DALLAS – Alley Cat Allies, the global leader in the protection of cats and kittens, has provided emergency grants to the Friends of Dallas Animal Services (D.A.S.) and Operation Kindness to help save the lives of cats, dogs and other animals impacted by a major ransomware attack against Dallas Animal Services and more municipal departments in the City of Dallas. The emergency support from Alley Cat Allies supports transferring and transporting animals out of D.A.S. to appropriate rescue groups while providing critical supplies for cats and kittens including incubators, heartbeat simulators, medical care, spay and neuter surgeries and other important supplies.
“These cats, kittens and other animals are in desperate need of help because of the ransomware attack on Dallas, and Alley Cat Allies is pleased to be able to step up to provide emergency supplies, care and expertise to make sure they get the care they need through this disruption,” said Coryn Julien, director of communications, Alley Cat Allies.
Alley Cat Allies reached out to contacts at Dallas Animal Services shortly after learning of the attack and began discussing options to deliver immediate aid to ensure care for animals would not be interrupted. Alley Cat Allies is particularly concerned about maintaining care for the tiniest neonatal kittens, who are less than 4 weeks old. These small animals require round-the-clock care, including bottle feeding.
The hard work and close collaboration with local agencies is working, saving the lives of multiple cats and kittens. Information about cats and kittens who have benefitted from Alley Cat Allies support is available at alleycat.org.
The team at Alley Cat Allies knows the importance of moving quicky to save animals through disaster situations, whether manmade or natural. Alley Cat Allies has responded to Gulf Coast hurricanes, California wildfires, Midwest tornadoes and a variety of other natural disasters. In each case, the key has been to maintain support even after stories drop from the headlines, because the need to help cats and other animals often continues for months or years.