City and county funding, positive laws, and local resources that support community cats and Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)—Lebanon has it all.

Alley Cat Allies is proud to have helped these resources reach even more cats and kittens in Lebanon’s Wilson County and beyond.

On Global Cat Day and National Feral Cat Day and every day, join us to advocate and take action to protect cats in every community, wherever they call home. A good start is to share this video!

Community cats, like Victor, live and thrive outdoors across the City of Paris and are cared for every day by dedicated community members.

Alley Cat Allies is highlighting Paris on Global Cat Day and National Feral Cat Day to show the world how every community can protect cats and kittens. Local Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs are the key, and Parisians know the city is the cats’ home, too!

On October 16 and beyond, let’s make it our goal to ensure cats around the world are respected and protected by their communities.

Around the world, opposition to Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), the only humane and effective approach to community cats, is leading to deadly government policies against cats and kittens.

Learn how Alley Cat Allies is fighting TNR opposition, correcting dangerous disinformation about cats, and saving cats’ lives.

Living each day outdoors among the surf and sand of the world-famous Atlantic City Boardwalk in New Jersey, Mikey and his fellow community cats—known as the Boardwalk Cats—are as much a fixture of the famous tourist spot as the casinos and resorts. Those attractions are atop the wooden walkways, but the Boardwalk Cats make their home in the secret spaces beneath.

That doesn’t mean Mikey doesn’t spend plenty of time up on the boardwalk, soaking in the sun. In fact, the tabby is quite a celebrity among residents, business owners, and visitors of the Atlantic City Boardwalk! Mikey is more than happy to bask in his popularity and greet his adoring fans—but only from a healthy distance. He’s an independent community cat through and through.

Though he keeps firm boundaries with people, Mikey does not live a lonely life by any means. He’s always with his feline family and friends—especially his “girlfriend,” Snickers!

Since 2000, Alley Cat Allies has cared for the community cats living along the boardwalk through our Boardwalk Cats Project®. The project is a city-endorsed Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program that brings together community leaders, advocates, and the public to protect and improve the lives of their community’s cats. It is one of Alley Cat Allies’ most successful initiatives and a model for the lifesaving power of community-led TNR.

In the vibrant, ancient city of Istanbul, Turkey, feline citizens can be seen going about their daily business just as much as the human ones! Istanbul’s long and storied love of cats dates back to the Ottoman Empire, which held the domestic cat in very high regard. Today, respect for cats outdoors is still ingrained in the city’s rich culture, and cats have their own unique spaces (including creative outdoor cat houses!) amid the bustling megalopolis.

Enter, Leo (pronounced “Leh-ou”)! This handsome tabby, who is of an older yet mysterious age according to his caregiver, makes his home near a local restaurant known for its cat-friendly atmosphere. When you see locals’ eyes light up when they talk about him, you understand just how loved he is! They adore Leo’s independent and feisty nature, which makes him the dominant presence among his feline companions near the restaurant. In this neighborhood, residents make space for Leo and respect his boundaries.

Even with the bold personality of his namesake, Leo’s soulful green eyes show the greater truth: He’s a happy, fulfilled cat living life in his outdoor home on his own terms. He and the restaurant near which he lives are a shining example of how a community can make space for its feline members, and celebrate the harmonious bond cats and people share.

You may notice that Leo has a notch in the tip of his left ear. That is a signifier that he has been neutered and vaccinated through a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program! Istanbul has many dedicated TNR advocates, and TNR as a program continues to grow in the city to protect the health and wellbeing of community cats. Alley Cat Allies’ preferred best practice is to eartip (when the very tip of the left ear is removed) rather than ear notch during TNR, but the latter is most common in Turkey.

In the sprawling green, tree-dense landscape of the Shenandoah Valley, near the banks of the Potomac River, lives Nimbus.

Nimbus is a community cat, or unowned cat who lives outdoors, who spends his lazy pastoral days around his favorite barn. At eight years old, he doesn’t have a care in the world beyond hanging out with his feline friends, patrolling his territory, rolling in the grass, and singing his own original songs (his go-to classic is the purr-meow!).

Named after the grey clouds that match his luxurious, slate-colored fur, Nimbus is popular in his community for his bold, “my way or the highway” personality. He’s the patriarch of his community cat family and the ringleader among his best buddies, Aladdin and King Arthur.

Independent, outdoorsy, fearless, friendly, and feisty—Nimbus is a true West Virginian!

Nimbus was neutered, vaccinated, and eartipped through a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program and has dedicated caregivers and a community who loves him. But Alley Cat Allies has worked in West Virginia for years, and we know well that not every community cat is as lucky as he is. The state is in great need of humane education, low or no-cost veterinary services for cats, and protections for all cats in law and policy.

Alley Cat Allies is working to make that lifesaving change, and we need passionate advocates to join us in that mission. That is what Global Cat Day is all about!