Animal Protection and Education Charity

06/03/2026

South Story TNR Project Update

We are excited to share, that in our first few weeks, we have now TNR’d 15 cats — 8 males, 7 females — and prevented 25 kittens from being born into dangerous outdoor conditions, facing certain suffering and likely death.

Trapping has been tough at times. Why? 👇👇

• Outside interference — People feeding or approaching cats during trapping hours makes them scatter and avoid traps.

• Raccoon conflicts — Raccoons are fighting near feeding stations, scaring the cats and creating a rabies risk.

• Trap shyness — With so much disruption, cats are learning to avoid traps altogether.We haven’t caught a single cat twice, which means there are still many unaltered cats out there who need help. We continue to see many that are not ear-tipped (an alteration made after they're fixed that allows us to determine their status).

This problem didn't occur spontaneously, it began with a few dumped, intact cats who were allowed to reproduce unchecked.

Donor funds are getting low — and to finish this project, we rely on our supporters. You can sponsor a cat for $70, which covers:
spay/neuter, vaccines, flea/tick meds, deworming, microchip, and a full exam by our veterinary team, however any amount helps.

How to donate:

📍 Drop off or mail to: 801 W Mamie Eisenhower Ave, Boone, IA. Please note that your donation is for the S. Story TNR project.

📬 PayPal: [email protected]

All donations are TAX DEDUCTIBLE and go directly to spay/neuter, vaccines, and medical care for this colony. We thank everyone who has supported us thus far.

06/02/2026

🎉🎉

🐾💙 Big news for Ankeny community cats 🏛️💙

The City of Ankeny has officially adopted Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) ordinances! 🐈‍⬛

This is a major milestone that Ankeny TNR has been working toward for the past two years, and we are thrilled to see it finally in place! 💙

These ordinances create a clear, humane, and evidence-based path forward for community cats and the people who care for them 🐾

Thank you to everyone who supported this effort—this is a win for cats, caregivers, and our community 💙

You can read the full ordinances on our website: ankenytnr.org 🐾

Ankeny TNR — Helping Ankeny cats one ordinance, one trap, and one offended cat at a time. 🐾 🐈‍⬛

05/25/2026

FYI.

A major pet food recall has been expanded after samples collected by state regulators all tested positive for listeria. MORE BELOW ⬇️

05/22/2026

And they’re off to the races…

…and finally living a life free from the nonstop cycle of reproduction, roaming, and fighting.

05/20/2026

Does your cat go outside?

Early detection of bobcat fever, a potentially fatal tickborne illness, can mean the difference between life and death. The symptoms can be easy to miss:
https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/nation-world/bobcat-fever-spreads-tick-bites-deadly-cats/507-ad9d5439-1a5c-45e4-8115-7d40eaf60126?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_We_Are_Iowa_Local_5_News

05/19/2026

📣 South Story Street TNR Update

Despite the weather, logistics, and a few unexpected curveballs, we’ve successfully TNR’d six females so far. The boys?

These cheeky fellows are proving a little more strategic than expected — but patience, pattern‑watching, and persistence always wins in TNR. We’ll get them.

Neutering tom cats is essential in TNR.
Intact males drive nonstop breeding, fight for territory, spread disease, and even kill kittens in unmanaged colonies.

When males are neutered, roaming drops, fighting drops, and colony reproduction drops.
Long‑term TNR studies show 54–99% population declines when both males and females are sterilized.

Fewer fights. Fewer litters. Fewer kittens lost.
Neutering tom cats protects the whole colony.

More updates soon as the work continues.

05/13/2026

🐾 APE’s Boone TNR Project Is Underway! 🐾

We’ve officially launched our Boone TNR project and are already helping community cats get the care they need. Want to support this work in a fun way? Check out our SNIP HAPPENS Apparel Fundraiser designed and created by one of APEs very own veterinarians!

The profits raised from EVERY PURCHASE helps fund this project, future TNR efforts, and follow‑up medical care for the kitties we help.

Thank you for supporting humane, community‑focused cat care in Boone.

https://crittervet-creations.printify.me/

05/12/2026

If These Kitties Could Speak, They’d Say THANK YOU!!

Today marked the exciting start of Animal Protection and Education’s TNR project in South Boone — and this is just the beginning. There are many more cats in this same area who still need to be humanely trapped, spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and fully vetted as we are able. Today, four young female cats — all under a year old — were safely trapped and received spay surgery, vaccinations, deworming, flea and tick treatment, and microchipping. By spaying these girls before kittens are ever born, we prevented 11 kittens this season from being born into the cycle of overpopulation.

But the long‑term impact is even more staggering. A single unspayed female cat can produce up to 180 kittens in her lifetime, and when you include her offspring’s offspring, that number can climb into the thousands. For these four young females, today’s work prevented the potential birth of 700–1,000+ cats over the coming years — all from this first day of trapping.

This work is about more than numbers. Unspayed females endure repeated heat cycles and constant breeding, and both adult cats and kittens suffer from disease, parasites, malnutrition, predators, and harsh weather. TNR stops this suffering before it begins. And while mama cats do not mourn unborn kittens — they do not understand pregnancy — they can grieve the loss of kittens once they are born. Spaying before kittens are born is the most humane option for their physical and emotional wellbeing.

We are deeply grateful to our supporters and donors. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Animal Protection and Education receives no funding from the City or County of Boone. These projects are possible only because of the generosity of our community. To successfully complete this project — and continue helping other animals in Boone — we rely on ongoing support.

Donations can be mailed or dropped off at 801 West Mamie Eisenhower Avenue during business hours, or placed in our secure mailbox if we are closed. Please include your name and note that your contribution is for the TNR cats. We also accept donations via PayPal at [email protected].

Thank you for standing with us and making humane progress possible for Boone’s community feral cat populations.

12/29/2025

Hector and Anamaria wanted to say bundle up it’s cold today!