Roger and Laffey: update

Readers, some nice news. Roger has been adopted. Furrever mom Mandy writes that "Roger and Laffey are now Luka and Laszo - and the news is all good. Both Luka (formerly Roger) and Laszo (formerly Laffey) are settling in well, and after a somewhat hissy first day, they have taken to each other (although sometimes Laszo wants to keep playing when Luka is ready to throw in the towel and nap). Laszo, who is fascinated by running water (he loves watching the toilet flush) is totally encamped by our circulating fountain, and Luka has won the hearts of everyone who has come by to meet them. In short, they both seem pretty happy with us, with their new home, and with each other."

Sniff sniff ... damn those allergies. Roger, an FIV+ colony male, was picked up off the street last March after a brush with some neighborhood kids throwing rocks. Laffey was our most recent save from a high-kill facility in NW Indiana.

A special note of gratitude to Hamsini, who fostered Roger for a year until his forever moms found him, and to new fosterers Flora and her family for signing on. HAPPY LIFE, LAFFEY, HAPPY LIFE, ROGER!

Pops

Pops was found, starving, in an abandoned garage. He has gained almost four pounds since being rescued and now has a shiny black coat, which he loves having brushed. Pops loves to get tummy rubs. In fact, he loves affection. He is extremely, ridiculously affectionate; he gives nice hefty head butts too. His snaggletooth only adds to his charms.

We think Pops was booted from his home, although we'll never know why. He is a senior cat (the vet estimates him to be ten or twelve years old) who is clearly used to being in a home environment. He is so happy to be in his foster home and has so much love to give!

Pops is fixed, neg/neg, and ready to move in and be your new best friend for the rest of his life. Please consider adopting this loving older gentleman. Write to hydeparkcatsadoptions@gmail.com to apply.

Meow

Meow came to our attention a couple weeks ago through an email from Henry at 88th and Ada. He wrote in to say "A family member who lives in Hyde Park told me about your organization. I do understand that you generally help cats out of the Hyde Park area but I hope that after hearing the circumstances of this situation you will make an exception. There is a cat in my neighborhood that would come by and visit us on a daily basis .... she is very sweet and friendly and I believe she may have previously belonged to someone who was unable to take care of her and abandoned her."

We arranged to bring Meow into one of our foster homes, but first we needed to take her to the vet because her eyes showed certain signs of a major worm problem. At the vet it became apparent Meow had much bigger problems than just worms, and indeed, she was positive for FeLV. Because of her overall condition, we decided humane euthanasia was necessary.

We want to thank Henry and his family for helping Meow. FeLV is a cruel disease, and Meow would have died an ugly death, and may have infected other cats as well. Thank you to Laura S. for again shouldering the hard work of ushering a sick cat to the vet and beyond. Meow, may you find a furrever home at the Rainbow Bridge.

Sadie is waiting

"She's all healed up and ready for a new home. She is a super friendly and affectionate cat who will do anything to catch a laser pointer. She comes immediately when you call for her and will find a way to sit in your lap even if there is no room for her. She's an all-around sweetie and whoever ends up taking her home will be a very lucky!"

Sadie's backstory

Thanks to recent donors Jen McD and Kim M (and big kisses to Harper and to Ray Lee McGhee!).

Egypt

Egypt was abandoned at our local vet's office. Fostermom Michelle writes "Egpyt was very, very shy when she came to live with us. It took her over a month to be comfortable in our house. She now spends her days stretched out in a sunny patch on the floor or curled up near us. She can be quite vocal – especially in the morning - and will ask for a massage until she gets it! She is little – about 8 months old and tiny. Her litter box habits are excellent. She dutifully uses her sisal scratching post. Since she has been with us she has gone from hiding in the bathroom all day & night to greeting me when I come home. She and the dog tolerate each other -- she is definitely in control of that relationship!" Thank you to Egypt's fosterfamily, who are on their first foray as fosterers. Great work!

And now, a poem about Egypt, by Sarah (8 years old):

We call her Kit Kat
She is getting better being with us
Sometimes she makes a fuss
Cute little Kit Kat

Sometimes she swipes
She likes fresh catnip (a little bit)
She is a brown tabby
She lays on the floor
While you’re on the computer
Soft little Kit Kat

She’s off to herself
She has a plume tail
Hers ears perk up
Nice little Kit Kat

Pet her with slow gentle strokes
Like you brush your teeth
Then she won’t swipe or nip
Sweet little Kit Kat

She needs her own space
For a little while,
About a week or two
Brave little Kit Kat

(She’s ok with dogs.)

Chicago Loves Pits

Dog day. Welcome to Chicago Loves Pits, a partnership between Found Chicago and Adopt-a-Pet.com. Find out more about their initiatives to change minds about pibbles and to get pibbles adopted. We at Hyde Park Cats love our pibble friends!

OCee is waiting

OCee (Office Cat) is staying in my office for a week and she is a very easy and pleasant companion. She will happily amuse herself quietly while you work yet will approach every so often asking for some lap time. She is sweet as could be but needs a real home to be in where she can peer out the window, chase a string thing, and spend some time just relaxing with you. She is also known as Dim Sum Dumpling cuz she is just a widdle wuv dumplin.' Email hydeparkcatsadoptions@gmail.com to apply.



Previous OCee post

Picasso is waiting

Fostermom Lindsey says Picasso, who was living in a dirty and dangerous alley before we took him in, is "an absolute pleasure to have around. Perfect for anyone looking for a loyal companion and a cuddle buddy. A total purr machine who adores attention and sleeping on laps. He loves to talk too (which is why we've been calling him Ira Glass). He's such a unique cat, and has the personality of a kitten-puppy hybrid. He will, without fail, greet me at the door whenever I get home, and if all the roommates aren't home, he will hang out close to the door until everyone is together again. He'll then proceed to take turns sitting on everyone's lap. He even licks my face sometimes! But as calm and affectionate as he can be, he also has what seems to be an infinite supply of playful energy, so he's really the best of both worlds.

Everyone who's met him agrees he is a very special and loving cat, so I hope he meets some equally amazing potential adopters."

Picasso went to our adoption event last month and he was amazingly chill. When a dog came in he was like, "oh a dog. Whatever."

Here is Picasso making a friend:



Thank you to the person who donated to us "in memory of [her] mother, Elizabeth Smith, who loved cats!" We appreciate your thinking of us and I apologize that it took so long to get this acknowledgement up.

TNR: R U doing it?

Well folks it's kitten season again. All the unfixed cats roaming our alleys and parks and streets are going to be having their babies.

An unspayed female cat will go into heat every three weeks, and kittens as young as six months old can produce kittens One mamacat can have eighteen kittens in one season!

Many of these kittens will die, because cats weren't meant to live in city alleys. Some of them will grow up to be feral cats themselves, repeating the cycle and creating yet more street cats. A lucky few will make it inside, courtesy of caring people in the community and the TNR movement.

Want to save kittens? Bloggers tell you how. I love 2kitties1pittie's illustrated account of a small TNR project. Guess what -- she did it, and you can do it too.

Twokittiesonepittie: What is TNR anyway?

Beastsandbeauty: Doing right by alley cats

Pictured above: Porkchop and Isla with their baby, MeToo, before Kim TNRed.

Tabby Monster

Tabby Monster is a classic big-headed male tabby cat. He was found outside in Pilsen, eating food put out by animal rescuers extraordinaire Yvette and Frank. After being neutered, he began to warm up and eventually he was allowed in to reside in the special foster room. Yvette reports he has now completed the process of acculturating to the inside. He has perfect litterbox habits, uses a scratcher, and sleeps in a cat bed. He is fine with small dogs, but seems apprehensive about big ones so far, and he's also been fine with other cats (most former colony cats are). Now, T.M. has his own rules about being petted -- he doesn't like his lower back scratched, but you can scratch his head all day, he will even start drooling sometimes because he loves it so much. Like many former outdoor cats, T.M. has a 'special' relationship to food (meaning he LOVES it). He gets a bit bossy at meal time and tries to smack the scoop of kibble out of your hand if you don't pour it fast enough... but he is a doll otherwise. While he may retain a little nervousness around new people, you will soon win him over with food and treats.

Contrast to this photo of T.M. outside in mid-December, when Yvette put him on her to-do list ("TNR this cat"):



Wow! This incredible-looking guy is going to make somebody very happy. TM is neutered, vaxed, neg/neg, and ready for his furrever home. Email hydeparkcatsadoptions@gmail.com to apply.

Mei, and thanks

Some thanks today -- to James M. and Mike H., for their ongoing support. And to Che and Lorelei, trappers and caretakers of South of the Midway cats -- a big thanks for their generous gift to our fund at Tree House Humane Society. Che's employer, who wishes to donate anonymously, matched Che's gift for a total gift of $1,360. The cats who will receive veterinary care because of these donations thank you (well, at least we thank you).

Meanwhile we congratulate Che and Lorelei on welcoming their newest member: Mei, formerly of the Battlestar Galactica (Redux) colony. She is a stunning 3-year-old Turkish Van! Che says "she has been instrumental in teaching me how much the concept of 'feral' is fluid and transitory. May all of your fosters and adoptions be at least one-tenth this easy/joyful/rewarding. Trust me on that one."

Happy life, MEI!

More about donating to Tree House

ETA: WHY CAN'T I MAKE THIS PHOTO ROTATE
 

Furr-ever home updates: Marcus and Martha

Fluffy couch cats.


Marcus, born to a feral mom in South Chicago. Furrever mom Erika writes "He is doing great! When I wake up in the morning I always have a selection of toys laying on my pillow ready for some play time. And he is turning in to a regular water lover, always quick to appear whenever there is running water so he can splash around in the sink or bathtub. He and his new sister Jasper are really starting to get along well. They are at the point where they will nap next to each other, but not quite ready for cuddling, yet. In the picture, Marcus is even curled up around her tail :)." HAPPY LIFE MARCUS!


Martha, scooped out of Animal Care and Control in 2010. Furrever mom Kirsten writes that "Laddie has been such an amazing cat and she is just full of life. She loves to play with her new sister, our puppy, Bailey. She cannot get enough of her. Laddie loves to be with Bailey and Bella 24/7. She really has really become the mediator in the house with our new puppy and Bella. Laddie knows exactly how to get us up in the morning by eating my hair and chirping until I get up so she can go down stairs and eat her breakfast. She also is the culprit of showing Bailey how to jump on our bed and wake us up in the morning. And she loves to come snuggle on the couch when ever she has a chance. She still has her sneezing problems and that comes and goes as the weather changes. Thank you guys for helping cats find homes! They are wonderful creatures. " HAPPY LIFE, MARTHA!

Thanks to all our adopters -- we love hearing from you!

Devon and Goldie Update

An update on Goldie. Goldie and Devon are back in their place with Tanya. Thanks to the Hyde Park Animal Clinic for giving them TLC, and thanks to Martha B. for donating towards these needy cats.

Woodcock

This woodcock was huddled into itself on the playground of my kids' school this morning, clearly injured, so I drove it to Northerly Island, where Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation Center has a small bird hospital. For this deed I earned the dubious distinction of bringing in their first wounded soul of Spring Migration 2012. Chicago is part of the great Mississippi Flyway, and over seven million birds use the Flyway to get to their summer nesting grounds. Along the way many succumb to human-made perils, including smacking into plate-glass windows (like my woodcock).

To learn more about what to do if you find an injured bird (or other animal), please visit Flint Creek's website and/or their Facebook page.

We brought Paloma to this same facility in 2009, and they were just as nice about that pigeon as they were about the woodcock. The average cost to rehab one injured bird is $50; please consider a donation to Flint Creek if you are reading this ... a show of support from the cat contingent!

Oz

This beautiful kitty was found by Maurya one night near Cottage Grove and 52nd Street (busy intersection). Maurya wrote in: "We have no idea what to do with him/her, followed us inside and after a few minutes wouldn't let us stop petting her." Maurya and her boyfriend quickly got on the case and took this cat to the vet the next morning. Kitty had no chip, no collar, and also began to have a miscarriage just as she was at the vet's office. Thanks to Maurya and her friend Bonnie for nursing Oz through a difficult time. We are happy to know this lady is inside and won't be contributing to the pet overpopulation crisis. She is now spayed.

Bonnie took Oz home to foster her, and she writes that "Oz is 7 lbs of love looking for a warm lap. She's very people oriented and is happy to be cuddling any time you're in the mood, and when she does cuddle she becomes the loudest little purr box ever. While she has immediately loved everyone she's ever met so far (she purred all the way through her physical at the vet), she hasn't been a fan of her foster big brother, Seamus. She shows signs of being interested in playing with people but just doesn't seem to know exactly what to do. As she becomes more comfortable with her surroundings her playfulness comes out more and more. She is quite fluffy but LOVES being brushed and will help by flipping over on her back and stretching her legs out for you."

She is approximately 1 year old,FIV/FeLV negative, spayed and has had her first round of vaccinations. Oz appears to be a a small Lynx Point DLH with beautiful blue eyes. Fancy! Such is the cat overpopulation crisis, that even beautiful fancy cats are out on the street, pregnant and starving and begging for a home.

Gretchen is waiting

Gretchen is a very cute white-and-tiger girl. Fosterdad says "when someone's petting her, she frequently nuzzles her head against their arm or falls over to let them stroke her chest (but so far doesn't enjoy tummy rubs). Sometimes when someone's stroking her chest, she'll take her forepaws and hold their hand against her body." Sometimes she chases a ball around or pounces on a spot of sunlight being reflected from someone's phone. Like many cats, she can be shy of too much noise or movement -- this may change as she reacclimates to being in a safe indoor environment. She's a really sweet little bug who would make an excellent cat for a first-time cat owner -- or any number of other situations.

Previous post on Gretchen.

Thanks to Jeffrey M., who donated to HPCats "in memory of Neil."