August 23, 2022

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As a leader of the global movement to protect cats and kittens, Alley Cat Allies’ mission is to unify advocates worldwide on behalf of all cats, whether they live indoors with people or outdoors with their feline families.

Because when compassionate people like you are empowered to take impactful action for cats in your communities, you drive lifesaving change that benefits us all.

Here are 5 ways you can provide hands-on help to community cats right now:

  1. Do Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR). Alley Cat Allies has championed TNR for more than 32 years for a reason! It is the only humane and effective approach to community cats, and everyone can and should do it. We have an in-depth guide to get you started at alleycat.org/TNRGuide.
  2. Become a community cat caregiver. Nothing beats a one-on-one relationship with a community cat. Cat caregivers provide community cats with regular food, water, and outdoor shelterand get a lot of love and fulfillment in return. We’ll help you get started, or brush up on cat caregiver best practices, at alleycat.org/BestPractices.
  3. Leave Them BeTM. When you find young kittens outdoors, the best way you can help in most cases is to allow them to stay with their mother in their outdoor home. Even if you don’t see her, their mother is likely nearby, and she is their best caregiver. You can help the whole family by providing outdoor cats with food, water, an outdoor shelter, and a watchful pair of eyes. Learn more at alleycat.org/LeaveThemBe.
  4. Have a Kitten Care Kit ready.  Though most kittens outdoors don’t need us to intervene, some DO need our hands-on help. For example, kittens who don’t have their mother with them. By building a Kitten Care Kit based on our guidelines, you can stay prepared to provide lifesaving care. Get started at alleycat.org/KittenCareKit.
  5. Build an outdoor cat shelter. Even if you aren’t caring for community cats, you can build shelters and donate them to rescue groups or other caregivers in your area. And with the tumultuous summer we’ve experienced, and potentially an equally tumultuous winter on the way, a proper outdoor cat shelter is more beneficial than ever. Alley Cat Allies has a gallery of outdoor shelter options to purchase, and ways to build your own as a project, at alleycat.org/ShelterGallery.