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. img_9335

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. img_9331 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. img_9381 img_9380

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!

 

 

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Introducing the Charlie Chaplin Colony: In Honor of Melanie and Her Cat, Lumpy

Melanie emailed me mid-October looking for help for the cats on her block in Avondale. When I looked up her address I knew we HAD to help her – she lived just a few blocks from my rescue partner, Kim, and three other colonies we did this summer: the Big Daddy Colony, the Polska Kittens Colony, and the Wild Wild West Colony. Coincidence? Nope. This area has a huge cat overpopulation problem but it can be contained with diligent, consistent TNR and colony management. We’re already well on our way. About 30% of the cats we trapped this summer from here were admitted into no-kill shelters.

 

Melanie estimated were 7-10 cats coming to her yard, but she knew there could be more. She also knew there was a mama cat and kittens, because they visited at one point recently. That means the kittens were just weaned. When she inquired about the costs, Melanie offered to sponsor any care as needed. She just lost her beloved pet cat, Lumpy, very recently, and wanted to continue the care of the outdoor cats in her honor.

 

Just look at beautiful Lumpy. As Melanie explained, “Not to brag, but she was the funniest, chattiest, softest, best beast on the entire planet. Sigh. I miss her terribly. And yes, she would always sit like this. The best!” We agree! She was gorgeous! img_1919

Melanie told Kim and I that an elderly Polish neighbor left cat food every morning in her front yard, which is why the cats were congregating their in the first place.

 

We asked her to communicate as best as she could with everyone to stop feeding the cats for a day or two. She didn’t know who the Polish lady was,… yet. When we arrived as planned at 5am on a Friday morning, we saw the food on her front steps. img_9205

We threw out the food, and set up the traps regardless. Melanie has a beautiful yard and garden, perfect for the cats to hang out and hide in. And perfect to keep traps hidden in.

 

We set up traps in her front yard.

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And we set up traps in her back yard. img_9207 img_9208

While we were setting up traps in her back yard, we heard the ones in the front yard snapping shut immediately.

 

TNR was ON.

 

We trapped five cats that day. Cats started visiting from all around us.

 

This one came by to hang out under my car. Yup, we got her. img_9218

We set up a Cats In My Yard sign on Melanie’s front gate to explain to everyone what we were doing. It’s translated in Spanish and Polish. We saw A LOT of people stopping to read the sign. Everyone was into it and gave us the thumbs up after reading it, or asked us more questions. It’s a great way to spread awareness of your TNR project in the neighborhood. img_9242

All of the neighbors were into what we were doing, and we have plans to trap in their yards. The elderly Polish feeder came by, and agreed to stop feeding for the weekend. She is also going to show us all of the other places that she feeds cats!

 

The next day we set up traps again at 5am and got another four cats. At this point we had nine cats trapped for TNR.

 

During that time, a little cat came wobbling up to us. Clearly something was wrong with her because she was walking very funny, and we were lucky to trap her. I’ll write more about her and her injuries later.

 

Melanie also trapped the mama cat and found her four kittens in a garage down the street from her with the help of neighbors. I’ll also be writing about the kittens more later.

 

The whole weekend the cats stayed in my garage in their traps in preparation for PAWS Chicago’s low-cost TNR clinic. img_9279

The next day we were ready to bring the healthy adult cats to PAWS. That morning Melanie trapped one last cat, so there were now a total of eleven cats going there. Jim helped us out with transport.

 

All eleven of these cats were TNR’d, then recovered at Kim’s house, and returned to Melanie’s yard.

 

Katler is the gorgeous mama cat, whose kittens are now in foster care for eventual admission into PAWS. img_9307

Big Tux Jackson is the big male eleventh cat who was trapped at the eleventh hour at the last minute. img_9321

Tommy Two Ears is a fairly friendly male cat who lost most of his ears from fighting, frost bite, or who knows what from being on the streets. We’ll be keeping an eye on him to see if he’s interested in being in an indoor home – it’s hard to tell for now. img_9267

Chinny is another male cat that seems fairly friendly. We tested him for FIV/FeLV, and he was negative. We’ll also be keeping an eye on him to see if he’s interested in being adopted into a new permanent indoor home. img_9228

Inky 1 is a black male cat, identical to his brothers, Inky 2 and Inky 3. Fun fact: he loves to shred newspapers into tiny pieces, hiss and lunge whenever he can, and emits bathroom deposits in impressively huge quantities. Cleaning his trap while he was in it was quite a comedic endeavor. img_9215

The funny part was Melanie was well aware that there are three black cats. She just named them all of the same.

 

Here’s Inky 2, also male.  img_9249

And Inky 3, also male. img_9259

Melanie thought there was one tabby cat, but little did she know there were two.

 

Here’s Wee Tab, a female brown tabby. img_9231

And Alt Tab, her female brown tabby sister or doppelgänger. img_9264

Then check out Big Skinny, a male grey tabby. img_9253

And Little Skinny, a female torbie. Fun fact: this girl ate more than anyone. img_9233

In the meantime, Melanie purchased a few outdoor shelters from Kim for her yard to help the TNReturned colony cats stay warm in the winter, and set up a permanent feeding station in her front yard.

 

We are excited to continue TNR with Melanie and all of her neighbors on the block. Working with such kind neighbors is a dream come true when you are doing TNR.

 

I’ll also be updating soon about what is happening with the four kittens and injured cat. We also know there are more cats out there from this colony. Please contact us if you’d like to help, 773-609-CATS (2287) or [email protected]

 

Or donate through the Paypal button at the top of this page or through [email protected]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Introducing the Central Park Colony: Trapping Cats and Other Wildlife

Karen K. contacted me at the beginning of this month about TNR for the cats living in her next door neighbor’s garage in Logan Square.

 

The colony is made up of a mama cat with her four kittens, although the kittens are now already almost grown. Karen was worried about the cats because neighbors were complaining about them pooping in their yard, and that there would be more litters soon.

 

After making sure Karen was feeding the cats on a schedule, she stopped feeding for a day or two. Kim and I started trapping them last Saturday, meeting up at 6am to set up and bait the traps. img_9160

This is the garage with a huge hole on its side that the cats all live in. img_9162 Throughout that day, we trapped all five of the cats. At one point, Karen even trapped a black squirrel, and let her out. I would’ve loved to see that! We kept trying to trap early Sunday morning before PAWS’ clinic opened to get them TNR’d, because we knew obviously there is a papa cat out there.

 

When I showed up at 5am on Sunday, a raccoon appeared on top of the garage above my head. img_9165

This raccoon was bold! He climbed down and kept trying to go in the traps as I was baiting them with sardines. I’ve never seen anything like it.

 

When Kim came to check on the traps later all of the sardines were gone, but the traps were still open. The raccoon knew how to eat the bait without setting off the traps!

 

In the end we still had five cats ready for their TNR treatment at PAWS’ clinic.

 

Queens is the beautiful queen mama cat. img_9154

And then we trapped the rest of her family. Here is Manhattan, female.

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Bronx, also female. img_9175

Brooklyn, female.

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And Harlem, the one male. He would’ve had quite the harem if this colony was not TNR’d. img_9180

All of the cats went to PAWS’ clinic for TNR last Sunday, and have been recovered and TNReturned. img_9181 Karen will let us know if any other cats show up in this area.

Cathy Mac says:

So fun to see all your cats and adventures! Thanks for sharing!

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TNR Team Effort in Trapping a Colony

Twelve cats and kittens were trapped at the Catalonia Colony in one alley so far.

 

Oleksandra and Kim volunteered to help a TNR request from PAWS Chicago for this colony cared for by Bonnie, a feeder in Hermosa. There are A LOT of cats in Hermosa – it kind of reminds me of how my neighborhood used to be a decade ago. Joann and I also then joined efforts in trapping, transporting, recovering and returning the cats. Jenny N., the clinic director of PAWS, also continued to help us with transporting the cats back and forth from the clinic. We are very grateful for all of her help this year! The entire colony that Bonnie knows about are now all spayed/neutered, but we know there are more cats out there and will continue trapping.

 

The three kittens were immediately admitted to PAWS Chicago. img_9029

They were trapped first, along with some adult cats, almost all of them feral.

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This photo shows Kim’s recovery room. Catalonia is in one of these traps, and we named this colony in honor of him because of all of the hilarity – ahem, I mean worry – that he put her through. Catalonia managed to get out of his trap, and spent a few good days loose in the room. He was absolutely fine, but it took some time to get him hungry enough to go back in the trap on his own. One of his favorite spots during those few days was hanging out in the window. catalonia

Once he was trapped again, he was TNReturned and very happy to be back with his siblings and bonded friends in the colony outside.

 

Bonnie thinks Barcelona was the mama cat of the kittens. It makes sense, as she was so frantic to get out of the trap, that she rubbed her nose raw against it. Barcelona also has an issue with her right eye. PAWS kept her for observation for a few days in a dog crate, and then decided she was healthy enough to be returned outside. Per the head vet at PAWS, she is already losing that eye, and the lid is slowly closing over it. It is not causing her any pain. Should she show signs of any infection or anything else in the future, Bonnie will call us and we will re-trap Barcelona for further treatment.  img_8993

Madrid was a pregnant female, TNReturned.

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Seville is just one of three male cats from here, now TNReturned. img_9006

Along with Bilbao. He was seen further down the block from Bonnie. img_9055

And was trapped easily. img_9021 Valencia is a tortie, so obviously she is female, now TNReturned.

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Lugo is another female cat trapped a few days later. img_9149

Along with Toledo. img_9152

Bonnie is so grateful to have all of the cats back. They live in her beautiful, clean yard where she feeds daily and has shelter for them under her front porch. Kim also purchased additional Rubbermaid bin shelters for her. I returned the cats back to Bonnie’s car port, where the cats shot out of her traps straight into her yard. img_9043

We were told that there are four more kittens further down the same block. Just a few days ago Oleksandra trapped this calico while looking for the kittens. The calico is obviously friendly so Oleksandra put her in her bathroom before taking her to PAWS. 20161023_180805-2

At PAWS they found out she was already spayed. They gave her a microchip, updated her vaccinations, and tested for FIV/FeLV in case she would be admitted for admission. She tested negative. Oleksandra went door to door on that block and found her owner! The owner said her name is Marigold and she has two other spayed/neutered pet cats. They are all now reunited.

 

This project is ongoing and I am confident it will be done soon! If you live in or near Hermosa in Chicago and would like to help, or have any more information about outdoor cats there, please call us at 773-609-CATS (2287) or email at [email protected]

 

 

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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.

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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. img_9078 img_9091

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. img_9077 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] img_9159

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.

 

 

 

 

 

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Introducing the Catalonia Colony: Three Kittens Already Off the Street

We started TNR at a new colony last week, called the Catalonia Colony. Nine cats total were trapped.

 

Two sisters reached out to PAWS Chicago for help with TNR at their single-family home in Hermosa. Bonnie had a growing colony in her backyard and was overwhelmed. Oleksandra, Kim and Joann volunteered to help and tag teamed to trap the cats. They did a site visit, and talked to Bonnie about the colony’s feeding schedule. They immediately saw kittens, especially this little Siamese one, who kept popping up everywhere.  14670770_10210396848814525_2298766893132084522_n img_8925 They trapped her first, along with five adult cats. Isn’t she stunning? img_8965

The next day they trapped her two siblings, and another adult cat. We put the kittens together in the same trap to take them to PAWS along with the rest of the adults for TNR. img_8953

The kittens were already almost socialized. They were not quite big enough to be spayed/neutered, but Erica at PAWS found a foster for them to wait until they could be admitted into their adoption program. They kept them cozy in a crate until the foster was ready. img_9023 img_9029

We’re very thankful for PAWS for taking these kittens!

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Helping Sherbert, a Senior Colony Cat, Get Full Medical Care

Sherbert showed up sick, dirty and disheveled while we were trapping for the Avondale TNR Project. His fur and ears were filthy, and his breathing was congested. IMG_0900 He’s the 55th cat we trapped for vetting in Avondale so far, but he is the first one that was already TNR’d by someone else, as you can see by his ear tip. IMG_8477

It was clear something was wrong. But he was trap savvy, and one night Joann used a drop trap.

 

It worked, but he acted so strangely in it. He would not move, and just laid down in it, almost as if he was playing dead. We didn’t know if he was just exhausted or scared, or both. IMG_8470

Eventually he went into the regular Tru-catch Trap. IMG_8368

I took him the next day to Roscoe Village Animal Hospital. First they determined he was FIV-/FeLV-. Then they went ahead and updated him on his vaccinations and treated him with antibiotics for a URI, cleaned his ears, and gave him Revolution for fleas. They also did bloodwork to determine his overall health status.  IMG_8487

In the meantime they traced his microchip to Tree House, who has been attempting to reach the person who TNR’d him in the first place four years ago.

 

The vet said it was clear that Sherbert is pretty much a senior cat, and his teeth were really, really bad, most likely causing stomatitis. This explained why he might have been so dirty – this condition is painful and cats stop grooming themselves as a result. It is also painful for them to eat. They recommended he get a full dental, but first he needed to recover from his infection.

 

Kim put Sherbert up in my feral cat recovery lounge in her house so that he could eat and sleep as much as he needed with a little more room for comfort. This lounge is a dog crate and trap attached together so that feral cats can be moved easily from one part to the other. I have used it for several feral cats during their recovery. IMG_8424

He’s doing well in the crate, but he hasn’t shown any signs of friendliness so far. I know this photo is dark, but you can see they really cleaned up his fur.

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I am planning on taking him back to a vet for a full dental next week so that he can hopefully eat without pain in the future. We are getting quotes from a few vets because the highest one so far was for $1500.

 

There are a lot of feeders in this area and people who let their unfixed pet cats outside, which is really why there are so many colony cats. Without comprehensive TNR, the feline population has exploded here. We are doing what we can to help Kim get the population under control. So far we’ve reduced the population in three alleys by almost half in three months because of TNAdoption for friendly cats and kittens along with TNReturn for feral cats.

 

In the meantime, I’m a firm believer that feral cats deserve full medical care as well. If something is treatable, it will get done, just like with a pet cat. I will post the total cost after the procedure next week. If you would like to donate for his $489 vet bill so far and his upcoming dental, you can do so through PayPal at [email protected] or at the donate link at the top of this page. Thank you!

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Introducing the Polska Kittens Colony from Avondale

Back in June we met the owner of a Polish restaurant in Avondale feeding three feral female cats. They would wait outside the back door in the alley for their meals.

 

We are calling this the Polska Kittens Colony. It is the next alley over from the Big Daddy Colony.

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She fed them raw ground beef from her restaurant. We have donated beef wet cat food to her since. IMG_7838 She said they all just had kittens.

 

We soon saw what she was talking about.

This mama cat was moving the kittens from the garage to a basement accessible from the outdoors, and back again.

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We talked to the owner of the basement as well, who owns a grocery store.  The owners of the garage were not available. Other neighbors told us that these feline families were being moved all around by the mama cats and disrupted by kids and drunk men in the alley, that they didn’t have a clear idea of how many kittens there were, or who had them. This alley is BUSY with lots of traffic and people.

 

We decided to let everyone be, and that Barbara, the owner of the restaurant, should call us when the kittens come out to be fed after they are weaned.

 

So about six weeks later in July, Barbara called on a Friday and said she saw kittens running around outside of the garage. IMG_7895

Joann went there immediately and first trapped the last female cat that we knew about from the Big Daddy Colony. Esther was pregnant and TNReturned. We couldn’t believe she was already pregnant – we had trapped her kittens in June, which were all admitted to PAWS Chicago. Here’s Esther, the mama of some of the orange creamsicle kittens. She is the 28th cat trapped from that alley this summer.

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Then Joann and Kim trapped all three lactating mama female cats and six little kittens at the Polish restaurant.

 

Here’s Abby the Tabby.

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Sterling. IMG_0798

And Tabitha, the star of the video moving all of the kittens around. IMG_0808

These mama cats were kept for recovery for a few extra days in Kim’s laundry room. IMG_0816

They also trapped six kittens: Harley, Jordan, Payton, Penelope, Poe, and Shakespeare. We guessed they were from 2-3 litters because of their sizes. It’s really hard to tell when you are not the one who is feeding the cats yourself, or have a set location for the colony. The kittens were trapped, three to a trap. IMG_0772 IMG_0773

Kim and Elissa started socializing and fostering them. IMG_0794 IMG_0778

One of the black kittens had this gummy gunk all over his side. It has since been combed out. Who knows what the heck they were getting into in that garage! IMG_0788

Some of the kittens were quickly ready for their close-ups! IMG_0007 IMG_0042 IMG_0013 IMG_0010

Then on Monday, Joann got a call from Barbara saying she found another kitten. Joann went to trap him immediately. Kitten #7, Lucky Johnny, was absolutely frantic, meowing his head off after being alone all weekend.

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Long-time supporter, Kati E., donated and sponsored his care. Thank you, Kati!

 

All seven of these kittens are being fostered currently by Kim, and went to PAWS Chicago for their first round of vaccinations on Monday. They will be admitted for adoption in August. They are currently being fostered by Elissa. IMG_7990 IMG_7981 Then, on Wednesday of this week, Joann got ANOTHER call from Barbara about two more kittens there. Joann again went to trap immediately, and got THREE more kittens.

 

Meet Rutabega, Radish and Turnip. All three of them were at PAWS today for their first vet appointment, and will also be admitted to PAWS Chicago’s adoption program in August. IMG_0249

We think we now have all of the kittens, but Barbara will call us if she sees more or other intact cats. We have now trapped 38 cats and kittens from the Avondale TNR Project in tow alleys. Almost half of these cats will be admitted to PAWS Chicago and adopted into indoor homes, rather than living on the streets. If you’d like to help us traps cats, foster or make a donation, please call us at 773-609-2287. Thank you!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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RIP Big Daddy, the Colony Cat Named in Honor of the Avondale TNR Project

When I first started talking to Kim a few months ago about all of the cats she was seeing in her colony and neighborhood of Avondale, I was determined to help her mostly because of a cat named Big Daddy. Her Big Daddy Colony is named after him to honor his memory.

 

Big Daddy was a colony cat that kept coming back to her yard the past two years, looking worse each time. He evaded all of her trapping efforts, and in the meantime she TNR’d 22 other cats.

 

Big Daddy would only come to visit Kim’s yard to feed sporadically. He was clearly sick, but still surviving.  Big_Daddy-2

Some of the following photos may be upsetting to see.

 

Joann helped Kim trap at the end of May and they trapped a lot of cats. In the meantime, they also trapped Big Daddy. We think that at this point he was so sick that he went into the trap because he knew he needed to. Big Daddy was dying.  Big_Daddy_atVets_1_May2016

Despite all of that they could not get near him. He was only safe to handle once he was in the trap. Kim took him straight to Roscoe Village Animal Hospital. They have been amazing. They are close to us, open seven days a week, will treat cats in traps, and we can normally get an appointment the day we call. This is all invaluable to us colony cat caregivers providing care for feral cats in traps. The low-cost clinics can only do so much. These colony cats need full service vet care.

 

But this vet care is expensive. Big Daddy’s total vet bill was $341. If you’d like to make a donation towards his care, you can do so through the Paypal donation link at the top of this page, or directly through paypal.com with [email protected] Big_Daddy_Vet_Bill-3

 

Big Daddy had to be sedated for an exam because even though he was weak, he was still feral. Big_Daddy_atVets_3_May2016-3 Big_Daddy_atVets_2_May2016

He was first tested for FIV/FeLV and tested negative. We were all very surprised. They then thought he may have been coming down with pneumonia. He was underweight and very sick. A few days before he allowed himself to be trapped, Kim found him in her garden defecating on himself, but not allowing her to come near him. His body seemed to be shutting down. Any treatment would involve more tests, and most likely extensive recovery in a crate indoors. That would be very stressful for him, and the outcome was completely unknown and could not be guaranteed. They decided to humanely euthanize him instead.

 

RIP, Big Daddy. You were loved. We are so thankful to Kim for caring for you while you visited her garden, and letting her help you in the end. You deserved a dignified death at the end of your hard life.

 

 

 

 

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Reese, FIV+ Cat from Avondale, is Now Vetted and Ready for Adoption!

Reese is a former stray cat now fully vetted and available for adoption. He is FIV+ and recovered from illness and bite wounds. He is a total lover and enjoying the indoors. Just look at those cheeks! IMG_7584 IMG_7587

Reese was trapped in Avondale along with a whole bunch of other colony cats at once. After his TNR surgery, it was clear that he was sick and exhausted. He slept all of the time, was really dirty and stinky, and absolutely ravenous. He would literally wake up to eat, and then go right back to sleep. He is a stray cat, not a feral used to living on the streets. He also seemed to know we were trying to help him and felt safe enough to finally rest after trying to survive outside.

 

He was vetted at Roscoe Village Animal Hospital where he was treated for URI and bite wounds IMG_7475

Kim took him into her home ever since. A week after that he had to go back to the vet because he had blood in his stool. He also wasn’t always using the litter box. His fecal test came back clean, and it hasn’t happened since. They did a urine analysis, and also figured out he was underweight and dehydrated, so he was most likely straining due to that. They administered fluids.

 

His total vetting so far is $446. If you’d like to make a donation towards his care please click on the Paypal donate button at the top of this page. IMG_7754 He was a great patient throughout, and even seemed to enjoy the extra attention. He ate all of the treats given to him during the entire exam, it was hilarious.  IMG_7533

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Once back in Kim’s house it was very clear he was enjoying the indoor life and feeling better. He was absolutely filthy and stinky. He started grooming himself again. IMG_7557 IMG_7562

Look at his poor, sore paws! They were really rough from the streets. IMG_7564

Kim has been using these wipes to help clean him.

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He’s looking better and better, gaining weight, and has a more normal sleep schedule now. Kim now has multiple litter boxes for him and figured out which litter he prefers. No more accidents.

 

He loves to pose. IMG_0702 IMG_0715 IMG_0704

He loves all of the attention and now answers back when you talk to him.

 

 

Please contact us at 773-609-2287 or [email protected] if you’d like to meet and adopt him!

 

 

 

 

 

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