We were at a loss for words when we got the call back for help with a kitten we rescued. The CAT action teams should have capes since they are real heros. We cannot thank them enough for being generous and helpful when we could hardly afford groceries let alot vet bills. You saved us by saving this sweet girl. Thank you for our sweet Edwina!
I read about CAT and their mission. My first effort was to send donations. We were listed as emergency back up only fosters. And the call came. They needed a place for a 4 month old female who was living in a dangerous setting. My son, who was quite ill, named her Sassy and proclaimed she was not leaving. So Sassy became our first rescue cat. She quickly told the two rescue dogs that she was in charge. Spin forward. I agreed to work as a volunteer with CAT coordinating Donor Relations and fundraising..... All in memory of my son who gave Sassy a new life.
A good friend, who knew how much I love cats, recommended that I volunteer to help the Cat Action Team. Betsy - the president of CAT - started me off with trapping feral cats, and taking them to a vet, and getting them fixed. I continued trapping wherever I was needed. I also volunteered to transport cats - to their vet appointment; picking up cats at their homes and taking them to a foster or their new home, etc. Feeding feral cat colonies; and whatever else was needed. And so much more. It's very gratifying to help the cats and people who need help with their cats.
I just met Michelle a while back when I rescued 4 newborn kittens. Her and Betsy have been absolutely amazing from day 1. They were able to provide me every single thing these babies needed other than my time. They saved me a fortune of money and even took care of all of the vet bills. I was able to adopt 3 of the babies out. Unfortunately one of them had to be euthanized because he was born with no femur and was in a great deal of pain. Michelle even picked him up and took him to the vet for me that morning just because I didn’t have the heart to do it even though I knew it had to be done. I have now took in 3 more foster babies and am so blessed and amazed by the generosity and heartfelt compassion from these guys. ♥️
My family had the wonderful fortune of working with Cat Action Team after we lost our sweet cat to congestive heart failure. We were carefully screened and vetted as potential adopters and then had the opportunity to meet a couple of wonderful kittens and their fosters. Because they’d been raised in a nurturing foster environment, they were already comfortable with people and we learned a lot about their personalities before bringing them home. We wound up adopting two kittens who needed homes and raised them as siblings. We just love Lottie and Cecelia and are so grateful to C.A.T.
Years ago, CAT helped me spay neuter 15 semi feral cats when my neighbors philosophy of oh, we’ll find homes for the kittens stopped working. Of course they didn’t feed them properly. They were all outside. they started coming to my house cause I did feed them. Having previously refused help for spaying… the owner was finally ready for help. CAT helped me find homes for several and spay/neuter all of them. (Owner only wanted his original cat back ) CAT is Fantastic group; great throughout the whole process. Joanne Showalter was… perfect.
An amazing organization that is constantly working to take care of cats in Virginia and find them homes. I’ve fostered several cats for Cat Action Team and have always had a great experience with the members who run this organization.
We adopted a community cat with the help of Cat Action Team and they were amazing every step of the way. We also have friends who have received tons of help from CAT to TNVR or fix and find homes for strays in their neighborhoods/properties. CAT is a great organization helping to find homes for cats and stem the population increase with spay/neuter assistance.
I became a volunteer with the Cat Action Team to be part of a nonprofit that has no paid staff & is an excellent steward of the funds they receive. Every volunteer I've met & worked with is passionate about the Cat Action Team mission of improving the lives of outdoor cats. There are so many ways CAT makes a difference in the Central VA area. The monthly food drives provide food for folks caring for colonies & for those who are financially struggling to feed their pets. CAT receives many requests from those who have cats and/or kittens that need to be spayed or neutered, or need medical attention. I've volunteered at many events where people have stopped to tell me how grateful they were that the Cat Action Team helped them provide the medical care their cat needed. Many others have told me how happy they are with the cat they adopted from the Cat Action Team. The Cat Action Team is a dedicated, hard-working group of volunteers who enjoy what they do!
Wonderful nonprofit, I cannot say enough good things about them. I have volunteered for them as a foster and have recommended them to friends when they have had problems with strays/colonies they need help with. Currently I have five fosters from I colony I am helping TNVR in a neighboring county. They organize twice yearly spay/neuter clinics for ferals - at no cost. I have not seen this done before. Again - awesome organization!!
CAT is a great organization tirelessly working to improve the lives and welfare of stray and abandoned cats in Central Virginia. I support CAT wholeheartedly.
My husband and I manage a mobile home park in Virginia. The park had become almost overrun with feral and semi-feral cats that were either born there or had been dropped there. My aunt had become involved with CAT Action Team, and recommended that I speak with their President, Betsy Ballenger, about getting them to do TNR work in the park. CAT Action Team came in about 6 years ago and since then, they have TNR’d almost 100 colony and residents’ cats. They also regularly supply food to both support the park’s feral colony and help residents feed their pets. They have fostered and found homes for at least 6 kittens/cats that I have personally been involved with at the park, including 4 four-week-old kitten we got out from underneath one of the homes - two of which became my “babies.” I am forever grateful for their continued efforts to provide better lives for all cats, whether indoor or outdoor, feral or tame, loved from afar or within reach of a good scratch.
I had lost my sweet older cat several months prior and decided I needed a new kitten. Cat Action Team had advertised a kitten that I wanted but it was already adopted. They let me know that they had just rescued 3 motherless kittens from a tip and I could have one of them when they were the appropriate age. I ended up adopting two, all black heathy beautiful kittens who had been lovingly bottle fed, weaned, trained, and vetted. CAT is the best!
We adopted 3 kittens from Cat Action Team in June of 2023. I truly cannot say enough good things about this organization. They have the best interest of the cats/kittens in mind at all times and do a thorough job making sure each home is a good fit for the animal in question. The support we received from CAT from the beginning to now (including making sure our one kitten who had some unexpected medical issues was well taken care of) was nothing short of stellar. The individuals who volunteer with this organization are true gems and I cannot recommend this organization enough if you are looking to add a cat or kitten to your family.
I moved to a rural south central Virginia county about 10 years ago. They have never heard of the words spay and neuter here. Instead, they do horrible things like toss kittens out of vehicle windows onto desolate fields, shooting cats/kittens/dogs & puppies for fun, intentionally aiming to run over pets with vehicles, etc. CAT has been a godsend. I am disabled and get by on low income. I’ve trapped roaming feral cats on my property most of the time I’ve lived here and CAT has paid for their spay/neuter, vaccines, flea/tick prevention and medications, if needed. I have a way of working with feral beings and CAT helps get them adopted once they are tame enough to go to a new home. This is an exceptional non profit!
I have been a foster with CAT for about two years now. I have several resident cats but cannot take on anymore full time. CAT is an excellent group to work with. I have been able to open my home and skills to help other cats become socialized then adopted to their loving forever homes. I have also been involved with helping TNR local colonies. There are feeders who love their cats and with our combined diligent efforts we have had success trapping, fixing, vaccinating, and returning cats to their outside homes. CAT is a fully foster/volunteer based group with never ending love to help out cats in need.
I adopted Sigurd the Lucky from a foster mom working through the Cat Action Team. They literally saved this sweet boy’s life and worked to find him a loving, forever home. The process was easy. I felt supported every step of the way. This non-profit truly cares about animal wellbeing and works tirelessly to connect cats and families. Thanks CAT for all of the incredible work you do!
Cat Action Team is amazing! In March our senior cat passed away after being with us for 18 years. We were very concerned about our younger cat being lonely so after a couple of months we began looking for a friend for her. We found Cat Action Team and they brought us to our sweet kitten. The adoption process is very reasonable and they support you through the first vaccines and spaying/neutering. If you are hoping to adopt a cat or kitten I would definitely recommend Cat Action Team.
A few months ago I was in a financial bind. I reached out to CAT Action Team and quickly after they were delivering an abundance of food and cat litter to help us make it out the pinch. I am extremely grateful for this group. They were so kind and non judgemental start to finish.
The Companion Animal Fund of Virginia is proud to support the Cat Action Team! This group of individuals works tirelessly to help cats in our area in so many ways. The cat rescue environment is difficult and involves a wide variety of troublesome issues. CAT rises to meet this challenge in our community by providing care and homes for thousands of animals who would otherwise go under the radar. We are so grateful for the work they do to connect cats with the veterinary, foster, and care needs that are so vital, and for the work they do to connect adopters with cats in need. Thank you, Cat Action Team! You are a vital part of our mission.
Cat Action Team Virginia is an all-volunteer organization that serves the city of Charlottesville and 12 counties in Central Virginia: Albemarle, Augusta, Buckingham, Culpeper, Cumberland, Fluvanna, Goochland, Greene, Louisa, Madison, Nelson and Orange, Virginia. They are making a difference. Feral or outdoor cats are spayed/neutered free of charge. We are seeing fewer and fewer unwanted kittens each year due to trap/neuter/vaccinate/return (T/N/V/R) of unowned neighborhood cats. I highly recommend this group. Cat Action Team oversees 3 of the cat colony sites where several of us feed and look after spayed/neutered cats. I have also received free vet help with one of our feeding group's favorite cats. There is also a pet food pantry. Several times a month volunteers will be at local pet stores collecting much needed cat food. Volunteers also foster cats and find good homes for friendly cats and barn cats.
I had been feeding a colony of feral kitties for years...7 days per week!...when Betsy, who spearheaded Cat Action Team, saw me and offered to help. She found volunteers (wonderful, dedicated people) to help with some of the feedings and helped trap and spay/neuter several of the cats. She also provided a cat house/feeding station. It's now 11 years later and we have not had new kittens in several years.
I first found Cat Action Team in 2020 when I needed help TNVRing a community cat. I live in a rural county where there are no shelters and little support for stray animals. I was grateful that a Google search connected me with Cat Action Team, which provides TNVR, fostering, and adoption support to many rural counties that don't have great access to those support services.
CAT Action provided me with a trap, instructions, and covered the medical bills for the cat that we were helping. It wasn't long after that I began volunteering with CAT Action Team in other ways.
I have since fostered multiple sets of feral, older kittens who I was able to socialize so that they could find good forever homes. I know that often older feral kittens may not have the opportunity to be able to be socialized, so I'm grateful that CAT Action gave them the chance at different life. I've also volunteered as a transporter, bringing cats to TNVR appointments for other community members, and assisted in trapping other cats for TNVR.
I look forward to a continued volunteering relationship with CAT Action and am so grateful to have them as part of our community.
The Cat Action Team (CAT) does important work in my city and twelve additional counties in Central Virginia. That work includes but is not limited to trapping, neutering, vaccinating, and returning community cats to their habitat; supporting cat colonies; and helping cats find their forever homes through CAT's foster and adoption programs.
Not long ago, a cat made a temporary home in my townhouse community. I was able to get the cat into my home but not into a carrier to take her to be checked for a microchip. I reached out to Ms. Ballenger, CAT President, who graciously allowed me to borrow a trap. I was eventually able to humanely trap the cat and have her checked for a microchip. She did, indeed, have a microchip and was subsequently reunited with her family. I am very grateful to Ms. Ballenger and the other wonderful feline advocates of the CAT and am happy to support their work with a monthly donation. I wish all communities had organizations like the CAT.
I first came in contact with Cat Action last fall. They have helped us TNVR thirteen feral cats. They also continue to help and support us as well as other people in Virginia. We are very thankful for all that they do for cats and kittens. They also work with other agencies to help animals. Most recently they helped us neuter two kittens and had surgery performed on a female feral kitten with a ruptured eye. Virginia is lucky to have Cat Action to help feral colonies. The calico is one of the thirteen from last year. The gray kitten is one that we took in and are giving a forever home.
I'm the volunteer manager for Fluvanna County, and have been with the Cat Action Team for three years now. When people contact us to get their cats in Fluvanna fixed, I then work with them, explaining how the TNR program works. I help to trap the cats, and also provide the traps and train the person in how to trap themselves. I then help by transporting the cats to a vet, then return. Local vets give us lower rates so that we can help more cats. The majority of the people that we work with cannot afford to their cats spayed or neutered, without the help of the Cat Action Team. It gives me a great feeling inside, helping the cats and the people.
I'm Parke Stanley, aka CatMan of Waynesboro, VA. I'm very LUCKY to have discovered The Cat Action Team (CAT) and especially its amazing President Betsy Ballenger!! I'm retired, kids are grown, live alone. My group of 9 sweet cats means the WORLD to me, and would NOT be possible without the support of CAT: it has provided spay/neuter, some medical care, and food for my cats at NO charge to me. My cozy group of kitties provides much needed emotional support for me, and would NOT be possible without the aid of CAT!!! If you'd like to learn more about CAT, and hopefully make a donation, please visit: catactionteam.org Thanks
The volunteer team here at the Orange County Humane Society is so grateful for all of the assistance we receive from the volunteers at Cat Action Team. They are so wonderful about reaching across borders to help with the many feral or Community cat colonies that are discovered in Orange County. It is not often that we find organizations like CAT, who are willing to work so diligently & selflessly to assist us in obtaining care for the kitties in our county. We can always count on them to help us with trapping, transporting, & arranging for veterinary care.
Many thanks CAT. What would we do without you?!
I’m a cat foster with Cat Action Team in Albemarle County, VA. I started fostering cats a couple of years with a Georgia rescue before moving to Virginia, and stated searching for a cat rescue to work with with before moving to Virginia. From a fostering perspective, what drew me to CAT was they were a cat only rescue, and they seemed to do a lot of vetting of kittens/cats before they went into a foster home, which isn’t always the case in rescue. I also loved they had a strong TNVR program, and supported community members who might need assistance keeping their own cats fed and healthy. I’ve been fostering for CAT on and off over the last year, and I can say that everything I expected of being a CAT is true - they vet cats before they’re placed in my home, any medical issue that comes up when in foster is addressed, and they attract such great adopters. I stay in regular touch with 90% of the people who adopted the kittens/cats I fostered, and love to watch them grow. I cannot say enough about the wonderful work of Cat Action Team.
I’ve recently volunteered with CAT and I love the mission of this organization. It helps seniors, low income families, and people with disabilities keep their pets by providing food and other supplies. It also does TNR work, fostering, adoption services, and more. I recently took traps to an older gentleman who had an overpopulation of cats on his property. By partnering with local ASPCA groups, those cats will be spayed or neutered and then adopted out. It’s great to be part of this group.
We recently had our two wonderful cats pass away unexpectedly. We really missed them. After a month or so we contacted Cat Action Team and they told us about Petey. Petey is the friendlies most cuddly cat we have ever met. Cat Action told us everything they knew about Petey.... 7 years old, no teeth...but eats anything, was an outdoor cat (with indoor experience) who doesn't show much interest in going out anymore, can't jump really high due to a injury as a kitten and gets along with small dogs and is litter trained. He is the most loving and comfort giving cat-en (cat/kitten) we have ever met. We have always adopted older cats and previously had a toothless cat so none of this was new to us. It only took about a week for Petey to acclimate to our household and our dogs (Lab and Hound) He is the joy of our life and our constant companion. The best thing about our adoption with Cat Action Team is that we could count on what they told us. It was an easy adoption process, meeting with them and filling out paperwork. We will certainly contact Cat Action Team again when needed in the future.
The Cat Action Team is an incredible organization. A three-legged feral cat appeared in my backyard during an ice storm. Betsy of CAT trapped it, took it to the CSPCA for care, and found it a fabulous home. I was grateful. A year later a semi-feral cat appeared in my yard and again Betsy of CAT helped me to trap it and took it to the CSPCA for care. Over a period of FOUR YEARS, Betsy guided me to domesticate this beast and in the end rehome it as an indoor kitty to a loving retired couple. I am grateful beyond words for what the Cat Action Team did for these two wild spirits and for me.