Free Cat Spay/Neuter Surgeries Offered In December

PAWS Chicago is offering free cat spay/neuter surgeries and other discounted services for specific zip codes on Chicago’s south side. Please help spread the word!

I’m teaming up with Chicago TNR again next week in Englewood to help trap some cats and bring them to PAWS’ clinic for their TNR spay/neuter packages.

Here is part of the email I received from PAWS’ Clinic Manager that details this offer:

“During the winter months, our Spay/Neuter Clinic sees a decline in the number of feral cats due to the colder weather and our regular TNR trappers and rescue organizations taking a much needed break. To offset this expected decline, we are going to run a special promotion through 12/31/13. This promotion features a FREE spay or neuter surgery for any domestic cat whose owners reside in these Chicago South and West Side zip codes:

60608

60609

60615

60616

60617

60619

60620

60621

60623

60627

60628

60629

60632

60633

60636

60637

60638

60639

60643

60649

60651

60652

60653

60655

We actually have some door hangers available if you are willing to spend some time distributing them! Typically, we are only allowed to give free surgery to members of the general public on public assistance residing in these limited zip codes – 60617, 60619, 60620, 60621, 60628, 60629, 60636, and 60639. So this is really a fantastic offer! Plus, in addition to the FREE spay or neuter, our regular priced vaccines, blood tests, and microchips will be reduced from $28 down to $15 each pet that qualifies! This free offer is not applicable directly to rescue groups that bring these animals is – but feel free to refer the owner to call our clinic to make the appointment, and bring the pet in themselves to receive the free service!

Even better – if you are able to get together 10 or more domestic cats from a single pickup point, we will likely be able to even provide transport for the animals to and from the clinic for their surgeries! If you are still pursuing TNR projects over the winter that include 10 or more feral cats, we may also be able to provide the feral cats transport to and from the clinic from your heated recovery space! Please keep Kinga and I posted on your projects regardless, so we can provide you with some FREE Feral Package vouchers for all cats originating from any of the December promo areas.

Please help me spread the word on this fantastic promotion! I appreciate all the effort that goes into all the hard work you do every day. You are truly an advocate for the animals. Hopefully soon, we can achieve a no-kill Chicago!”

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Just Chilling

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Cat On My Compost Bin

Jim took this aerial view photo from our deck, standing above the cats in my yard. We’ve never seen Funny Face or any other cat sitting on the compost bin before.

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The Feral Feeding Station Has a New Friend

We made a new feral feeding station using these instructions from Neighborhood Cats. Normally I put food out daily in a controlled amount so as not to attract wildlife, but we were out of town at the same time so I put extra dry cat food out for them.

Then this happened.

I’m sure this opossum was more scared than I was. He hissed like a cat at me because he was cornered, so I took the photo and left.

The cats seemed to care less about the whole thing. Bouncy Bear is looking at me for more food, Dice is huddled up in the cat house, and Dash has no problem dining in front of this new visitor.

I don’t wish this new guy any harm so we’ll just have to keep controlling the amount of food we leave outside. He should move on without a problem. There’s a lot of construction going on in our neighborhood, including clearing land and cutting down lots of trees for a huge city project. It’s no doubt that some of the wildlife is currently losing their habitat and looking for other places to go.

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Anna Luiggi says:

September 13, 2014 at 9:40 am

I’d like a better look at that white house and it’s set up. did you buy it or make it? looks really nice.

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Vanessa says:

September 13, 2014 at 7:07 pm

Jim designed and made it. This post has more photos and information about that outdoor cat house.

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The Latest in Feral Fashion: Thick Winter Coats

I thought it was really cold out today, but the James’ Gang Colony stayed true to feral form and were not cooped up in their three heated cat houses. Instead they lounged in the sun all day and showed off their thick winter coats. They only moved when I came out with more wet food for them multiple times. The food froze if they didn’t eat it immediately, so I brought a little bit out all day. They have me trained well.

Dash and Funny Face lounge on the catio even in the winter.

Dice even decided to nap on the roof of the Feral Villa, instead of staying in it.

I’m free, I’m feral, I’m not going to stay cooped up all day.

Ear tips and puffy winter coats are always in style for colony cats.

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The Rockstar Colony Gets Another Upgrade

This made my day! I jogged by the Rockstar Colony today and saw they now have an outdoor heated water bowl.

Cats need to stay hydrated and it is hard for them to find fresh water to drink outside. The outdoor heated water bowl is a fantastic solution for the winter. I’ve used one for a few years now for my colony cats. You can also use it to keep wet food from freezing.

Cats in my yard are well-fed, warm and TNR’ed.

The Rockstar Colony lost their home a month ago, and the feeder moved away. Another neighbor a few doors away stepped up and is feeding the cats daily and caring for them. They told me that right now only one of the cats is sticking around and using the outdoor cat shelter I gave them, but we think it’s probably because of all the new construction on that street. They also told me they’ve asked the “woman who feeds the birds” to keep an eye out for the cats. I figured out they were talking about the Jose and the Pussycats Colony the next block over. Hopefully the cats will come back once the construction activity dies down.

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Puffy is Getting Puffier and Puffier

Puffy McWonderTail started visiting my yard this past March, at the end of a mild but long winter. I TNR’d him, and he’s been coming back ever since, but as a truly feral cat. He shows up at dusk or night only, and leaves as soon as any human comes into the yard.

Yesterday I caught him hanging out in my yard during a rare late afternoon. He is glorious! He is bigger than ever, and his fur is super puffy and groomed now. I wish I could get a close-up photo for you. He either ignores me, or runs away from me. He is twice the cat he once was, all thanks to trap-neuter-return.

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Helping Community Cats in Englewood

I met George earlier this year in the waiting room of PAWS Chicago’s Lurie Spay/Neuter Clinic. We both had cats in traps that we brought in for their Trap-Neuter-Return TNR treatment. We’ve been in touch ever since. I’ve lent her some of my traps all year because George has done a remarkable amount of work for TNR and rescuing cats off the street on the city’s south side.

Yesterday I met up with George and Lily, another volunteer who has been doing TNR on her own for decades, on site in Englewood. PAWS Chicago is covering the medical costs for these cats and also admitting any friendly cats brought in from this area. George and Lily have been working on this project for the past three weeks.

In these three weeks they trapped 64 cats within three city blocks. 15 of these cats are admitted into PAWS adoption program. The rest were spayed/neutered, vaccinated, received other medical treatments as needed, and returned back to their original locations where they are fed and cared for by the residents.

This is one of the cats returned at 11-cat colony in an auto lot. She received additional treatment for her eye injury, which is now healing.

The feeders at the lot wanted the majority of the cats returned to them because they are emotionally attached to them and the cats help keep the rats away. The cats are also bonded to each other, and some of them are extremely friendly. A few ran right up to Lily when we arrived.

I loved talking to Lily. She has been doing TNR all over the city for years. Back in the day she used to catch feral cats and put them into carriers to be treated by her vet. Lily is a retired Chicago Police Officer from their Canine Unit. She used to be a social worker for Chicago’s Department of Child Services. She applied to be a police officer after someone pulled a gun on her in an abandoned building in Uptown while she was working on a family case.

The auto lot colony cats are all fully recovered from their surgeries and doing well. George stopped to feed some of them and we continued on looking for other colonies. I hope to join them again in December and help this community help more cats.

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Cat House Factory

My garage is currently a factory for making new outdoor cat shelters and cleaning out the old ones. Because of TNR, the population of outdoor cats in my colonies is decreasing, and I am able to consolidate some of their former shelters and move them into different areas.

I donated some of the shelters to the Cell Phones Colony, because they didn’t have any to begin with. They are now keeping the cats warm in the auto lot. I’ll have to update more on that soon – there are now 11 TNR’d cats there!

Today I’m excited to go and help trap cats for a targeted TNR project with Chicago TNR on the southside. Any cats we trap will be taken to PAWS Chicago’s low-cost vet clinic. I’m donating Rubbermaid bin feeding stations and hopefully I can feed some ear tipped and TNR’d cats while I’m there.

These feeding stations are easy to make. I used bins that were missing the tops and couldn’t be used to make a cat shelter. Instead of throwing them out, you just turn them upside down and cut a hole large enough for a cat to feed in there. It protects the food and cats from the rain and snow.

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Camera Shy Cats

These cats think they’re hiding from me.

Can you see Fleece? He’s from the Jose and the Pussycats Colony. After I TNR’d him he showed up again with a collar on. He must have gotten friendlier after his surgery.

This cat is “new,” not ear tipped, but also had a collar on. She thought I couldn’t see her anymore here. I’m hoping to locate her owner and make sure she is fixed and vaccinated.