In its first month under a formal agreement with Equity LifeStyle Properties, Alley Cat Allies has logged dozens of hours working in person and over the phone with residents at the Meadows in Chantilly, Virginia to mediate complaints and install humane deterrents. Alley Cat Allies has also been providing free spay and neuter and vaccination for companion cats. In May and June, Alley Cat Allies will build shelters and feeding stations, complete the first round of trapping, and educate caregivers on the property about appropriate feeding and caring guidelines.

Want to Get Involved?

Approximately 145 local volunteers have signed up to help, but there is always a need for more! There are many ways to get involved in this effort to help the cats and the community at the Meadows.

Consider helping out with shelter and feeding station building, trapping, or fostering tame cats and kittens in the coming months. Alley Cat Allies’ staff will be on hand to provide materials and instruction. E-mail Alley Cat Allies to sign up.

March 31, 2008  Alley Cat Allies' Feral Cat Task Force Begins Work in Chantilly, Virginia

Last week, Alley Cat Allies and our volunteer Feral Cat Task Force continued to humanely and effectively manage the outdoor cats residing at the Meadows of Chantilly property in Virginia, including distributing cat deterrents and reaching out to residents to share information and learn more about individual’s needs.

On Friday, March 28, the Feral Cat Task Force leafleted the neighborhood with flyers announcing the program and urging residents to contact Alley Cat Allies if they are providing care for the outdoor cats, if they would like their pet cats spayed or neutered free of charge, and if they have concerns about the cats so that Alley Cat Allies can address needs on an individual basis. Volunteers also started evaluating the colonies and surveying the area.

Alley Cat Allies president Becky Robinson was also on hand to accept a generous donation of $5,000 from the Humane Society of Fairfax County, presented by Barbara Becker, the Feral Cat Program Director.

Alley Cat Allies met with representatives from Equity LifeStyle Properties earlier in the week to agree on the plan, which includes trapping all remaining unaltered cats and providing no-cost spay and neuter services and vaccination; finding foster or permanent homes for tame kittens and cats; distributing and installing products to humanely deter cats from areas where they are not wanted; and providing ongoing education to residents on how outdoor cats and people can peacefully coexist. Equity LifeStyle Properties endorsed the plan.  

Watch the video of the news coverage.

Read the history of this story below.

Friday, March 14, 2008  Alley Cat Allies Successfully Negotiates to Protect Virginia’s Cats!

After first threatening the lives of the over 200 cats that reside at the Meadows of Chantilly in Virginia, property management company Equity LifeStyle Properties has decided to collaborate with Alley Cat Allies to strengthen the existing Trap-Neuter-Return program. Alley Cat Allies applauds their willingness to partner with us to do what’s best for the community and the cats.

Thanks to the more than 2,000 letters from advocates who took action, along with an offer of help from Alley Cat Allies, the company further assessed their situation and agreed to work with us and their residents to ensure the cats’ safety.

Alley Cat Allies is working on a plan with Equity LifeStyle Properties. We are poised to mobilize the over 150 local volunteers and organizations who have offered to help in the coming days, weeks, and months to educate residents, find homes for stray cats and kittens, implement deterrents, and coordinate and carry out all aspects of the Trap-Neuter-Return program. If you are willing to offer hands-on assistance, please email us.

Thursday, March 13, 2008  Alley Cat Allies Continues Its Work to Stop the Plan at the Meadows of Chantilly

After no response from the Regional Office, Alley Cat Allies sent a letter to the CEO of Equity LifeStyle Properties and initiated an email campaign. We received a call back from Ellen Kelleher, Legal Counsel on Thursday, March 13 and we are currently in talks with Equity LifeStyle Properties to come to a reasonable solution that will help the community and protect the cats.

Want to do more? Alley Cat Allies is assembling a team of supporters who can help with some hands-on work at the Meadows. We are looking for people willing to spread the word to the community through door-to-door leafleting, distributing deterrents, and implementing humane ways to keep cats away from places they are not wanted. We will even need supporters who can be on call to help with cats that may get trapped and sent to the local shelter. Please e-mail us if you would like to offer hands-on assistance.

Thursday, March 11  Meadows of Chantilly's Trap-Neuter-Return Program in Jeopardy: Equity LifeStyle Properties Plans Trap and Kill at Trailer Park

On Monday residents of the Meadows of Chantilly, a community in Fairfax County, Virginia, came home to find a memo stating that their property management company, Equity LifeStyle, had hired a pest control company to trap and kill the cats residing on the property. Most of these cats – over 200 – were sterilized at Alley Cat Allies’ Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Clinic. Alley Cat Allies is urging Equity LifeStyle Properties to pursue a humane course of action for the cats.

The management of the Meadows of Chantilly assured Alley Cat Allies that they would meet with all concerned parties before taking any action, however they released a memo with intent to trap and kill before acting upon our request to meet. This denied request came as a shock because less than a year ago Alley Cat Allies collaborated with management and hosted community workshops at the property.

Alley Cat Allies has left multiple messages for and has faxed a letter to Equity LifeStyle Properties expressing disapproval of their decision to have the cats killed. Alley Cat Allies is urging them to postpone any action and meet with us face-to-face.\

For more information, read this Washington Post article.

Read Alley Cat Allies' Press Release.