nonprofit spotlight
Alley Cats and Angels WRITTEN BY MONA DOUGANI | PHOTOGRAPHED BY JONATHAN FREDIN
SINCE 2008, Alley Cats and Angels has saved the lives of over 2,500 cats of all breeds, ages, abilities, and health circumstances. The Apex-based organization is an all-volunteer, foster home-based cat rescue founded with the goal of “being an advocate for forgotten felines.” It is dedicated to improving the lives of stray, abandoned, and feral cats in the Triangle. “I think something that makes us unique compared to other rescues is that we are all foster home-based, so we do not have a building, shelter, or one location where people can come look at our cats. All the cats that are in our program are being fostered by one of our volunteers,” said Megan Trapasso, secretary of Alley Cats and Angels. When the cats are ready for adoption, they are held at either the Morrisville or Knightdale PetSmart to help transition these feline friends into their forever homes. Allysa Thomas, a foster volunteer with Alley Cats and Angels, wanted to help other cats receive the same amount of love she
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gives her own pet. In 2019, she signed up to volunteer as a nightly cleaner, and when COVID-19 hit she interviewed to become a foster parent. Since then, Thomas has poured her heart and soul into the rescue. “Being able to see our shyer cats and kittens blossom into their own personality and develop confidence is so rewarding. I have had the pleasure of fostering several very shy cats and kittens, and watching them go from hiding to walking around either my house, or seeing updates from them in their forever home house owning it, is the most rewarding,” said Thomas. Along with the unique foster services provided, the organization also focuses on those cats that may need additional care. “Our motto is ‘advocates for forgotten felines,’” Trapasso said. “So we tend to gravitate towards the cats that are more needy. ...We tend to take the worst of the worst and the ones who need us most.” However, Alley Cats and Angels does more than offer foster services and host
Huginn, a black-and-white kitten, eyes her sibling Muninn, reaching from the backpack. Huginn is being adopted by Tyler Reino and Taylor Shane of Apex, who first saw the kitten online.
Megan Trapasso, who is on the board of directors for Alley Cats and Angels, arrives at Pet Smart in Morrisville with a kitten in a see-though backpack.
adoption events for cats with varying care needs. Its Barn/Garden Cat program places suitable outdoor cats in rural settings. The nonprofit also has a Spay Neuter Assistance program and a Feral Cat Trap Neuter Release education and assistance program. The Trap Neuter Release (TNR) program is the organization's most important focus, Trapasso says, because a decrease in the population of feral cats will make an enormous difference in the community. “There will never be enough adopters for the number of unwanted cats out there,
Jackie Mecca of Knightdale cuddles with her new kitten during an adoption event at the Pet Smart in Morrisville.
