Sahara update

Fostermom Claire writes that "Sahara is such a wonderful cat. It's hard to believe he hasn't been a housecat all his life because his favorite place is in someone's lap, purring and drooling contentedly on their leg. He's incredibly mellow and seems to have no limit to how much petting and snuggling he can 'endure.' We've noticed that he really like to lick fingers and toes! It's adorable. He also loves nuzzling faces and hands and giving kisses. He likes toys but seems to have a pragmatic attitude to them: if they're moving, efficiently subdue them so the snuggling can resume."

Thanks to our recent donors Amy L. (we wish you could keep fostering too!), Chris G., and Anton and Meng, and to all the folks who donate a can or two of cat food for us at Parkers on 55th. It adds up and the cats appreciate it!

Roger update

Over the weekend MJK received a phone call from the Liliana Colony caretakers: some neighborhood kids were bullying and apparently even kicking Roger. Volunteers went to pick up Roger, who is now safely in the loving fosterarms of Hamsini. He went to the vet and had an abrasion cleaned and is on antiobiotics for an upper respiratory infection (cold). He's got an adorable "bulldoggy" look, doesn't he? And such whiskers!

Roger was rescued from a life on the streets and is in search of his foreverhome. Many other cats await their fosterhome and are on the streets or in cages in the pounds. Send your foster/adoption inquiry to hydeparkcatsadoptions@gmail.com.

Some Forever Home Cats

Bridget with big brother (BIG brother) Tom.


Louis le Roi ... loves his food so much he lies down to eat! Here he is with his kid, Louis (LouEE cat, LouIS kid).


Effi, now Bear ... showing off magnificent tummy flooooooffffff!

MAZEL TOV to our adopters on their good decision to adopt a homeless cat! Happy life, Bridget! Happy life, Louis le Roi! Happy life, Effibear!

Evan

Evan is a very sweet and friendly adult cat from the Liliana Colony who received his TNR services last week.

Evan tested positive for FIV, which is spread in outdoor cats primarily by fighting among unneutered tomcats--they give each other deep puncture wounds during fights. Although Evan is friendly and would make a good housecat, we released him due to our lack of foster space and because it can take much longer to get an FIV+ cat adopted, although most shelters and vets do now believe that FIV positive and negative cats can intermingle with perfect safety in the household.

Tonight: ZUMBA class benefitting Hyde Park Cats! See sidebar ➔ for details.

Carmen update

Carmen was found wandering around the streets back in December. Just over the weekend we got some new pictures from fostermom to post on Facebook, and a reader fell in L-U-V. Lookat that punim! Carmen's hopeful new mom said "his face made me giggle before I had coffee at six this morning." I feel the same way (except for the six a.m. thing ... nothing will make me giggle that early).

Diego

Diego from the Liliana Colony -- semiferal and TNRed.

Thanks to Jessica S. for the wet food!

Frida and Sahara updates

Update on Frida from her foster family: "Frida's recovery is progressing well at the Cheney household. Frida greets people as they come into her room with a welcoming little meow, hoping to be petted; she is very affectionate, and sits for as long as you want to pet her soft brown tabby coat, purring so loudly you can easily hear her across the room. She is a pretty shy little girl but will sit for our boys (4 & 8) so long as they are gentle. Impeccable litter box habits despite the street pedigree." Thank you, Cheneys, for doing this mitzvah.

And thank you to Claire and her roommates for stepping up to the plate and offering Sahara a foster home! He is available for immediate adoption (neutered, neg/neg, vaxed, etc.). He would be fine with other cats or as a singleton.

Curious about fostering but not sure it's for you? Talk to us and find out more! Any of our current fosterers would be happy to email or chat with you over coffee. Every fosterhome we have means more kitties we don't have to put back out on the street, or more kitties we can rescue from euthanasia in the pound.

Langley

Langley from the Liliana Colony. Trapped, neutered, and returned to his colony.

We are still seeking a foster home for Sahara (see below a few posts), otherwise we have to put this darling young kitty back outside. Can you open your home? All veterinary care is on us -- you supply the love!

Roger

Continuing with this week's Liliana Colony theme, Roger is a young (one year?) and very friendly guy. Temporary fostermom says "he is a lovely cat, well behaved, a real purr machine." Roger tested positive for FIV but seems healthy. Because all our fosterhomes are full, we released Roger back into his colony.

In good news, Paul, Jessie, Nick, and Louis opened up their home so that Frida would not have to be put back outside. Thank you for giving this beautiful girl a chance!

Billie Jo

Billie Jo is a beautiful long-haired from the Lilliana Colony. Gorgeous. Feral. TNRed!

Thanks Janelle W. for the food!

AWL Volunteer Day/meatball making

There is still space for Hyde Park Cats volunteers to sign up to volunteer at AWL this Sunday, March 27th! We have two shifts available: one from 10am-12:30pm and one from 1-3:30pm. It's a great opportunity to socialize with needy kitties... the more human attention they receive, the better their chances of being pulled by a rescue organization.

Also, this Saturday afternoon (exact time and location TBD), a group of us will be making meatballs for the dogs at AWL. This is a fun, non-time-intensive way to contribute to a worthy cause... it generally takes about an hour.

For details and to participate, please email Kim at kriosmorrison@gmail.com.

Frida

Frida is a complete sweetheart. She has the cutest little cry that she uses to beg for pets. She is young, under a year, and quite small. She is a champion purr machine and loves human company. Temporary fostermom says "When I approach her, she arches and rubs and rolls on her back to express her joy in seeing me." Frida is just inside for post-op recovery following her spay surgery (she was pregnant!) even though she is very friendly and dear. All our foster homes are full. If you would like to foster Frida so that this beautiful girl can find a home, please email us at hydeparkcatsadoptions@gmail.com. Frida is from the Liliana Colony. In the second photo she's resting between the traps holding two of her feral companions, who were released.

Sahara

Sahara is a lovely young guy, apparently less than a year old. He is totally cuddly and snuggly. He begs to be held and he purrs nonstop. It was tough to take a picture of him because he wanted to be on top of fostermom! Sahara is from Tanya's Tribe at around 67th off Stony; the same place we got Solomon, Nadia (RIP), Amos, and Big Papa.

Sadly, because all our foster homes are full, this friendly little guy received his TNR and has to be put back outside. If you're interested in fostering him, email hydeparkcatsadoptions@gmail.com.

Lara

Named by her fostergirl. She is a snuggly, sleek, slender and gentle four- or five-month-old kitten. Found seeking food on her own south of the midway. Within a day she found the snuggle basket of her fosterhome's previous resident and settled right in. Her foster girl is currently teaching her guitar so she can play in the RockCats band. One of her back toes (it is all white) has superpowers but she won't tell us what they are yet.

Thanks to Cynthia for helping this girl on her journey and for the donation to cover her costs.

Celeste

This lovely dilute tortie came up to MJK while she was at the Liliana Colony helping the caretaker. MJK says "she came up to us, meowing loudly in the manner of house cats who are distressed to find them selves outside. Lili said she had never seen this cat before. I held her for five minutes and she was thrilled to be in my arms This cat is definitely a dump. She is dirty and hasnt been grooming properly, another sign of a disoriented cat Given her infected eyes, I decided to bring her in so as not to risk spreading disease to Lili's colony. I didn't have a carrier, so I crossed my fingers and put her in the back seat of my car. She sat quietly and calmly the whole way home. Despite her eye problem, she isn't emaciated. In fact, she might be pregnant. I just couldn't leave her. I've named her Celeste."

Celeste is one of the few cats we have been lucky enough to get admitted into Treehouse, where she can get good treatment for her eyes (and a home).

Bewick

Bewick is an approx. 4-mo.-old male kitten who we saw all by his little lonesome in cold cage at AWL. We just couldn't leave him there so he went to fostermom Katherine's for his quarantine period before being sent on to his long-term fosterhome. Katherine says "Bee's a pro jumper (kitchen countertops beware). The purr-motor starts if you so much as look at him. He really likes being picked up and carried around like a baby, sometimes even taking a break from eating (his other favorite thing) to demand to be picked up! Like most kittens he is very active and playful and will occasionally tear around chasing nothing at all. Totally fascinated by running water and not at all afraid or averse. Likes to play cat-scarf by wedging himself right in the shoulder/neck area for maximum delicious warm snuggles." Judging from his martini, he's a cat for the Mad Men set.

Liliana Colony

Hyde Park Cats volunteers began a new project last week, to help a resident at 62nd near Cottage Grove who has been feeding eleven cats. There are up to three kittens, and we hope to bring them inside. One cat is losing fur and is having difficulty walking; we will make it a priority to try to catch that particular cat, especially given the concern of a disease that could spread to the other cats.

This is a pretty good situation for a feral colony--there is a committed caretaker who feeds the cats daily; the neighbors seem to be supportive (the neighbor across the street keeps the side door of his vacant garage cracked so that the cats can go in and out); and the cats that we saw seem healthy and well-fed. We've already TNRed several and will be reporting back about more doings here in this colony!

Polly

Polly is a gorgeous tortie-co! Fostermom Mireille says "She is the ultimate tagger! She loves to hide under the coffee table and play tag whenever I walk by. And what I love is that all my orchids are currently in bloom and that she couldn't care less about them. I love a plant-friendly kitty!" Polly was brought to an animal-control facility after she waltzed herself into an elementary school. She has a superloud purr and likes to hug. She may get grouchy when she does not want to be petted anymore but overall enjoys petting and companionship. Polly is spayed, etc., and available for immediate adoption.

more pix

Solomon now and then

Last year on March 7 we took in a bedraggled, wounded, and filthy cat we called Solomon.

Well look at Solomon now!


Miniature lion?


Purebred Maine Coon?

Ah, the excitement, the joy of polishing a dirty street cat into a shiny housecat! Apply today to adopt one of our available kittehs.

Cowtens update

COME ON. Look at these kittens! Why aren't you adopting them! They need a forever home!

Hugh Heifer (pronounced hef-er -- as in young cow, because of his markings) has turned over a new, cuddly leaf. In the last couple weeks he has decided that being stroked, petted, scratched, and cuddled is pretty great. He (and his sister Madame Bovary) now keeps his fosterparents not only entertained but also warm and snuggly. Madame B continues to be very snuggly and outgoing. The pair are two of the sweetest, happiest, and most playful kittens we've met, and it's been wonderful to see Hugh blossom from a terrified, hiding kitten into the happy, friendly guy he is now.

The Cowtens are timid around new people, and they would need a little patience and time to adjust to a new home, but that patience would bring a huge furry payoff in the end. When not cuddling on your lap, giving you a bath, or trying to chase your writing utensil, they endlessly entertain, love, and (sometimes by force) bathe each other. More pix.

Thanks to Wendy and to Mike H. for their recent gifts.

Cat Wrassling!

Join us for an informative nuts-and-bolts discussion and Q & A on cat care and rescue given by Abby Smith of Felines, Inc., a no-kill shelter in operation since 1977.

Abby will discuss the details of cat wrassling (pilling a cat, getting a cat into the carrier, clip its nails, etc.). We will also discuss some on-the-ground issues: when and how to approach a cat on the street, trapping safety, etc.

This will be a great forum to get together and learn more about cat care. For fosterers, rescuers and anyone who cares for cats. Please bring your cat questions. Leave your cat at home.

The talk will be given at Animal Welfare League, 6224 S. Wabash on March 19 at 10:00 a.m. We can arrange car-pooling and safe public-transit togetherness.

FREE! Please bring your baked goods if you are so inclined; HPCats will provide coffee.

Please RSVP to hydeparkcatsadoptions@gmail.com

Handsome!

Striking intact male just showed up at one of our colonies (62nd and Dorchester) at feeding time. He has no fear, allows handling and is very vocal. He appears to be fairly well fed but has a well-developed winter coat, so he's used to the outdoors.

Thanks to Amy D. for driving cats to and from the clinic and to Megan and Brian for the cat food. Thanks to Parkers Pets for keeping that donation jar out and thanks to everybody who contributes to it!

waiting

Readers, adoptions have been slow recently. We can't save more cats from the streets if we can't adopt the cats currently in our foster homes. Can you take a few moments today to help us spread the word about our CATS and KITTENS AVAILABLE for ADOPTION. You could ...

suggest to five friends that they like our Facebook page

add our blog to your email signature; that's a painless way of putting our blog across people's eyes without being intrusive

print out one of our posters and put it up in your church (etc.), building lobby, drycleaner, school, or anywhere you go. Just email hydeparkcats@gmail.com and I'll email you a poster to print!

be creative with spreading the word!

Pictured here are adoptable kittens Hugh Heifer and Madame Bovary, two adorable cow-marked kittens who are waiting for their forever home.

TNR Projects Need Your Help

Spring is almost here! And the cats are getting busy!

PAWS, which works to TNR colonies all over the South Side, needs local help trapping, transporting and recovering. This is a great short-term volunteer opportunity to really get out there and make a difference. Every cat we can TNR now is like seven billion fewer cats born this year. It's also a unique way to see the South Side. Driving around the alleys and side streets, meeting the residents who care about the cats and their neighborhoods, helping to make things better, cleaner, more humane--it's a wonderful, eye-opening way to usher in the spring.

We are seeking TNR volunteer(s) to work on specific projects. Responsibilities could include working with the colony caregiver, trapping, transporting the cats to the Lurie Clinic for surgery and recovering the cats at PAWS Chicago or with the caregiver (i.e., post-surgery). Each project will be different and will need more or less assistance. Even if you can only go once, it really helps

Trapping help is sought in zip codes 60629, 60637, 60632, 60623, 60619, 60649.

We are also seeking volunteers to trap weekdays after 2 pm on the "King Project" in Woodlawn and surroundings. You would be partnering with a very knowledgeable Woodlawn resident.

Please spread the word far and wide around the South Side. Kittens are being made as you read this!

Interested? Email hydeparkcats@gmail.com.

Oatmeal and Talullah

Oatmeal and Talullah are an adorable boy-girl kitten pair available for adoption. Oatmeal is a black-and-white boy with gorgeous light green eyes and Talullah is a grey-and-white lovely girl with one yellow and one blue eye! Together they have matching mismatchings!

Oatmeal is an extremely relaxed and calm boy who will enjoy hours of cuddling. He's also very playful. Talullah is a sweet girl who is what we call "hand-shy." That is, she will shy away from your hand if you reach out for her. If allowed her own way, she'll come sit with you and purr. She has supersoft fur.

Talullah and Oatmeal are both darling kittehs; they need a home together with owners who are willing to give Talullah quiet time to adjust and blossom. She is absolutely not aggressive, just nervous. See also Talullah and Oatmeal.

Together these two are a wonderful pair! They are waiting for a loving forever home.

Bridget

Bridget is an adorable little kitten (just about two pounds, so maybe three months) who was found under a porch in Humboldt Park. One half of the couple who found her is the woman who had brought us The Dharma Initiative. Thanks for rescuing cats and kittens, Erica! Little Bridget is a real snugglebug who enjoys cuddling. Fostermom Mary Jean says "Little Bridget is the cutest thing! I love her half-black nose, her red highlights and her solid, stumpy legs!" Bridget is going to Treehouse on Wednesday for her veterinary work-up. We will be seeking a home with a resident cat (or possibly a dog or a bunny) or to adopt Bridget with one of our other hpcats.

Thanks to Erika and her husband for rescuing Bridget and thank you for the generous donation. However we strongly disapprove of your driving to Hyde Park, pregnant lady!

Dog Day: Scarlett

Today is a Dog Day, when we feature some dog rescue work in our area. This post was contributed by Eevie, who is a rescuer and fosterer with Chicagoland Bully Breed Rescue -- that is, when she's not busy rescuing pregnant cats from her alley! Eevie is currently fostering Scarlett, who is experiencing some medical problems. CBBR is seeking donations:

"When Scarlett was rescued from an abandoned building in Gary, Indiana, she weighed only 32 pounds, had bite wounds on her face, deep pressure sores on her ankles, and had such a low red blood cell count that her blood looked pink. Our vet told us she would have starved to death in a day or two had we not rescued her. Her foster family carried her up and down the stairs to go potty for days, and built her a cozy recovery kennel where she could rest and get well. In the last 6 weeks Ms. Scarlett has grown into an amazing dog. She has gained a full 50% of her body weight and loves and protects her foster family. She even has a doggie BFF who watches movies with her on the sofa. But sadly, we've recently discovered that Scarlett's extreme anemia has only gotten worse. She is currently undergoing tests on her bone marrow to try to determine the cause of the anemia, and may need blood transfusions in the future.

Our vet told us "Anemia this serious isn't compatible with life. I don't know how she is even alive." But we do. This dog has a tremendous will to live and that incredible pit bull devotion to her people. She finally has a life worth living. Please help us help this amazing dog get well. Donations for her care can be made to CBBR."

As usual, a few dollars here and there do add up. Thank you, friends at CBBR, who are working so hard to save all the sweet and wonderful pitties who so desperately need our help. Please consider CBBR for your next doggie friend!