Yum Yum

Yum-yum. Yum-yum. Yum-yum!!! This gray calico female is vaccinated, spayed, and currently in foster care. She is one of the "King" kitties from a bit south of here. Doesn't she look ... delicious?

YUM-YUM IS AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION. We would like her to be placed with her mama, KittyBeth, who is a mere kitten herself. Please write hydeparkcats@gmail.com for more information.

MoeJoe goes home

A wonderful sentence with a lot of assonance: MoeJoe Goes Home!

MO was one of the Parkview cats, living in the alley at 51st and Evans (slightly west of Cottage Grove). When captured, she weighed only four pounds. It quickly became clear to Aimee that Mo wasn't a feral but rather a very frightened friendly. She stayed in Aimee's garage for a few days ... but that wasn't a tenable solution, and she had a terrible virus. So she went to Mary Jean's Casa de Cat, where, after a quarantine period, she was allowed the run of the place.

Then, she found a person.

MoeJoe went home on Wednesday with her person Helenmary. Mary Jean reports that "she cried loudly the whole way there. When she got there, she immediately ran into a little crack between the fridge and the cabinet and faced the wall. But I called half an hour later and Helenmary said that she had come out and was lolling on the floor, accepting pets."

Yay!

Stanley

Stanley was living rough on the streets and allies around 58th and King when Eevie trapped him. Vicky brought him to Treehouse and he was neutered, vaccinated, and found to be disease-free. An friendly orange puffball, he quickly found a home with a graduate student in the Divinity School, and as these pictures attest, he's living the contented life of a treasured house cat. I wish all our kitties ended up like this.

Amanda sent in this update:

"Stanley and I have been together for almost one month now! He took a few days to adjust to his new home, remaining under the bed except when he needed to eat, but now he is king of the house. He switches between the window and futon, but I have a feeling that my newly installed air conditioner will tip the balance toward the window. Stanley loves attention and makes fast friends with whoever comes through the door. I maintain that I will always be his favorite, though, since no matter who comes to visit, he ends up sitting by my feet!"

This was a team effort and it paid off beautifully! Mazel tov to finding your forever home, Stanley!

*****

WE STILL NEED FOSTER HOMES! Don't you want to foster a wonderful kitteh?

King Project Kittehs!

Can you tell which is Mom and which are kittenz? They're part of a joint effort to do some TNRing in the near South Side, just a few minutes drive (joint between Hyde Park Cats, Treehouse, and the original caretakers!). All cats will be spay/neuter/vaccinated/etc. on Treehouse this Friday. Treehouse is full. So this is your chance, readers, to foster and/or adopt!

YES! THESE KITTEHS ARE ALL AVAILABLE FOR FOSTERING OR ADOPTION!

All these kitties are extremely friendly and of course the kittens are a barrel of laughs.

Better and cuter pictures coming to rend your heart ...

Cornell Ave. Momma + Kittens

Momma cat and three kittens found under a porch on Cornell Ave. CAN YOU FOSTER? Kittens born only two days ago! We are seeking a foster home for up to two months.

And thanks to Annat for the cat carrier!

Animals available in the UIC community

Bacharach. Sad update.

Readers, sad news. Bacharach tested for FIV/FeLV since he was probably going to hang around the backyard where two other families let their cats patrol. He held his head funny and his meow was very strange. Bacharach tested positive for the composite test; when the staff in the clinic double-checked which disease, she found out it was both.

There is no place for an FIV/FeLV kitty except back out on the street, and that is just a slow death sentence--plus it puts other kitties at risk. So Bacharach was euthanized humanely.

He had a couple of weeks of reliable kibble and water and spent his days in the sunshine among the lilies on the south side of the building.

Thank you, Diane, for doing the right thing by this kitty.

Bacharach trapped!

Smelled the smelly food and wandered right in. Didn't know he couldn't go anywhere until every last tasty morsel was gone.

You can't hear his whining cries through the screen. Today -- neutering!

New target: Bacharach

Meet Bacharach. Diane writes that "he has been hanging around the backyard for a couple weeks and now will eat in the day light, has stopped howling like a banshee (banhim?), and stood still for a bit to let me take pictures through the back door."

UPDATE (2:40 pm): Neighbor left door open. Bacharach is currently "crouching under a chair in the laundry room" while a humane trap is fetched.

Olive Update

Received this wonderful update from Nora, Olive's mom. Olive is the last-adopted of a litter of five rescued last year from a Hyde Park backyard. Read more about her story: here.

UPDATE: She's doing great! She's still super-shy around strangers and cautious around Adam, and guarded around me, but the best news is that she and Xavi are gradually becoming friends! The other day she finally figured out how to play this game he's been trying to teach her (you're supposed to alternate between being the chaser and the chasee, it's great fun), although she's still not convinced it's a good idea to wrestle with a 15-pounder. Her favorite time of day is bedtime, because that's when she can start cuddling with us without worrying that we will do something intimidating like talking and moving at the same time. She is gradually but perceptibly getting more confident, and she would like to make sure that you know that, whatever you might hear from Xavi, it is in fact she who is queen of the cat tree.

Thank you guys so much for rescuing her and letting her be a part of our lives. She is a total sweetheart underneath and we're happy she's with us.

Lost Cat Alert

Tigger is a male white cat with patches of tabby gray hair. He is BIG, about 17-19 pounds. He has green eyes and is friendly. Gets along with dogs and people. He is very secure of himself and typically not shy, especially when there's food involved. He has a 'beauty spot' on the right side of his face.

He stepped outside Sunday 6/14/09 on the corner of 52nd and Dorchester.

UPDATE: Tigger's been found!! He was being held by a neighbor. Her dog found him and wanted to play with him. She kept him overnight to prevent him from running off. Ha ha ha ... the dog wanted to play with him.

LOST

Lost parakeet! More information here.

Pushkin: update

Pushkin, rescued from an alley near St. Thomas the Apostle Church, tested positive for FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) and FeLV (Feline Leukemia). We were unable to find him a home here in Chicago, but the TAPS shelter in Peoria (!) had a space for him! TAPS is the Tazewell Animal Protective Society, a no-kill shelter that gives dogs, cats, puppies, and kittens a home until permanent homes can be found. It's amazing, really, that Pushkin is in this very nice place. He's in the FeLV room with a few buddies.

Pushkin's petfinder profile.

This is really a good outcome for Pushkin. Even if he doesn't get a forever home, he will be well-cared for and he is content. He loves his indoor space and his steady food supply. Thanks to Vicky for rescuing him and to Mary Jean for driving him all the way to Peoria! And thanks to TAPS for finding a place for Pushkin.

brickyard cats

Feral-cat colony, yer doing it right. Here are some pretty and well-tended cats from the Brickyard colony (a neighborhood community garden, not a real brickyard). The colony caretakers made the cats awesome shelters attached to railroad ties and obviously these pretties are getting plenty of cat food.

Thanks and some news and updates

Thanks to Annat for the donation of a foster kit -- litterbox, scoop, cat carrier, and a sleeping basket. We'll use this kit for one of our needy foster kitties! Thanks to the person who dropped off some food in a Shamrock Shuffle bag! Thanks to Margaret, Margaret, Anna, and Ginny for the new traps! Thanks to Malaina for shlepping that trap to my house!

In the news ...

To see pictures and read more about the cats named below, just type the name in the search bar at the top of this page.

Willa was released back into her outdoor environment. She was not responding well at all to human overtures and seemed terrified every moment.

Mo is in a foster home and has a cold, but is responding well to antibiotics. She is a lovely and friendly calico girl seeking her forever home, or at least a long-term foster placement. Are you looking for a petite, spayed, vaccinated kitty?

We are planning a mass trap in a neighborhood to our south in mid-June with Tree House. If you are interested in a day of service or in observing and learning about TNR, let us know (hydeparkcats@gmail.com).

LOST CAT

Sasha went out the window this morning (third floor, 5445 Hyde Park) and hasn't reappeared yet. Female, spayed, approx six pounds and one year-old, black & white cow pattern.

Update: Sasha has been found (2 days later) and is resting comfortably at home.

Figi + tortie update

Say hi to the now TNRed Figi, one of our Parkview Kats. Good work Aimee!

An update on the found tortie ... she was reunited with her owner! Yay!