Belle, Holly, & Molly

Meet an unusual family of kittehs. Belle, top photo right, is the bio-mom of Holly, her mini-me. These beautiful stripey girls were turned into Animal Welfare League. The shelter manager then introduced Molly, a little gray kitten who was all alone, and wonderful Belle adopted her too! These kitties had been in the shelter for a couple months when we choose them for our adoption program -- so the kittens basically spent their entire young kittenhoods in pokey. They're still kittens, though, so they're making up for lost time playing and playing and playing in Carol's loving fosterhome. Mama Belle is a little shy of people, but clearly enjoys having her own space. To find out more about these kitties, please email hydeparkcatsadoptions@gmail.com.

Iris and May: GOAL MET.

Great news! We have met our goal on fundraising for Iris and May!

Trio Animal Foundation (TAF)  has made a very generous donation to us to cover the entire gap between our wonderful individual sponsors and the surgical costs. TAF is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) charitable organization that assists shelters, rescues, and individuals by paying the medical bills of homeless pets (of course, they also promote spay/neuter and responsible pet-adoption practices). TAF is very invested, as are we, in our local Animal Welfare League facility, and so they are ALSO donating towards the veterinary care of some of our recent AWL pulls! A huge thanks to TAF and their generous donors! They do some amazing work.

To our most recent round of individual donors, we give our thanks: Allison L. in NYC, Jane M., Carol K. in OH, Donna H. in Seattle. We're a locally operating rescue so of course many of our friends are here in Chicago and suburbs: Mike H., Anne F. (cat sweater!), Emily D., Ruth A., Amy M., Gretchen E., Megan M., Venzie M. (who just adopted Topaz!), Sophie W., Fredric and Pamela C., Anna F. It also appears some cats have been approved for Paypal accounts: big purrs to "Ashy-Guy," "Bubbles," and "Four Cats."

If you haven't been keeping up-to-date with the scoop on Iris and May, check it out, they have their own blog.

Plans for the actual surgery to fix Iris and May's eyes are in the works; we will keep you posted!

Molly

Part of our work at Hyde Park Cats is to provide appropriate veterinary care for our charges. Molly here went to our local vet lately for an ouchy eye, and had a fluorescent dye put in to check for lesions or scratches. Some antibiotic drops and lysine later and things are looking up for this SUPERSOFT silvery chinchilla-like kitty. The vet and assistant couldn't resist holding her ...

Who is Molly? Molly was one of our recent 'pulls' from the Animal Welfare League. She was adopted by a mother cat who had one kitten of her own! They had been at AWL for three months ... that is, her entire kittenhood. She's now out of pokey, in a foster home, and available for adoption (as is her mom and sister -- more info on them shortly).

Big meows of thanks to some recent donors -- Julian H. ("Man"), Mike H., Nadia Q. (she who brought us Sweet Pea!) and Norah O'D., who earmarked her donation for alley-cat food. And thanks to community folks who donated food, litter, and cat toys to the donations bin at Parkers! AND thank you to Parkers -- for food for our foster babies, for gathering donations, and for the unending moral support.

Iris and May update

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The donations for Iris and May's eye surgery have continued to come in; however, we are still short of our goal. Please consider perhaps converting your February donut money into donation money for Iris and May (and share your decision with two receptive friends).  We're pretty close! Help us close the gap.

THANK YOU and biscuits to recent donors to our special surgery fund:  from Chicago and environs, Patrick H., Bryan L., Erin G., Juliet H., Yoko K., Norah O'D, and Whisker (I know who you are!). And from Tucson AZ -- Paula F. We also had two TN-based donors, so I suppose our influence is moving south ... thanks to Kathryn L. and especially to Bela H., who donated not only money but created our Valentines Day graphic. Thanks Bela! And thanks for the cash right through my mailslot, Kirsten O. and Alison N. -- now that's local giving!

To read more about Iris and May and why we need this special campaign, click here: http://hpcatsirisandmay.blogspot.com/ 

Astra

Fans of Downton Abbey, rejoice! We have for you an English Garden Cat, round and petite, a classic calico of the adorable-sweet-and-friendly variety. Astra is about two or three years old. She was one of our recent finds from Animal Welfare League and is doing quite well in her foster home. Take home this little moggie and share such a good pudding with her this evening!

Thank you so much for all who have donated towards Iris and May's surgery. We're not there yet, so please continue to think of us. Every dollar counts when we're facing a major financial commitment like this.

It was rather amazing and humbling to see that donors towards Iris and May's surgery from come from not only our homebase here in Chicago but all over too! Thanks and Happy Valentine's Day to Judith L. in Florida, Lydia K. and Leah R. from San Fran, Lana J. in the Big Apple, Andrea C. in Riverside CA, Heidi N. in Texas, Carolyn B. in St. Louis, Sarah E. in VA, Dawn P. in PA, Jennifer R. in La Jolla, George D. in Lake Balboa, CA, and Elizabeth G. in Santa Cruz ... and thanks Canadian friend Lucy J. in Calgary!

Thanks also to Chris S. in Indiana (who also helped saved our newest fosterkitten -- more to come on that) and our friends in and around Chicago: Kathleen H. (Forest Park), Desislave P., Laura S., Louise L., Diane H., Rhonda S., Brenda J. Helen-Mary S., Emily S., Claire B., Margaret K., Eric S., Elissa W. S., Barbara S., Kim C., Erica E., Janice N., Kim T., as well as a local anonymous donor.

Iris and May

Iris and May were found, with their mommy, Gertie, in a gardening shed in Washington Park last summer.

Poor Gertie was just a kitten herself and had few teeth; it's possible she wasn't able to get enough nutrition to her kittens in utero, because both were born with congenital eye defects. In addition, life in a gardening shed being less than sterile, both kittens had eye infections. Iris' eye infection was so severe that she ended up with only one functioning eye.

Despite their beginnings Iris and May are sweet and adorable. But the time has come, now that they are big and strong enough, to address their eye situations -- surgically. Both sisters have agenesis of the eyelids, meaning that their eyelids did not develop normally or completely. They require surgery to repair their eyelids; in addition, Iris will need to have her non-functioning eye removed.

The total cost for their surgeries is around $4000. We have a promise of $500 from the couple who wants to adopt them. We need to collect $3500. This amount is too large for Hyde Park Cats to absorb without extra contributions from our friends. Can you help?

To donate to Iris and May's surgeries, please hit the PAYPAL button to the right or send an email to hydeparkcats@gmail.com to inquire about mailing a check. Please know that small donations do add up! We appreciate donations of any amount.

See more: Iris and May's page

Petra

Petra is an all-black Manx cat we rescued from the Animal Welfare League last week. She had been there for at least a month, very afraid in her cage. Fostermom says "she's soooo sweet -- she starts purring softly when you pet her but she is to scared to approach yet (she may be afraid of the resident dog)." Petra was turned into AWL unspayed, and had indeed born kittens in the past, but is now fixed. She had a hernia in her abdominal wall from an unknown trauma (dog attack?). She is an adult kitty, maybe seven, but quite tiny and did we mention ... without a tail? Email hydeparkcatsadoptions@gmail.com to find out more about this sweet little lady.

Big meows of thanks to some recent donors -- Julian H. ("Man"), Mike H., Nadia Q. (she who brought us Sweet Pea!) and Norah O'D., who earmarked her donation for alley-cat food. And thanks to community folks who donated food, litter, and cat toys to the donations bin at Parkers! AND thank you to Parkers -- for food for our foster babies, for gathering donations, and for the unending moral support.

Lincoln

We will let new foster mom do the talking for our new intake, Mr. Lincoln, who is estimated to be approximately 16-18 years old.  He was previously relinquished at HPAC and taken in by a community volunteer for a little while, but their situation recently changed and he has now become a Hyde Park Cat:

"Lincoln is a sweet old thing with a lion's prowling, soulful eyes.  He's very easy-going, and never lacks for curiosity, even being eager to explore our apartment on his first night with us. Lincoln's so regal, calm, sweet and curious that we think he must have been one of the cats revered in ancient Egypt in a past life. He adores having his head and cheeks scratched, and if you scratch him on the right side of his face and cup his head just so, he'll be sure to reward you with a blissful look, lots of purring, and a chuckle-worthy tick where he jerks his back leg.

It's heartbreaking to think of this wonderful old soul stuck in a shelter, overlooked and waiting to be euthanized. We think his venerable old age and especially his incredibly sweet, mild and loving temperament deserve only comfort, ease and love in return."

Open your heart to Lincoln and let him be your Valentine!  Email hydeparkcatsadoptions@gmail.com.

Grover is waiting

Grover. Sits in boxes. Looks like a marble rye. Friendly. Handsome. Seeking furrever home!

January round-up

Sheba and Sahara sitting in a tree K.I.S.S.I.N.G . . .  -  We are thrilled that Sheba (now Cleo) was adopted by the same great family that adopted Sahara (see post below).  Knowing he was ready for a housemate, Sahara's adoptive mom and dad combed the HPC listings. They chose to visit Sheba and decided to take her home and as you can see from the pictures it was a MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN. Yenta would be proud of this shidduch.

Other January adoptions include:

Zimmerman, (foster failure) -- a  former street kitty

Randy -- pulled from AWL by a black-cat aficionado; another black-cat lover spotted him, visited, end of story.

Vincent -- Found emaciated on the street by a caring young woman.

Elwood -- another guy found on the street and ... our February calendar cat!

Gertie - Its been a long road for this sweetheart, after living the rough life of a street mom (Iris and May are her kittens) she has finally found her furrever home.

2013 is off to a great start!