Chautauqua update

Mick, formerly Chautauqua, went to Love Cats last night, and not a moment too soon. He was soooo lonely for cat companionship. He ate well and slept sometimes, but he cried almost constantly, except when his foster-sister doggie groomed her. Alas, none of the pictures of this interspecies love came out well -- they all look like Bea is about to eat her kitten sister.

This kitten was originally found, cold and all alone, by some kind people in the new residence hall south of the midway. Cat guardian angels!

He's now got a kitten friend and is part of an adoption-focused rescue. He is adoptable through Puppy Love/Love Cats. Their focus is on saving Chicago dogs and cats that are homeless, neglected, abused, or destined to be euthanized, and their mantra is “Pets Are Family.”

found cat; available cats

Found: a very handsome brown tiger mancat. Hungry, affectionate. Are you missing your Mr. Tiger?

We still have cats available for adoption!!! It's not too late to get a furry warm kitteh to snuggle with during the cold Chicago winter.

Viola and Sebastian: adopted!

Viola and Sebastian have been adopted! That was a superfast transition from alley to warm and cozy home. They have been renamed Leonard (Sebastian) and Cohen (Viola) and are happy to be housecats. They have been spay/neutered, vaccinated, and ... are apparently being read poetry to by their new mom, Yvonne. Does anybody know any Leonard Cohen cat poetry/lyrics?

Bubble Cats update

Kiwi and Mango (the black and white kittens) went home, as reported. Coconut and Avocado, the tabby pair, have been spay/neutered and also have tested negative for FIV. Yay! Tapioca has tested positive for FIV. FIV+ cats are not sick: FIV is a virus that causes their immune systems to be compromised, but is not an illness itself. If you have a low-stress environment you'd like to share with our beautiful teen mamma, send us an adoption inquiry at hydeparkcatsadoptions@gmail.com.

Viola and Sebastian, inside

Viola and Sebastian are at surgery as we type, as are littler kittens Avocado and Coconut. Good luck, everycat! Kennedy, from Black and White Cat World, was spayed yesterday and is now officially Daisy Mae (as the residents of her block apparently already knew her).

Furry thanks to Arianna for the donation! Keep it coming, readers. It costs much more to fix our friendlies than our ferals!

Pumpernickel

Pumpernickel, a rare black tabby, was found wandering around near 51st and Ellis. Ravenous. A kind person with allergies took him (her?) in, and he is now in our foster network, displaying amazing feats of fearlessness and reckless play-oriented behavior. His foster mom says "this is one happy and confident little cat. He was perfectly comfortable within moments of entering our home. He has green eyes with a blue halo and silver hairs all over his front paws and chest. He is also perfectly litter box trained."

Hey, thanks to Vicky and Vicky's Mom for the recent contributions!

Black and White Cat World: Kennedy and Karo

Kitten rescues have been keeping us busy, but that doesn't mean we can forget about our regulars at the various alleys, including Black and White Cat World. Diane has been feeding and tending her colony and it's been stable (except for one known litter -- damn that Juniper). Ellis, Little Buddy and Finzi circle the van as the food is being delivered, and then Ingleside will appear out of nowhere after the food is all doled out. Nimr, Rachamim and occasionally Rambam can generally be seen later in the evening. There has been a kitten in the other backyard who finally ventured into the alley in July and is pictured above (black and white) -- Kennedy. RIP Ted! The black cat pictured above has been hanging around for about a month and is Karo (continuing our tradition of rabbinical names for Black and White World cats).

You can see more about Black and White Cat World and all the cats named above by using the search bar in the top left-hand side of the blog.

Viola and Sebastian

Meet Viola (tiger) and Sebastian (gray and white), two probable siblings trapped over the weekend in an alley around Drexel and 55th Streets. We believe they are the older litter of a Mamma who is still out there (with a younger litter -- we're working on it). Viola and Sebastian are being fostered and socialized together. Viola is a little shyer than her brother, who was described by his socializer as "a big, cuddly purr factory." Viola watches Sebastian for cues, so we have high high hopes of continued growth in the friendliness arena. She loves to play with pipe cleaners.

Kiwi and Mango: ADOPTED!

On Friday Kiwi and Mango went to their forever home. They have a bunch of kids in their new home eager to love them and care for them. Hooray! Here are the last pictures of the kittens with Tapioca.

Stray or feral cat sighted at 54th and Cornell. Do you recognize this gentleman? He has two different colored eyes. He was reported as "thin and needy" and very vocal, but maintaining distance.

In excellent news, "Chautauqua" (renamed Mick, cuz he sings like Mick Jagger) is going to go to Puppy Love/Love Cats Rescue. They have an orphan kitty who is very lonely, too. He is a week or so older than our little man, but they'll become littermates in about five days, and then he will become adoptable through Puppy Love/Love Cats. Their focus is on saving Chicago dogs and cats that are homeless, neglected, abused, or destined to be euthanized, and their mantra is “Pets Are Family.” Thanks to Eevie for arranging that!

We have a bunch of ferals and semi-ferals trapped recently, and will be posting their pictures in the coming week.

Thanks to Greg and to David for the recent monetary donations, to Ginny and Eevie for the kitten formula, and to Anna for the carrier and the food. All our work is made possible by donations, and all our work is done by volunteers. Purrs!

Milo

Milo was found being played with by some young boys around 61st and Ingleside and was rescued from them ... well, we're sure they meant well. The vet estimated him at about five weeks, and he's eleven ounces. He's active and adventurous, constantly trying to climb everything, and he's the friendliest little kitten you could imagine; he wants to be petted all the time, and he loves playing with fingers and having his stomach rubbed.

He's currently on medicine for coccidia (an extremely common parasite), but the biggest struggle with him is getting him to eat. He will sometimes nurse a little from the bottle, or nibble on a bit of crushed dry food mixed with formula, but some days it's a struggle to get him to do either.

We may put Milo together with Chautauqua. Any donations of kitten formula are warmly welcome.

Thanks to all our volunteers for all the hours of furry labor. L'Shanah Tovah (a sweet and happy Jewish New Year) to all our volunteers, readers, and to the cats!

Chautauqua

Teeny weeny itty bitty little black kittineeni, found last night in the courtyard of the new residence hall (Chautauqua House) south of the midway. Poor little thing, all by itself, presently in some loving foster-home arms.

Nomie and Tic Tac

Sadly, sometimes people do have serious allergies to cats. The cats featured here have a small human who has such an allergy, and, being loving cats, they don't want to make their little girl sick. Can you help Nomie and Tic Tac find forever homes? It would make a little girl feel better. For more info, please contact Sheila at skwebb@sbcglobal.net.







Nomie is milky orange and loves flop down at your feet and be cuddled. Sometimes when she sees you coming she'll flop down and bare her tummy just in anticipation. She gets along with other cats (of our three, she is second in the pecking order) in the house. She is happy inside or out, and even though she's 6 years old she can get in frisky moods like a kitten. She is feather light and very soft. She's the brainy one of the bunch, the one who can hear the gate latch click and get into position to greet you.

Tic Tac is sweet and friendly and loves long strokes that start at her head and go to the tip of her tail. Her eyes are a mesmerizing greeny-blue, but she doesn't let it go to her head. She won't hold a grudge if you have to put her down or off your lap or the sofa. She tends to avoid confrontation with the other cats and instead likes to nuzzle and lick their necks...she's a lover not a fighter. Ticky is happy on her own for long stretches, but wants to make up for lost time afterwards.

Cute Overload

Take this, Cute Overload!



Avocado and Coconut entwined in sleep. Falls under multiple Rules of Cuteness.



Tapioca sticking her tongue out. Cute!



Mango giving us the low-five while he sleeps. C U T E !!!!!

b/w kittenz

Kiwi (b/w) and Mango (mostly black), BFF forever! Fostermom Mireille says "Kiwi is as shy as her brother is curious but when they play, her bolder side definitely comes out. Mango is fascinated by my broom and he loves it when I sweep the floor. Of course, that doesn't usually help me with the cleaning part, but he's a lot of fun." We would love this brother-sister pair to go home together. See our previous post on why kittens should have a kitten companion (better for them and for you).



Please email us with any questions or adoption inquiries. These kittens need homes!

naptime for kittenz

Avocado (tabby and white female) and Coconut (mostly white male) are in a foster home and are doing well, although Coconut particularly seems to miss his mommy. These two are hoping to stay together forever -- PAWS has an excellent page explaining why kittens and young cats should be adopted in pairs.

Tapioca relaxing

Tapioca, our teen mama, is searching for her forever home. Besides her beautiful face, long expressive monkey tail, and soft fur, she has a wonderful personality. She is very loving and attentive, and enjoys being held. Her special spot is under the chin. Tapioca is extremely friendly; she loves to wrap herself around your legs, all the way to the tip of her long long tail. Also, she is such a good mama: she keeps grooming her babies and she keep a watchful eye over them. We will have her spayed this week and she is ready to go to a new home!

What are you waiting for, Purim?

I don't know why, but (the Jewish holiday of) Purim was always used in my household as the end of the sentence about procrastinating. Now readers -- look at these kittens. Aren't they adorable? Don't they need a home -- your home? So what are you waiting for, Purim?

Kiwi and Mango Cuteness

yowza! kitten centerfold!







Kiwi and Mango at play and at rest in their new foster home. Kiwi loooooves to be held; right now Mango is more about adventure and exploration. All our Bubble Tea Cats are now available for your adoption applications!

Write hydeparkcatsadoptions@gmail.com with questions.

Huge furry thanks to Ainat for coordinating fostering and adoption and to Mireille, Ruth, and Dani for the actual foster spaces. This is a community effort!

Also, a shout-out to the Hyde Park Herald, which is running a free classified for us. Again -- community effort!

Tapioca

Tapioca, aka Bubble Tea Mom.

Pros:

incredibly long "monkey tail"

loves attention

expert eyeliner applier

sweet as sugar

excellent mommy

purrs a lot

Cons

homeless

Antonia

Antonia, a very small black kitten, was spotted last week in the alley right next to the Cornell Park sign, moving around between the parked cars on the east side of the alley. After three tries she was captured by a benefactor. The vet's pronouncement is that Antonia is about eight weeks old, 1.5 pounds, definitely underweight (and toting fleas) but otherwise apparently healthy; she got her first set of shots, and a dose of anti-flea medicine.

She is now eating like a kitten possessed, and is very affectionate - though shy, and so far reluctant to leave her lair under a recliner; she purrs like a little buzzsaw and has gotten to the 'rubbing cheek against hand' stage.

She is presently waiting to see if the household's incumbent cats will accept her presence. Keep your paws crossed!



Thanks to Nathaniel for this awesome kitten rescue!

57th Street Children's Book Fair

Come visit us at the 57th Street Childrens Book Fair here in Hyde Park. We'll have some literature on TNR, etc., and we're planning some cat-related crafts for the kiddies. Stop by and say hello!

Bubble boys and girls

The Bubble Tea cats have had a visit to the vet. Everybody is in good health. The strangest news is that poor Tapioca has no fangs! We've assured her that going forward she is going to be an indoor cat and will no longer have to hunt for food. Can you make our promise come true? Tapioca is a superfriendly. She purred in the vet's arms! She was described by a volunteer as "the mellowest, sweetest cat EVER."

BOYS
Coconut (mostly white) and Mango (mostly black -- longhair?)

GIRLS
Avocado (tabby and white -- looks like mamma) and Kiwi (black and white -- smallest by an ounce)



Below is a picture of the kittens cavorting in their temporary foster place

Construction Cats: update

With all the excitement of our new Bubble Tea cats, you may have been wondering if we've forgotten the Construction Cats. Of course not! The last Construction Cat went to her forever home yesterday. We received an email report that she had fallen asleep on her new person's wrist just as the new person was writing the update. Awwwwwwwww!

Connie is now Theadora -- or just Thea -- and she lives with Jane, another Hyde Park Cats rescue.

Kindle went to a home with a four-month-old stepbrother, with whom she apparently gets along famously.

And as reported earlier, Cat Cora and Karma are together with their forever person, an actual veterinarian.

So this chapter of Hyde Park Cats has closed out with nothing but positive endings. Thanks to everybody who worked together to make this amazing thing happen.