Animal Welfare Alliance of DeKalb Co.

09/10/2025

🐎 Off topic from cats, but we are overjoyed to share this life-changing moment! Our retired working Belgian team is embarking on a new journey from the great north to us, where they'll receive unconditional love and care. We're forever grateful to everyone who helped us find these incredible animals. 💕

09/09/2025

We cannot yell this loudly enough! STOP SAYING TO PUT THE BOX OUTSIDE.
A trap with a camera is your best, safest bet.

Thanks to Lost Cat Recovery for sharing this important tip!

Losing a cat is frantic, emotional, and overwhelming. In desperation, many owners turn to social media for help. Almost immediately, well-meaning people will suggest placing the cat’s litterbox or favorite blanket outside to “draw them home.”

But did you know this advice can actually do more harm than good?

Cats in the wild bury their waste for a reason: to hide their scent from predators and rival cats. When you place a litterbox or heavily scented blanket outdoors, you amplify that smell across the neighborhood.

- Territorial cats may be drawn in and chase your cat away.
- Predators could follow the scent, creating real danger.

Instead of feeling safe near home, your cat may be pushed farther away making recovery even harder.

The best way to guide your cat back is with a familiar human scent. Worn clothing, especially socks, carries a strong, recognizable odor at “cat level.” Place a few items outside where the wind can spread the scent. Unlike a litterbox, other cats and wildlife ignore this smell - but your cat will recognize it as home.

Pair the clothing with a food bowl, water bowl, and ideally a camera. Trail cameras are game-changers. Without them, you may never know your cat returned at 4 a.m. In cases I’ve worked, cats have come home solely because a camera confirmed they were stopping by. If a camera isn’t available, check frequently, even overnight.

Placement Tips

- Keep the scent concentrated around your property, not scattered through the neighborhood.
- Position socks or shirts in multiple spots so the breeze carries the scent in different directions.
- Refresh items daily so the smell stays strong and familiar.

The litterbox myth persists because people want to help but misinformation can put cats at risk. When you see it shared online, kindly educate others about safer, more effective methods.

For a complete, step-by-step guide to finding a lost cat, visit LostCatRecovery.com.

09/09/2025

Those sneaky cats have us wrapped around their paws! If they could talk, they'd be all like, 'Hey, humans, stop forcing us to make more kittens!' 🐾 Luckily, we've got low-cost TNR to save the day! ✅Check your email if you're on September's schedule with us for the deets. ‼️And if you couldn't get on our schedule this year, no worries! Humane Fort Wayne's got walk-in services, and Public's vet schedule is probably coming to a town near you soon. Remember, IF YOU FEED IT, FIX IT!🔊

09/05/2025

🐈Listen, we know sometimes cats are ditched or abandoned at others homes, but let's be real, that's not usually the case, our point is most cats are just stray and trying to find some resources.
🚓If you have evidence of abandonment or dumping activity, it's super illegal in our county and punishable, so report it already. Bottom line, if you feed it, fix it.
🤯Let's not diminish the serious crime of abandonment by claiming all cats that find us are "dumped", they travel for miles for mating and resources, as soon as they can walk. Sometimes, mommas even move them long distances one by one.

09/04/2025

‼️We know this is not our usual TNR laced content, but we need help! We want to rescue a retired working draft pair, geldings preferred ‼️
🐎We will use them for light, occasional trail riding. They will live a lush, happy life of relaxation.
📢Help us connect by sharing and commenting suggestions for draft horse rescue. 💚🔊

09/04/2025

See a healthy ear-tipped cat? Leave the cat alone. There are thousands of cats that need care, the ear tip indicates that cat is already cared for.

Taking a cat into a TNR program also requires you have an appointment FIRST, before catching a cat. If you catch one and want to TNR be prepared to hold the cat while you schedule with a vet directly or a TNR program.

09/03/2025

💜We're passionate about ensuring our Community Cat Providers are set up for success! Every cat in our program receives a comprehensive package for $0-$50 that includes surgery, a rabies vaccine, a microchip, and a health check. Some receive additional care like flea treatment, fluids, and antibiotic injections before surgery. 🐾No cat in our program is deemed unhealthy, but we recognize that unhealthy colonies or breeding cats that aren't fixed can negatively impact healthy TNR cats.
To ensure their well-being, we must spay or neuter all cats we care for and provide food during daylight hours in controlled amounts. ‼️Can we emphasize this again - every cat you feed must be spayed or neutered, or the ones fixed suffer too. Let's take proactive steps to prevent issues from escalating, especially considering that 12-week-old cats can have kittens, sparking a new generation of challenges.🐈

09/02/2025

Check out our Director dropping that knowledge. We love helping our local cities and towns 'legalize it'. It being TNR. 🐈
Butler is one of the best communities out there, and it's about to become even better!
Love or hate cars, TNR ordinance in your 'hood is good for all. 💕
(Don't come for us, when we say "people first" it's because unless we address and help the humans, we fail the animals, past, present and future)

09/01/2025

Rory update! This little paralyzed with fear pumpkin has turned into a total cuddle bug with her foster humans! 💕 But don't be fooled, she's still a wild child at heart and will run, wrestle, chew, and play like a maniac with her doggy pals outside. (Just a heads up, we're the foster, not the adoption agency.)


Source for purebred stats: https://bestfriends.org/stories/features/adopting-purebred-dog-shelter

09/01/2025

We hear and see this one often, and we advise the same. It's not " just a goopy eye", it's highly contagious and it will not clear up on its own.

A common ailment that we see frequently is an Upper Respiratory Infection - URI. This kitten has much more than that going on but in this post we are just going to highlight the URI and what symptoms to watch for.

Kittens are extra vulnerable to Upper Respiratory Infections (URI) — and it can turn serious fast.

Signs of URI in Kittens:
• Sneezing & runny nose
• Watery or goopy eyes
• Crusty eyelids / swollen eyes
• Coughing or noisy breathing
• Loss of appetite
• Mouth ulcers or drooling
• Lethargy, fever, dehydration

Why It’s Serious:
• Kittens can decline within days
• Eye infections may cause blindness if untreated
• Dehydration & weight loss can be fatal

🛡️ What to Do:

✔️ See a vet right away if your kitten shows these symptoms
✔️ Keep them warm & hydrated
✔️ Isolate from healthy cats until cleared

Upper Respiratory Infections are treatable — but only with prompt care. Protect your kitten’s health by acting early!

08/30/2025

Foster girl Rory is turning into a total goofball, spreading silly joy and puppy love. Stay tuned for video updates of this emerging social butterfly.

08/30/2025

🔊Please ensure all traps are returned clean, the way you found them, without any paper, f***s, or urine. We've encountered challenges recently, such as traps being returned with urine and newspaper from post-op cats, often paper originally placed in the trap by the cat provider, not us or the clinic.
Since we're not paid for our efforts and often use our own funds to purchase traps, urine-soaked paper left in traps is beyond demotivating. It feels like the people we just helped, with our own time and resources as volunteers, view us and our tools this poorly. 😥
We are trying not to be demotivated by this, but it's rough. A simple act of not leaving literal garbage for a person doing a free service for you matters. 🗑️
For those of you that return clean traps we appreciate you. Your thoughtfulness does not go unappreciated.❣️
We will be implementing a $25 fee for all dirty/trash filled traps returned to us in the future.