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!