ICS Mewsletter Spring 2018

For the friends of the Independent Cat Society, a no-kill cat shelter

Your 2018 ICS Sweetheart is...

Spring 2018 #157

Thomas!

Through the efforts of our amazing volunteers who took the lead as Sweetheart team leaders for Thomas and his friends, we were able to raise almost $10,000 to help with food, litter, and medical costs for our ICS cats! It’s a Sweetheart Contest record!

We want to take some time to thank all who helped with this awesome effort, especially during our March 3 Sweetheart Day event. Great fun was had by all, including the cats themselves!

The big winner this year was Thomas, who guided his team leader Beth Hayden on a terrific campaign. When asked, Thomas had this to say about his victory, “I am so happy to be the Sweetheart winner, but I’m even more happy to be able to share that myself and many of my fellow contestants got the best prize of all – a forever home!”

That’s right, Thomas, Skye, Noodles, Allene, Charlotte, Gomez, and Morticia have all been adopted – that’s well over half of the 2018 Sweethearts! The annual Sweetheart Contest is one of our favorite events at ICS, because it not only helps us raise funds to support our shelter residents, but also puts some of our kitties’ best faces forward. Marsh-a-Mallow, Tulip, and Josh are still available, though, so please come out and meet them. They would love to spend some time with you... especially now that their “campaign cuddles” are perfected!

The 2018 Sweetheart Winner, cuddle-bug Thomas!

Want to know more about helping with events like the Sweetheart Contest, and all sorts of volunteering that you can do with ICS? Look no further than our website: http://www. catsociety.org. You can even fill out an online volunteer form while you’re there. We hope to see you around the shelter or at an event near you very soon!

Coming Soon: ICS Renovations It’s finally here! ICS has officially begun to fulfill a long envisioned dream and broken ground for a new addition to the shelter! For decades now, ICS has planned for a new office and adoption area, but it wasn’t until now, through the help of dedicated volunteers, wonderful grants from the Porter County Community Foundation and the Petco Foundation, generous donors, and the caring citizens that have supported ICS throughout its 40 years, that ICS is finally able to successfully fund the project.

Not only will the new building provide things such as storage, office space, and room for families to meet with cats and kittens, but it will also free up other spaces within the existing facilities to be better used for other needs of the shelter. What are these needs you may ask? Well, for starters, ICS cares for many wounded, sick, or special needs kitties that require extra medication and care by the ICS volunteers and employees. The new building will allow us to create additional space for sick and injured cats, reducing the spread of sickness to others in the shelter and also promoting faster recovery time.

Another issue the new building will solve is providing more space for visitors and families to visit ICS’s many lovable feline friends. Now

potential adopters will have all the space they need to get to know all the cats and kittens of the ICS shelter.

Although preparations for the new building are already underway, the interior of the building has not yet been funded; items such as furniture, remodeling or rehabilitation of existing flooring and walls in the main shelter, and more, still must be done. If you would like to help, donations for these items can be given at ICS’s new GoFundMe page, which you’ll see on our website at https://www.gofundme. com/help-the-independent-cat-society and http://www.catsociety.org.

Thank you for sharing the journey with us, and continuing to provide your support!

A side view of the planned addition, facing north.

Upcoming Events, Tributes, and much more inside!

Published for the friends of the Independent Cat Society, Inc. PO Box 735, Westville, IN 46391 (219) 785-4936 Web: www.catsociety.org Email: shelter@catsociety.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/ INCatSociety

Calendar of Events

June June 8-10 Aunt Kitty’s Summer Trash and Treasure Yard Sale!

9:00am - 3:00pm each day Donations accepted Friday - housewares, holiday items, shoes, children’s, small furniture and appliances appreciated ICS Shelter, 4061 County Line Road, Westville

July

The Independent Cat Society, Inc., founded in 1977, is a non-profit, no-kill cat shelter on US Rt 6 at the Porter/LaPorte County Line Road in Westville, Indiana.

Our mission is to rescue, shelter, adopt, and promote the spaying and neutering of cats in our Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland community.

Adoption hours: Friday, 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm Saturday, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm Sunday, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Others by appointment.

Please call (219) 785-4936.

About our Adoption Fees Include: Spay/neuter, vet exam, feline leukemia and FIV test; ageappropriate vaccinations; parasite treatment; tattoo ID/microchip; 30 Day No-Cost Pet Insurance; Hills Science Diet coupon; and free postadoption participating vet visit.

July 14 Bark in the Park 9:00am - 3:00pm Thomas Centennial Park, Chesterton

July 14-15 Semi-Annual Book Sale!

10:00am - 4:00pm Saturday; 11:00am - 4:00pm Sunday Donations accepted Friday July 13, contact ICS for other arrangements Valparaiso Moose Lodge, 108 Indiana Avenue

July 28-29 Eyes on the Pies Summer Open House 10:00am - 4pm Saturday, 1pm - 4pm Sunday ICS Shelter

September September 8 Popcorn Festival 8:00am - 5:00pm Downtown Valparaiso, IN

Please check our website or shelter for monthly adoption specials!

Board of Directors: President:

Jocelyn Vereb Vice-President:

Paulette Gonzalez Recording Secretary:

Diana Richie Corresponding Secretary:

Kay Vazquez Treasurer:

Natalie Cebulski Board Members:

Diana Foster

Beth Hayden

Lori Hlinsky

Jennifer Stall

September 28-30 Aunt Kitty’s Fall Trash and Treasure Yard Sale!

9:00am - 3:00pm each day Donations accepted Friday - housewares, holiday items, shoes, children’s, small furniture and appliances appreciated ICS Shelter, 4061 County Line Road, Westville For every green jug of Cat’s Pride® Fresh & Light bought, Cat’s Pride will donate a pound of litter to help shelter cats across the country. Head over to Catspride.com/litterforgood today and nominate our shelter to receive free litter – the more nominations, the more litter we are eligible to receive! Thanks for all the support!

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President’s Message Dear friends, Congratulations to Thomas (pictured on the cover), who was voted our 2018 Sweetheart in the annual Sweetheart contest! And, he received the ultimate prize in April when he was adopted to his purr-ever home. Thank you to all who participated in and supported our Sweetheart contest and Sweetheart Day Event on March 3rd, and another big thanks to Moose Lodge #1357 in Valparaiso for their hospitality and wonderful venue.

Special thanks also goes to Dr. Kylene Huler and her kind and generous patients and friends for their large donation as honorary Sweetheart Fundraisers for the month of February. Her team leaders are Cowboy and Aloha, who are ICS rescues who work in her neurology practice as therapy cats. They are featured on 15 oz. ceramic mugs on sale at her office. Dr. Huler kindly donated the cost of this project plus all sales to support the medical fund for ICS to help ensure that the cats receive needed healthcare.

Also, a hearty thank you to all of you who nominated us for the Cat’s Pride #LitterForGood program.

On April 10th, we received 4 1/2 pallets of scoopable litter from Cat’s Pride® Cat Litter! Thank you to #CatsPride for offering this wonderful program to help shelters across America. We are so excited and grateful for this donation! If you haven’t nominated us yet, go to www.catspride.com and check it out.

2018 continues to be a busy year for ICS. Our revitalized TNR program is extremely successful, with over 70 cats trapped and neutered in 7 weeks. You can read more about TNR later in this Mewsletter.

And, after years of planning for an addition to our shelter, it is finally becoming a reality. Read more about this in this Mewsletter and keep watching for updates on Facebook and our Website. We are also working on a parking lot expansion, so there will be more parking available for our visitors and volunteers – even during our large events like the Yard Sales! It’s a very exciting time here at ICS. But with all of this excitement, our focus remains on our mission to rescue and find homes for as many homeless cats and kittens in our community as possible. “Kitten Season” started very early this year, and has hit with a vengeance, so we are in need of more foster families and support to care for these helpless babies – from food to medical care. Spoiler alert – there are some real cuties this year (but then, there always are).

Fiona and I hope to see you all soon at the shelter and/or at an event. Thank you all for your continued support!

Jocelyn Vereb, ICS Board President with Fiona, ICS “Office Manager”

Spay/Neuter Resources 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 Coyne Veterinary Center (Portage): 219763-3311 –$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) 924-7140 (Munster) PAWS Chicago: The Lurie Spay/Neuter Clinic or mobile unit, www.pawschicago.org or (773) 521-7729 (Chicago) Fried’s TNR Clinic: 219-252-2872, friedstnr@gmail.com (Michigan City)

Contact us at icstnr2018@gmail.com for information on feral/community cat spay/neuter.

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Sponsor-A-Cat!

from your Spokescats, Gouda and Parmesan

Hi, we’re your Sponsor-a-Cat spokescats, Parmesan and Gouda!

So, the other day, we were with a volunteer who happened to be talking with another one about some kind of article they found on that little device with the pretty lights and colors they always keep in their pocket. The article said that people who give to needy organizations tend to be happier, have less stress, feel better about themselves, and even live longer. Science even proves it. Can you believe that?

If you don’t believe us, Gouda was smart enough to memorize the place where the article was on the little device: https://health. clevelandclinic.org/why-giving-is-good-for-your-health/

Parmesan

You know what this means? It means that if you help sponsor one of our ICS cats, then you, too, can feel good and healthy, and maybe even enjoy a longer life! That’s right, making the day of one of our shelter kitties a little brighter will make your day brighter, too, and you will know that you are making a difference.

Every member of Sponsor-a-Cat gets a special card from their cat, as well as birthday greetings every day. You can even come by and visit your sponsored cat anytime you wish, and if that lucky day happens where your cat gets adopted, the program volunteers will help pick out a new one for you. You can even pick your own if you have a special cat in mind. Come on by and visit! We can’t wait to see you!

Rosie

Angelika

Glinda

Bianca

Brutus

Holly

Gouda

I want to Sponsor-A-Cat from the Independent Cat Society

I have enclosed a check for:

__________ $180 for one year of Sponsor-A-Cat

__________ $15 for the first month of Sponsor-A-Cat. I pledge to send $15 each month to Sponsor-A-Cat

__________ I pledge to send the amount that fits my budget and feels “right” to Sponsor-A-Cat each month Please mark “SAC” on your envelope and check memo. The sponsor will receive a photo and biography of his or her Sponsor-A-Cat. Name of sponsor_____________________________________________ Is this a gift sponsorship? _______________ Address_________________________________________________ City______________________________________ State_______ ZIP__________ Telephone _______________________________________ Month of sponsor’s birthday______________________________ email address_______________________________________ Clip and mail to: Independent Cat Society, Inc., PO Box 735, Westville, IN 46391 4

ICS Cats Helping Those in Need

by Diana Foster, ICS Board Member

When Melissa Green, the Director of the new Journey Senior Living facility in Valparaiso, contacted ICS to bring some cats or kittens to visit their residents, fellow ICS board member Kay Vazquez & I jumped at the chance. Cats, like any pet, can do a great deal to help improve the mood and happiness of seniors.

Eventually, Autumn relented and Olive got to play as well, and got some lap cuddles too. Meanwhile, Petey was making the rounds of the laps and enjoyed a lot of cuddling and petting. Petey paid special attention to a lady resident who arrived late. Kay placed Petey in her lap, and you could see her warm up to having this calm, loving cat just near her. When Petey placed his paw in her hand, you knew it was true adoration – from both cat and human!

We chose to bring a couple of our more “mellow” cats, plus some kittens. Petey and Josh were the top choices for friendly lap cats, both three year-old black and white boys. Two kittens also tagged along: Autumn, a feisty tabby tortie, and her sister, Olive, a charcoal black cutie, both six months old.

Josh, who is quite a big boy, enjoyed the food that Kay brought more than anything, but did make the rounds to get lots of pets, and found a special spot near resident Spencer before settling down in his carrier to rest and watch the activities.

Journey had just opened about two weeks prior to our visit, so there were not a lot of residents yet, but a nice small group of residents, with members of their family and a few staff people who were cat lovers, joined us for the day.

Journey is a wonderful assisted living & memory care facility next to Porter Regional Hospital in Valparaiso. The Director believes pet therapy is a great enhancement for the residents. They and the staff, as well as the cats and ICS volunteers, all enjoyed the visit very much. We plan to return monthly with a variety of cats and kittens to brighten the lives of everyone at Journey.

We set up in the small activity room, so the cats would be free to walk about the room and interact with everyone. Autumn turned out to be the center of attention as she played nonstop with her feather toy and anyone willing to dangle it for her. Olive wanted to play too, but her sister was being quite possessive! Everyone got a kick out of her antics, especially our new friend Fritz, who watched intently from his wheelchair and even had Autumn on his lap for awhile.

ICS TNR Project Spring Update Now that the weather has improved we have been out in full force trapping. Fifty-one cats have been through our program already, and that’s only half of the cats we’ve identified that need our help so far!

Monetary donations are our biggest need right now. Sponsoring a vaccine, or a parasite treatment, or a surgery will go very far toward helping these cats live a better life. Feral and homeless cats lead harsh lives, out in the elements, facing predators, fighting for food and shelter. Improving their lives by spaying, neutering, vaccinating, and treating them for any injuries or ailments is the least we can do for them. Please help us to help them.

Questions? Please contact us at icstnr2018@gmail.com or join our Facebook page, at http://www.facebook.com/ICSTNRProject. We post updates daily, and you can learn more about how you can get involved as a volunteer!

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Memorials & Tributes

January 2018 - April 2018

In memory of Joan M. Gucciardo, from John Peters

In honor of Beau Niemeyer, from Virginia Niemeyer

In memory of Kelly Jean, who was a beautiful 17.5 year-old calico, from Brenda Palla

In honor of Abby, from Marilynn Glinski In honor of Ann Busick and Pat Massette, from Nicholas and Sharon Priester

In memory of Inky, adopted from ICS 18 years ago, from Eugene and Jo Ann Tylicki

ICS remembers some of our favorite cats who have recently passed on to the Rainbow Bridge. Logan, Margarita, Prince, Shadow, and Whisper have spent many years of their lives with us, and they will be deeply missed.

In loving memory of Dorothy Meixel from Norman and Sharon Gridley, James and Lizabeth Kaminski, Diana Ludwig, Cheryl Reinhart, & James and Sherry Wilke In memory of Bailey and Suki, from Judith Blanchette In memory of Dorothy Mork, from Janet Bailey, & Keith and Sheila Plummer In memory of Smoky and Goldie and many more, from Steven and Susan Sanders In memory of Walter Witt, from Mary Witt In memory of beloved friend and mother, Doris Jacobs, from Patricia Jones, & James and Nancy Hannon In memory of Bret, from Charles Pogue In memory of Lili, from Cecelia Dilliard In memory of Ernetta Roark, from Marcine Todd In memory of Hazel Bieker, from Harriet Kajer and Debbie Bieker In memory of our babies Mr. Kelly and Aiden, from Lori Jacobs In memory of Sherry Douglas, from Debbie Jett In loving memory of Katherine Kanney from her friends and family, including Ronald and Patricia Fraser, Beth and Jim Funk, Tom and Kathy Heath, Ann and Bill Hubner, Nancy and Will Jablonski,Mary and Jim Lee, & May Moore In honor of Jack and Frost - I pray that they get a loving forever home soon - and in honor of all the cats and staff at ICS, from Patricia Hines In honor of Raja, aka Tigger, from Lynda Johnson

The ICS 2019 Calendar!

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Ask Ollie by “Ollie” and his human, Viktoria Voller, Board President, Humane Society of Northwest Indiana Dear Ollie, I heard about your advice column and I hope you can help me, as I have an unusual problem with my human parents – they get angry at me for crawling on their bed at night. You see, I’m a beautiful seal point Siamese kitten, so I’m entitled to lots of privileges because I’m better looking than other cats. I love to sleep between my humans because it’s so warm and comfy there. I’m quite small, so I don’t take up much room, and I’m very quiet, so I don’t wake them. But they just keep putting me on the floor saying, “Thai, this bed is not for cats.” Don’t you just love the name they gave me? I mean who can pronounce it? But my point is that I’m single minded and I don’t give up.

Unfortunately neither do they.

Dear Thai, No you won’t... once in the bed, always in the bed, and I should know. In the ideal world, where pets are perfectly trained, literature says that no pets should be allowed on beds or furniture But, that’s if the humans have allergies or asthma, and your presence might make things worse. On the other hand, I have heard humans say that the rhythm of a dog or cat breathing while sleeping can be very comforting to the human bedfellows.

I have always slept with my human parents and so do the other five dogs in our house; Molly, Oh Sam, Sweetie, Pom Tini, and Opie Taylor. There’s no room and, I repeat, absolutely no room for a cat. Importantly, though, we’re good bedmates: we are small, bathed regularly, are “flea less” (not be confused with fearless), are housebroken, and know our special spot in the bed and sleep only there. Since we’re older, we sleep through the night... with the exception of Opie Taylor who occasionally jumps off the bed in pursuit of a squeaky toy. The humans don’t like that part that much.

That’s the thing – you’ve got to be able to be quiet all night. Can you do that, Thai? If you can, you might just win them over. If not, they’ll shut you out and put bubble wrap on the door to keep you from scratching at it.

So Ollie, please help me convince them that I really need to sleep in their bed. One day, when I get older, I may sleep in my own bed or on top of the oak dresser.

Sincerely, Thai

So there it is. I wonder who will win the battle of the bed, you or your humans. I believe the humans may have already lost...

Ollie (and our bed is full, thank you)

Corporate Sponsorships Financial Institutions

Blue Chip Casino, Hotel & Spa, Michigan City

Ark of the Dunes Animal Hospital, Chesterton

1st Source Bank

BoyConn Printing, Valparaiso

Coyne Veterinary Services, Portage

Allegius Credit Union

Cat Trees by Max, Hebron

Gast Animal Hospital, Valparaiso

Northern Indiana Federal Credit Union

Chesterton Feed & Garden, Chesterton

LaPorte Animal Hospital, LaPorte

Grants

Chicagoland Popcorn, Merrillville

Maple City Animal Hospital, LaPorte

Banfield Charitable Trust

City’s Pure Ice, LaPorte

McAfee Animal Hospital, Valparaiso

Best Friends Animal Society

Eley-Graham Financial Advisory Services, Merrillville

Michigan City Animal Hospital, Michigan City

Bissell Foundation

Flanagin’s Bulk Mail Service, Valparaiso

New Carlisle Animal Hospital, New Carlisle

John W. Anderson Foundation

Jake’s Feed & Garden, Valparaiso

Westchester Animal Clinic, Porter

Petco Foundation

Justin’s Tree Service, Chesterton

Vale Park Animal Hospital, Valparaiso

Porter County Community Foundation

KarahTess Clothing & Lettering, LaPorte

Porter County Master Gardeners

Moose Lodge – 1357, Valparaiso

Anderson’s Feline Population Reduction Center, Beverly Shores (TNR)

TransCanada Corporation

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser, Valparaiso

Unity Foundation of LaPorte County

Puntillo & Crane Orthodontics, Crown Point

Matching Gifts

Vincent’s Hair Design, Valparaiso

ArcelorMittal Matching Gifts

Other

Benevity Community Impact Fund

AmazonSmile

Charity Gift Certificates

Event Wines - Benefit Wines

CNA Foundation

Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund (Eldred)

Discover Financial Services

GoodShop

Exxon Mobil Foundation

Health and Hospitality Corp of Marion Co

JC Penney Change for the Better Campaign

Lion with an Eye Patch Gaming

State Employee’ Community Campaign

Network for Good

Truist

Wells Fargo Advisors

United Way of Greater LaPorte County

Yankee Candle

Local

Participating Veterinarians

2nd Chance Games Movies & Music, Portage

All Creature Features, LaPorte

Aurelio’s Pizza, LaPorte

Arbor View Animal Hospital, Valparaiso

2018 Sweetheart Contest Baker’s Square - Schererville Branya’s Bakery Black Devil Tattoos Cali’s Canine Couture Chicagoland Popcorn Domino’s - Valpo & LaPorte Five Guys - Valpo & Michigan City Green is Good by Kate Hebron Animal Hospital Lelulo’s Opportunity Enterprises Panera Bread Paparazzi Jewelry Rise’n Roll Bakery

If we have inadvertently omitted anyone, please write, email, or call us so we can include them in the next newsletter.

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Independent Cat Society PO Box 735 Westville, IN 46391

Non-Profit Organization US Postage

PAID

Valparaiso, IN Permit No. 134

Upcoming Events • Aunt Kitty’s Summer Yard Sale

http://catsociety.org

• Bark in the Park

@IndCatSociety

June 8-10, ICS Shelter

July 14, Thomas Centennial Park, Chesterton

• Semi-Annual Book Sale

facebook.com/ INCatSociety

July 14-15, Valparaiso Moose Lodge

• Eyes on the Pies Summer Open House

July 28-29, ICS Shelter

• Popcorn Festival

September 8, Downtown Valparaiso

• Aunt Kitty’s Fall Trash and Treasure Sale

September 28-30, ICS Shelter

If you’d like to receive the Mewsletter via email, let us know at shelter@catsociety.org.

Can you help the Independent Cat Society cats?

Become a Member!

Annual Dues:

Donate or Volunteer! ______ I am donating $______ for the care of the cats and kittens.

______

$1000 Corporation

______ I am donating $______ to the building fund.

______

$500 Platinum

______ I will help groom cats at the shelter.

______

$100 Gold Star

______

$50 Family

______

$25 Individual

______

$1­­0 Student

______ I am donating $______ to the TNR/Assisted Spay & Neuter Fund. ______ I will help at fundraising events. ______ I will be a foster parent. ______ I will donate my cat-themed artwork or crafts for fundraising events. ______ I will bake for fundraising events. ______ I will make adoption follow-up telephone calls. ______ I will help cats get good homes by becoming an adoption counselor. ______ I will help take care of the grounds and maintain the shelter. ______ I will distribute flyers for fundraisers.

______

$10 Senior

­­Name______________________________________ Address_____________________ City______________ State_______ ZIP__________ ____This is a new address. ____ Do not send a “thank you” note. Phone____________________ email___________________________ Clip and send to: Independent Cat Society, Inc., PO Box 735, Westville, IN 46391