Shelters and Lucia update

Some HPC volunteers helped build winter shelters for outdoor cats at PAWS Chicago this weekend. PAWS puts these shelters in outdoor-cat colonies all over the south side. If you would like to help build shelters or go on a drive-around to feed and help TNR some of the enormous outdoor-cat population around us, please email hydeparkcats@gmail.com for more information. We can help with carpooling or mass-transit togetherness. It's a wonderful hands-on volunteer experience that makes an immediate difference. You might even save the next Lucia Clara!

***************

Update on Lucia

Lucia was admitted to Tree House Humane Society and is there now. Tree House makes sure each cat has a unique name; they had already had a Lucia, so her name is now “Lucia Clara” – even better (Clara after the Nutcracker character, as in this past weekend's wonderful "Nutcracker" ballet put on by the nonprofit Hyde Park School of Dance. The vet's initial assessment was that Lucia Clara seems to have an old head injury that might have created internal pressure that caused the eye to bulge out. The eye is definitely dead, and it will have to be removed. Unless something more complicated emerges, that should be a fairly simple procedure. After the eye is removed, the socket will be cleaned out and stitched up, and she’ll be good to go. The Tree House people were all just amazed by how sweet and affectionate she is.

Thanks to Mike R., Martha B., and Chelsea N. for their donations towards Lucia's care. Because Treehouse admitted her, we have re-donated that to Treehouse for her veterinary care. If anyone wishes to further contribute to her care, we will forward that money to Tree House. We feel being at Tree House, with veterinary staff on hand, is the best place for this little sweetheart. We will provide updates when available. Good luck and all our love from Hyde Park, LUCIA CLARA!