CONOVER, N.C., Nov. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Alley Cat Allies, the leader of the global movement to protect cats and kittens, is increasing its reward to a record $20,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) who shot Trooper the cat with an orange-tipped blowgun dart. The act of cruelty ultimately took Trooper’s life.

Alley Cat Allies is working with the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office as the investigation continues. However, additional information is critical to secure an arrest and conviction. Anyone with tips or information is urged to contact the Sheriff’s Office at 828-466-5112 or to email sheriffoffice@catawbacountync.gov.

“By raising this reward to a record high for our organization, Alley Cat Allies is reinforcing our commitment to seeing acts of cruelty against cats prosecuted and penalized to the fullest extent of the law,” said Coryn Julien, program communications officer at Alley Cat Allies. “Trooper deserves that justice. Every animal who is subjected to cruelty or neglect deserves no less than the full force of strong anti-cruelty laws.”

On June 26, Trooper was found with the dart in her side in a shopping center parking lot near a golf car shop at 6576 N NC Hwy 16 in the city of Conover. She may have received the injury days before she was discovered.

Once Trooper was rescued and rushed to the veterinarian, Alley Cat Allies covered the costs of her emergency medical treatment. Although she survived surgery to remove the dart, the damage caused by the weapon was ultimately too severe. Trooper passed away peacefully while receiving expert veterinary care.

On behalf of Trooper and cats across Catawba County, Alley Cat Allies will also launch a public awareness campaign, including targeted advertising, to rally community support for justice for Trooper and encourage anyone with information about her case to come forward.

Alley Cat Allies researches and educates communities about the well-established link between animal cruelty and child abuse, domestic violence, and adverse mental health and community health outcomes. Research has found that violence against animals is predictive of, and often co-occurring with, violence against people. To protect both animals and people, animal cruelty must be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

Again, anyone with information is urged to contact the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office at 828-466-5112 or at sheriffoffice@catawbacountync.gov. More information is available at alleycat.org. Alley Cat Allies reward terms and conditions can be found at alleycat.org/RewardTerms.

About Alley Cat Allies

Alley Cat Allies believes every cat deserves to live out his or her life to the fullest.

Founded in 1990, Alley Cat Allies is the leading advocacy organization for cats with a mission to transform and develop communities to protect and improve the lives of all cats and kittens. Together with our over 1.8 million supporters, we work toward a world where cats are valued and every community has humane and effective programs and policies to defend them.

Through our fearless advocacy, humane care, education and outreach, and law and policy activism, we equip and mobilize citizens, advocates, grassroots groups, shelters, veterinary professionals, and elected officials across the United States and around the world to improve their communities for cats through nonlethal, evidence-based approaches.

Our website is www.alleycat.org, and we are active on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, Bluesky, Threads, and YouTube. Charlene Pedrolie is the president and chief operating officer of Alley Cat Allies.

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SOURCE Alley Cat Allies