundbreaking work of longtime Alley Cat Allies friend, AnnaBell Washburn. AnnaBell is a pioneer of TNR in the US, and the story of her TNR efforts on Martha’s Vineyard was an inspiration to Alley Cat Allies as we became the first national group dedicated to protecting all cats.

After 25 Years of Advocacy, There is Nationwide Support for TNR

Alley Cat Allies' Founder, Becky Robinson, with AnnaBell Washburn, an early advocate of TNR.

Alley Cat Allies’ Founder, Becky Robinson, with AnnaBell Washburn, an early advocate of TNR.

We have achieved so much together since those early days. One of our most critical successes is the mainstream acceptance of community cats, and allowing them to live full lives through neutering, vaccinating, and returning them to their colonies. We still refer to the program as simply “TNR.” These days, all of the leading animal organizations support TNR and hundreds of communities embrace TNR as policy. TNR is practiced by over 600 nonprofits and countless good Samaritans. We see striking evidence of this success everywhere we look.

Alley Cat Allies was instrumental in writing and passing several TNR ordinances around the country, including in Baltimore, Maryland, and in Washington, DC. As a result, thousands of cats have benefited from new programs.

National Feral Cat Day®, An Annual Triumph

Your generous support allows Alley Cat Allies to make a historical impact. It’s not just policies that are on the riseit’s people. Far and wide, compassionate people like you are helping grow our movement. Just look at National Feral Cat Day®from the very first one in 2001, to last year’s massive success of over 500 events, National Feral Cat Day® is truly a nationwide celebration of cats. This year we’ll celebrate the 15th annual event, and we’re sure it’ll be the biggest so far. That’s because TNR is practiced by so many people, and National Feral Cat Day® unites them all!

Famously successful Boardwalk Cats Project

One of the famous Boardwalk Cats in November 2014.

One of the famous Boardwalk Cats in November 2014.

Alley Cat Allies has cared for the community cats on the famous boardwalk in Atlantic City, New Jersey, since 2000. The Boardwalk Cats Project is endorsed by the city, and the results of the TNR program are impressive. The feline population has decreased 71% and the healthy and beautiful resident cats have an average age of 12 yearssolid evidence that community cats can live long and healthy lives, and that TNR stabilizes and eventually reduces cat populations.

The Internet Loves Cats!

Alley Cat Allies first got involved with social media in 2008, and we’ve been gaining popularity and reaching new audiences ever since. Our online presence is vibrantevery day we share stories, photos, and support as we interact with thousands of people who care about cats.

Our work isn’t done yetthe cats still need us

Looking at all that we have achieved together so far, can you just imagine what the future holds? Alley Cat Allies set out to change the way our nation treats cats, and we have made incredible strides to improve cats’ lives throughout the country. We have provided a voice
to the once-overlooked community cat, and we will always be their strongest advocate. Now that TNR is an established, mainstream practice, the time is right to face, head-on, the largest threat to catsbeing killed in a shelter.

Shelter kittens from Lee County Domestic Animal Services, one of our Future Five shelters.

Shelter kittens from Lee County Domestic Animal Services, one of our Future Five shelters.

Whether a cat is feral, stray, or a pet, she could be in grave danger in an animal shelter. Alley Cat Allies and our supporters believe this is unacceptable. Shelters should truly be safe havens, but in our country, most of them are anything but. What’s more, few states
require that shelters report data about what ultimately happens to the animals placed in their careso communities don’t even know what’s happening at their local shelter.

Changing our nation’s shelter system is no easy task, but it’s what we must dowe owe it to the cats. The work has already begun. Alley Cat Allies’ Future Five: Shelter Partners to Save Cats’ Lives program was established to create a set of model shelters across a variety of locations and circumstances. Already, incredible change has taken place. They’re saving more animals; increasing spay, neuter, and vaccination access; and ensuring the safety of community cats. That’s just the beginning. With your support, Alley Cat Allies will work with even more shelters to help them save cats.