The following story is featured in the Alley Cat Action® 2026 Summer Newsletter. Read the full newsletter edition here.
Lakewood, Ohio, Enacts Strong TNR Ordinance
This past spring, the city passed an ordinance to add protections for TNR, community cats, and their caregivers. Alley Cat Allies is proud to have provided our expertise and support to help shape this new legislation.
Lakewood has been successfully operating a pilot TNR program, and the new ordinance will take that important work even further. It includes language that ensures community cat caregivers are not treated as the owners of the cats (they are not; they are good Samaritans)!
Leetsdale, Pennsylvania, Takes Dangerous Measure off the Books
When the Leetsdale mayor herself reached out to Alley Cat Allies to ask how to approach community cats, we leapt at the opportunity to make lifesaving change.
The city’s ordinance, as it stood, included cats in the definition of “at large.” In other words, community cats were at risk of being impounded by animal control simply for existing outdoors.
We explained why change was needed right away—and in June, Leetsdale amended the ordinance to exempt cats from the at-large law!
Killing Cats with CO2 Gas Is 0ff the Table in Hardin, Montana
When we heard a disturbing recording of a Hardin City Council discussion about creating a CO2 gas chamber to kill community cats, we refused to stay silent.
Alley Cat Allies reached out to the city, demanding an immediate end to any plans to kill cats. To make it clear where the people stood on this matter, we rallied Montana residents to raise their voices.
Because of our action together, the council removed the cruel and illegal CO2 scheme from consideration.