Saturday, July 30, 2016
The Royal Kids Now Teens Get Admitted To A No Kill Shelter
Today was a special day. Today, we dropped off the Royal teens; Atticus, Tiberius, and Marilla for their admittance to F&C.
We have seen these Division St kittens go from being scared little tiny
kitties living in a filth infested alley to flourish into sweet healthy
beautiful teens. Its with programs like TNR/TNA that have allowed us to
give these kittens a chance at a great life and to bring love into
someone's home. These pictures are proof how important TNR/TNA is. We
would like to give a BIG BIG BIG thanks to Melissa and Nat for fostering
these kittens for all these months and taking care of them above and
beyond. Without you, today would have not been possible. So thank you.
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Cicero from the Division 25 Colony Adopted!
We wanted to share/post some exciting news... Cicero was adopted this
past weekend! As you may recall, we trapped Cicero from the Division St 25
project that we were/still are currently working on. We got him fully
vetted and admitted him to F&C. A huge thank you to Katie E for
Sponsoring him! Here is a picture of him and his new Meowmie.
Monday, July 25, 2016
Giving Monday
As you can see from all of our posts, and the posts we haven't put up
(there would be one every hour), the Whiskers & Tails Rescue
Foundation is extremely busy making a difference. However, we are
extremely low on monetary donations. We want to continue all of our
rescue efforts, so I'm putting out a plea to ask everyone if they would
please open up their hearts and for each person that has liked our page
to donate $10.00 to our Crowdrise fund or our PayPal fund. We would also
like to ask for those who believe in us and our cause, if you would be
interesting in starting your own fundraiser under our Crowdrise and try
to help fund raise for a foundation that truly believes in helping cats.
If you are interested in that, please contact me and I can show you
how. Thank you all so much. Now go hug a cat or feed a feral! Meow. https://www.crowdrise.com/whiskers-and-tails-rescue-foundat… #GivingMonday
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Best $100.00 Spent, Lady's New Beginning
Best $100.oo spent.
I believe that everything happens for a reason and though I don't make it a habit of buying cats from irresponsible people, when I see a notification binged to me that a cat is for sale in a virtual garage sale group I'm in, I take notice. Especially, when I see the cat has recently been spayed, is microchipped, and utd on her vaccines. I knew this cat was adopted from somewhere. What also puts a fire in my rear is when I see that said cat for sale is an indoor cat, but yet is marketed as "She makes a great indoor cat but would be a good outdoor cat as well." Ummm NO. So I spent my morning contacting local rescues to see if they had her name in their database. And of course, did some investigation work, she has only had the cat for a few weeks.
I believe that everything happens for a reason and though I don't make it a habit of buying cats from irresponsible people, when I see a notification binged to me that a cat is for sale in a virtual garage sale group I'm in, I take notice. Especially, when I see the cat has recently been spayed, is microchipped, and utd on her vaccines. I knew this cat was adopted from somewhere. What also puts a fire in my rear is when I see that said cat for sale is an indoor cat, but yet is marketed as "She makes a great indoor cat but would be a good outdoor cat as well." Ummm NO. So I spent my morning contacting local rescues to see if they had her name in their database. And of course, did some investigation work, she has only had the cat for a few weeks.
I knew at this point, I had to buy the cat so I can get the paperwork
to see where she was adopted from and more importantly to ensure this
cat would not be put outside. Which we know, would be the ending to her
story called life. One of her excuses.... "I just had to put my other
cat down that was 17yrs old, who I was extremely attached to 2 weeks ago
and well I just couldn't keep her (Lady). I couldn't have her around
after that, it was too hard. I think I need to be cat free for a while."
Ummmm, well honey, if I have anything to do with it, you will be cat
free for life. The 22yr old girl I bought her from didn't even ask me
anything about me before I went to her house in Wrigleyville to buy her
cat. Thankfully it was me who got the cat and not someone else.
Well everyone here is my latest admit to F&C, meet Lady. Today is the best day of her life. $100.00 totally worth it. Because well Lady's life is Priceless.
Well everyone here is my latest admit to F&C, meet Lady. Today is the best day of her life. $100.00 totally worth it. Because well Lady's life is Priceless.
 |
| Lady on our drive home after I bought her |
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| I still can't believe she told someone she would make a good outdoor cat |
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| So happy to have been able to save this pretty girl from a life on the streets or worse |
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| Playful, happy and safe |
Friday, July 22, 2016
The Royal Teens Vet Bill - Would You Help Donate?
Atticus, Tiberius, and Marilla will finally be admitted to F&C
next week to find their forever homes. Their final vetting appointment
today cost me a total of $437.40 alone not to mention all of their prior
appointments (see attached bills for today). However, these former Division St project kittens deserve it. Please consider making a small
donation towards their bill to our Crowdrise fund or if you would like
to Sponsor one of the cutie patooties even better! Thanks everyone we
really appreciate it! Every donation helps us continue to make the lives
of Chicago's cats better.https://www.crowdrise.com/whiskers-and-tails-rescue-foundation
Thursday, July 21, 2016
It's Not Just About T-N-R, Delivering Ice To Colonies
Tonight, Sayre and I returned 3 (males) of the 4 cats we trapped on
Tuesday night back to the Division street 25 colony since they are done
with their recovery. Afterwards, we went and delivered bags of ice with
big tins to a bunch of feral colonies to ensure they have cold water in
this hot weather. Because Its not just about the TNR
(trap-neuter-return), it's also about making sure the colonies are well
cared for.
 |
| WTRF drove through and dropped off bags of ice to keep the colony cats hydrated in this 90* weather |
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Four More Cats Trapped At Division 25 Colony
We were working on the Division St project again last night. My friend
Sayre came along to help me trap. She has never trapped before, so it
was so exciting for the both of us for me to teach her. As you can see,
she did a great job.
We caught 4 more cats from the Division St project. All of these cats are mostly under the age of 6 months old. I told Sayre she could be the one to name them. I’d like to introduce you to Biscuit, Smashy, Spike, and Detour. The fab 4 were dropped off at Anti-Cruelty Society this morning to get their TNR services. Another WTRF success! A big thank you to Sayre, Jamie, and Trudy for all helping out with this.
We caught 4 more cats from the Division St project. All of these cats are mostly under the age of 6 months old. I told Sayre she could be the one to name them. I’d like to introduce you to Biscuit, Smashy, Spike, and Detour. The fab 4 were dropped off at Anti-Cruelty Society this morning to get their TNR services. Another WTRF success! A big thank you to Sayre, Jamie, and Trudy for all helping out with this.
Emergency Cat Resuce... Cat Stuck On A Roof For 3wks
A post was put up in a Facebook community cats group on 7/17 at
10:14pm. It was about a cat that had been stuck up on a roof of a house
for over 3 weeks, going into it's 4th week. A plea was put out for help.
I rarely ever go to this group page anymore, but by chance did, and saw
the post on 7/18 at 9:11am. I was HORRIFIED to read it and even more
HORRIFIED that nothing was being done. This was an emergency. This cat
was going to die if he wasn't rescued. It's going to be 115* on Thursday
& Friday and add that to a hot black roof, its not going to be a
happy ending. I asked for all the details, where is the cat located on
the roof, what's the address of the house, etc etc. I was given all the
information I requested last night at 6:30pm, but I was out trapping so I
received it when I got home around 10:00pm. I thought of some ideas and
by 6:00am this morning I had a plan in place.
For those of you who don't know, my day job is in the construction industry. I called my Superintendent, who I adore, and told him I needed help. I told him about the cat being stuck on the roof for over 3 weeks and asked him if he had a 20ft ladder. He said yes. My next question was, would he be willing to help and he said yes. So we devised up a plan.
My Superintendent who I will call B, my laborer who I will call W, and myself all went over to the house at 11:15am this morning during our lunch hour. The house with the roof at its highest pitch is about 50ft tall at least. B & W looked at the house from all angles and put the ladder up to check it out. Because the roof was so steep they decided they had to access it from the front. They put up the 20ft ladder, climbed up on to the lower roof, and then pulled up the ladder to the lower roof, and placed it to then climb and get up to the 2nd roof. B & W had tuna in hand that I had brought. B went to get the cat (he said the cat was smart since he was laying in the only part of the roof that had shade). The cat got a little spooked, and it was enough to put that little jolt in him for him to jump to the tree and run down it. Yay, the cat was rescued and finally off the roof!!
My Super B, my laborer W, and myself were all giving each other high-fives. The neighbors next door were excited too. They were watching the whole time. We can't even express how happy and relieved we were. I have since named the cat BW after the two best guys that I know. I am so grateful and touched that these guys jumped in to help me. I couldn't thank them enough. My Superintendent's response was "You're the cat lady and you have to help the cat lady". Truly amazing guys. My super B actually feeds the ferals that come out on the job sites super early in the morning. I will never, ever forget their kindness. The cat BW will be trapped in the coming days or week by a colony caretaker Jane K. who feeds in that area. I will have him vetted and admitted. We are so happy to have another WTRF success story! Whiskers & Tails Rescue Foundation was happy to get the job done. >^..^<
Here are some pictures of the rescue in place.
For those of you who don't know, my day job is in the construction industry. I called my Superintendent, who I adore, and told him I needed help. I told him about the cat being stuck on the roof for over 3 weeks and asked him if he had a 20ft ladder. He said yes. My next question was, would he be willing to help and he said yes. So we devised up a plan.
My Superintendent who I will call B, my laborer who I will call W, and myself all went over to the house at 11:15am this morning during our lunch hour. The house with the roof at its highest pitch is about 50ft tall at least. B & W looked at the house from all angles and put the ladder up to check it out. Because the roof was so steep they decided they had to access it from the front. They put up the 20ft ladder, climbed up on to the lower roof, and then pulled up the ladder to the lower roof, and placed it to then climb and get up to the 2nd roof. B & W had tuna in hand that I had brought. B went to get the cat (he said the cat was smart since he was laying in the only part of the roof that had shade). The cat got a little spooked, and it was enough to put that little jolt in him for him to jump to the tree and run down it. Yay, the cat was rescued and finally off the roof!!
My Super B, my laborer W, and myself were all giving each other high-fives. The neighbors next door were excited too. They were watching the whole time. We can't even express how happy and relieved we were. I have since named the cat BW after the two best guys that I know. I am so grateful and touched that these guys jumped in to help me. I couldn't thank them enough. My Superintendent's response was "You're the cat lady and you have to help the cat lady". Truly amazing guys. My super B actually feeds the ferals that come out on the job sites super early in the morning. I will never, ever forget their kindness. The cat BW will be trapped in the coming days or week by a colony caretaker Jane K. who feeds in that area. I will have him vetted and admitted. We are so happy to have another WTRF success story! Whiskers & Tails Rescue Foundation was happy to get the job done. >^..^<
Here are some pictures of the rescue in place.
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
Tips For Cooling Outdoor Cats In Hot Weather
With the extreme hot weather approaching, many of us colony
caretakers are worried about our outdoor colony cats with good reason.
The weather this coming Thursday and Friday is supposed to approach 115*
with the heat index. This kind of weather can surely cause heat
exhaustion/heat stroke. So we wanted to share steps/ways that we are
putting into place to try and keep our cats cool.
1. Misters. We have bought a few misters for our backyard. Here is a picture of ours in use yesterday. These run a little over $13.00 each at Home Depot. The mister attaches to the water hose head. A great way to get more than one working is to buy a hose splitter, attach it to the water nozzle, which then will allow you to hook up two water hoses (unless you buy the 4 nozzle). You can then buy (2) two more hose splitters and attach those to each of the water hose heads which will allow you to have 4 misters (or even 8). These really do cool down the area. I placed one of mine over the canoe that my ferals like to go under to hide from the sun. Here is the link to the misters that I bought Click Here
Here is a picture of my feral Dr. Watson enjoying it
2. Get some towels or flat carpet pieces (you can buy these at any Family Dollar store) and soak them with water. The cats will lay on these and will help keep them cool. They will actually stay cooler then the cat cooling mats which only cool for less than an hour. I don’t even think they would last 20 minutes in the extreme heat we will be getting. Not to mention the liquid gel IS in fact toxic. So I would advise that you don't use those at all.
3. Big Frozen Bags of Peas. That’s right! Time to make a Costco run to buy those big bags of peas. Frozen peas contain the cold much better than ice. Not only that, but because peas are so small they can be easily manipulated when the cats lay on them. They will form with their body.
4. Create a place of shade in your yard. Thankfully in my yard, I have a few trees, but I also have a canoe on the side of my garage that my ferals hang out under that allows shade and air flow. They don’t use their feral bins in the summer obviously since they have 6in of insulation in them. A good quick way to create shade if you don’t have any is pallet boards. I also have a pallet board that I have leaning against my garage and sometimes Momma Madelina likes to lay under there. It blocks the sun and allows airflow. You can also lay soaked wet towels on the side of the pallet board. So if there is a breeze a bit of coolness will come from the wet towel. Do not use DARK colored towels, preferably white or cream. You don’t want to attract the sun.
5. Lots of ice blocks everywhere for drinking water.
6. Mulch- Trying getting a few bags of mulch and spreading the mulch in shady or hidden areas. Water down the mulch with a hose to soak it. Mulch retains the water and will help keep your ferals cool.
7. Canned cat food. Place your canned cat food in the fridge to chill it and then serve in the evening. Any food not eaten be sure to disregard.
Please remember cats can only sweat through their paw pads. If you see any of the following symptoms your feral cats may be showing signs or suffering from heat exhaustion... Rapid breathing or panting, Fast heartbeat, Drooling, Dilated pupils, Vomiting, Lethargy, and Yowling.
Please feel free to also share any steps that you are taking to keep your feral cats cool. Sharing is caring.
1. Misters. We have bought a few misters for our backyard. Here is a picture of ours in use yesterday. These run a little over $13.00 each at Home Depot. The mister attaches to the water hose head. A great way to get more than one working is to buy a hose splitter, attach it to the water nozzle, which then will allow you to hook up two water hoses (unless you buy the 4 nozzle). You can then buy (2) two more hose splitters and attach those to each of the water hose heads which will allow you to have 4 misters (or even 8). These really do cool down the area. I placed one of mine over the canoe that my ferals like to go under to hide from the sun. Here is the link to the misters that I bought Click Here
Here is a picture of my feral Dr. Watson enjoying it
2. Get some towels or flat carpet pieces (you can buy these at any Family Dollar store) and soak them with water. The cats will lay on these and will help keep them cool. They will actually stay cooler then the cat cooling mats which only cool for less than an hour. I don’t even think they would last 20 minutes in the extreme heat we will be getting. Not to mention the liquid gel IS in fact toxic. So I would advise that you don't use those at all.
3. Big Frozen Bags of Peas. That’s right! Time to make a Costco run to buy those big bags of peas. Frozen peas contain the cold much better than ice. Not only that, but because peas are so small they can be easily manipulated when the cats lay on them. They will form with their body.
4. Create a place of shade in your yard. Thankfully in my yard, I have a few trees, but I also have a canoe on the side of my garage that my ferals hang out under that allows shade and air flow. They don’t use their feral bins in the summer obviously since they have 6in of insulation in them. A good quick way to create shade if you don’t have any is pallet boards. I also have a pallet board that I have leaning against my garage and sometimes Momma Madelina likes to lay under there. It blocks the sun and allows airflow. You can also lay soaked wet towels on the side of the pallet board. So if there is a breeze a bit of coolness will come from the wet towel. Do not use DARK colored towels, preferably white or cream. You don’t want to attract the sun.
 | |||||||||
| Here's a picture of my feral Momma Madelina cooling herself |
5. Lots of ice blocks everywhere for drinking water.
6. Mulch- Trying getting a few bags of mulch and spreading the mulch in shady or hidden areas. Water down the mulch with a hose to soak it. Mulch retains the water and will help keep your ferals cool.
 |
| Here is a picture of my feral Mr. Grey cooling himself in the garden in the mulch |
7. Canned cat food. Place your canned cat food in the fridge to chill it and then serve in the evening. Any food not eaten be sure to disregard.
Please remember cats can only sweat through their paw pads. If you see any of the following symptoms your feral cats may be showing signs or suffering from heat exhaustion... Rapid breathing or panting, Fast heartbeat, Drooling, Dilated pupils, Vomiting, Lethargy, and Yowling.
Please feel free to also share any steps that you are taking to keep your feral cats cool. Sharing is caring.
Friday, July 15, 2016
Neighbor's Financially Pitching In For A Cat Colonies' Food
I have been taking care of the Rockwell Colony for 12years and continue
to do so. However, the financial strains of paying for food for so many
colonies can take a toll on one's pocket book. The neighbors in this
alley love the feral cats and the benefits they have brought with
them... no more rats in their yards or alley. I have spoke with the
neighbors recently regarding this and they have all decided to chip in
money to donate to the feral colony cats' food monthly. We love Happy
Fridays!
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| This is a Whiskers & Tails Colony Cat Feeding Station. It protects the food from rain and snow. |
Thursday, July 7, 2016
Whiskers & Tails Rescue Foundation Is Need Of Volunteers
Whiskers & Tails is in the need of some volunteers. If you are
wanting to make a difference, join our team. We are looking for
trappers, transporters, fosters, people to help volunteer at our events,
admin help, etc. Please contact us via our website and we will find a
good fit for you, even if it's an hour or two a week. http://www.whiskersandtailsfoundation.org/info/display…
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
The Royal Kids Vet Visit
Our Royal Kids are getting bigger by the day, that in fact we should
call them The Royal Teens. They went in for another check up and the vet
gave them an A+ for health. We have their spay & neuter surgeries
scheduled for July 22nd at our vet Southwest Animal Care Center and
after their recovery they will finally be admitted to Felines & Canines
and be up for adoption. These 3 babes are going to make some families
very, very happy. We will be sad to see them go, but this is what TNR
& TNA is all about. Another WTRF success story!
Monday, July 4, 2016
Happy 4th Of July!
On behalf of Whiskers & Tails Rescue Foundation, Dr. Watson would
like to wish everyone a very safe and Happy 4th of July weekend.
Please keep all of your pets inside, your dogs on leashes, and your
ferals a safe place to hide.
Friday, July 1, 2016
When TNR Is Done Right
We recently received an email from someone who asked WTRF if we would be
willing to check on a situation regarding a tenant feeding cats. A
neighbor had put in a complaint saying the food being left out was
attracting rats and coyotes. WTRF obliged. We went out to the assess the
location. What we found… was incredible. The location itself was in
immaculate condition. The whole neighborhood is very clean.
We spoke to the tenant in question and the cats are actually his indoor/outdoor cats that use to be strays and they ended up taking them in. All of them are spayed/neutered and very friendly. One of them was lounging on the lawn chair taking a good ole’ cat nap. I approached him for a quick pet. He was very sweet. As far as the yard and alley area, we did not see one plate nor did we see any kind of mess, smell, or anything. We actually told the tenant to keep up the good job. His yard was very serene and I could honestly see myself hanging out there.
When speaking to him, we actually found out there were quite a few feeders on the block who had colonies. So of course, we went to check each one of those houses out. Every single one of these colonies were pristine. I was very impressed. These people are definitely doing TNR/Colony Caretaking the correct way! And every single cat had an ear tip. I was in TNR Heaven!
We decided that our investigation was over and it was time to go home. When we turned around the corner, guess what I see... a cat. So of course, I want to pull over. We came across another colony, all 3 cats were waiting on the porch for their feeding time and every single cat was ear tipped. We knocked on the door, but the owner wasn’t home yet so we left him our card and decided to drive to go get the fur kids some canned food. On our way, we saw another cat, and yet again we pulled over, and yet again another healthy looking ear tipped cat.
Within a 2 block radius, we came across 4 colonies with all ear tipped cats. The cats coats are shiny and they all look soo healthy. Each colony site was immaculate in condition as I said. I am so impressed and so excited to see TNR done to purrfection in a neighborhood. We will go back and visit again in preparation for winter to make sure everyone has feral bins.
We spoke to the tenant in question and the cats are actually his indoor/outdoor cats that use to be strays and they ended up taking them in. All of them are spayed/neutered and very friendly. One of them was lounging on the lawn chair taking a good ole’ cat nap. I approached him for a quick pet. He was very sweet. As far as the yard and alley area, we did not see one plate nor did we see any kind of mess, smell, or anything. We actually told the tenant to keep up the good job. His yard was very serene and I could honestly see myself hanging out there.
When speaking to him, we actually found out there were quite a few feeders on the block who had colonies. So of course, we went to check each one of those houses out. Every single one of these colonies were pristine. I was very impressed. These people are definitely doing TNR/Colony Caretaking the correct way! And every single cat had an ear tip. I was in TNR Heaven!
We decided that our investigation was over and it was time to go home. When we turned around the corner, guess what I see... a cat. So of course, I want to pull over. We came across another colony, all 3 cats were waiting on the porch for their feeding time and every single cat was ear tipped. We knocked on the door, but the owner wasn’t home yet so we left him our card and decided to drive to go get the fur kids some canned food. On our way, we saw another cat, and yet again we pulled over, and yet again another healthy looking ear tipped cat.
Within a 2 block radius, we came across 4 colonies with all ear tipped cats. The cats coats are shiny and they all look soo healthy. Each colony site was immaculate in condition as I said. I am so impressed and so excited to see TNR done to purrfection in a neighborhood. We will go back and visit again in preparation for winter to make sure everyone has feral bins.
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