For the friends of the Independent Cat Society, a no-kill cat shelter
Fall 2016 #151
Cat Stories By Elizabeth Wiegand, ICS Friend and Supporter Reprinted with permission from “Music Plus with Accent on Faith,” an autobiography by Elizabeth Wiegand
I wrote a poem about them some time later, entitled, “They Were Alone and Unwanted”: They were alone and unwanted Five kittens and their mother black and white They lived in a wood pile and were taunted By creatures of sorts in the night. The Independent Cat Society Heard their needy cries for help They acted with mercy and compassion And the wonder of God’s love was felt. I currently have two cats – Luke, who is now about nineteen after I found him in an alley years ago, and Elias, a black cat about eight years old.
As a child, I always had pets. My parents visited aunts and uncles, and most of them lived on farms. I remember playing with kittens in haylofts, riding on my cousin’s pony, and beagle puppies. When I was older, I joined the Humane Society and Independent Cat Society, and learned about the abuse some animals suffer. One day, I was looking out my window and saw kittens on the front steps of the neightbor’s house across the street. The neighbors and I were friends, so I called and asked asked if they would mind if I fed them. They said no. Soon, the cat family began coming across the street morning and evening. I liked to sit and watch them cavorting under the trees after they ate. They didn’t pay attention to me in the window. Momma Cat sat on the sidelines and watched them, too; she seemed pleased they were presenting a show for me. She looked up at the window once in a while. Some people said she was wild, but she did not appear to be wild to me. I even picked her up once, but the paper boy came around the corner and scared her away. I was concerned about their safety, however. When they came, they usually had chaperones of other cats. Then, one morning it happened. One of the kittens was hit by a car. I ran out and picked it up (which I know now I should not have done), and it died in my arms. I called Brandt’s Old Fashion Emporium pet supply, where I usually shopped for bird food, and Doug and Sherry Brandt suggested that I call General Rental and get “Have a Heart” traps, which I did. Eventually, I caught the whole cat family – it took all summer. In between the cats, there were other critters – raccoons and opossums, mostly. They were ugly, but they were okay and happy to be let go. I kept tabs on the cat family at the shelter where I took them. Momma Cat got adopted out right away, but the kittens were too feral and too old to be retrained. They had to stay at the shelter.
Helping Strays Find Their Way You can do your part in your community to help stray cats find safety. Feral stray cats often do not do well in shelters, however, but can be safely watched over by people who care for them. Humane traps can be used to take them for spay/neuter, which will prevent further overpopulation issues in the community. ICS assisted spay/neuter vouchers are available at the ICS shelter on Saturdays from 10 AM-4PM and Sundays from 1-4 PM. (Others hours may be available by appointment only). After purchase (cash/check/credit card), call one of the clinics below to schedule an appointment: • McAfee Animal Hospital (Valparaiso): 219-462-5901 – $115 • Westchester Animal Clinic (Chesterton): 219-926-1194– $65 • All Creature Features (LaPorte): 219-393-3558 – $85 • Gast Animal Hospital (Valparaiso): 219-759-7387 – $110 • Maple City Animal Hospital (LaPorte): 219-324-0055 – $116 Dr. Anderson’s Feline Reduction Center has a low-cost clinic on Saturdays in Beverly Shores. The scheduling number is 219-861-9006. Other local options: • Neuter Scooter: www.neuterscooter.com • Pet Neutering and Adoption: www.petneutering.com (DeMotte) • ABC Clinic: www.petrefugeabcclinic.com (Granger) • The Estelle Marcus Animal Clinic: www.hscalumet.org or (219) 9247140 (Munster) • NAWS: www.nawsus.org or (708) 478-5102 (Mokena) • PAWS Chicago: The Lurie Spay/Neuter Clinic or mobile unit, www. pawschicago.org or (773) 521-7729 (Chicago) • Anti-Cruelty Society: www.anticruelty.org or (312) 644-8338 (Chicago) For help with spaying/neutering of free-roaming cats, please email us at: icstnr@comcast.net
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