Homeless cat in Chicago area needs foster home/no-kill shelter

I have a little stray guy hanging around in front of my house and I would really like to get him inside before it gets cold. We don't have space for him and neither does any of the local rescues here. He's a very sweet and good boy. He gets along with other cats and doesn't seem scared of my dogs. He seems healthy although he has a cloudy eye that may or may not work. Unfortunately the neighbors cats are quite territorial and pick on this little guy so he always have scratches all over and his ears are torn. He sits out there every night looking so lonely and it just kills me that I can't take him inside and give him a forever home. He deserves it. Most likely he is a formerly owned cat since he's not feral.
He's being TNR'd this weekend and I'll keep him in a spare room for a couple of days while he's recovering but I will have to let him back out. I would love it if I wouldn't have to though and could bring him somewhere else. I already care for nine cats and I just can't commit to a tenth, legally or financially. I'm wondering if there is anyone here who lives in northeast Illinois that could help this little guy, Zeddacus. I'll take him wherever he needs to go. Please:-)

Here are a few pics of him (they were taken in the dark so they aren't the best and he looks like a devil cat with those eyes but he's really a pretty boy. I think he's a boy anyway.)

I am in Chicago too, I wish I could help but I am at my limit as well.
Have you tried contacting local rescue groups? Would you be able to foster him temporarily if a rescue could help you find a home? I know most of the shelters are full, but shelters/rescues may be able to help if you were able to foster him yourself or if you could find a friend or family member who could.

I suggest PAWS Chicago, or Tails in Dekalb. They ate high quality no-kill shelters. As is the one I'm associated with in South Elgin. However, it is currently under quarantine because of a distemper outbreak among kittens. It's a terrible thing.

I hope you find this guy a place, he's very nice

You can try googling "no-kill shelters in Illinois." Then there is always the"no-kill network" to check out. There are actually quite a few no-kill shelters in the area.

Good luck and bless you for looking after this guy.

Robin

Thanks. I've contacted PAWS to see about getting him on their waiting list but it's very long and he probably wouldn't be able to get in before winter. None of the nearby rescues have space either. I will contact some other ones further away.

I am with a cat rescue too but we don't have space either. I wish I could take him in but I can't. I'm only allowed to have four foster cats and I currently have five. The dept. of agriculture would let that extra one slide but two extra would probably not be received too well. I also can't afford it. We're a very small rescue and we pay for most of the stuff for the cats out of pocket and I have two special needs cats that are costing me a fortune.

There are a lot of great organizations in the Chicago area but the problem is that they are all overwhelmed by cats. I wish he was a dog. That would make it much easier. It really sucks being a homeless cat in the US.

I'm always hearing here that shelters aren't taking cats because they are full. I've wondered about that because at the shelter where I volunteer, though never with extra space, new cats come in every day. Some are left in boxes or carriers at the door and found at 5:30 in t the morning when the first vet tech arrives. And people bring in cats every day who are strays or their own cats that they give up for some reason. I'm not saying they don't turn away some cats, but something like 20-30 or more adult cats do come in each month. Their policy is to not turn away kittens at all. Tails takes in, and adopts out, even more adult cats each month.

So if I were in a situation where I had to find a shelter for a cat, I wouldn't call or ask them. I'd drive around, with the cat in a carrier, to every no-kill shelter I could get to. I'd take the cat in and have a compelling speech ready to tell why this cat can't survive as a stray anymore. Just living outside isn't a good enough reason to take him.

If all else failed (but I don't believe I'd fail) and I felt I had to get him in, I'd leave him at the door of a good shelter, in a carrier in the early morning. And I wouldn't give a rip if that is illegal.

Is someone actually coming over to check on how many foster cats you have in your house? I'm just curious. Seems like government agencies would have better things to do with their resources in these times.

Robin

I have contacted two No-kill shelters, one of which I volunteer for. They are to full capacity and over. Animal House Shelter, Huntley has a large foster network though. You could contact Jane over there, but she is on vacation till the 25th. She never takes a vacation and so deserves a break. But she would really be the one to talk to about this cat. If you don't find a situation for him before that, send me a PM and I will talk with Jane when she returns. I also have another suggestion, but it probably will be a wait, Hinsdale Humane Society. They are a very, very, very low-kill shelter now. Very rarely will they euthanize an animal. If they have an opening, it would be $50.00 to bring the cat over there and relinquish it to them. There is also Fur Keeps in Barrington.

He is a very handsome boy, and I really wish you so much luck with this!!!!

Thanks so much for the help and tips. I will definitely contact Animal House if I can't find a solution before the 25th. I just talked a lady at my vet's office who just adopted a puppy from there and she was really impressed with how the animals were cared for.

I unfortunately didn't manage to trap the kitty tonight as I had planned. He didn't show up. But I caught me a kitten instead. A very frightened little black one who is not a happy camper right now. Definitely feral and terrified of me. I've only seen him twice before and assumed he belonged to someone in the apartments behind us but now I'm really wondering if Zeddacus may not be a Zeddacus after all and maybe it's a she and is the mom of this little one. Both times I've seen the kitten it's been around the same time Zeddacus has been here. There aren't that many strays in this neighborhood. So now it looks like I will have to set the trap on Tuesday again.

I don't know what I'm going to do with this kitten. I hate releasing kittens. Hate it. But I think this kitten is about 3 months old and that is often too old to tame. My two semi-ferals were 3 months when I took them in and I can still hardly touch them after 2 years. Another kitten that I also got at about 3 months that I did manage to tame is still a really frightened cat. He was just adopted but is so scared that it looks like he will be returned. I don't think I can make a commitment to another cat that will likely never be adoptable. It sucks. Letting him back out is definitely not a good option either. If anyone has any suggestions I'm all ears.

I don't really know what to say. We don't even take the kittens from their feral moms until they're around 10-12 weeks (which would be 3 months), and they've all been successfully fostered/socialized and adopted out, making great pets. Other than two exceptions, they were all that age or older for us. So I'm not really sure what to recommend, because I'd recommend having him/her neutered/spayed, treated, vaccinated, and foster the baby for adoption.

Yes, I agree with Laurie. Also, three months old is not too old to socialize at all. Absolutely untrue. I have socialized many a older kitten. Just last winter, I trapped three six to seven month old feral kittens. All are now in loving homes and couldn't be more affectionate to their new owners. It just takes a ton of work and patience. Plus you need to keep them in a large cat playpen (like the Midwest cat playpen) until such time as you are able to reach in and pet them. This is the quickest way, IMO, to socialize a feral cat/kitten. The next step is the small room with no hiding places other than a hiding place where you can still easily reach the cat.

I do agree, that there are cases where the cat's just won't come around, but honestly, I have not run into this much at all over the years. Good luck with the black kitten. and also trapping Zeddacus.

As to Hinsdale Humane Society, I have placed two socialized feral cats with them who are now in loving homes as well. These were adult feral cats that I socialized and Hinsdale took them in and worked more with them as well. You could call and at least get Zeddacus on the wait list, sometimes it is only a week or two wait. If Zeddacus is as sweet as you say, he/she will get adopted quickly there. Lots of turnover..... Just a thought.

p.s. I will try to make some more contacts too and see what we can come up with . If anything pans out, I will let you know right away!!! to you for rescuing these cats!!!

Would you be interested in taking a stab at this kitten? The only problem for me isn't socializing the kitten, it's paying for potential vet care and getting him adopted once he is socialized. We are having a heck of a time getting the cats we have adopted and most stay with us for a very long time, over a year. I have a foster, a little black girl, who is two that I've had since she was just a few days old. She had some medical issues as a kitten and wasn't put up for adoption until she was almost 6 months old and being a black kitten her ship of being easily adopted had sailed by then. She's been on Petfinder for a year and a half and we have not had a single inquiry about her. We've also posted her on Craigslist and put up flyers with no success there either. My fear is that it will take 2-3 months to socialize Indy, the little kitten in question, and then end up not getting him adopted because he's then an almost adult black cat. Heck, we have several other cats who are not black and are wonderful cats and nobody inquires about them either. We have an orange cat that only gets 3-4 hits a week on Petfinder and never had anyone inquire about him either. We've only had one person contact us after seeing a flyer about one of our cats. We do get kittens adopted quickly if they are under 4 months but older than that it gets much harder.

I may sound horrible and selfish but I just can't make a long term commitment to a tenth cat. If I could I would have taken Zeddacus already. If I knew that Indy could be socialized in a couple of months, would have no medical issues other than very minor things and would be adopted before Christmas I could wing it but I don't have those guarantees. I took in an extra kitten that I really didn't have space for this spring because I thought she would get adopted very quickly and since she came from a home I knew that she had not had any medical issues so far. But before she had been with us for two weeks I had already spent over $300 in vet bills and she ended up being with me for four months when I thought it would be less than one. With nine cats already I just can't take something like that on right now.

I really don't want to release a kitten though so I'm going to see what I can do. I've checked with some other rescues and local no-kill shelters but unfortunately none take feral kittens this old. Some don't take them over 8 weeks and others don't take them over 10 weeks. Indy could be as old as four months. It's hard to tell.
We'll see. I've got him in a dog carrier right now and he's doing okay. I'm going to start working with him while I'm trying to figure out what to do with him. Any tips on how to start the process would be greatly appreciated. I don't have much experience with socializing feral kittens this old.
Actually, I was hoping someone could tell me if it is best to keep him in the large plastic carrier he's in now in a separate room or if it would be better to keep him in a larger wire cage, with shelves, that sits in the cat room? I could move the larger cage too of course. I'm not sure if it would be a good thing to put him in a wire cage where he would be more exposed or if the plastic cage is better where he feels more protected. I currently have the carrier covered with a blanket. Should I remove that to start working with him? I also have a small box in the carrier that he can hide in. Should I remove that?
I usually free feed kittens but I read that you shouldn't do that with a feral you're trying to socialize. How often and how much should I feed him of wet food and should I stay in the room while he eats? What if he won't eat while I'm there?
Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

You've raised a lot of issues with your last post. One I want to address. I saw a segment on the CBS show "Sunday Morning" yesterday about a pro photographer in Texas who started taking much better pictures of a rescue's dogs. Their adoption rate went up 100%!

Maybe your pictures on Petfinder are just fine. But if they aren't "selling" the cats, maybe consider improving them. Maybe you know someone with a knack for photography, an amateur who knows about lighting. Or you could call around to all the pro photagraphers or assistants or colleges that have students studying photography and see if someone will help get your rescue's cats placed in homes. In this age of digital pictures, the person's time is the only cost. Maybe they'd want a plug on the ad. Maybe they'd want lunch.

It would be worth a try. I know that cats are being adopted every day, lots of them, even adult ones, even black ones. So maybe you should look over your marketing strategy with a critical eye.

Robin

As a volunteer at a kill shelter, I would like to call attention to what this thread points out. There really are no no-kill shelters. We control our population at the back door, because we are required by the cities we serve to take in all turned-in and picked-up pets. No-kills control their population at the front door by refusing to take pets in, leaving more for us to have to take care of.

Fortunately, we don't have a strict time limit on how long we can keep a cat. We adopted out Petey this weekend; he's been with us repeatedly since he was a kitten, and he's almost a year old now. But any animal that comes in feral, or seriously injured, or seriously sick will be euthanized pretty quickly.

Frankly, totally "no-kill" is irresponsible, too, though much better than a high kill shelter, which I find despicable.

There are animals that seem totally unadoptable, for various reasons, that are kept in a shelter I know for 4 years or more (and another I've heard about for 8 years or more). If I were running the place, they'd be long gone to make space for others. But then, wonders of wonders, one of these cats will get adopted, to everyone's amazement. There seems to be no hopeless cases.

I know people are getting cats into shelters everyday, even all those "full"shelters. Usually these people are not even particularly "cat people." But, they are persistent, insistent, and they make it clear to the staff at the front desk that they will not be looking after the cat if the shelter turns them away. The cats get in. And space is found. At my shelter, sometimes cages line the halls with overflow. And sometimes the rooms provided for potential adopters to visit with animals can't be used because they are full of animals being housed there. Every staff office (7 of them) has several, usually the most problematic, cats housed in cages. Three of my own cats were in that situation for many months, being socialized enough to be adoptable.

My shelter has a vast network of foster parents, who sometimes keep animals long term, even years, until they are adoptable. Sometimes these people are called upon to take overflow in an emergency. Some cats, the very feral, are transferred to farm colonies.

The euthanasia rate there is amazingly low, and always because of terminal health cases, and even then only when the animal is suffering and can't be helped. I don't think it is a dozen animals a year, out of about 1000.

But, as I said, I think they keep too many with low adoption chances alive for too long. But that is their philosophy.

So, no, there are no totally no-kill shelters, nor should there be. And some go too far to save individuals rather than looking at the big picture.

Robin

Originally Posted by mrblanche

As a volunteer at a kill shelter, I would like to call attention to what this thread points out. There really are no no-kill shelters. We control our population at the back door, because we are required by the cities we serve to take in all turned-in and picked-up pets. No-kills control their population at the front door by refusing to take pets in, leaving more for us to have to take care of.

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Yeah, the idea that we can have a no-kill nation is a myth. There are those who claim that the high euthanasia rates have nothing to do with breeding and irresponsible pet owners. That it's all because we are kill happy and don't try hard enough to adopt out all animals. It's probably true that we as a nation could try a lot harder to save pets and things have to change but there is no way that all animals can be adopted.
PAWS Chicago is being touted as a big success and a role model because of their high adoption rates and very low euthanasia rates. Of course they are doing well. They have a huge budget, state of the art facilities and only take in the most adoptable animals. I contacted them to see about getting Zeddacus and the kitten in there as it says on their website that they accept friendly adults and feral kittens up to 12 weeks. It turns out to be a very complicated process to get an animal in there. First you have to put in an application with info about the animal. Then you wait until there is space which can take many months. At that time you get an appointment to come to PAWS with the animal for an evaluation which can be hard to do with a stay and a stray will probably not perform well at an evaluation. But if it is accepted they call you back and tell you when you can bring the animal in. If the animal is fixed and UTD on shots the surrender fee is $100. Otherwise it's $150.
With an intake process like that of course they will have good adoption rates. They only get the cream of the crop who has guardians that are devoted enough to them. These are not the animals that need help the most. If all shelters were run this way, as some think they should, we would have a much bigger problem with animal dumping.

No-kill shelters can only exist if kill shelters exist too to take the animals the no-kill shelters don't want or can't take because of their intake procedures.

Originally Posted by bastetservant

Maybe your pictures on Petfinder are just fine. But if they aren't "selling" the cats, maybe consider improving them. Maybe you know someone with a knack for photography, an amateur who knows about lighting. Or you could call around to all the pro photagraphers or assistants or colleges that have students studying photography and see if someone will help get your rescue's cats placed in homes. In this age of digital pictures, the person's time is the only cost. Maybe they'd want a plug on the ad. Maybe they'd want lunch.

It would be worth a try. I know that cats are being adopted every day, lots of them, even adult ones, even black ones. So maybe you should look over your marketing strategy with a critical eye.

Robin

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Trust me, we have looked over our pictures several times. I understand that a picture is everything and the cats have a lot of competition on Petfinder. The pictures are the first thing that people see and they have to be attractive enough for people to want to click on them. We have switched pictures several times and have gotten input from other people on what pictures to use. I even did contact photographers last fall but none would do it for free. Some would do it for a reduced cost which was still too high. Of course we can look over it again.
We do get cats adopted. It just takes time. Without a facility where people can come see the cats we are left with petfinder and have thousands of cats to compete with and not just the cats at the shelter. I think that is part of the problem. But yes, thinking out of the box and selling the cats is important.

Originally Posted by bastetservant

So, no, there are no totally no-kill shelters, nor should there be. And some go too far to save individuals rather than looking at the big picture.
Robin

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Totally agree . I do not believe either in a "total" no-kill shelter and don't think there is such a thing. Although, most of the No-kill's do keep animals way toooooooo long and their quality of life suffers tremendously for months and months and months , and to me, that is animal cruelty.

Originally Posted by Ziggy'smom

Would you be interested in taking a stab at this kitten?

We'll see. I've got him in a dog carrier right now and he's doing okay. I'm going to start working with him while I'm trying to figure out what to do with him. Any tips on how to start the process would be greatly appreciated. I don't have much experience with socializing feral kittens this old.
Actually, I was hoping someone could tell me if it is best to keep him in the large plastic carrier he's in now in a separate room or if it would be better to keep him in a larger wire cage, with shelves, that sits in the cat room? I could move the larger cage too of course. I'm not sure if it would be a good thing to put him in a wire cage where he would be more exposed or if the plastic cage is better where he feels more protected. I currently have the carrier covered with a blanket. Should I remove that to start working with him? I also have a small box in the carrier that he can hide in. Should I remove that?
I usually free feed kittens but I read that you shouldn't do that with a feral you're trying to socialize. How often and how much should I feed him of wet food and should I stay in the room while he eats? What if he won't eat while I'm there?
Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

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Actually, I would have loved to take this kitten from you. BUT - right now I am not taking on any foster's because of my cat Pipsqueak's health issues and stress issues. I am also dealing with trying to nurse along my older sick dog, Wilbur , bless his heart. I really, really want to help you with this kitten, but I just can't commit to that at this point in time. I have also had to refuse other requests from my shelter to socialize feral kittens . I feel bad about it, but I have to put my own pets first right now. They need me around the clock.....

I would definitely use a wire crate. If it is a large dog crate. Then put a small cat carrier inside with a comfy blanket (AND I always add a slept in t-shirt, a new one every night ) in it and take the door off. That can be a shelf and a hiding place all in one. I would feed scheduled meals to start, and wet food mixed with some dry. This will get the kitten looking for you at certain times of the day. The first few days, put the food down, then just leave the kitten alone to eat. Then go back in 30 minutes to take up the food if there is any left. Believe me, that kitten will eat, (unless it is very sick...) Once it is eating up the food right after you set it down and leave the room, then it is time to sit down at a distance (read, write, or be on the laptop) and don't even look at that kitten. It might not eat at first with you sitting there because Indy will be watching and staring at you LOL. , Once he realizes you are not going to look at him or move and this becomes a routine, he will eat. That is a huge step in the right direction. I always tried to "pet" them after this point ( a few days or so after they are eating in your company). When they have a full tummy, that is the time to give them some love. Don't put the hand over the head, come from below. If the kitten cowers in that cat carrier. Pull the cat carrier towards you to the front of the crate. Talk gently and soothingly, don't stare, just rest your hand inside of the crate the first day or so. Then proceed to use a finger to rub under the chin and cheek. Don't pull the hand away if the kitten is hissing, just move very very slow, talk sweetly, and gently rub your finger back and forth under the chin. It could take quite a few days of this until the hissing stops. Then I usually scruff and wrap them in a towel snuggly with their head sticking out. I cradle them, and pet them the same way for about five to ten minutes. Then they go back. I did this about three times a day. After a couple of weeks of this it becomes easier and easier and more relaxing for the kitten. This is such an important first experience for the feral kitten's and makes for a lasting impression for them for the rest of their lives.

I have always had luck with this procedure and you have to expect some hissing/spitting at first. They need to be able to trust you and the fear comes out as hissing. Once the kitten starts to trust, things will improve.

Avery (one of the 6 month old black kitten's from last December) took a very long time. And actually the crate/cage socialization didn't work well for her. It wasn't until she was loose in a very small room that she started to come around on her own. Then there was Pixie, her sibling, who was purring on day two and allowing pets. Magilla, the other sibling, was very distrustful and the most scared. It took her about three weeks before I heard a purr. Once you hear that purring, you are home free They are all different and what works for about 90% of them won't work for the other 10%. Some are just easier and more willing to accept human companionship than other's. I hope Indy is an easy one

I really wish I could help you with this kitten. If I come up with anything, I will let you know right away. You have a wonderful heart in helping these cats. I do know how overwhelming it can be to have a big heart like that....... Wish we could save them all, would be impossible, but we can help one kitty at a time and that is a start.....

Well, I've got some potentially good news for Zeddacus! He may have a foster home. It's not completely set and I won't know for sure for another two weeks (long story) but it's looking pretty promising. If it doesn't work out I'll be sure to let you guys know. Keep your fingers crossed.

I don't have any good news for Indy though. I've checked with a bunch of organizations but none will take feral kittens this old. I know I will probably sound like a horrible, heartless person but I am leaning towards releasing him and continuing to care for him outside. I'm stretched thin as it is with two special needs cat and a third who is currently having chronic diarrhea that isn't responding to treatment. Then I also have two senior dogs one of whom is in need of x-rays which I've put on the back burner with everything else going on. I have to focus on fulfilling my commitment to the pets I have. It would be irresponsible of me to take on a pet right now.
I live in the suburbs and if a cat is to live outside this area is probably one of the better ones. He can go pretty far without running into traffic. There is a lot of bushes to hide in. There are very few stray cats so diseases aren't running rampant as in some areas and people aren't cruel to the cats. I will feed him and provide him with heated shelter in winter. He will be okay.

Originally Posted by Ziggy'smom

PAWS Chicago is being touted as a big success and a role model because of their high adoption rates and very low euthanasia rates. Of course they are doing well. They have a huge budget, state of the art facilities and only take in the most adoptable animals. I contacted them to see about getting Zeddacus and the kitten in there as it says on their website that they accept friendly adults and feral kittens up to 12 weeks. It turns out to be a very complicated process to get an animal in there. First you have to put in an application with info about the animal. Then you wait until there is space which can take many months. At that time you get an appointment to come to PAWS with the animal for an evaluation which can be hard to do with a stay and a stray will probably not perform well at an evaluation. But if it is accepted they call you back and tell you when you can bring the animal in. If the animal is fixed and UTD on shots the surrender fee is $100. Otherwise it's $150.

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This reminds me of what the Anti-Cruelty did to decrease their euth rate... They decided to stop accepting strays and only accept owner give-ups. Well, they will still accept strays but then they truck them over to Animal Care and Control...which was already overcrowded. So Anti-Cruelty estimated they would kill 3000 less animals per year, and ACC estimates their rate will go up by even more than that because of the increase in animals coming in from Anti-Cruelty. I have not seen the actual numbers yet so I don't know exactly how it worked out but I am sure it was not good for ACC or the city's strays...especially considering ACC had enough trouble trying to get animals adopted already for a number of reasons (low budget, understaffing, overcrowding, bad location...)

Good news about Zeddacus . I will really be hoping that the foster comes through for you . Again, my heart aches as I want to help this little black kitten. But like you, I have an over-full plate as it is and I just can't take on another feral kitten at the moment. I do have a call in to another person who might be able to help. If she calls me back tonight, I will PM you. I will keep trying in the next few days. When will you release the Indy ?? If we can't find a situation for him, then he will hopefully hang around your house and will be alright, especially if you have a heated shelter for him. I just ordered the FeralVilla and it should be arriving in about a week. I have a heating pad for the second level inside. Sending massive vibes for Indy