Alley Cat Allies to be Honored

Becky Robinson, president of Alley Cat Allies, will receive the Goodwill Key to the City of New Orleans on August 29. The national feral and stray cat advocacy group is being awarded the key in recognition of the group’s work to save hundreds of cats in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Robinson will receive the award at a luncheon following the dedication of a memorial statue honoring the animals lost during the 2005 hurricanes. The Humane Society of Louisiana organized the luncheon.

Alley Cat Allies sent more than 100 volunteers to New Orleans after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, including veterinarians, veterinary technicians and trained animal rescue workers. From the base camp, the volunteers established an emergency shelter to house and treat hundreds of companion and feral cats.

Back at the group’s headquarters in Bethesda, Md., staff and volunteers responded to phone calls and text messages from people seeking help with trapping and rescuing cats displaced by the storms. Alley Cat Allies also connected local rescue workers with resources to help evacuate cats to safety.

Following the storms, Alley Cat Allies worked with local groups to organize spay and neuter campaigns. More than 1,200 cats received the surgeries, along with vaccination services, in the three months following the hurricanes.