The following story is featured in the Alley Cat Action® 2026 Spring Newsletter. Read the full newsletter edition here.
Alley Cat Allies works to change the world for cats. And for every cat we save, we’re changing their whole world!
No matter how large the scope of our action or how broad its impact, it is the faces and stories of each individual cat we protect that touch our hearts most and guide our mission. We hope they move you as deeply as they move us!
Just in Time: Saving Cashew and Nutmeg Before the Arctic Blast
Before a historic Arctic blast surged through large swathes of the country this winter, Alley Cat Allies took to the ground in multiple states to protect cats and kittens.
To prepare community cats, we equipped advocates with insulated outdoor shelters and nutritious wet food. But for Cashew and Nutmeg, two cats we have strong reason to believe were abandoned while ill, the record-low temperatures posed a deadly risk.
Our Rapid Response Team rushed both to emergency veterinary treatment for severe upper respiratory infections. And after weeks of expert care, they were back on their paws.
Knowing that Cashew and Nutmeg are onto bigger and better things, and that their lives would have been lost without our action, is why we take on the challenge of disaster response—and why your support matters!
Keeping Families Together™ to Protect Cleo and Spooky
In just two days of action this February, Alley Cat Allies’ Cats Are Family, Too™—Keeping Families Together™ events in Iowa provided no-cost cat food and Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) services that reached more than 600 cats and kittens.
For community cat caregivers, at a time when so many face challenges affording food and veterinary care, this support means they can continue to care for the cats they love. And for community cats like Cleo and Spooky, 
the impact is permanent. Their lives have been changed for the better—even if they may not realize it!
With kitten season now in full swing, neither cat has to worry about the stresses of mating, pregnancy, or birth. And, they can stay with the only family they’ve ever known, their colony members, in the only home they’ve ever known, the outdoors.
Romeo Finds New Love
Romeo is one of more than 6,000 cats reached through Alley Cat Allies’ most recent TNR initiative in Atlantic County, New Jersey. But even within that bigger picture of impact, his story stands out as a heartwarming example of the lives we change together.
When Romeo and his five siblings were discovered outdoors as young kittens, their mother cat nowhere to be found, they needed swift support to survive. With severe cold weather fast approaching, the stakes were even higher.
But caregivers knew they had a lifesaving resource in our TNR collaboration, and brought in the little family for care just in time. Under our protection, each was treated, monitored, and loved until they were ready to be adopted.
To no one’s surprise, Romeo, adorable and bold, was among the first of his siblings to head home!
Unique Surgery Gives Sparkle and Twinkle a New Outlook on Life
When cats are impounded in a shelter without humane policies, serious health issues are often overlooked and untreated. That was the case for Sparkle and Twinkle until Alley Cat Allies facilitated their rescue and expert veterinary care.
The kittens’ crusted, squinting eyes at first appeared to be symptoms of their upper respiratory infections. But upon closer look, it became clear that they had eyelid agenesis, a congenital condition that causes eyelids to only partially form. Their eyelashes and fur were constantly and painfully rubbing into their eyes, risking lasting damage.
To find a permanent solution, we funded cryosurgery for the brothers to remove the hair follicles around their eyes.
Now, Sparkle and Twinkle can finally enjoy a pain-free kittenhood—together. They were adopted as a bonded pair!