MISSOULA — There are hundreds of stray cats in Missoula. It's a population that will continue to rise without prevention and community support.
AdvoCats is a new non-profit foster cat organization in Missoula whose two founders have a goal to combat rising feral cat populations while finding strays a loving home.
Tasha Bradshaw and Alice Judd connected over their passion for caring for stray cats. Judd posted on Facebook about her efforts to support a cat colony near Walmart in Missoula. Bradshaw responded, offering to help trap some of the cats.
Trap, neuter and release (TNR) is a process to safely trap stray cats with food, spay or neuter and vaccinate them, then return the cat to their original space. It’s used as a tactic to prevent cat repopulation, and it’s something Bradshaw has done on her own for years.
“Cats — it’s just an ever-growing population. It’s never-ending. It will never stop populating” Bradshaw says. “So I think that’s like our main thing, is so that we can help the overpopulation of cats.”
After Bradshaw helped Judd with the Walmart cat colony, the two got to work on creating AdvoCats. Just this year, they were able to finish the documentation to become their own, registered non-profit.
“We filled out all the paperwork, and then every day checking, did we get it? Did we get it?” Judd says.
"We were so excited when we got through all that paperwork," Bradshaw says.
Thanks to AdvoCats, the women are able to increase their TNR program and as the weather gets warmer, they expect to be trapping twice a week. They will also be participating in the TNR event with the Arlee Rehabilitation Center on April 6, 2024.
In addition to their TNR program, AdvoCats offers a low-income spay/neuter program for cat owners who can’t afford the entire procedure themselves. They typically ask families to pay between $30 and $45, with AdvoCats covering the rest. A form for the program can be found on their website.
Spay Your Mama is another opportunity for cat owners through AdvoCats. If a domesticated cat has a litter of kittens, Bradshaw and Judd will spay the mom and dad for free if they can rehome the kittens. AdvoCats is able to get reduced rates from local veterinarians for spay and neuter operations. However, the procedure can cost $75, and the women rely on donations to be able to pay.
Monetary donations are the biggest need for AdvoCats, according to Bradshaw. Donations can be made through the AdvoCats Venmo.
Working against cat repopulation isn’t the only mission of AdvoCats — they also work to find adoptable cats new homes.
“Just hopefully giving them a better future,” Judd says.
They currently have a small network of fosters and take some cats into their own homes, but they have a need for new foster homes which are critical for rehabilitating unhealthy cats. AdvoCats will cover litter, food and medical supplies for anyone willing to foster.
“It’s just amazing to be able to see something that had no chance at life, blossom and grow into this beautiful animal and a friend,” Bradshaw says.
Bradshaw rescued her first cat while attending college, a cat, named Oscar, that her parents still own. Ever since Oscar, she’s been dedicated to turning the lives around of struggling feral cats.
A list of adoptable cats is on their website, including a six and five-year-old mother and son duo. The older cats are more difficult to rehome.
“We’re just hoping we’ll find somebody for these guys,” Judd says.
Overall, the goal of AdvoCats is to join the network of organizations who support stray cats and give them a voice.
“They are pretty tough, but they shouldn’t have to be that tough,” Judd says.
In addition to fostering or donating, the community can support AdvoCats by giving them litter, cat food or other cat supplies.
