update on Shadow

An update on my neighbor's cat Shadow, left behind when she went into assisted care last week. Shadow is now in the home of a hopeful adoptive couple, in the bedroom with a temporary food and litter setup. Their resident cat, Finnegan, "is hissing all over the house." Shadow is "trotting all over the bedroom, purring, rubbing up against us, stopping for a bite of food... in other words, instantly at home and full of love."

Let's hope these two can learn to get along! Readers, keep your paws crossed! Feel free to leave comments with your best tip on introducing a new and resident cat.

possibly injured black cat

A black male cat neutered TODAY has just escaped from its foster situation near 55th and Kimbark. He fell off a balcony. May be injured ... please keep your eye out. If you see him, email hydeparkcats@gmail.com.

found: tabby

We found a healthy, affectionate, scared, female, gray/brown tabby around Christmas day on Kenwood Ave. between 53rd and 52nd. She has gold flecks and white paws.

Reply to Joecheck@aol.com or call 773-216-9859.

Rodrigo, muy suave

Meet Rodrigo. He is muy suave, muy guapo, no? He is one of three unneutered toms who come around to the alley every so often ... the others are Qwerty and "big black cat," who needs a name (and his photograph taken -- we may have to name him Wile E. Kitty). Naming rights to the next donor!

Trib article

Army of cats hard to help
from The Chicago Tribune about Pilsen, a nearby neighborhood.

Please take a moment today to send an email or call your local paper and let them know you appreciate coverage of animal-welfare issues. Who knows who this article touches?

In the garden

It's a continuing group effort to feed "Mama Cat + 2 kittens in the community garden," who have been rechristened Mistletoe (mom), Holly, and Ivy. Feeders have heroically gone out in sleet, and snow, and dark of afternoon, and we've been rewarded with kitty prints in the snow. Then, yesterday -- a sighting! But not of the cats. I find this critter endearing and worthy of a little cat food ... although we're still trying to find Mistletoe and the kittens.

this time it's personal

This is Shadow, my neighbor.

I have just learned her elderly, recently widowed owner went into assisted care, and as of Friday, Shadow will be homeless. I cannot take her in. Can anyone help?

Shadow is about 5-7 years old, healthy, a spayed female, all black and very good-looking. She loves the people in her life. Her caretaker reports that she is "gentle, affectionate and well-mannered. (Very little clawing of anything, furniture, etc). Petting her is a pleasure, for this reason, she has never drawn her claws, and never scratched, even by mistake." An ideal placement would include the ability to go outside during the warm weather. She enjoys climbing trees and surveying her domain.

Please email me at hydeparkcats@gmail.com if you are interested in fostering or adopting Shadow.

black cat trapped

A friendly black cat was trapped two nights ago near St. Thomas the Apostle Church. Are you missing a black cat?

Do you have a Hyde Park cat?

Do you have a cat rescued from the streets or alleys or parks of Hyde Park? Send us a picture and your story!

Hyde Park Cat: Pfeffernusse

Pfeffernusse is the gray beast pictured in the middle of this delightful menage-a-trois below. He was found in an alley off Cornell and 54th St (near CTU) in 2004, yowling his head off in the middle of the night. Food was put out for him on a balcony. He ate it. After a while, he allowed me to watch him eat it. After a while longer, he allowed me to sit with him on my balcony while he ate his food. One day, I reached out and touched him. He fell over. In delight. That night he stayed on my balcony all night, and was still there in the morning. I said to him, "Cat, if you get in this carrier and let me take you to the vet and fix you up, you can come in my house and have a name and be a housecat and I promise you your bowl will never be empty." He took the risk, and we've been together ever since. The black blur on one side is his older sister, Dreidl; the tiger cat is his wifecat, a PAWS foster-turned-adopt called Itty Bitty Kitty. Pfeff, now called Fuhfuh by my toddler, loves his rocking chair, his foodbowl, his wifecat, his catnip, and most of all, his people (grown-up only, though). We love you Pfeff!

Swift at play

Swift playing with his catnip toys in his safehouse. Look how cute!

poignancy

Mama Cat and two kittens in the community garden are still around -- witness the poignant pawprints in the snow, and the extremely empty tin of cat food. Their feeding-person is moving away tomorrow -- thank you so much, Briana, for caring. We are working on a schedule for feeding and trapping! If you can help, please leave a comment or email me at hydeparkcats@gmail.com.

Hanukkah cat quick update

Neutered. Disease free!!!!! Inside. Warm. Tummy full. Full of love.

THANX!!!!!

Thanks so much to Mary D. for the giant Ikea-sized donation of cat food and to Ginny L. and Mike H. for their recent donations. We thank you and the cats thank you! Purrs ...

Hanukkah Cat?

Here is a verrrrrrrrrrry friendly and sweet white cat who was found crouched in the snowy bushes near 59th and Stony Island. He desperately wants company and will let you hold him like a baby. He's thin but seems healthy -- no tests yet. I think we should call him Hanukkah, or Menorah, or maybe Latke.

Afternoon Update:
Dr. Wake at HP Animal Clinic says Hanukkah Cat looks healthy and is 3 or 4 years old, based on the condition of his teeth. Dr. W is running all the tests and is keeping him overnight ... if he tests negative, he’ll be neutered tomorrow morning. He was good as gold at the vet – didn’t fuss, purred, etc. etc. No surprise there. LOVEBUG!

seeking help for Mama + 2 kittens

We are seeking somebody to feed and watch out for Mama Cat + 2 kittens residing in or near the Community Garden at 61st and Dorcester. Earlier we tried in vain to catch Mama and her two tiny kittens. We've been feeding her so at least she and her kittens have a regular food source as it gets colder and colder, but her feeding-person is moving away next week.

previous post

Do you live near this area, or work in the Backstory Cafe, Experimental Station, or Blackstone Bicycle Works? Do you know anybody who does? Please help us find somebody to be Mama Cat + 2 kittens' guardian angel!

We want somebody who can commit to feeding at least every other day, keeping alert for signs of the cats, helping us trap them if possible, and, finally, we really really really want to build the cats a little shelter.

Please email me at hydeparkcats@gmail.com if you have any leads on help.

Hattie/Pierrot seeks home

Hattie, also known as Pierrot, is a beautiful female kitten rescued with her Mamma and four brothers from the great outdoors late this summer. She is about four months old -- still a kitten. She is a very intelligent kitty, and has been slowly slowly getting more comfortable with people handling (food is really the key to her happiness!). Despite her shyness, she is extremely playful (feather toys!) and loves other cats and at least one (very large) dog.

She has had her shots, but needs to be spayed.

Her four brothers have all been adopted --- we are just waiting to see her go home with a great new owner. She'd be the perfect companion for another pet, if your cat or dog is lonely!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving ...

Happy Thanksgiving to all the lucky kitties who have somebody to feed them. To the others ... good luck mousing.

Lulav update

Lulav post-shave. Look how sad. She's available for adoption at Treehouse!

Previous Lulav posts<

Update on Twinkletoes

Poor Twinkletoes. As you can see from this picture, he's been taken in and forced to spend his days lazing around, being fed out of a bowl and sleeping stretched out comfortably and all that. And he's been made to carry the more dignified name of "Graham." What a let-down from his days of crouching hungrily in a filthy alley. How dare you love him, Erin! Purrs to you for this wonderful rescue.

Older Twinkletoes posts

My, what a black mask you have!

And what a ringed tail!

Swift, Cat About Campus

Swift has been making quite a public spectacle of himself lately. This morning Facilities was trying to trap him to take him to Animal Control. We couldn't allow that to happen, so he is currently in a safehouse.



We discovered he has a second feeding station outside of the Admin Bldg -- a ceramic bowl, no less.


He has been meowing loudly at passers-by and then scampering off.

We shall call him ...

Qwerty, because we're up to "Q." Here he is, the only remaining unaltered cat in our colony (for now). He is savvy, and rightly suspicious of the trap. He meows. He is fantastically patterned and beautiful. Soon, soon we will catch him!

Mamacat with the teeny tiny targets (see below) has moved her kittens, but we haven't given up hope. We're trying to acclimate her to the sight of the cage ...

Meanwhile, Bobby is now a tame cat. seriously. He purrs and rubs against people. Let's get him inside before winter strikes -- Bobby needs a home!

teeny tiny new targets

Teeny teeny tiny new targets. Can you see them? Click on the picture to view larger ... two very small kittens and a gorgeous tortoiseshell Mama were spotted at the community garden at 61st and Dorcester. Good eyeballs, Briana! Tonight Mama eluded our trapping, but we will try, try again.

Heartfelt purrs to Briana for deciding that YES, she SHOULD do something!

cats don't vote ...

Cats don't vote ... but you can.

Lulav is available for adoption!

Sun Pacific (aka Lulav) is available for adoption at Tree House. This is the very matted (no longer!) kitty found on campus several weeks ago. As it turns out, this poor girl is a senior citizen and even front declawed. She's a little sad at finding herself in a shelter at her dignified stage of life. Can you provide her a forever home?

The original post about Lulav

p.s. We'd called her Sun Pacific because we had her sleeping in a box so marked (oranges). Then I changed it to Lulav. Then when she got to the shelter, MJK couldn't remember the new name ... so she came into Tree House as Sun Pacific.

p.p.s. Lebowski, another of our Hyde Park finds, is also still available for adoption. Now here is a wonderful guy! He's a real lover looking for a love object. Is it you?

Titus has a home

An edited report from Titus' rescuer:

Titus now resides in a third floor walk-up in Hyde Park. He has new dishes. They match. He has a new cat bed, but so far, I'm told, strongly prefers the human bed. He has a new litter box that suits him. When I phoned a little bit ago to make sure everything was good at the new place, Titus had had a lot of massage and was getting a Reiki treatment.

Titus has tested positive for FIV--Feline Immunodeficiency Virus.

And he has a forever home.

Titus is Alone and Wants a Home

Candace, Titus' champion, writes:

Okay, I admit it. Titus is not conventionally beautiful. He has a big tomcat head. He is stocky. He has a small voice and a loud purr. He trusts too fully to be a hipster sort of cat. He is not especially nervous. He answers to his name.

He is battle-scarred after two years of being a homeless house-cat. He also has, in my view, the finest spirit of any cat I have met. He loves company, but isn't pushy about it. He loves his bed and his dish. He looks like a toughie and isn't one. He is deeply loyal.

He's that kind of cat guy.

If anyone has a space for Titus, please let me know.

Filled With Hope for Titus,

Candace

***Titus will be going to the vet tomorrow for neutering and vaccines. If you are interested in meeting Titus, please leave a comment with your contact info, or email me at hydeparkcats AT gmail DOT com.***

Sherlock is found, Fuzzy has a home

Sherlock showed up at his rescuer's window last night at 10:30 p.m. Hmmm ... he must have followed a lot of clues to solve the mystery of how to get back. Amazing! Mazel tov, Vicky!

In other cat news, Fuzzy, one of our "Mammacat + 5 kittens" from earlier this summer, has found a permanent home. Here he is, in situ. He is now named Bokeh, which means blurry or fuzzy in Japanese. Happy home, Bokeh!

See this original post about "Mammacat + 5 kittens."

UPDATE on Sherlock

Sherlock is in trouble.

Today he actually escaped from the car that was taking him to the vet (Hyde Park Vet on 51st and Harper).

"Home base" for Sherlock is near St. Thomas the Apostle Church, near Kimbark and 55th St.

HOW YOU CAN HELP: If you live or go anywhere between those two destinations during the next few days, keep your eye out for Sherlock. He may still be wearing a collar with the name and number of his rescuer.

If you're really motivated to look for Sherlock, he "likes the sight of bowls/paper plates, and he really prefers wet beef pate, but also the sound of kibble pouring onto the bowl or paper plate. He didn't really respond to the sound of a can being cracked open."

CALL (deleted now that Sherlock is found) WITH ANY SIGHTINGS.

Sherlock: off the street!

Meet Sherlock, a handsome gray-and-white Hyde Park alley cat. He's been chowing down regularly at an alley feeding station, and while he wouldn't allow any actual contact, it turns out "he's very sweet and affectionate--all of a sudden, two days ago he let me pet him and then pick him up. Then he wouldn't leave my yard." Sherlock is going to the vet today for some tests and I will report back later on his health and status. Vicky, excellent work on this rescue!

that was quick

Czarina has been adopted!

LOST BLACK CAT

Lost: black cat (between 55th and 56th on Kimbark).

He may have been seen several times in the alley behind St. Thomas the Apostle Church, but he appears to be roaming widely.

His one distinctive feature is a funny toe--it is slightly raised and looks odd. Likes cans of wet food (not tuna) and 'treat' bags of kibble; if you see him, try cracking open a can, if possible, or crinkling a treat bag. Friendly, but may be frightened.

MICROCHIPPED
REWARD IF FOUND

--sightings appreciated--
Call the owner at 773-527-9922 Cell

Czarina is available for adoption!

Czarina is now available for adoption at TreeHouse.

Her petfinder profile isn't quite as lovely as these pictures.

National Feral Cat Day ... a few days late

Happy Belated National Feral Cat Day

Adopted! 2 more kittens available ...

Teak (formerly "Little Tiger") has been adopted by his original rescuer. She reported that "he is constantly beating up on his big sister. It's hilarious since he is still only about half her size." His sister, Pierrot, and brother, Fuzzy, are still available for adoption!

Lebowski is still available ...

Lebowski still available for adoption.

better pix of Lebowski (when we called him James Bond)

Caught: Lulav!

UPDATE: Lulav was taken in by Tree House early this morning. Yay!


Over the weekend we received an email about a cat outside of the campus library. A student fed the cat -- thank you Mimi!!! -- and told us the cat had been there at least a day, approaching people and acting hungry. This morning the cat, nicely as you please, allowed herself to be rescued. She is beautiful and so friendly, and so obviously relieved to be inside. But the mats in her fur -- unbelievable! What happened? Poor girl may also have some damage to her mouth. Check back later for an update. She's curled up right now in a box just relaxing herself and thanking her lucky stars. I had to change the name (from this morning's "Sun Pacific") to "Lulav." She's definitely more of a Lulav.

kittens: need homes!

Siblings Little Tiger (top), Pierrot (middle), and Fuzzy (bottom) are still seeking homes.

Their foster family reports:

Li'l Tiger is the smallest kitten in the litter but has the biggest personality. He's a confident, plucky little guy who will walk up and sit on any person's lap. He loves playing with people and would do well in a household with other pets. Li'l Tiger was diagnosed with a heart murmur and may need surgery for this condition.

Pierrot is the only girl of the group! She has absolutely beautiful markings and a smooth, shiny coat. Pierrot was the kitten most bonded with her mamma, and so will probably need continued socialization in a cat-savvy household. However, she loves warm snuggles, and will even nestle up against a trusted human for more cuddles.

Fuzzy is an adorable and plump little kitten. His fluffiness and round features add to his wide-eyed charm. He is a little shy and has been coming out of his shell slowly, and will do well with continued cuddling and hand-feeding.

Please leave a comment with a valid email address if you'd like to be contacted, or email us at hydeparkcats AT gmail DOT com.

kittens: adopted!

An update on our kittens. "Igby" (formerly Whiteface) and "Big Boy" (formerly Fatty) have been adopted! Yay! They're going to stay forever with their fosterers, Lauren and Peter. Lauren reports that Igby has turned out to be a kitten who "loves nothing more than to run and play with all the others" and that Big Boy is "extremely cuddly and will climb onto anyone's lap and start purring furiously." The two siblings are closely bonded.

When we think these kittens could have lived their whole lives outside ... my sincere kudos to Kat and Jon, our original rescuers, and to adopters Lauren and Peter. My heroes!

Swift has been sighted!

Good news -- we had a Swift sighting just yesterday. We think he'd been disturbed by (a) being caught and neutered and (b) all the construction going on around our portion of campus. We were worried maybe he'd been too distressed by it all and had taken off for parts beyond. But yesterday he was seen streaking in front of Swift Hall, and went to the little area where we've set up a feeding station. He kept his distance but seems to now associate us/this area with food. Poor Swift, he's all alone (well, we haven't seen any companions) and we hope he can make it through the upcoming Chicago winter.

Lunch with Paula Fasseas

If you're in the Chicago area, join us on Wednesday for the University of Chicago's Wednesday Community Luncheon program. On Oct. 8th the speaker will be Paula Fasseas, the founder and chair of PAWS Chicago.

Ms. Fasseas is the founder and chair of PAWS Chicago, the city's largest humane organization. A graduate of the GSB, Ms. Fasseas also founded and runs the Metropolitan Banking Group. PAWS Chicago works, through innovative programming, to end pet overpopulation and euthanasia. Since its founding in 1997, the euthanasia rate in Chicago has been reduced by half. PAWS is currently building a grassroots humane education program, concentrating on Chicago's inner city populations. Ms. Fasseas was named one of the 2007 Chicagoans of the Year by Chicago Magazine.

Read more about the Wednesday Lunch progam

Lunch itself (a vegetarian meal; a vegan option is available by request) is prepared and served by our creative and energetic student staff. Wednesday lunches take place from 12:00 noon to 1:30 p.m. in Swift Common Room (1025 East 58th Street), and cost $5 ($4 for all students with ID) at the door. Those interested in attending should reserve a lunch in advance by emailing divinitylunch@gmail.com. All are welcome.

Come to the Blessing of the Animals!

Sunday, October 5 at 5:00 pm, Rockefeller Chapel is having a Blessing of the Animals. We'll be there to educate about our project and, we hope, raise some donation money. The University of Chicago's Rockefeller Memorial Chapel and Interreligious Center serve as a setting for spiritual events of many world traditions, including daily prayer and meditation of faiths of both East and West. All are welcome!

Twinkletoes -- caught!

We caught Twinkletoes! Check back for more info after Twinkletoes has been to the vet.

Update: Twinkletoes is a boy!

Update two: Twinkletoes seemed much more feral than we had thought he might be. We released him back to the cat colony, but will monitor him for friendliness. Perhaps now that he is neutered he will calm down a bit and we can reassess in the future.

Update on Mammacat + 5 Kittens

A long update on our Mammacat and five kittens rescued from a backyard:

Today the kittens got vaccines for panleukopenia (feline distemper), rhinotracheitis, and calicivirus. The official word is that we have 4 boys and 1 girl (Pierrot). Everybody was pretty freaked except for Runty, who was such a curious little trooper. So the feline herpes is still rearing its goopy, crusty head, so we have more eye drops to administer, and he recommended an over the counter pill that we can crush up in food for them that will help keep it under control.

So everybody but Pierrot is at the ideal age and stage of development to be adopted out, said the vet.

As for Pierrot - she is, as the vet put it so kindly, "well this one's pretty feral." She needs to be taken to a separate home from the other guys ASAP and worked on individually (hand feeding, special attention, etc) for another couple weeks, then she can be adopted, but she's always going to be pretty iffy, and with special socialization needs. If anybody out there wants to take on this beautiful girl as a project, please let us know -- done! Pierrot is the tiger cat with a white blaze in the third photo down.

As for Runty - this is really sad. The heart murmur they thought they heard the last time he was in there is apparently really serious, and he should have surgery. Apparently this surgery costs thousands of dollars. The doctor was really concerned about this ... poor Runty is the happiest and most energetic of the bunch but, as the vet put it, could apparently drop dead at any second.

As for Mammacat, she went home yesterday -- to Evanston. She is going to be with a family who used to have a very similar-looking tuxedo semi-feral who died. We hope to have a photograph of Mammacat in situ soon.

Twinkletoes

She makes a lot of little "mrrp" noises when she eats. The outer toes on both feet are colored and the inner four are white! She may be a friendly ... not a feral ... she's next on our list to trap.

previous sighting of Twinkletoes

Czarina

Czarina is a cat clearly of the aristocracy. This beautiful high-born noble lady is friendly! So she was rescued from the alley and Tree House has accepted her into their adoption program! If you are interested in adopting the Czarina of Hyde Park, please visit her at Tree House.