Independent Cat Society Mewsletter, Spring 2019

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

Grand Opening:

Spring 2019 #161

The Joan Hildebrand Adoption Center We are very excited to be able to invite you to join us June 8-9 for our grand opening of the new building addition and our semi-annual Yard Sale!

Funding to make this long-awaited addition a reality has been provided by a generous bequest, Grant funding by The Porter County Community Foundation and PETCO Foundation, and individual and business donations to the ICS Building Fund, along with hard work by the ICS Building Committee and ICS Board of Directors. ICS thanks everyone who has supported this project in any way, including: Morton Buildings, Inc. Marvel Construction, Inc. Willard Plumbing Van Gogh, Inc. Garage Experts of NW Indiana Cattail Design, Doug Buell, Architect

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 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.

Calendar of Events

June June 7-9 Aunt Kitty’s 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

June 8-9 Grand Opening of the Joan Hildebrand Memorial Adoption Center 9:00am - 4:00pm each day Come take a tour of our new facility!

ICS Shelter, 4061 County Line Road, Westville

June 8 Lakeshore Paws Pup Crawl 5:00pm - 8:00pm Downtown Valparaiso

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.

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

July July 13 Bark in the Park 9:00am - 3:00pm Thomas Centennial Park, Chesterton

July 13-14 ICS Semi-Annual Used Book Sale 10:00am - 4pm Saturday, 11am - 5pm Sunday Valparaiso Moose Lodge, 108 Indiana Ave.

August August 3-4 Eyes on the Pies Open House 10am - 4pm Saturday; 1pm - 4pm Sunday ICS Shelter, 4061 County Line Road, Westville

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President’s Message Congratulations to Freckles, who was voted our 2019 Sweetheart! The Sweetheart event this year was hugely successful and we thank all of our volunteers who worked really hard and all of you who supported this event by voting for your favorite candidate. Please see the list, below, of businesses who also supported the Sweethearts.

It was a great start to 2019!

And we want to send out a huge thank you to the Moose Lodge in Valparaiso for providing their facility once again for both our January Book Sale and the Sweetheart Event on March 2nd. We are looking forward to our July Book Sale there on 7/13 & 7/14.

Since the beginning of the year, over 110 of our wonderful cats and kittens have found their forever homes. With kitten season starting early, our foster homes are already full and many of these kittens will be at the shelter by late-May or June looking to win the hearts of some loving family. Please spread the word about us to your friends and family looking to adopt a new friend – your recommendations are greatly appreciated! (Or, if you are interested in fostering, please contact us).

And finally, as you can see from the front page, the wait is almost over for the Grand Opening of the Joan Hildebrand Adoption Center. We are now working on furnishing the interior and are planning a Grand Opening Celebration in conjunction with our Spring Yard Sale on June 8th & 9th. Please be sure to visit that weekend – tour our new building and hear about out plans for additional finishing touches and future renovations in the main shelter. Watch Facebook, our website and our e-mewsletters for updates!

Fiona and I hope to see you all soon! Thank you all for your continued support!

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

Special Thanks to the businesses who supported our Sweetheart Event this year: Baker’s Square - Schererville Green Housewifes Bath Company Neater Feeder Cat Lady Box Hagen Pet Supplies Panda Express, Valparaiso Chicago Bears Healthy Pets Pioneerpet.com Chicagoland Popcorn

Hebron Animal Hospital Precious Cat - Dr. Elsey Comprehensive Neurologic Services I Heart Cats (WOOF) Scott O’Harra of American Jeweler Earth Rated Jeffers Pets Shenanigan’s Irish Pub - Portage Entirely Pets (aka HealthyPets)

Kauffman Chiropractic of Merrillville Whitebridge Pet Brands Five Guys Burgers (all locations) Lettuce Entertain You Fluid Coffee Bar (Valparaiso) LuLaRoe

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: 219-987-7297 (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 Spokescat, Pyewacket

Happy spring!

The weather is getting warmer, the grass greener, and there is so much excitement going on at the shelter, it’s infectious! There have been a whole lot of new humans coming through in the past few months, doing all kinds of cool things. They’ve brought ladders and trucks and equipment galore, and while some of it made a whole lot of noise, we’ve had a lot of fun watching the show through the new windowed door at the end of our hallway.

The humans call it an “adoption center,” and they say it’s special. It was named after my old friend Miss Joan, and it will become the new entryway to the shelter for all of our visitors. It’s clean and big and welcoming, and I’m so excited to start seeing people coming through to find out more about the shelter and meet me and all of my sheltermates.

Of course, we still have many cats and kittens looking for their forever homes, and despite the new construction, daily vet, food, and litter needs must still be met. Sponsor-A-Cat helps do exactly that! And you can help make a difference by joining Sponsor-A-Cat today – any amount helps, but our regular sponsorships help make sure that our cats get the best care possible during their stay, no matter how long that may be.

We hope you’ll come visit us and see how we’re growing to serve the felines of Northwest Indiana even better!

Christa

Fritz

Moose

Linus

Betty

Finley

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

A Tale of Two Kitties by Brittany Rabatine After landing an amazing job, buying her first house, and moving in with her beautiful “Ally-cat,” things couldn’t have been better for Miss Elizabeth Lipanovich. Things were great and it seemed they were going to stay that way. Unfortunately, when we are at our highest is when tragedy usually chooses to strike.

Fate decided it was Ally’s time to cross the Rainbow Bridge and Elizabeth was left heartbroken. The loss of her best friend had been sudden, leaving her no time to prepare herself. As she had grown up in a household that always held at least a dog, this silence was new to Elizabeth. But, she had to wait. Her time of mourning was not yet over. She would know when the right time arrived.

It is said, though, that everything happens for a reason. We don’t always understand why things happen when they do, but their purposes become clear eventually. The purpose became clear when an article in the newspaper caught Elizabeth’s eye. It was an ad for the Independent Cat Society. But, Elizabeth wasn’t quite ready yet. It wasn’t the right time.

As the months passed, things got harder for Elizabeth. She was hours away from home, in a brand new area, and now without her best furry friend. Eventually, something pulled her towards the Independent Cat Society three hours away from home. It ended up being the best decision she could have made, for that is where she met her new baby boy Carl.

Carl saved me. I was in a deep depression from my previous cat’s death from a few months before, but I was hesitant on adopting another one due to being afraid of not having as great of a connection. I still remember mine and Carl’s first interaction. Right when I walked in the room he was held, he ran towards me, meowing to be picked up. Once in my arms, he rubbed his face all over mine and drooled all over. I tried putting him down to see his other roommates but he pushed them out of the way so I can hold him again.

It would seem it really was a match made in heaven. And the adoption process didn’t take long at all.

Growing up, each of the family animals was a rescue in some way, shape, or form. However, the adoption process can be a difficult one at times. Oftentimes, it is difficult to get a read on the animal’s personality in a shelter environment, even for staff. This wasn’t the case for Elizabeth though with the ICS team. She had, in fact, “really enjoyed [her] experience. Everyone who was there was very helpful and knowledgeable with just about every cat, their personality and habits.”

Carl was quick to settle into his new home, and Elizabeth was just as happy as he was. Yet, after time, something didn’t feel right. There was something missing. As demanded by Elizabeth’s career, she could only work from home so many days at a time. And while cats can be very independent, they can still get lonely. So, Elizabeth made a choice. “A few months later, I decided to get Carl a playmate. He seemed happy but I felt bad for him being the only one.”

Thus, their little family came together with the adoption of Maggie, another kitty from the ICS. “Maggie and Carl are best friends. They are constantly playing and cuddling with one another,” and with Elizabeth as well. They are a wonderful little family and will hopefully continue to only get better.

Elizabeth continues to recommend the ICS to everyone looking for a new Best Furry Friend or Fur-baby. Aside from her friendly personal experience, she makes sure to emphasize the most important quality of any shelter: “the no-kill aspect for sure. Because of this, they have so many adoptable cats to choose from, so you are able to make sure you’re a good fit for each other.” And a bonus is just the environment for the cats and the way that people are able to interact with them. “I really liked how most of the cats are housed in rooms versus cages, so you are able to interact with them on your own and not have to wait for someone to help you.” It is open for cat lovers to find their furry match in a relaxed environment where the animal, and the human, can just be his/herself. It hardly gets better than that. Just ask Carl and Maggie in their Purr-ever Home.

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Memorials & Tributes In memory of Amy C. Lindenmeyer, from her many friends and family, including Loren & Wilma Furness, Gary & Annette Baker, Alex & Jude Rakowski, David & Pamela Royer, Ron & Gail Ludwig, John Lindenmeyer, Stephanie Oberlie, Shirley Wallace, Daniel & Janice Edquist, and Gerald Waszkowski

February 2019 - April 2019

In honor of Mike Heinold, love from your grandkitties, from Tyler and Katie In honor of all my strays, Mr. Stinky, Pookie, Captain, Lucky, and Ashy (and our canine friend Barty), from Terrence and Marie Huycke In honor of Patches and in memory of Taz, from Alan and Linda Miller

In memory of Sabra Morris, 5-12-36 - 4-25-18, from George Reid

In honor of Dexter Henry’s birthday, from Katherine Kelly, Christine Hedman, and Thomas & Susan Falstreau

In memory of Otto, our grandcat, a real sweetheart who delighted our son and his family for 18 years, from Howard and Judith Peters

In honor of Sammy, from Edward and Robin Cichy

In memory of Kira, adopted from ICS in 2009, from Sivana Heller

In honor of Jocelyn Vereb and Martina Rukavina, from Cynthia and David Rekart

In memory of Order and Mr. Pebbles, from Gary and Barbara Cave In memory of Ofelia Mola, from Timothy and Judith Zaparucha

In honor of Bitsy, now Betsy, adopted from ICS, from Ann Marie Barr

In memory of Sue McLaughlin, from Dean and Joyce Recktenwall

In honor of Eugene and Fuffer, from Virginia Ferrell

In memory of Sharon Muraida from her loving friends and family, including Martina Rukavina, Chris Muraida, Elizabeth Pesko, John Lee, Gerald Dixon, Robert and Kathy Pierce, Annette Kulmatycki, Ruth Harbrecht, Sandy Detraz, Debra Heitmann, Donna Lenburg, Janet Johnson, Patricia Klewer, and Eva Brady

In honor of Leo and Kay Vazquez, from Jessica Vazquez

In memory of Carol Patzer, from Kathy Sweet In memory of Nellie Wheat, aunt of Sharon Fizer, from Annette Baker In memory of Midnight, from Donna Ordziejewski In memory of Bailey and Suki, from Judith Blanchette In memory of Joan Hildebrand, from Timothy and Carmella Moroney, and John Kohles In memory of Potiphar, beloved companion of Amanda Bubb, from Jessica Moore In memory of Amelia the kitten, from Whitney Wostkowski In memory of Ms. Socks, from Carol Robin If we have inadvertently omitted anyone, please write, email, or call us so we can include them in the next newsletter.

Corporate Sponsorships Financial Institutions 1st Source Bank Allegius Credit Union Centier Northern Indiana Federal Credit Union Grants Banfield Foundation Best Friends Animal Society Bissell Foundation John W. Anderson Foundation Petco Foundation Porter County Community Foundation Porter County Master Gardeners TransCanada Corporation Unity Foundation of LaPorte County Matching Gifts ArcelorMittal Matching Gifts Benevity Community Impact Fund Charity Gift Certificates CNA Foundation Discover Financial Services Exxon Mobile Foundation JC Penney Change for the Better Campaign State Employee’ Community Campaign Truist United Way of Greater LaPorte County

Local Aurelio’s Pizza, LaPorte Avalon Springs, Valparaiso Blue Chip Casino, Hotel & Spa, Michigan City BoyConn Printing, Valparaiso Cat Trees by Max, Hebron Chesterton Feed & Garden, Chesterton Chesterton High School Chicagoland Popcorn, Merrillville Eley-Graham Financial Advisory Services, Merrillville Flanagin’s Bulk Mail Service, Valparaiso Jake’s Feed & Garden, Valparaiso Journey Senior Living, Valparaiso Justin’s Tree Service, Chesterton K&D Tool Supply, Trail Creek KarahTess Clothing & Lettering, LaPorte Mid-America Claims, Inc., Valparaiso Moose Lodge – 1357, Valparaiso Portage High School, Portage Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser, Valparaiso Puntillo & Crane Orthodontics, Crown Point Purrfectplay, Chesterton RGS Mill Products Corp, LaPorte StoryTime Soap Shoppe, LaPorte Symphony of Chesterton Vincent’s Hair Design, Valparaiso Westville Elementary School

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Other AmazonSmile Cat’s Pride Litter for Good Program Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund (Eldred) GoodShop Health and Hospitality Corp of Marion Co Lion with an Eye Patch Gaming Network for Good NiSource Vision Anthologies Wells Fargo Advisors Yankee Candle Participating Veterinarians All Creature Features, LaPorte Arbor View Animal Hospital, Valparaiso Ark of the Dunes Animal Hospital, Chesterton Coyne Veterinary Services, Portage Gast Animal Hospital, Valparaiso LaPorte Animal Hospital, LaPorte Maple City Animal Hospital, LaPorte McAfee Animal Hospital, Valparaiso Michigan City Animal Hospital, Michigan City New Carlisle Animal Hospital, New Carlisle Olson Veterinary Services, Randi Olson DVM Westchester Animal Clinic, Porter Vale Park Animal Hospital, Valparaiso

Aloha: Tribute to a Special Cat Some readers may have followed the story of Aloha, adopted by Dr. Kylene Huler in 2015.

Unfortunately, we must report that Aloha has passed on to the Rainbow Bridge, and as Dr. Huler reports, her loss “affected over 1000 people in Hendricks County and surrounding counties. I was more than amazed by this.

“Aloha was known at the “talking therapy cat.” She worked with all patients and was excellent with my patients with total brain injury and my special needs patients. She also had a phenomenal vocabulary of 30+ words, 6 phrases that she could clearly vocalize, and she knew 5 hand signals and could follow several commands and memorized every patient in the practice by voice alone and also on sight. She walked every patient down the hall, to the scale, and then to the correct examination room. She comforted them if they were in pain, stroked their hair and made them giggle if they were non-verbal special needs patients, offered a paw to them if they were anxious or had high blood pressure, and brought her toys into the room for the patients if they were crying.

“I am convinced that she was someone’s working therapy cat before she was rescued.

She was described by some patients as being better than the other cats that they worked with in rehabilitative therapy. She was brilliant and answered every ‘Hi,’ ‘Bye,’ and comment directed at her.

“She was also Cowboy’s loving partner. I have never seen such a deep love between two pets or even humans, for that matter. After her passing, Cowboy went into 7 straight weeks of severe grief, with 3 lb. weight loss and significant fur loss. He remained in his bed from 9AM to 6PM solidly and would not set foot in a patient exam room for 8 weeks, nor respond to human touch

or voice. Before he was going to have to be hospitalized, I borrowed his brother, Bentley, from his adopter/owner for 2 weeks and this eventually gave Cowboy the drive to live. He would have passed if I did not have access to Bentley. Bentley cuddled him and saw my patients, as Aloha had already trained both Cowboy and Bentley (also former ICS cats) to be therapy cats.

“On week 8 after Aloha’s death, Cowboy started to see patients again. I also adopted Ginger, a calico, 13 days before Aloha’s death, as I knew she would train Ginger.

She did. Aloha died on May 8, but 4 days before she passed, Ginger started seeing patients on her own. After Aloha died, I discovered that Ginger learned 4 words and 2 hand signals from Aloha. Aloha lives through Cowboy, Bentley and Ginger and the subsequent cats that I have added to my family. Aloha was truly the most brilliant cat I will ever know.

“The cards, letters, poems, plants, and gifts poured in for 6 months after she passed.

She is also the reason that several of my patients have decided to adopt cats and even foster newborn kittens. She brought major cat awareness to the community.

Although I only had her for 3.5 years, she did a lifetime’s worth of work in that time and she will be in my heart forever. Nobody will ever forget her. She was the most famous cat in the community. She was described by my veterinarian as ‘a higher life form than a cat.’

“Thank you so much for honoring Aloha, as I am eternally grateful for having had her in my life and in the lives of my patients. She touched thousands of lives.”

We thank Dr. Huler for this story and her tremendous support of both ICS and her patients.

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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 Trash and Treasure Sale

http://catsociety.org

June 7-9, ICS Shelter

• Grand Opening of the Joan Hildebrand

@IndCatSociety

Adoption Center June 8-9, ICS Shelter

• Lakeshore PAWS Pup Crawl

facebook.com/ INCatSociety

June 8, Downtown Valparaiso

• Bark in the Park

July 13, Thomas Centennial Park, Chesterton

• ICS Semi-Annual Used Book Sale

July 13-14, Valparaiso Moose Lodge

• Eyes on the Pies Summer Open House

August 3-4, 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