About
Loved At Last (LAL) is the first and only organization in Raleigh County, WV dedicated specifically to stray and feral cats-- also known as community cats. Loved At Last was loosely formed as an idea in 2004, but our founder’s time spent rescuing in various capacities guided & molded us into what LAL is today. Our founder, Amy, first became involved with ferals and TNR (trap-neuter-return) in 2009 while living in South Florida. While working with a rescue in FL, Amy also learned not only of the hardships of cats living on the streets, but of the plight of the shy, semi-feral, feral, medically needy, hard to adopt, and unadoptable cats that enter shelters and rescues. She had begun rescuing many years prior, but with those special cats she found her rescue calling.
After moving back home to WV, Amy stumbled upon on her first feral colony in Beckley at the beginning of 2014. She began spaying & neutering them, feeding them daily, and placed some of the friendly cats into real homes. Over the course of the following year, she learned of many more cats living on the streets in our community and knew someone in the area needed to act. We made the decision to become “official” in November 2015, then gathered up our first batch of cats for spay/neuter in February 2016. Since then we have caught and spayed & neutered hundreds of cats, rescued nearly 300 cats and kittens from the street life, provided medical care to countless feral cats, and helped dozens of overwhelmed cat people get their cat population under control. Thousands and thousands of kittens have been spared from being born into homelessness and suffering.
Loved At Last lives and breathes for the forgotten cats that the world seems to have turned its back on. They may run, they may hiss, they may growl—but they matter. They need and deserve all the same love and care as the sweetest, fluffiest little kitten. We’re here to provide that to as many as we possibly can, and to be a resource for others in our community who choose to do the same.
No life is insignificant.
Every cat matters.
Our Mission
Loved at Last (LAL) is a refuge to special needs and unadoptable cats & a beacon of hope to the forgotten stray and feral cats living on the streets of Raleigh County. LAL has a core mission of decreasing the population of cats in our community and improving the lives of the existing cat population. LAL adamantly believes that the simple act of spaying and neutering is the key to reducing the number of suffering, homeless, and unwanted cats in our community.
Loved At Last exists to:
- Implement the Community Cat Project
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TNR (trap-neuter-return) feral, stray, and free-roaming cats
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Ensure regular care, food, water, and shelters for feral cat colonies
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Educate community members and business owners about the realities of community cats and humane options for coexisting with them
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Provide community cat caregivers with support, assistance, resources, and education
- Provide a manageable number of medically needy and unadoptable cats with a lifelong home
- Partner with rescue groups to find homes for adoptable cats and kittens
