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!
 |
| 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.
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Driver/Leon Teague Court Update
In Court today, Judge Burns reinstated the bond for Leon so he is out of jail. However, he is on house arrest and he has to wear an electronic ankle bracelet. He is not allowed to leave the house for any reason unless it is to go to court. If he does, the Sheriffs' will pick him up and bring him to jail and he will violate his bond again. Next court date is in a month. Updates to continue.
Sunday, June 26, 2016
Illinois Harley-Davidson and Whiskers & Tails Rescue Foundation
We had such a great day serving up some bbq at the Illinois Harley-Davidson
in Countryside yesterday. We raised some much needed funds for such an
important cause, Trap-Neuter-Return. A big thank you to Illinois-Harley
Davidson for having us!
Wonderful Adoption News! Timmy and Willie
Let's
keep this great weekend going! Two of our three recent admits to
F&C found their forever homes yesterday! This is such a great
partnership.
What's even more amazing, Willie and Timmy are both owner dumps and now have found their pot of gold!!! You deserve it boys!!!!! Here they are with their new families. Me-oooow >^..^<
What's even more amazing, Willie and Timmy are both owner dumps and now have found their pot of gold!!! You deserve it boys!!!!! Here they are with their new families. Me-oooow >^..^<
 |
| Timmy with his new family |
 |
| Willie and his new Meowmie |
Friday, June 24, 2016
Food Donation Thank You
A HUGE thank you to an anonymous donor who graced us with all this
cat food. We have taken on colonies that others have walked away from,
so this will be a huge help.
We frequently check on colonies that we know about through out the area. A few months ago when driving and doing a check, we learned that an old man who was feeding about 15 cats moved away. Another man in the building had taken on feeding the cats, but when we looked at the bowls we saw that he was feeding them Spanish beans and rice. Since then, we have been providing him with food.
This will help so much! Thank you!!!
We frequently check on colonies that we know about through out the area. A few months ago when driving and doing a check, we learned that an old man who was feeding about 15 cats moved away. Another man in the building had taken on feeding the cats, but when we looked at the bowls we saw that he was feeding them Spanish beans and rice. Since then, we have been providing him with food.
This will help so much! Thank you!!!
Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Your Loss, Is Our Gain
So many times when walking down the street or doing TNR in an alley. we always seem to come across an owner dump. Something we never like to see. He or she once was owned by someone, lived in an home with a roof, and now has been thrown outside to fend for themselves. It could be for many reasons, none that we could ever find to be acceptable or good enough... they needed to much attention, they grew up, they got hair everywhere, someone in the house had a baby, the excuse list goes on and on. But the ending, is always the same. Our reaction, is always the same. Our hearts break, our blood boils, we damn humanity. The cats that we find who are microchipped, we get so excited thinking we will reunite an owner with their fur love once again, but yet they never call back. Those my friends are the worst. You see, the cats who aren't microchipped and are friendly, we can at least make up some scenario in our head.
Well, we have now turned it around. Don't get us wrong, we will NEVER condone owner dumps. But for every owner who dumps, there is someone like us who gains. We are the ones who will see those smiley eyes, we are the ones who will feel the unconditional love, we are the ones who will smile when we come home after a bad day and have them to greet us. We are the ones who win!. Because what they threw away and thought was trash, was really a gold mine and we are the ones who found the treasure. And not only did we find the treasure, but now these cats have also found the pot of gold themselves.
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