Loading up cat food during the Alley Cat Allies and ARL food distribution event on October 25.
DES MOINES, IOWA – Nov. 6, 2023 – Alley Cat Allies, the global leader in the protection of cats and kittens, is collaborating with the Animal Rescue League of Iowa (ARL) on several efforts on November 7th and 8th to help indoor and community cats (unowned cats who live outdoors) in the Greater Des Moines area. The work encompasses providing 26,000 pounds of cat food at no cost to the Des Moines community, a vaccine and wellness clinic for cats, no-cost spay and neuter, and more.
Tuesday, November 7th
In conjunction with the ARL, Alley Cat Allies will provide spay and neuter to Des Moines area cats and kittens, including through Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR). TNR, the only humane and effective approach to community cats, involves humanely trapping community cats, bringing them to a veterinarian to be spayed or neutered, vaccinated, eartipped, and microchipped, and then returning the cats to their outdoor homes to live out their lives.
Tuesday, November 7th , Starting at 12
Alley Cat Allies and the ARL are holding a no-cost Vaccine and Wellness Clinic for Des Moines area cats and kittens. Through the clinic, cats will receive rabies and FVRCP vaccinations, microchipping, and general wellness checks. This event is by appointment only, and more than 75 cats are registered to participate. All clinic fees are waived and will be covered by Alley Cat Allies through its Keeping Families TogetherTM program.
Wednesday, November 8th
Alley Cat Allies and the ARL will hold their third no-cost cat food distribution of the fall season for indoor and community cats in the Greater Des Moines area. Through its Keeping Families Together program, Alley Cat Allies has donated thousands of pounds of cat and dog food and cat litter to communities across the United States. All food and supplies distributed will come at NO COST to the recipients. There are no income restrictions or proof of residence required.
On October 11th and October 25th, Alley Cat Allies and the ARL cat food distributions attracted a long line of cars, with many recipients arriving early in the morning in anticipation of receiving the critical food they need for cats in their care. In total, Alley Cat Allies and the ARL will distribute more than 13 tons of cat food through food bank events.
###
About Alley Cat Allies’ Keeping Families TogetherTM Program
The Alley Cat Allies Keeping Families Together program provides food security, veterinary care, and other needed resources for cats during a time when economic uncertainty can make access to these necessities more challenging. Keeping Families Together helps people who live with cats in their homes, as well as those who feed community cats, or unowned cats who live outdoors. Cats are family, too, and Alley Cat Allies’ goal is to ensure no one feels pressured to relinquish their cats to animal shelters or to stop caring for community cats. Alley Cat Allies has previously deployed the Keeping Families Together program in Florida, Iowa, New Jersey, West Virginia, and other states.
About Alley Cat Allies
Alley Cat Allies believes every cat deserves to live out his or her life to the fullest.
Founded in 1990, Alley Cat Allies is the leading advocacy organization for cats with a mission to transform and develop communities to protect and improve the lives of all cats and kittens. Together with our over 1 million supporters, we work toward a world where all cats are valued and every community has humane and effective programs and policies to defend them.
Through our fearless advocacy, humane care, education and outreach, and law and policy activism, we empower and mobilize citizens, advocates, grassroots groups, shelters, veterinary professionals, and elected officials across the United States and around the world to improve their communities for cats through nonlethal, evidence-based approaches.