seeking barns

Do you have friends or family who live in the country or on a farm? We're seeking some possible placements for unsocializable/feralish cats. These are cats who can't be put out on the streets of Chicago because they're not members of a colony, yet can't be adopted because they are not domesticated.

We would love to find some places who would at least give these kitties a chance at a life.

So ask your friends and families if they will take in a couple needy cats ... mousing abilities not vouched for, though!

Thanks to Kalisha B. for the donation, and to Meng for donating her labor ... and for the furreal kitty ...

Nola

Today's blogpost is for Nancy, who does independent cat rescue in Hyde Park. She is seeking a home for the beautiful Nola, originally rescued from Hurricane Katrina. Nancy writes "she is very very smart, very affectionate, very strongly opinionated cat, she demands attention and wants to hunt and chase rolled up newspaper balls all the time, that would be heaven for her, someone to play with all the time. She does not get along well with other cats, she is both aggressive and scared of them. she was with a dog in her last home and she and the dog were best of friends. she is a about six years old, a calico tabby, spayed, all her shots are up to date, and she is fiv and leukemia negative and is inoculated against leukemia as well. she has been an inside only cat and is not declawed. she is very graceful and very neat. she has a cat climbing condo that she loves to climb up and down and that would come with her to her new home. "

Madison

Madison is a young (under one year) long-haired black beauty. She always comes to the ktchen when fosterdad is making dinner and says "Hey where's mine?" Fosterdad reports that "She has the cutest high pitched kitten meow that is adorable. However, she's gotten a bit more bold so she also uses her louder and deeper meow when she really really wants food." She loves to chase shoelaces. She loves to stretch out in fosterdad's arms, especially if he is wearing a wool sweater and she absolutely loves the brush.

Fosterdad Mike says "The best thing about Madison is unlike most cats who will avoid eye contact, she looks right into your eyes and will try to talk with you. She is definitely the sweetest little cat I've ever had. I know that whoever adopts her is going to absolutely adore her."

Madison backstory.

Cat 707

Yesterday our adoption coordinator was on the phone with Animal Welfare League when she learned that at that very moment Cat 707 was being adopted. This kitty had been at the shelter for three of our volunteer trips. It turns out 707 was about eight-ten years old. He had been adopted from AWL over six years ago ... but returned in November, we don't know why. What we do know is that a ten-year-old "regular" cat sitting in a city shelter doesn't have a great shot at being adopted. But then he met Briana, who had come on the volunteer day last weekend. She fell in love.

She went back to see if 707 was still there, and there he was, and there he is no longer, because now he's in Briana's home. She declined to name him Boeing (my suggestion) because obviously his true name is Nigel. Briana says "Nigel LOVES scratches, headbutts and snuggling."

I love this story. I feel so grateful for everybody opening their homes to foster and adopt animals. Right now the city (and surrounding areas) are experiencing a real crisis, however, with evictions and foreclosures, and people surrendering or abandoning their animals. And kitten season isn't even here yet! Every shelter is overflowing with animals. If you have been thinking you could foster or adopt, or add another pet to your home, now is the time.

Samantha and TJ

We reported last week on some Hyde Parkers who went out during that big snowstorm to trap three outdoor cats. As it turned out only one of those cats was a friendly, so Samantha and TJ were released after recovering from spay/neuter surgery. If you have feral cats like Samantha and TJ outside your building, please get them spay/neutered. Every cat we spay or neuter now means fewer unwanted kittens come
KITTEN SEASON!

Thanks to recent donors Mike H., James, Emma, and Leslie!

Soft tabby greyness available

Hidey and Minion are a matched pair of supersoft gray tabbies who were born in the garage of a southside church. Hidey is the official bedwarming cat of her house. While’s she’s happy to chase her brother madly around the house during the day, as bedtime nears she stays close so she can be sure to beat us to the bed. Once there she takes the best spot and makes herself available for eight hours of uninterrupted snuggles and pets. And with fur as soft as hers, happy pets are really no trouble. Hidey got her name from her habit of demurely hiding her nose in under a nearby elbow when cuddling in her humans’ arms. She prefers to be close to the action and often comes to sit on a lap during dinner. Hidey’s favorite playthings (other than her brother) are carpet fringes and superballs, but she says she’ll adapt to whatever you have available.

Minion’s favorite pastimes include racing around the house, extreme birdwatching, and begging for belly rubs. He’s pretty sure almost everything in a human house is worth playing with, and that all people are worth rubbing on. He also likes to masquerade as Hidey. Minion got his name from his devotion to Dad, a gray tom who shares his foster house.

If you are considering adopting a kitty, please view ouravailable for adoption list. This page includes some cats who have not been profiled on the blog yet! Petfinder has been undergoing some administrative changes and it is very difficult to keep our Petfinder page updated, so the available for adoption page is your best bet.

Sweepy

The scene right now: fosterkitten Oatmeal (who was in the ACC iso unit all by himself just this past Saturday) getting some snuggly love. Yeah, it's hard luck for the kittens who have to be fostered in my house. Apples in a similar position, September 2010.