ACAT formed in early 2010 because of a need to help cats and to help humans help cats. Our mission includes rescue, education, outreach and coordination with other rescue groups, both private and government. Our two-pronged approach to cat rescue means we divide our efforts between finding homes for cats and education & outreach. We make every effort to be assured that a kitten homed through ACAT will never become a breeding cat. To do this, we require a $50 deposit toward the spay or neuter of any kitten adopted before the recommended age of altering of most veterinarians. The new owner may use any veterinarian or clinic he or she chooses. Older kittens, teen and adult cats are altered prior to homing. When we take in a litter of kittens, we work with the owner of the mother cat to make sure she is spayed, arranging and generally paying for the procedure. ACAT is a no-kill organization. That means each cat that come into ACAT's care is kept in the organization until it can be found a home or, in rare instance, transferred to another organization that can better find a home for the cat. Cats are only euthanized for medical reasons, on advice of a veterinarian. ACAT isn't just about helping those cats and kittens we home. It's about helping reduce the number of unwanted pets through education. ACAT teams with other rescue organizations to spread the word that pets need to be spayed and neutered before they near breeding age.