Animal Protection and Education Charity

10/02/2026

🎃🖤 Meet the cutest little Halloween crew! 🖤🎃
Seven adorable kittens, all with their trademark black and black-and-white coats, are ready to bring some extra magic to your fall! 🍂🐈‍⬛✨

These little ones came to us from the South Story St. TNR colony, and now they’re ready for something every kitten deserves: a safe, loving forever home. 🏡🧡

With their spooky-season coloring, they’re already perfectly themed for October! And some of them even got into the Halloween spirit with a little costume fun. 🎃👻🕷️

And why adopt one when you can double the fun? 🐾🐾 Kittens adjust more easily to a new home when they have a feline friend the same age to keep them company. They can play, nap, learn, and get into just a little more trouble together!

Because we’d love to see these babies go home with a buddy, we offer a discounted adoption fee when you adopt more than one kitten! 🖤

Whether you’re looking for a black cat to match your Halloween décor or a sweet black-and-white companion to curl up with on chilly fall nights, this crew is ready to steal your heart. 🖤🍁

Interested in adopting? Send us a message or visit their Petfinder profile to learn more about these sweet babies!

09/21/2026

Feral cats exist because humans created the problem, but killing them does not solve it. Every major animal‑welfare organization, including the AVMA and ASPCA, recognizes that lethal removal fails because new cats simply move into the vacated territory. This is called the vacuum effect, and it’s been documented for decades.

TNR is the only method that actually reduces population over time. When cats are trapped, spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and returned, the colony stabilizes. No new kittens are born, nuisance behaviors drop, disease risk drops, and the population declines naturally.Killing them is not only inhumane—it’s ineffective, expensive, and often illegal. Feral cats are not “owned” by landowners, and most municipalities prohibit indiscriminate killing of companion animals.

These cats didn’t choose to be abandoned or born outside. TNR is the responsible, evidence‑based solution that protects both the community and the animals.

Multiple peer‑reviewed studies—including a 28‑year longitudinal study and a 12‑year controlled field experiment—show that TNR reduces feral cat populations, decreases shelter euthanasia, and prevents population rebound caused by the vacuum effect. Killing cats does not reduce populations long‑term; TNR does.

1. Long‑term TNR reduces feral cat populations (28‑year study)Spehar & Wolf, 2019 – Animals (Basel)

Demonstrated an 85% population decline over 28 years in a university feral cat colony using TNR.

This is one of the strongest longitudinal data sets showing that TNR works sustainably, not just short‑term.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6826864/?utm&utm_source=copilot.com

2. High‑intensity TNR reduces populations city‑wideGunther et al., 2022 – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)

A 12‑year controlled field experiment found that >70% sterilization coverage led to an annual 7% population reduction, reversing population growth.

Also documents the vacuum effect: killing or removing cats causes immigration and population rebound.

https://www.pnas.org/doi/pdf/10.1073/pnas.2119000119?utm_source=copilot.com&__cf_chl_tk=LaJtftUxw024PkVRS6SB13G0Zrd9TY6Dhm5z9u4g3dU-1789996647-1.0.1.1-Mdf6dIxTQ_DVsONZxBHwqSPQb7z2ixD9vlumsDaqDvA

09/17/2026

08/28/2026

We need your help making room for kittens in need!

We’ve recently welcomed more kittens from the Super 8 colony, and we’re working hard to make space so each little one gets the time, patience, and one‑on‑one socialization they deserve. These new intakes need a quieter environment and extra hands‑on care before they’re ready for adoption.

To give them that space, we’re looking to place the current kittens from the same colony into loving homes.

If you’ve been thinking about adding a kitten (or two!) to your family, now is the perfect time. Adopting one of these babies not only gives them a forever home — it directly helps us open space for the next round of rescues and allows us to continue pulling more kittens from the Super 8 colony.

Please share this post and help us get these sweet babies into their forever homes. Your support truly makes a difference.

07/15/2026

Today (July 15th) is Feline Leukemia Day!

Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is one of the most common and important infectious diseases in cats, affecting between 2-3% of all cats in the United States and Canada. Fortunately, the prevalence of FeLV in cats has decreased significantly in the past 25 years since the development of an effective vaccine and accurate testing procedures.

In 1967 the Leukemia Studies Laboratory (later to be renamed the Feline Health Center) was constructed on Snyder Hill, from help from the National Cancer Institute, for Charles G. Rickard, Fernando Noronha, and John E. Post, to pursue investigation of cancer in cats. Dr. Rickard was a notable teacher and one of the Cornell’s leading researchers, focusing on feline infectious disease and cancer studies. In 1970 the Feline Leukemia Laboratory's transmissible strain of cat leukemia virus provided evidence that feline leukemia is a viral disease.

Click the link below to learn more about FeLV.
https://hubs.la/Q04mJgTl0

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Jwd8YToMg/

07/10/2026

06/19/2026

Animal Protection and Education currently has a litter of three kittens from the Super 8 Colony who were safely rescued and will not be returned to the outdoor TNR colony. They’re estimated to be around 10 weeks old.

These little ones are currently on a 2‑week hold, and after that they’ll be available for foster or foster‑to‑adopt placement. Before going to their new homes, they will be spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and microchipped. Their Momma has already been spayed, vaccinated, chipped and returned.

If you’re interested in helping these babies learn to trust, socialize, and grow into confident companions, please comment below and someone will reach out with more information.

Your home could be the safe place they’ve never had. 💝

06/17/2026

BREAKING: AVMA-endorsed Keeping Pets and Families Together Act introduced in Congress

If passed, the legislation would establish a program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture to encourage the microchipping of dogs and cats in shelters with the goal of quickly returning missing pets to their families.

Read more: https://bit.ly/4ow8rmw

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. 🐾 🐈‍⬛