Vetting Crystal, the Cat with the Missing Ear

Crystal was trapped with 28 other cats living in Jean’s yard in 2013.

Jean’s colony is now down to 13 outdoor cats, and seven indoor cats. All are spayed and neutered.

Jean is probably in her mid-eighties and walks with a cane. She still navigates all three floors of her home, and cares for the cats as best as she can all day by herself on a limited income. She is sharp and fun to talk to. She loves the cats dearly and cares for them as best as she can, but obviously twenty cats takes a lot of time, upkeep and money. Her house is clearly dedicated to the cats – they have pretty much taken over. When Kim and I visited with a donation of cat food and supplies the other week, we saw that some of the cats were sick, even ones that Jean had taken to a vet on her own. Jean was humbled by the donation, even though we kept telling her that this amount of work would be difficult for anyone to handle.

The one cat that clearly needed help immediately was Crystal, part of the outdoor colony. Her entire left ear appeared to be missing.

I remembered Crystal from when I posted about her TNR along with the other cats. This is what she looked like then, and the post also even contains video of her return back to the colony. She’s the last cat returned at the end of it. Jean said Crystal’s ear had been slowly deteriorating but was overwhelmed with vet bills already. Kim and I offered immediately to trap Crystal and take her to our vet, Elmhurst Animal Care Center. Remarkably Jean said she could try to trap her herself and needed to think about the best way to do it. Caregivers know their colony the best, so this is ideal, but at the same time we didn’t really want Jean to try because of her physical condition. The traps are heavy!

Well, last Friday, Jean trapped Crystal on her own! She knew where Crystal usually slept, and placed the trap against the only exit. After awhile Crystal had to go in and she did!

Up close, Crystal’s appearance was even more alarming. We are so grateful to Jean to have trapped her when she did. Joann immediately took Crystal to Elmhurst that night, where she has stayed ever since. When Joann went to pick her up, Jean came out of her house carrying the trap by herself while walking with her cane as well. Seriously, kudos to Jean for her tenacity and passion for these cats. We are in awe, and want to help her any way we can.

Joann said the smell from Crystal was so bad that she thought she defecated in the trap, but it was from her ear.

The vets said the condition of her ear was from necrosis, either from frostbite or cancer. They ruled out bite wounds. We will know the biopsy results soon.

Her ear was cleaned and she was given Convenia (antibiotic) for the infection. Her blood pressure was so low that they might not have gotten enough blood for a blood sample. She had a fever of 103.5 degrees and was given an injection to lower that. She is also on pain medication so that she can rest comfortably there. She tested FIV+. They told us she had no teeth left, but her gums look good regardless. She is estimated to be about nine years old.

We are so grateful to Jean for trapping Crystal when she did. Crystal would not last that much longer on her own in the cold outside without medical care. At the same time, Jean told me she is embarrassed and doesn’t want anyone to think she is neglectful of her colony. We do not think that at all, and I really hope Jean understands that when I tell her. Joann and I have talked to her as best as we can about this.

THANK YOU to Joann and Kim for all of their help this past week with this colony! And thanks to the Elmhurst vets for their expert and compassionate care, as always, so far.

If you’d like to make a donation towards Crystal’s care, you can do so at the donation button at the top of this page, or through PayPal at [email protected]

THANK YOU to all who have donated so far, and for all of your healing thoughts and prayers sent her way!

Pingback: Jean and Crystal Reunited: A Caregiver Visits Her Sick Colony Cat at the Vet - Cats In My Yard

Pingback: RIP Crystal - Cats In My Yard

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Newt Gets a New Indoor Home!

So happy to hear that Newt, a cat I TNR’d in my yard in 2013, is now a fully 100% indoor cat in my neighbor’s home!

When I first saw Newt he lounged around all over my yard.

Once he was TNR’d, Newt started visiting Amanda, my neighbor, a few blocks away. She let him in and out of her house for awhile.

I called her home the Ginger Colony because there were a few other cats there throughout the years. Then Newt joined in.

Now that he is permanently indoor cat, this colony is now officially retired. Congrats to Newt and Amanda!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Healing Cowbella – Now Available for Adoption

We first met Cowbella, wobbling and weaving her way towards us, while trapping the Charlie Chaplin Colony 5am on a cold Saturday morning last fall.

It was still pretty dark out so we weren’t sure what we were seeing. Cowbella walked as if she was drunk. We knew immediately something was wrong.

We trapped her right away, along with 16 other cats and kittens that weekend from same yard. Despite everything else then going on while trapping, Kim took Cowbella straight to Elmhurst Animal Care Center to be looked at, rather than the clinic to be TNR’d.

X-rays confirmed she had a broken pelvis.

The injury was very new, and may have just happened that morning or night. We got her just in time as Cowbella was in no shape to be walking, and would be an easy target outside.

Cowbella is still just an older kitten. She tested FIV-/FeLV-. Dr. Harris explained that she should stay crated and rested to allow her shock and injury to heal. She could not be spayed until then. Even though she was terrified and acted accordingly, she could not be put back outside. We trust Dr. Harris’ expert opinion implicitly and followed his instructions. Cowbella was contained in a large crate in Kim’s house.

And she did pretty well. Kim even put the Charlie Chaplin kitten litter in the same room with her after awhile to keep her company. She seemed to enjoy watching their antics.

And why not? She probably knew them from outside, and we think she was part of an older litter born to the same mother earlier that year before we TNR’d.

In mid-December Kim took Cowbella for a check-up to Elmhurst again, where x-rays revealed her pelvis had healed and did not require surgery.

She would not be able to jump or run very well, but was ready to be spayed. Because of her mobility issues and the danger it puts her in, she should never be put back outside. Cowbella needs to be an indoor only cat.

I consulted with Jenny Nahrwald, assistant director at PAWS Chicago’s Spay Lurie Clinic, and her opinion on Cowbella. She then consulted with Dr. Von Waldau, their chief vet, who agreed to do her spay surgery for free with a careful examination. Cowbella was spayed just the other week and Jenny transported her afterwards to Kim’s home. Once again, we are so grateful for the care and help PAWS Chicago has provided for us for more than a decade with many of the cats we rescue off of the street.

Cowbella is now recovered from her spay surgery and up to date on all vaccinations. She is a shy, sweet girl that loves to be scratched under the chin, and seeks out pets once she’s comfortable. She definitely likes other cats. She has a lot of energy because she is still very young, but knows how to move carefully because of her past ordeal. She will make a wonderful pet with the right person who will give her time to learn about her new indoor home.

If you’re interested in adopting Cowbella or would like to meet her, please call us at 773-609-2287, or email me at [email protected]

Cowbella’s total vet bills with Elmhurst were $165. We are so grateful to them for such expert care and reasonable costs with everything they’ve done. If you’d like to make a donation to help us help more cats like Cowbella, please click on the PayPal link at the top of this page, or through [email protected]

Thank you all you have donated so far! We could not do this without you.

Pingback: Meet Cowbella ! | Hyde Park Cats

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Mel, a Dumped Pet Cat, Gets TNR’d and Finds Another Home

Back in April we helped Katarina find her lost declawed pet cat, Nico. Another neighbor, Steve, eventually found Nico on his property.

In the meantime we TNR’d two other cats while we set out traps for Nico.

One of those cats was Bailey.

I wasn’t surprised to trap these other cats. There are a lot of colonies in this area that I TNR’d and helped vet cats from, including the Cell Phones Colony and the Creole Colony, a hoarder home that has intact cats going in and out of constantly.

Bailey seemed friendly, but he was scared stiff and would not move, so we returned him outside. Then in July, I got a call from a vet tracing Bailey’s microchip to me, who said Bailey was brought in with a wound on his leg.

The person who brought Bailey to the vet was Steve, the man who found Nico!

Steve took care of all of the vet bills for Bailey. He called Bailey, Mel, and said he has been hanging out in his yard since last winter. We think we now know which house Mel came from and those neighbors left him when they moved, but Mel was acting feral at first. Steve had been trying to TNR him also, but then Mel showed up with the tell-tale ear tip from when we TNR’d him. And as the hormones left his body from being neutered, Mel became more and more friendly.

Really friendly. Check him out in Steve’s gorgeous outdoor patio.

And as you can see, Mel’s white coat is now whiter than ever.

Mel hung out with Steve’s two black colony cats, although they didn’t all exactly get along.

The difference was that Mel now allowed Steve to handle him.

So Steve asked around and eventually found Mel a home with two other friends, where he continues to do well and enjoys being back indoors. Thank you for all that you do, Steve!

I’m so grateful to have met yet another animal-loving neighbor! TNR is all about networking with your neighbors to help the community cats, and microchipping helps even more. Otherwise I would never have know what happened to Bailey, aka Mel.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Reaching Out to Everyblock to Help a Kitten and her Mama Cat

Joann responded again to a plea on Everyblock looking for help with a mama cat and kitten.

We’re no strangers to Everyblock – we’ve met a lot of neighbors and helped a lot of cats by networking on that site throughout the years. It’s a great way to connect with your community and to find colonies of cats.

In this case, this wasn’t a colony, although the location was very close to the Central Park Colony that Kim and I also just TNR’d a few weeks ago that another neighbor, Karen K., directly reached out to us about in Logan Square. So I guess for now I’ll consider it the Central Park II Colony. This was a single mama cat and her single kitten that a man named Jon was feeding and posted his plea.

Joann trapped the mama cat, Loretta, for her TNR surgery. After a few days of observation and recovery in Kim’s house, they determined Loretta was feral and returned her back to the original location. They also provided her with an outdoor cat shelter and Jon will call us if he sees any more cats.

Loretta’s kitten, Dolly, was young enough to be socialized. Here is the photo of her that Jon initially posted.

Dolly is hysterical – she always has those same startled eyes, but she quickly turned friendly and socialized to humans. She acclimated into indoor life almost immediately and enjoy free reign in Kim’s home. Isn’t she gorgeous? This girl knows how to pose. After her vet appointments for vaccinations, Dolly had her final admission appointment to PAWS Chicago for their adoption program today. We are so happy for our most recent kitten adoption graduate! We can’t wait to see the lucky family who gets to take Dolly home.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

The Charlie Chaplin Kittens are Getting Ready for Adoption

The four kittens trapped from the Charlie Chaplin Colony last week are already in the admission process for PAWS Chicago’s adoption program.

They just need to gain some weight and get fully vetted. Their first appointment for their vaccinations at PAWS is tomorrow, and we couldn’t be more proud of them!

They are complete loving, purring machines. Currently they’re now at Kim’s house, and get into all kinds of trouble. Thank you to Kim for fostering!

They’re ready for their close-ups.

Well, at least Oliver is ready – he quickly takes over.

Owen, Emma and Ella are just as social, but they won’t sit still for photos.

Pingback: Check Out the Charlie Chaplin Colony After Their TNR - Cats In My Yard

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

How to Trap a Mama Cat and Kittens

When we started TNR on the Charlie Chaplin Colony, Melanie told us about a mama cat and kittens.

We trapped the mama cat, Katler, right away but let her go because we could see she was lactating and we weren’t sure if the kittens were completely weaned, or where they even were.

Melanie searched with neighbors the next day and found the litter in a garage, feasting on a pigeon. Yup, they were weaned. It took some chasing, trapping and maneuvering but she managed to get all four kittens into a trap.

Then we all waited for their mama Katler to go into a trap again. The kittens are in a carrier, with a trap set against the carrier door, like in a “train.” That way the mama cat is supposed to go into the trap to get to her kittens. Katler wasn’t having it at first, she just sat on top of the trap or circled around the entire time. The carrier and trap are covered underneath the towel.

Eventually Katler went into the trap and we were able to TNR her at PAWS Chicago the next day, along with ten other adult cats from this colony.

In the meantime, my friend Jennifer offered to foster the four kittens. Jennifer lives in my neighborhood and also does TNR for the Thompson Twins Colony.

She set them up on this cute pillow in her bathroom.

They did have some URI issues so they were taken to our friends again at Elmhurst Animal Care Center. They got Clavamox and dewormer. The total bill was $54.50

If you’d like to make a donation towards their care you can do so with the donation button at the top of this page or through Paypal at [email protected]

In the meantime, all four kittens pretty much got over their URI’s and are now being fostered by Kim. They have their first appointment for continuing vet care next week at PAWS Chicago and will eventually be admitted into their adoption program.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Trapping Cowbella, an Injured Cat

On the second early morning of trapping the Charlie Chaplin Colony, Cowbella came wobbling and stumbling up to Melanie’s yard. Kim and I knew immediately something was wrong with her because of the way she was moving.

Luckily, Cowbella pretty much went into a trap immediately because she was hungry. Kim took her straight to our friend, Dr. James Harris, at Elmhurst Animal Care Center.

According to Dr. Harris, Cowbella has “a nasty pelvic fracture, that doesn’t seem super painful, and not much can be done surgically. She’ll likely be functional in the long run but will never walk right.” Here’s her x-ray.

He recommended she rest for about two and a half months, giving a chance for her bones to mend on their own. She should not be spayed until then either. Kim set her up in a dog crate in her house to rest. This presents a conundrum as so far Cowbella is acting feral. Even if she stays inside for a few months until she can be spayed, she will have to definitely stay inside until spring because she won’t have her winter fur coat anymore to keep her warm. Even then, putting her back out after being inside for that long isn’t really an option. Cowbella is only about 5-6 months old – she’s not old enough to have her environment imprinted on her and remember it months later. Most likely she’ll just get used to the dog crate, which isn’t much of a life either, except for short term.

Also, we’re not sure how fast she can run to defend herself. Even worse, there’s a chance that she may not be using her back legs at all any more and is paralyzed. We think we may have trapped very soon after getting hit by a car, perhaps, and her body was still working. It is hard to tell as she does not move in front of us. But when we leave, she is eating, sometimes using the litter box, and sometimes just defecating on the papers. We can’t really get her to move so we’re looking to borrow a camera for the room.

We are grateful to Melanie for covering Cowbella’s care so far. Dr. Harris and the Elmhurst Animal Care Center are excellent and affordable. Along with the x-ray, we tested Cowbella for FIV/FeLV and she is negative. The total bill for her so far is $105.

If you’d like to donate to help us help more cats like Cowbella, you can do so at the Paypal donation button at the top of this page, or through [email protected]

Thank you!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

RIP Sweet Stacy

A young man named Atticus was worried about a TNR’d colony cat on his block. The cat was acting sick and lethargic, so Atticus posted this heartbreaking message on Everyblock, asking for help:

“so there’s a feral cat, a sweet old man, who lives on my block. i think a neighbor across the street usually feeds the colony, because i see them hanging on his porch a lot.

the old man cat seems like he’s really sick. his nose is all crusted and he’s on my back porch right now, seeming like he has a bit of trouble moving. he’s just hunched there, breathing heavily.
i know not to touch him, because he’s definitely an ear-tipped feral. i tried to make him comfy, brought him a little bit of food. he sat up when i got near him, but did not run, which is one of the ways i know he is not doing well, because he used to run when i got within 30 ft orso of him.

i guess my question is, am i caring too much for what is basically a wild animal? he surely won’t even live the month without medical attention, but he is ‘no ones’ cat, just there to keep the rat population down.. i’m not posting to say, “dang i don’t want this guy to die on *my* porch!” as much as i am saying, “is there a way we can do something for him?”

i don’t have the money to pay for medical attention for him, and i’m not sure if it’s even a cause worth fighting for because he might just be old as hell and withering with age.

thanks, neighbors. i’m sorry to post something so bummerific, i just love this old cat.”

Joann and Kim brought traps to Atticus. Atticus and his girlfriend, Katie, watched the traps day and night. This sick cat would come and go, and sat by the trap for a few days.

14680979_915577385213310_3467494037556324998_o

In the meantime, they trapped another black cat. They named her Ditto, and she received her TNR treatment at the Anti-Cruelty Society’s clinic.

Finally, after a week of setting traps, the sick cat went in.

We went to our friend, Dr. James Harris, at Elmhurst Animal Care Center. We found out there that this sweet “old man cat” was actually a female. She was a senior cat, sick with upper respiratory infection – URI, underweight, had only a few teeth left, and had some pretty extensive mats on her back. They also found her microchip from her TNR, which was traced to PAWS’ clinic. The Elmhurst clinic sedated her, did her bloodwork and FIV/FeLV test, and gave her an antibiotic injection of Convenia for her URI. They carefully clipped off her mats, but left the fur intact underneath. Afterwards I set her up in my feral cat recovery lounge. Her total vet bill was $121. If you’d like to make a donation towards her care, you can do so through the Paypal donation link at the top of this page, or directly through paypal.com with [email protected]

In the meantime, PAWS let us know that she was TNR’d in 2010 on the same block we trapped her. Her name was Stacy. The person who TNR’d her has since moved from the block. She was the only cat she ever TNR’d because Stacy kept having litters of kittens. But Stacy had other feeders caring for her since then, including Atticus, and his neighbor across the street.

The next day Dr. Harris informed us that she tested negative for FIV/FeLV, but her bloodwork results were dismal. She would need ongoing daily medication and care for lymphoma, most likely. This was just not possible in her situation and Stacy was already very sick. She was acting very lethargic, barely moving in the dog crate, yet very scared and stressed at being confined. At the same time, if we put her back outside, she was not in a situation where she stayed in a single place and could take daily medicine and daily care. Winter was coming and the cold would eventually kill her. After much discussion between all of us, Jenny N. at PAWS offered to take her to their clinic and euthanize her.

RIP, Sweet Stacy. You were surrounded by love at the end of your life, and brought a lot of people together who tried to help you the best way we could. We are so grateful for the compassion of Atticus and Katie for caring for her, for reaching out to the local Everyblock community, and to the vet care from Elmhurst and PAWS. Every animal deserves a dignified and humane death when they are suffering, and this is why we provide that care as best as we can to the colony cats.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Simon, the Sick Kitten Found Alone on the Street, is Now Almost Ready for Adoption!

Simon is ready for his second appointment at PAWS Chicago tomorrow. We are hoping he will be admitted into their adoption program.

Our friend Elissa, owner of Rockstar Pets, has fostered him for the past few weeks. He’s been playing and eating non-stop the entire time.

He needed vetting for URI, but appears to be completely healthy now. His vetting cost us $278.13 so far. If you’d like to make a donation towards his vet bill, you can do so at the donation button at the top of this page, or through PayPal at [email protected]

Simon is one of the many black kittens we currently have in foster care, although he came by himself. Joann rescued him when a woman from Avondale called saying she found Simon in her front yard. He was found alone and sick, and is way too friendly to stay outside. This woman and her family have a colony at their landscaping business that her husband refuses to let us TNR still for a variety of reasons. This is a pretty common obstacle when you are doing TNR. We’re hoping eventually they will change their mind. Joann talked to them extensively and passed on the information to another no-kill shelter. In the meantime, Simon has been safe with us. We are so happy to have been able to save him from the street!

patrick laterza says:

September 21, 2016 at 8:45 pm

you people are awesome! I have been trying to help a cat colony of 12 cats for 3 months. 3 miles from my house. it is right off a busy interstate and a bar room. neighbors don’t like them . 3 kittens have died in the past 3 months. no help here , no resources. very stressed and sickly.

my first 6 month experience of shitty swampy Florida

Reply

Vanessa says:

September 22, 2016 at 9:02 am

Thanks for the kind words, and for all that you do for the cats, Patrick! It’s hard to do animal rescue alone. Have you tried reaching out to Alley Cat Allies to see if they have a Feral Friends list in your area? They are a national organization that advocates on behalf of feral cats and may have resources near you. Here is the link: http://www.alleycat.org/our-work/feral-friends-network/feral-friends-network-connect/

Reply