Adopt Mia

Adopt Mia!

Pet Food Pantry

It's always been hard for some low-income or elderly folks to take care of their pets. And with a struggling economy, the numbers of people trying to care for their pets will grow. Imagine choosing between a pet and your own needs when you have few dollars. This is a choice many disadvantaged people must make everyday--and it’s a hard one.

Treehouse Animal Foundation runs a pet food pantry for qualifying families. Please consider donating.

Of course, Hyde Park Cats could also use your donations. We'll accept donations of any kind of cat food. Write me at hydeparkcats@gmail.com if you have some food to donate.

Tom seeks a home

Tom is a neutered FIV positive male who was rescued from the streets. He is very vocal and loves to be petted, but he is also very shy until he gets to trust you. He will talk back when you talk to him, but getting him to come to you to be petted will take time.

Once he does trust you he'll be rolling over on his back and asking to be treated like a big teddybear.

He is about seven years old, and is in good health other than the FIV+ status. FIV (Feline Immuno-deficiency Virus) is a disease that can weaken a cat’s immune system. However, cats with FIV often live long and healthy lives. His rabies and other shots are current. but he hasn't been immunized against FLK yet. He is litterbox trained and uses the box consistently (and has never been seen to spray indoors). Warning: he will try to run out the door if you open it and he figures out its to the outside, so he needs to be kept away from open doors.

Tom Tom the Tom Cat is seeking a forever (or a foster-to-forever) home ... or even a foster home, because right now he lives in a basement (which is a big step up from living on the streets). Are you looking for a nice warm teddy?

update on Swift!

Mr. Swift’s new foster dad, Daniel, stopped by to give a report on Swift’s first few days in his new home. Predictably, at first Swiftie spent a lot of time behind the radiator (!) and under the bed. However, in the course of the long weekend, he got braver and showed more and more interest in exploring his surroundings. Daniel reports that he really likes the window sills. On Sunday, he rolled on his back and enjoyed some lap time, and that night he slept on Daniel’s bed. He is playing with toys but is also hugging them for security and comfort (especially the orange one). He is eating and grooming and using the litter box.

Daniel promises pictures but hasn’t been able to take any good ones yet. He has a large SLR camera, and Swift is scared of it! Swift is also frightened by the noises outside the bedroom door and the creaking floor boards from the upstairs apartment. Daniel and LuAnn are dying to pet him, but they are being very respectful of Mr. Swift, proceeding with caution and allowing him to determine the pace of contact.

Pictures soon!

Shadow: update!

You may remember the distressing story of my neighbor's cat, Shadow. Shadow's elderly owner had to go into assisted living and had no family to take Shadow. Well, after a little time boarding at the vet -- and a black-cat confusion which shall go undiscussed -- Shadow has found a home.

Here's what her new mom wrote:

"[When we picked her up at the vet] Though she was very shy and reticent, she showed spunk by trying to jump on to the vet's counter (and failing miserably), plus she seemed very friendly and comfortable with Dr. Wake. We took her home to Andersonville in good faith.

Unfortunately, the first few days at home were pretty rough. She spent most of the time hiding -- you would not BELIEVE the crazy spots she found -- and wasn't eating, drinking, or using the litter box. Even as she was showing her face a bit more, she was not crazy about human contact and ran at the slightest provocation.

And then, Monday night, some sort of switch was flipped and Shadow went from acting like a war refugee to being, well, a giant attention whore. (In the best possible way, of course.) She still spends quite a bit of time hiding, but loves to come out for lots of petting and playtime. She particularly loves having the top of her head rubbed and her back/butt scratched. Her appetite also returned with a vengeance so we have no health worries whatsoever. She is slowly starting to explore our apartment, and even meandered into a living room full of 5 strangers last night. She has the cutest little squeaky meow you've ever heard, and we are already spoiling her rotten with treats and affection. Happy endings all around!"

porchcats

From Anna G. near Drexel and 55th: two beautiful porchcats for your consideration. The fluffy one in the foreground is already spayed- a neighbor trapped her and took her in. She's been around at least a couple years. Anna trapped a friendly male cat (her baby-daddy?) in the yard last spring and found him a home, and for some reason that's when Fluffly here started coming to the window and being more trusting. Now another neighbor has built these cats a little cardboard shelter, and these cats are getting fed regularly. Still, the tiger in the background is next on our list to Trap-Neuter-Return!

See Pants for Anna's previous rescue, Pants.

Email hydeparkcats@gmail.com if you can offer a space for Tiger to wait for and then recover from his surgery (2 nights).

THANX!!!!!

Thanx to sisters Diane F. and JoAnn C. for the cat foooooood .... yum! The cats thank you!

Swift enjoys laptime

Swift, our famous "cat about campus," has come a long way! He won't jump on a lap, but if picked up, you can see his ecstatic reaction. What a scary, scary feral cat he is.

You can read previous posts about Swift. Ah, good times.

community garden update

Anna G. has taken over the feeding of our Community Garden cat, Mistletoe (and her kittens Holly and Ivy). We haven't seen Mistletoe and the kittens in a long time, although we've seen a beautiful opossum and plenty of cat tracks. The other day Anna took these pictures of ... could it be Daddy Cat? He is now "Frank," short for Frankincense, to continue the Christmasy-name theme.

This could be the same black male cat I found eating out of a dumpster once. I'm willing to bet there are numerous ferals/dumped cats in the area around the garden. More to come!

found: tortoiseshell

Beautiful tortoiseshell trapped last night near St. Thomas the Apostle Church. "Daisy" (foster name) is " a sweetheart ... Meowing like crazy. Wants to sit on me." Very thin and hungry. Is she yours? Write to hydeparkcats@gmail.com if you are missing your tortie.

UPDATE on Hattie/Pierrot -- now Olive!

Readers -- Pierrot ... renamed Hattie ... is now Olive and has found a home! You may remember her as the last unadopted kitten of the group of five kittens and a mamma cat found in a backyard in September.

Here is a letter from her new mom:

"Shy little Olive is doing well. I've been working with her a lot and she's gradually getting more confident with Adam and me. She's still not a huge fan of our other cat, Xavier, who is a little too outgoing for her taste. She's making slow but steady progress: in the past week she's slept on the bed with Xavi there too, ventured out of the bedroom for the first time, and even licked baby food off my finger with Xavi mere inches away. (She really will do pretty much anything for that baby food.) ... [s]he's gradually starting to fit in around here and I'm really glad to have her as part of the family."

Big giant purrs to everyone who was involved with this rescue, and to Nora and Adam, Olive's new people, and ESPECIALLY to Xavi the cat, who has had to put up with this new baby sister!

not hyde park, not cats ...

... but a Sports Illustrated cover story about Michael Vicks' dogs.

THANX!!!!!

Thanx to our local friends Vicky and Frederick, Vicky's generous California-based parents, and of course to furry friends Norah, Rachel, AND Sherlock -- for their donation. Purrrrrrrrrrrs!

Below see before and after of former street cat Sherlock.

Luka, recovering

Luka had some sort of gash on his back that was quite worrisome, but it appears to have healed up nicely. Here he is with a bit of a pink nose from the cold.