Rosemary

Rosemary was found on the side of I-94 when one of our volunteer couples was leaving town on Wednesday. She was trembling with terror pressed up against the cement barrier as eight lanes of traffic flew past -- someone must have dumped her on the freeway. She is a little beat up--some bite scars and other owees--but she is amazingly sweet. Submissive, gentle, and loving from the first second. She likes to be hugged and kissed and walks calmly on a leash. She does fine with the resident dog and didn't seem to mind the cat (though the cat very much minds her.) She will be getting spayed asap and needs a foster home stat. She does barks for a while when she has to go in her kennel, and the finders are at their pet limit.

Anyone interested in fostering or adopting this Thanksgiving miracle should contact us at hydeparkcats@gmail.com. Foster parents can be reimbursed for all of their expenses, and food is provided. She is being sponsored and adopted out through Chicagoland Bully Breed Rescue. Rosemary just needs a loving, safe place to stay until she finds her forever family.

2010 Cat Calendars!

Get your own Hyde Park Cats 2010 calendar by emailing hydeparkcatsorders@gmail.com. Only $10 (for local pickup; add $1 for mailing). Great holiday gift with local flair and all profits go to feeding, neutering, and helping area cats, as pictured.

Check out Hyde Park cats "Norman of Orange" and sister "Molly Molasses," both Available for Adoption via PAWS. Out of the alley and ready for a home!

Thanks to Diane's MIL Peggy for the recent donation.

alley sweet alley

The MJK alley cats have been provided with some accomodations for the winter. That big pile of brush was what the cats had; we've replaced that with a plank floor and some nice container homes (they are insulated with styrofoam). That's Aida checking out the digs. In this market she can get a real deal!

Relinquishing

Today Hyde Park Cats made a big trip to PAWS Chicago's Lurie Clinic to relinquish ... get ready ... eleven kittehs! Thank you, PAWS, for taking our cats, giving them veterinary care, and putting them in your adoption center. Celia, Feste, Valentine/Pipsqueak, and the "Pullman 4" kittens were all admitted. The "Diane 4" (above) have to wait until their eye infections clear up, but they're guaranteed admission.


Celia in the backpack. Look how calm and sweet he is.


The scene at PAWS (ferals recovering from surgery).


Celia, Feste, and Valentine/Pipsqueak -- bye bye! Happy wonderful new life!!!!!

It's difficult to give up our cats but the truth is we're not set up as an adoption center and we can't do this kind of work. It was particularly hard to see Celia go, since he's such a sweet love-bug. We had hoped to find him a local home but it was not to be and we're sure this loving playful guy will find a home soon. All the cats will be available thru PAWS in their adoption center, so if you are feeling pangs of remorse at not adopting Celia at our adoption event -- maybe it's not too late!

Tiger: two views

Tiger in the alley, Tiger relaxing on a blanket.

Hungry cat fighting for food, fed cat seeking a home.

this weekend

Thanks to Parker's Pets for hosting us on Saturday's adoption event. Adoptable cats Tapioca (above, looking for some quiet time) and Celia (peeking out of his soft-sided crate seeking love and attention) were real troopers.



Portrait of Celia.

Other Hyde Park Cats people spent part of Saturday making one of our feral-cat colonies much more habitable for the winter (setting up feral "villas," etc.) and still others were driving kittens to PAWS Chicago in order to be admitted into the Adoption Center. Thanks to all our volunteers who do so much to help the cats.

Don't forget to order your Hyde Park Cats calendar by emailing hydeparkcatsorders@gmail.com.

Celia at play

Stop-motion photography of superplayful Celia. He waited patiently at today's Adoption Event in vain. Celia is cuddly, loving, playful, and fun. He seeks a forever home!

In sad news, Oliver tested positive for Feline Leukemia virus and was humanely euthanized. Thanks to his finders for taking him off the street, where he would have died a horrible death, and to Ruth for providing him with a last few days filled with fud and luv.

Today!

Please join us today at Parker's Pets, 1342 E. 55th St., from 1-3 p.m., for our Adoption Event!

If you're not currently looking to adopt a cat you can still come by -- we'll have treats and goodies to purchase, such as Hyde Park Cats magnets and postcards, not to mention our calendar.

Calendar! And Adoption Event!

Now available: Hyde Park Cats calendars! For only $10 ($11 if you want it mailed) you can display a different Hyde Park cat every month and support us in our efforts to help more feline residents. Calendars make a great gift and these are perfect for those of you needing a unique Hyde Park-related gift! Reserve your calendar now! Email hydeparkcatsorders@gmail.com with your order.

Magnets and postcards also available!

Please note: we can arrange pick-up for local residents.

******

Please join us this Saturday at Parker's Pets, 1342 E. 55th St., from 1-3 p.m., for our Adoption Event!

Celia

Celia was lifted out of the Battlestar Galactica colony a few weeks ago. He's about five months old and is currently in a foster home. Here are some thoughts from his fostermom:

"Celia is amazing. He is still in the litter training process, but that is really his only "flaw." He LOVES humans! He can't get enough pets and is not afraid to smash his face against your legs, arms, or whatever is in reach until he gets his pets and scritches. This has even caused me to spill his food everywhere (as I lowered the bowl to the floor, he is so excited at the hand approaching---not the food---that he smashed his head into the hand that was holding the bowl)! He is not afraid to get himself onto the bed to hang out (and get played with, of course) and he is very playful. He paws at me and nibbles playfully, and will chase my laser pointer. He is GREAT and will make some family really happy one day :)"

A boy despite the name, Celia has tested negative for FeLV and FIV. He's already been neutered and he even has a microchip! And ... he's available for adoption!

Cats available for adoption thru Hyde Park Cats

Oliver

Oliver was found wandering around at 55th and Hyde Park a couple weeks ago. We have had various reports over the last six months of a cat fitting Oliver's description being seen out and about, scared and hungry looking, so we are fairly certain Oliver is a street cat, but please let us know if you are missing him. Oliver really exemplifies the sadness and confusion of a cat who perhaps was somebody's kitten for a few months, who maybe ran off when he felt the need to sow some oats or was just left behind ... we'll almost certainly never know.

When found, Oliver was rather skinny, striped ginger cat, fairly dirty but responding very vocally. He enjoys being petted on the head but isn't so sure about being picked up. Our fosterer says he is basically friendly and confident, although a little "cranky" at finding his liberty curtailed. "I put a woolly bed up for him," she writes, "with some cat nip and he loved the latter. I opened the can of wet food and he knew the sound immediately and ate about two-thirds of it."

Oliver may be available for adoption through HPC pending further examination.

Black + white = gray

Black and White Cat World, where we've been TNRing since last March, now has a touch of gray.

We believe these are the kittens of the elusive Juniper, although it appears the kittens are taken care of by multiple adults. We plan on TNRing these kittens as soon as we can.

more kitten slideshow!

Another fabulous kitten slideshow from Becca

Thanks to Gwennan for the food (and the 'nip!)

tandy/tobias/curio

Curio, Toby, and Andy, three of our five Shakespeare's Garage kittens are safely ensconced at PAWS Chicago. They've had a bit of a name switch: Toby turned out to be a girl, so she's Tandy; Andy turned out to be a boy and was renamed Tobias. Curio got to keep his name. One of our volunteers also volunteers at PAWS and just happened to see the kids yesterday, coming back from their spay/neuter surgeries. The kittens will probably go to the PAWS adoption center this very weekend! Ruth says she gave them all a cuddle and reminded them of the many people in Hyde Park who love them.

Valentine and Feste will be admitted into the PAWS adoption program later this month.

Valentine

A portrait of Valentine, a Shakespeare's Garage kitten. Previous posting on Valentine.

Thanks to Ashley and Mitch for donating the cat carrier and the crate! Crates are important tools for socializing feral kittens.

"Broken leg" kitty

Carmella was found around 89th place by an animal-loving young woman, the outoing President of her high-school animal-interests club. What a lucky kitten! Carmelita is a beautiful and friendly tortoiseshell who appeared to have a broken leg, so Faylin, her finder, contacted us for help. Examination at Woodlawn Animal Hospital didn't show a broken leg, but Faylin-the-kitten (we renamed her) tested negative for FIV and FeLV and has been dewormed, etc. Now she is being fostered and her name was changed to Nena. Fostermom Melissa reports that "she definitely walks on the back right leg, but she's still limping. She also seems to use only three legs for running. Either way, she does not act like she is in pain, and she can do everything she wants to do in terms of mobility. She is also very lovable. She wants me to pet her every time I go into the bathroom, and she stands at my feet meowing when I'm getting ready in the morning--very, very cute."

In case you didn't see that part, she is very lovable.

Thanks to recent donor Susan M. and to Roy C. and Diana U. for the food donation -- we have lots of cats in fosterage so food is always welcome. Also thanks to Heather W. for taking three cats to PAWS for a check on Thursday and to Eevie and Melissa for their travels to get Nena squared away. And special thanks to Faylin for getting little Nena off the street!

Molly and Norman

Molly and Norman were lifted out of Battlestar Galactica at the end of October. They are turning into absolutely delightful lap-cats under the loving foster care provided by fostermom Danna. Mollasses/Molly can’t get enough of being held and scritched. Norman of Orange (her scamp of a brother, trapped one week later) is coming along nicely and willingly cuddles for up to forty minutes at a time (apparently he's on the clock). These kitties have been accepted by PAWS Chicago, who will try to find them a forever home together. Go, Hyde Park Cats, go!

Can you drive?

We are in need of people to transport our kittens to and from the PAWS Chicago clinic (in Pilsen, see more info here). If you have been thinking you'd like to help but can't take on feeding or fostering, this is an area of great need for us!

Please email hydeparkcats@gmail.com for more information.

kitten slideshow!

Foster-mom Becca has sent us a Kitten Slideshow! of her foster babies Andy, Toby, and Feste. Andy is the light gray one; Feste is the blackish kitten, and Toby is the darker striped one. They are all exploring and playing and doing well. MUCH better than living in a cold garage, don't you think?

Remus update

Remus was found way back in May wandering around near 61st and Ellis. He was adopted by a wonderful couple and given the much nicer name of Baba. Baba's person has updated us on his progress: "We are not certain of Baba's exact age, but he is as rambunctious and curious as a kitten. Around us, he is gentle and affectionate. Baba enjoys string, balls, and fish and has a particular penchant for water. He reliably runs into the bathtub after a shower to watch the drips from the faucet. He always has us laughing and we are very grateful that Hyde Park Cats brought him into our lives."

Thanks to Diane for finding and neutering him, to Ming for the summer fostering, and to Ellen and Kartik for bringing this kitty into their home!

And thanks as well to recent donors Patricia V. and Kathryn G.!

Olivia

Olivia is the mom of the Shakespeare's Garage kittens, and she has continued to elude us. We have our own drop trap now, though, and so have high hopes of at least TNRing this lovely lass before winter sets in.

Good news: all the Battlestar Galactica kittens mentioned below (Magee, Moggy, Ronnie, and Terry) tested negative for FIV and FeLv; so did Feste (Shakespearean kitten).

Thanks to Kathleen for the recent donation!