These days, it’s good to be a community cat in Gainesville, Texas. Not that long ago, it was a different story—then Alley Cat Allies got involved. After an incredible few months of collaboration with Gainesville residents, policymakers, and cat advocates, we visited Gainesville in May to celebrate success and kick off new, lifesaving programs for cats in the community. Hannah Shaw, Associate Director of Campaigns, and Kayla Christiano, Campaigns Manager, made the most of their three days in town—packing in meetings, community outreach, and a spay/neuter and vaccine clinic sponsored by Alley Cat Allies.

Day One—Celebrating Feline Friendly Gainesville

Hannah and Kayla headed straight to the Gainesville Civic Center for an Alley Cat Allies workshop open to the public. People from all corners of the community came out to learn more about Trap-Neuter-Return and Gainesville’s new initiatives to save more cats. We had notable audience members like Gainesville’s Mayor and City Manager, the Feral Cat Rescue Group of the University of North Texas, and Texas Coalition for Animal Protection (TCAP). We were also joined by experienced local trappers, as well as cat-loving citizens who were completely new to TNR, but wanted to learn how to help.

Mayor Jim Goldsworthy opened the workshop with a message about the growth and change of Gainesville’s animal policies thanks to Alley Cat Allies’ help. He shared that because of the city’s new understanding of TNR and community cat concerns they have begun to consider other animal protection issues. Mayor Goldsworthy has been a critical player in our campaign in Gainesville, and he’s now a solid ally for cats.

Hannah and Kayla engaged everyone in the crowd with a crash course on cat history and behavior, as well as a thorough introduction to the How-To of TNR. Even experienced trappers said they learned something new, and TNR-newcomers were prepared to put their new knowledge to use immediately. To brief everyone on Gainesville’s new TNR program, TCAP addressed the crowd with information on how to register their colonies and sign up for free spay days.

The workshop was also a crucial networking opportunity. While there are many active trappers in Gainesville, they hadn’t all met before. By the end of the workshop, they were exchanging contact information and planning trapping projects together. What happened in the Civic Center that night will change Gainesville forever.

Day Two—Trap, Trap, Trap!

As a major storm loomed over Gainesville, Hannah and Kayla spent the day driving back and forth across town trapping cats. In total, they trapped 5 colonies, including the colony fed by David, the man whose story brought us to Gainesville. Hannah and Kayla had some help from one of the previous day’s workshop attendees. Within 24 hours she went from TNR novice to a successful trapper who was already training her friends on trapping. Teach a person to trap and you help cats for a lifetime!

At one of the colony sites, we found a litter of newborn kittens. This discovery underscores the importance of TNR, and we hope that the colony won’t have any new litters now that spay/neuter services are readily available in Gainesville.

It was a long day for our trappers, and after dropping off cats at various volunteers’ homes for the night, preparations began for the spay day.

Day Three—A Little Rain Can’t Stop Us

The storm hit Gainesville hard, wiping out bridges and making travel across the city difficult. But it didn’t stop Alley Cat Allies, the people of Gainesville, or our wonderful partners—TCAP and Noah’s Ark Animal Shelter. The spay day started bright and early as residents poured in with community and socialized cats. All in all, over 60 cats were served, and the day’s vaccine clinic served 113 dogs and cats—all sponsored by Alley Cat Allies. Noah’s Ark provided the space and TCAP covered scheduling and surgeries. The demand for spay/neuter was so high that appointments for the day filled up and TCAP started scheduling appointments for two more spay days in June.

A New Day in Gainesville

All cats trapped by Alley Cat Allies were returned to their colony sites to live their healthy lives outdoors. We also left 20 traps with Noah’s Ark so they can start a trap depot to make sure that TNR continues in Gainesville.

The turnout says it all—Gainesville needs this program. The citizens need this service, and the trappers (old pros and new pros alike) are motivated to help the community. Alley Cat Allies will be there to make sure it happens.