Animal Advocacy - Welfare - Activism

This year, among other awards, the About.com Readers' Choice Awards will honor the Best Non-Profit Cats-Only Organization. You may nominate up to five groups with this fill-in-the-blanks form.

For the Readers' Choice Awards, the Cats site will be honoring the best non-profit pets organizations. You may nominate up to five non-profit pets group with this form.

About.com Cats is participating in the 5th annual About.com Readers' Choice Awards. This year, among other awards, we will honor the Best Website advocating against the declawing of cats. You may nominate up to five pro-claws Websites with this fill-in-the-blanks form.

This year I am joining my voice with other advocates for cats to help this planet become a safer, more hospital place for the world of cats.

Dedicated cat lovers will love these dual-purpose gifts that benefit animals at large. These are my top picks of Humane Gifts for Cat Lovers.

I'd love for you to share some of the things you do to help shelter cats and other less fortunate cats during the holidays. Please use all the space available, and set an example for other readers.

Most animal shelters and cat rescue groups could not exist were it not for volunteer help. Especially during bad economic times, municipal and county governments are tightening up the budgets, and shelters depend more and more on volunteers. Yours is a sacred trust - the comfort and loving care you give these caged cats brings happiness to lives where there is little to be happy about. Share your…

Each year I publish Cat-Friendly Resolutions, and some years I am better than others at keeping them. That doesn't stop me from determining that this year will be different, though. You are encouraged to post your own resolutions for this brand new year. They can be things you intend to do for your own cats, or more altruistic plans for the world of cats, such as volunteering at a shelter. Post …

The first decade of the 21st century has been an Age of Awareness for many cat lovers. Events such as the pet food recalls of 2007 certainly were a jolting enlightenment to the necessity of learning more about what goes into the food our cats eat. Many of us have also learned that one person can make a difference for cats, and we have put that knowledge to good use. What was your single most "ah…

While we enjoy buying gifts for our loved ones, many of us embrace the true spirit of the winter holidays by reaching out to others less fortunate. Not every worthwhile holiday activity involves spending money, and one includes gift purchases which benefit shelter cats. Pick one or more of these holiday activities to recapture the joy of the...

Mimi Ausland is a 12 year old kid who is obviously headed for great things. She has had a love affair with animals for most of her life, and eventually channeled that love into freekibble.com, a web site that is accomplishing miracles for animals in shelters across the U.S. Read my profile and interview with this most amazing youngster.

L.A. County officials and Animal Control have been waging all-out war against a managed colony of stray and feral cats who have been living for years at Ranch Los Amigos. Their aim is to trap and kill the cats, prevent TNR groups from feeding them, and other inhumane measures. FailSafe4Cats, whose members manage the cats, are negotiating with limited success. View this YouTube video by whospuss, then contact the L.A. authorities to voice your support for the FailSafe4Cats efforts.

While we all know a number of valid reasons why adopting shelter cats does a huge service to cats, have you ever considered the benefits humans derive from adopting a cat from a shelter? A cat named Wellington shares this information from the viewpoint of a cat.

When a friend sent me a link to the I Buy Strays site (which you won't see on my site), my initial reaction was (as intended) horror, disgust, and sorrow that irresponsible readers might willingly sell their unwanted cats to this villain. The entire site appears to be a sleazy appeal to all those tendencies I personally loathe in irresponsible pet owners: the willingness to dump their cats and dogs like used furniture at the first sign of disillusionment with their "cuteness.

Cat collectors often do a disservice to the very cats they profess to love when their good intentions get out of hand. Even legitimate animal rescuers are sometimes at risk, when illness or financial hard times enters the picture.

During kitten season, the ongoing cat overpopulation problems become increasingly severe. Hundreds of thousands of kittens end up in shelters, which are already overcrowded. Many of the kittens find homes, at the expense of older cats who have been waiting in vain. Read these reasons why to consider adopting an older cat in this illustrated article, and why to spay and neuter your cats.

While cats and dogs are considered beloved family members in homes all over the world, the law takes a different view by generally regarding pets as property.

Since the development in 2002 by Genetic Savings and Clone, Inc., of the first cloned cat, Copy Cat, the issue of cloning cats has become a topic for ethical debate. Now that the first commercially cloned kitten has been sold, the debate is heating up. Learn more about the history of cat cloning, and where it might go from here.

Press release of Home 4 the Holidays, an annual adoption program started by Helen Woodward Animal Center and sponsored by Iams, PetFinder.org and Petco.

Join me for a photo tour of Tony LaRussa's ARF (Animal Rescue Foundation), a state-of-the-art no-kill shelter for cats and dogs, located in Walnut Creek California.

Founded on a dream, managed with sound principles, by selfless volunteers, and a dedicated board of trustees, Tabby's Place is truly the epitome of a cat sanctuary. One of my biggest pleasures is the monthly update on the special needs cats I sponsor. I highly recommend the experience.

Being a responsible owner of a cat comes with certain financial obligations. If you are not prepared to meet these costs, it is better to not adopt a cat at all. Irresponsibility carries its own costs, in terms of sacrifices to a cat's health and well-being, along with the potential heartbreak of the loss of the cat.

Jim Willis is a prolific writer and animal advocate, whose essays have been a source of inspiration to thousands of rescue workers, including the selfless souls who work in "kill shelters." He has generously shared writings from his recent book, " Pieces of my Heart - Writings Inspired by Animals and Nature," and it is only fitting that he have his own index on this site.

This writer is sickened by the various inhumane methods used across the U.S. in many "shelters," and is advocating for a national law, which he is promoting in the Killing with Kindness campaign, which he jointly founded.

"Owner" or "Guardian?" "Pet" or "Companion Animal?" In an effort to be politically correct, for several years now I have struggled with using these terms, but I am here today to say, "Enough is enough!"