About Us

Note: Cat Zip Alliance is a resource, not a rescue. We will not remove cats from your property. We will provide you the tools and support you need to effectively and humanely manage these cats.

Cat Zip Alliance (CZA) was officially formed on January 15, 2007 by board members Kelly Bettinger, Lisa Lowe, and Angell Darvalics.  It is a nonprofit organization with 501(3)(c) tax exempt status.

The mission of CZA is to substantially reduce the number of homeless cats and put an end to unnecessary euthanasia and feline overpopulation in Athens-Clarke County and surrounding communities by actively promoting and practicing the principles of responsible feral cat management. 

CZA serves as an umbrella organization for "Campus Cats" and "Kitty Crusaders" (formerly "Community Cats"). Campus Cats has a long history of individuals across the University of Georgia working voluntarily to humanely reduce the feral cat population on campus. In 2005, several volunteers came together to coordinate their efforts and began tracking their results. See the Campus Cats E-Newsletter for more details. 

Hundreds of UGA faculty, staff, and students have expressed support for the Campus Cats program which is being developed in a similar way to many of the highly successful campus and other feral cat management programs in the country. For a list of the programs, please see the Links Section.

PLEASE NOTE: CZA is NOT an organization that can trap and remove felines from property where they are not wanted. There are estimated 20,000 feral cats & kittens in Athens-Clarke County and not enough alternative homes for them. This is one reason why we support responsible feral cat management, which has been proven to reduce feral cat populations over time. That being said, CZA is happy to provide advice to individuals who want to learn how to help homeless cats and kittens themselves. Many individuals in Athens have already shown their support for CZA by educating themselves and taking actions that benefit both the cats and our community.  

EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS' BIOS

Kelly Bettinger, CZA Vice-President & Campus Cats Program Coordinator

Kelly A. Bettinger, research assistant in the Department of Plant Biology, received her B.S. in in Wildlife Management from Virginia Tech in 1989, and her M.S. in Wildlife Biology from Oregon State University in 1996. She has more than 14 years experience in avian research and monitoring and taught an annual workshop on monitoring protocol and birding by ear. Where appropriate, she advocates the humane and proven technique of TNR as the best solution for reducing feral cat populations and subsequently reducing conflicts with wildlife.  

Angell Darvalics, CZA President and Secretary

Angell moved to the Athens area from Oregon in 2007. She is a vegan who has been involved in the animal community for many years and is always looking for ways to have a positive impact. Before she moved to Athens, Angell was a clinic manager for a nonprofit spay and neuter clinic. She has served on a number of committees for humane societies and other nonprofit animal organizations including the Feral Cat Coalition. She also started “Angel Bunny Rescue,” an organization responsible for reducing bunny euthanasia in Central Oregon. Angel has a B.A. in Criminology and is in the process of earning her Master's in Business Administration. She was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy after 41/2 years of service. She has three cats, two dogs, and two bunnies.  

Lisa M. Lowe, CZA Board Member & Start-up Web Page Development Coordinator

Lisa is originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, and her love of nature was developed at an early age on her grandfather's Christmas Tree Farm in Bad Axe, Michigan. She earned her B.S. Degree in Psychology at Michigan State University. When Lisa moved to Georgia to earn her M.A. in Psychology at the University of West Georgia, she met her husband and decided to stay in Georgia. She and her husband both work for the University of Georgia. Oddly enough, they thought the first pet they would get would be a dog but they ended up being adopted by 3 feral kittens. After much education by those kittens and other felines to follow, Lisa has gained several years of expertise in trapping, socializing, and caring for feral felines. Some of the biggest lessons came when she and her husband relocated and converted a colony of 9 feral felines into indoor cats when the cats' lives were anonymously threatened at an apartment complex. Lisa is also managing a colony of "Campus Cats" which includes one of the oldest known (verified by multiple people) feral cats living on a college campus in the U.S. "Kitty Tom" is 14 years old which is over 80 years old in human years!

Abby Griner, CZA Board Member, Kitty Crusaders Program Coordinator, and Webmaster

Abby has always wanted to be more involved in the animal community and finally saw a wonderful opportunity to do so after she moved to Athens in 2005. Abby moved to Athens from Savannah to work as an archivist at University of Georgia's Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies. Oddly enough, Abby had never "owned" a cat until she moved to Athens. However, an abandoned cat quickly adopted her and her husband, and now, she has a furry family of four kitties and a three-legged rescue rabbit! Abby soon realized that homeless cats are a major problem in the Athens area as in most urban areas in the U.S. After being educated from fellow cat lovers and conducting her own projects in trapping, socializing, and caring for both domesticated and feral cats, Abby decided her next step was to join with others in the area in order to make the most positive impact.