--- title: AbbeyLaneCats description: AbbeyLaneCats.org volunteers care for cats in a colony Hagerstown, MD, relying on your donations for food, supplies, and veterinary care. --- ##### 😺  "Some of My Best Friends are Cats"  😺 #### ***"Seeing these cats out in the freezing cold is heartbreaking."*** ##### 😺 - Doug Hines, Self-Appointed Cat Aficionado & Advocate for the Abbey Lane Cats 😺 - [About AbbeyLaneCats.org](https://abbeylanecats.org?hsLang=en) - [Please Donate - Help Our Cats!](https://abbeylanecats.org/donate?hsLang=en) - [Cats in Winter](https://abbeylanecats.org/winter?hsLang=en) - [Colony Videos](https://abbeylanecats.org/colonyvideos?hsLang=en) - [Cat Laughs](https://abbeylanecats.org/catlaughs?hsLang=en) - [Colony Tips](https://abbeylanecats.org/tips?hsLang=en) - [Health Matters](https://abbeylanecats.org/cathealth?hsLang=en) - [NeighborhoodCats.org](https://abbeylanecats.org/neighborhoodcats) - [CommunityCatsCentral.com](https://abbeylanecats.org/communitycatscentral.com?hsLang=en) - [Bad Canned Cat Food Ingredients](https://abbeylanecats.org/badcannedcatfoodingredients?hsLang=en) - [Other Cat Stuff](https://abbeylanecats.org/othercatstuff?hsLang=en) - [Call to Service](https://abbeylanecats.org/calltoservice?hsLang=en) - [Contact Us](https://abbeylanecats.org/contact?hsLang=en) ![LOGO - BROWN](https://abbeylanecats.org/hubfs/LOGO%20-%20BROWN.jpg "LOGO - BROWN") #### Hagerstown, Maryland ### 😿 Please Donate 😿 ##### Using the Amazon & PayPal buttons at the bottom of this page --- ### AbbeyLaneCats.org is PROUD FRIENDS with NeighborhoodCats.org [![NeighborhoodCats](https://abbeylanecats.org/hubfs/NeighborhoodCats.png "NeighborhoodCats")](https://www.neighborhoodcats.org/) [![8bc15fc1-e88e-45cb-f86b-b8b7b6c965c0](https://abbeylanecats.org/hs-fs/hubfs/8bc15fc1-e88e-45cb-f86b-b8b7b6c965c0.jpg?width=600&height=400&name=8bc15fc1-e88e-45cb-f86b-b8b7b6c965c0.jpg "8bc15fc1-e88e-45cb-f86b-b8b7b6c965c0")](https://mailchi.mp/neighborhoodcats/fall-kitten-season?e=f79bd11c5a) [Click Here](https://mailchi.mp/neighborhoodcats/fall-kitten-season?e=f79bd11c5a) to read the recent email from Neighborhoodcats.org. --- ### We often support cats featured by [NEIGHBORHOODCATS.org](https://www.neighborhoodcats.org/) [![Screen Shot 2025-12-03 at 18.37.24](https://abbeylanecats.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202025-12-03%20at%2018.37.24.png?width=500&height=139&name=Screen%20Shot%202025-12-03%20at%2018.37.24.png "Screen Shot 2025-12-03 at 18.37.24")](https://www.neighborhoodcats.org/) [Click Here](https://www.neighborhoodcats.org/) to visit the NeighborhoodCats website. [![db713b5e-7a95-b30d-691c-2b5bc294f141](https://abbeylanecats.org/hubfs/db713b5e-7a95-b30d-691c-2b5bc294f141.jpg "db713b5e-7a95-b30d-691c-2b5bc294f141")](https://donate.neighborhoodcats.org/campaign/838863/donate) [Please Help Save Dirty Larry!](https://donate.neighborhoodcats.org/campaign/838863/donate) **It was a hot late-August day but Dirty Larry was shivering as he crouched on a street corner last week in Brooklyn.** The stray’s black and white coat was grimy, tattered and checkered with fresh scrapes on his face and hind legs. His little head drooped. When Sofia, on her way back from the store, saw him, he was struggling to eat from a plate a passerby had left on the ground. Racing home, Sofia grabbed a carrier and hurried to the rescue. Once he was safely captured, she called Neighborhood Cats for help. What happened to the poor boy? **How did he end up, broken and alone, on a city sidewalk?** No one knows. What we do know is he’s a good, kind soul with a warm heart. Even though he’s frightened, he never hisses or bites or raises a paw when his foster mom reaches into his recovery kennel. Instead, his worried and gently bewildered expression says he yearns to be friends. **But Dirty Larry is fighting for his life.** An emergency exam, completed right after his rescue, diagnosed multiple serious ailments. He has advanced dental disease. The raw ulcers and broken teeth riddling his mouth make eating nearly impossible, leaving him skeletal with bones visible under his matted fur. Worsening infection and spreading bacteria have caused congestion and muscle wasting. His nose and lips, which should be rosy pink, are bleached pale as parchment by crippling anemia. Though dental surgery can end his suffering, Dirty Larry is currently too weak to survive sedation, so he’s on a near-liquid diet, laced with the medications he needs to grow stronger. Soon, another round of blood tests will tell us if he’s stable enough to proceed. Despite every obstacle, Dirty Larry isn’t giving up! **There’s a spark of hope in those big, pleading eyes.** He wants to get better, and he can - with your support. [Please, will you donate today towards his lifesaving care?](https://us.list-manage.com/RhYc8B0o9K_?e=f79bd11c5a&c2id=29ffb00a327aaa3f38a7ba72ed6e0a3e&m=Kvq0VkYoXn8uSFONKnzwXWWaigqnD0AakUvov7I7810zf3RQVAzpH48y7jVL) Any amount will help Dirty Larry reach the better tomorrow he deserves. ![77b2d02e-e0c4-935c-83cd-dd401abe738a](https://abbeylanecats.org/hs-fs/hubfs/77b2d02e-e0c4-935c-83cd-dd401abe738a.png?width=110&height=110&name=77b2d02e-e0c4-935c-83cd-dd401abe738a.png "77b2d02e-e0c4-935c-83cd-dd401abe738a") ![77e76fb2-8add-b834-54fb-76755652cfc6](https://abbeylanecats.org/hs-fs/hubfs/77e76fb2-8add-b834-54fb-76755652cfc6.png?width=167&height=84&name=77e76fb2-8add-b834-54fb-76755652cfc6.png "77e76fb2-8add-b834-54fb-76755652cfc6") **Susan Richmond,** Executive Director [Neighborhood Cats](https://www.neighborhoodcats.org/) ### NeighborhoodCats has perfectly expressed why thousands of people have become cat colony caregivers... **"Why work with ferals?** It’s a question we’re often asked. When there’s so much wrong in the world today, **why choose to work with animals you may never be able to touch?** Who must be trapped to get them fixed and handled carefully so you don’t get hurt? Who are misunderstood by many and resented simply for being there? Because their lives have value. **Because they feel want, pain and, yes, love like everyone.** Because they’re innocent and need us. And because you want us to help them, something you make clear every time you donate. [Please consider a generous gift to our Holiday Rescue Fund](https://donate.neighborhoodcats.org/holiday-rescue-fund) and make it possible for us to save more of these precious lives in 2026." [![NeighborhoodCats](https://abbeylanecats.org/hubfs/NeighborhoodCats.png "NeighborhoodCats")](https://www.neighborhoodcats.org/) ![CatInShelter](https://abbeylanecats.org/hubfs/CatInShelter.jpg "CatInShelter") ![Screen Shot 2026-01-01 at 11.56.21](https://abbeylanecats.org/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202026-01-01%20at%2011.56.21.png "Screen Shot 2026-01-01 at 11.56.21") ![Screen Shot 2026-01-01 at 11.56.39](https://abbeylanecats.org/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202026-01-01%20at%2011.56.39.png "Screen Shot 2026-01-01 at 11.56.39") ![Screen Shot 2026-01-01 at 11.56.59](https://abbeylanecats.org/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202026-01-01%20at%2011.56.59.png "Screen Shot 2026-01-01 at 11.56.59") ### Cat Caregivers: Unsung Heroes Appreciated Worldwide  In many corners of the globe, the quiet dedication of those who care for feral and stray cat colonies is not only accepted but genuinely appreciated as an act of compassion and community spirit. Here are some inspiring examples: - **Turkey** (especially Istanbul): Rooted in cultural and religious traditions that revere cats, feeding and caring for strays is seen as a virtuous deed; communities, shopkeepers, and even municipalities support caregivers, viewing them as guardians of a beloved urban tradition. - **Japan:** Government-backed community cat programs honor volunteers who practice Trap-Neuter-Return and daily care; these caregivers are respected as responsible stewards contributing to humane population control and animal welfare. - **Italy** (e.g., Rome): Stray cat colonies at historic sites are legally protected, and those who feed and monitor them are valued for preserving a cherished part of the city's cultural fabric. - **Greece and Cyprus:** On islands and in towns abundant with strays, feeding cats is a common, heartfelt act of kindness that's socially embraced as part of everyday life and tourism charm. --- ###### HAVE CAT FOOD AT HOME THAT YOUR CATS WON'T EAT?  DONATE IT TO THE COLONY CATS! # 😿 Please Donate 😿 ### We Need Food and It's Freezing Outside. [AMAZON WISH LIST - the cats' favorite foods](https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2UNMVETICE4GW?ref_=wl_share) ![QR Code - Amazon](https://abbeylanecats.org/hs-fs/hubfs/QR%20Code%20-%20Amazon.png?width=139&height=139&name=QR%20Code%20-%20Amazon.png "QR Code - Amazon") [PAYPAL Offers a Simple Way to Contribute](https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=S6Q8X7VXBBNAY) ![QR Code - PayPal](https://abbeylanecats.org/hs-fs/hubfs/QR%20Code%20-%20PayPal.png?width=130&height=130&name=QR%20Code%20-%20PayPal.png "QR Code - PayPal") --- [Home Page](https://abbeylanecats.org/?hsLang=en) [Top of Page](https://abbeylanecats.org/neighborhoodcats#TopOfPageAnchor) --- ####  Save a Life... Fall in Love... Adopt a Cat®  © 2025 AbbeyLaneCats.org. All rights reserved.