A fundraiser for two Alabama women arrested last year for trespassing during efforts to feed and trap feral cats has raised more than $80,000 for their legal defense, according to the GoFundMe page.

Wetumpka police officers arrested Mary Alston, 61, and Beverly Roberts, 85, last summer when they found the women feeding cats near the courthouse. City officials had already informed Roberts that she could be arrested if she fed cats at the courthouse and told Alston that morning to stop setting out traps.

Local officials said the cats had inflicted damage on county-owned vehicles parked on public property and that the women’s outreach had attracted unwanted wildlife to the area. The women’s attorneys argued that their efforts could help control the cat population and reduce the number of unwanted felines. The case attracted national attention from animal rights activists who objected to the arrests.

“Compassion is not a crime,” said Alice Burton, director of programs for Alley Cat Allies. “These are good Samaritans who should be applauded and not handcuffed.”

A Wetumpka municipal judge found the two women guilty in December after a daylong trial and sentenced both to two years unsupervised probation. Attorneys for the women have appealed the case to circuit court.

The money raised by the GoFundMe will go toward appealing their convictions and a civil lawsuit against the city of Wetumpka, according to a description. Any money leftover will be used to fund trap/neuter/release efforts to reduce the feral cat population.