As we head into the season of Thanksgiving, you might be thinking about contributing to charities – and I don’t mean the bellies of your feline friends! (That’s a year-round charity, as we all know.) You may be thinking of the many sad cases of homeless furry friends all over the country – not to mention neglected and abused animals – and wondering what you can do to help. That’s why I’ve put together a list of four top animal charities that are the cat’s meow – and the dog’s bark.

ALLEY CAT ALLIES

Image via twitter @alleycatallies

If you’re interested in improving the global treatment of cats, Alley Cat Allies is one animal charity you want to know about. They’ve been operating since 1990, and have spent nearly three decades championing TNR as, paws-down, the best method for managing community cat colonies. TNR stands for Trap-Neuter-Return, describing the process whereby homeless cats are humanely trapped, taken to a vet for sterilization, and then released back into their community. And, as they point out, “Before Alley Cat Allies, TNR was unknown in America, and no local government endorsed it. Today, a growing list of over 600 municipalities have officially embraced TNR.”

They’ve grown from their roots to fight globally for cats: they educate and train grassroots advocates to fight for reform in local public policies about cats, they work with shelters to improve their cat programs and transparency, and they strive to change public society’s view of cats through education.

If you donate to them, you can rest easy knowing over 85% of their funds go into their cat-saving and cat-assisting programs.

AMERICAN HUMANE

Image via Facebook @americanhumane

The American Humane charity is an oldie – and such a goodie! They’ve been working to serve animals in need for more than 100 years.You read that right: over a century. Don’t ask me to figure out how long that is in cat years – just rest assured it’d take a few of those nine lives to tally up. They operate many different programs to help animals across the nation, from providing rapid response rescues to animals during natural disasters, to ensuring that the animals used in Hollywood films are being treated humanely. They also offer funding to help veterans get service dogs, and grants to help offset the costs of rescuing neglected or abused animals.

Charity Navigator gives them a high rating, noting that over 80% of their finances are put into their various programs and services.

If you don’t have money to give but you have plenty of time, American Humane would love your help in assisting animals in crisis. They have an Animal Emergency Services volunteer responders program, and they need volunteers to do everything from communications to operations to logistics. Whatever your skill set, there’s a place for you to help at this animal charity.

ANIMAL LEGAL DEFENSE FUND

Image via Animal Friends

The Animal Legal Defense Fund bills itself as “the legal voice for all animals,” and it’s not just asking for tuna. This animal charity organization files lawsuits for the protection of animals of all kinds, from captive animals and animals used in research to wildlife, companion animals, and farmed animals. They also provide free legal help to those striving against animal cruelty, and they offer support to law students (and related professionals) who are advancing the field of animal law. They do all of this and so much more: they’re about to celebrate 40 years of fighting to protect animals!

For those who wish to be animal advocates (or Beastmasters! No – beastfriends?), they outline several practical ways you can help. You can pledge to boycott roadside zoos, puppy mills, and voice your opposition to Ag-Gag laws simply by filling out a form. They also offer a Young Advocate Action Kit to help get kids involved, and outline how folks can use their voices by writing letters to the editor of various newspapers and other publications. And, of course, you can donate money and feel reassured that 75% of their operating budget goes into their programs.

PETCO FOUNDATION

Image via Facebook @petcofoundation

The Petco Foundation has a pretty nifty system going, where they evaluate pro-animal organizations, determine which ones have the most relative impact, and then invest in those high impact groups! They’ve been able to strongly back animal welfare organizations, support pet cancer research and treatment, back innovation in approaches to animal lifesaving, and support service and therapy pets. Since Petco is also a retail store with 1500 locations, they can leverage those locations as adoption centers and promote the adoption of more dogs and cats. It’s pretty great.

And, thanks to Charity Navigator, we know that the PetCo Foundation uses 90% of their funds to put their money where homeless kitties’ mouths are. In a manner of speaking.

Now, as you plan your warm and generous Thanksgiving feast, you can give a little something to ensure homeless pets and animals of all sorts can stay warm and fed, too. That’s something to give thanks for – drop into the comments and tell us your favorite animal charity to support.