WHAT HAPPENED
At 11:30, the line to attend the discussion stretched down the length of the hallway and around the corner an past the last elevator on the 5th floor. It was wonderful to see so many people turn out to support the community cats.

On the preceding days, every commissioner on the Board received hundreds of emails and letters and phone calls asking for support of the TNR program now in effect. Many of the emails were the result of responses to the link Alley Cat Allies set up.

At 2:35 when the discussion of feral cat management began, Dr. Alexander, Director, Cook County Rabies and Animal Control, introduced Dr. Stanley Gehrt, of the Max McGraw Foundation, who spoke to his study that showed feral cats stay away from natural areas such as the forest preserves primarily because coyotes prefer the natural areas.

During the discussion, Dr. Alexander explained how TNR worked independently of any government funding, instead being funded by private non-profit agencies and by volunteers. TNR has saved the county hundreds of thousands of dollars, tax payers’ dollars.

Then, David de Funiak, Executive Director, Tree House Humane Society and Rochelle Michalek, Executive Director, PAWS Chicago presented a summary of the extensive work and success of TNR throughout the Cook County area.

Next, representatives from Cat Vando, Hyde Park Cats, and Triple R Pets spoke of their groups’ successes with TNR. At one point, the supporters of TNR who had steadfastly remained, taking time off work, from families and from other commitments, were asked to stand. The response was overwhelming. It looked as though the entire Board Room was filled with residents of Cook County who wanted the Ordinance to remain intact.

Lastly, many of the people who stood were then allowed to address the Commissioners with their personal stories of TNR.

MEDIA COVERAGE

DNAInfo.com

Chicago Tribune

Our workshops are very informal. We help you complete the paperwork, show you how to use the traps, loan you as many traps as you need, and tell you where the low-cost clinics are.

Workshop in Oak Forest (TBA Every Month)
Next Workshop: April 6

Saturday from 10:00 am to 11:30 am
15440 South Central Ave Oak Forest, IL 60452

Workshop in Willow Springs (Every 2nd Thursday)
Next Workshop: April 11

Thursday from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm
Willow Springs Public Works Building
8261 Willow Springs Road Willow Springs IL 60480

Workshop in Tinley Park (Every last Saturday) 
Next Workshop: April 27

Saturday from 1:00 to 2:30 pm
Tinley Park Police Station
7850 W. 183rd Street Tinley Park, IL 60477

As always, if you are physically disabled and/or cannot drive, our volunteers will help you with trapping and transport.

Workshop in Willow Springs
February 14 from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm
Willow Springs Public Works Building
8261 Willow Springs Road
Willow Springs, IL 60480

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Workshop in Tinley Park
February 23 from 10:00 am to 11:30 am
Tinley Park Police Station
7850 W. 183rd Street
Tinley Park, IL  60477

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There were fifty-five cats and kittens in the house when the Triple R Pets volunteers arrived.  The house reeked of feces and urine, and the smell clung to clothes long after leaving the house.  There were no litter boxes.  Food was scattered on the floor and mixed with feces.  Newborn kittens were literally dropping helplessly fromthe tiles in the ceiling.

Marta was planting flowers in her backyard one day when she saw a skinny gray cat lurking around the corner of the garage.  Being a person who loved animals, Marta went in her house to get a can of tuna.  When she came back outside, the cat was still there, and it gratefully ate the tuna that the woman offered.  The cat finished eating and turned and quietly left the yard.

The cat returned to the yard the next day, and again Marta fed it, but she could never get close enough to pet it.  The cat began to put on weight with all the good food it was given, and a friendly, if distant, relationship developed between the human and the cat.  Marta named the cat Henry.

Two months later, Henry came to dinner with four darling kittens following her.  Marta was thrilled.  The kittens let her pet and play with them.  They were so cute that Marta wanted to find homes for them.  When they were about six weeks old, Marta brought the kittens inside the house.  Henrietta, whose name was now changed to suit her sex, remained outside and was still unapproachable but still showed up daily for her meals.

Marta found homes for two of the kittens, but the other two stayed with Marta and became her house cats.  She let them out every night so they could have their freedom.  The two kittens were named Funny Face and Callie.  When winter came, Marta made a shelter out of a Styrofoam box lined with straw, and Henrietta stayed inside the shelter and was warm.

Everyone in the little family welcomed spring and its warmer weather.  Then one morning when Marta put out Henrietta’s food, she saw the mom cat being followed by four new kittens.  This time, Marta was not so thrilled.  But she dutifully took the kittens inside with the intention of getting them adopted.  She named the kittens Fluffy, Muffie, Sam, and Two Tone.

With six cats in the house now, Marta was calling all her friends and relatives to see if they would adopt a cat.  After the calls, she noticed that Callie, one of the original kittens, was nowhere to be seen.  Marta searched the house and finally found Callie in the bedroom closet, with five newborn kittens.

Henrietta was still outside and still unapproachable, and, if Marta was right, Henrietta looked pregnant again.  Callie had just given birth to five kittens.  And that made eleven cats inside the house.

Eleven until Funny Face gave birth to four more kittens behind the stove.  Then there were fifteen cats inside the house and a pregnant female outside.

Adoptions were not going well.  In fact, they were not going at all.  Marta checked with the no-kill animal shelters, but, it was early June now and all the no-kill shelters were full.  Marta began to look into the kill shelters that are required to take in all strays, but they were flooded with kittens and Marta feared her kittens would be euthanized because there just wasn’t enough space or homes for them.

In desperation, Marta thought that she could at least stop more kittens from being born by neutering all the males in the house.  Yes, brothers were breeding with their sisters and their moms.  Marta made some phone calls to local veterinarians to check on the cost of spay surgery and vaccinations, and she found she could only afford to have three of her cats neutered.  She only had her social security check, and most of that was now going to pay for cat food.

Then Henrietta had her second litter of the summer, and shortly after Callie had her second litter and Funny Face followed with her second litter.  Marta could not even begin to count the total number of cats.

So that’s how it happens.

Marta was not a hoarder.  Indeed, she was a kind person who had had a neat, clean house until she tried to help the cats. But within less than two years, and in spite of all the adoptions and surrendering kittens up to shelters, there were still fifty-five cats in the house.

TNR, a Community Effort

When Marta found out about Triple R Pets and the trap/neuter/return program, our volunteers went to her house to help.  We worked with Marta from August to December.

By mid December every cat in the house had been spayed/neutered, vaccinated for rabies and distemper, given complete parasite control, eartipped, and microchipped and registered to Triple R Pets under the Cook County Feral Cat Ordinance.

Of the 55:

• 7  were relocated to safe farms.   Thank you Safe House Barn Cats Program.
• 19 were surrendered for adoption to no-kill shelters. Thank you P.A.W.S. of Tinley Park and Felines and Canines Inc of Chicago.
• 5 were fostered by Triple R Pets’ volunteers and adopted through PetFinder.
• 21 had to be returned to the house after receiving basic vet care including S/N surgery, but five of these are thought to be friendly and eligible for adoption.  These five will be removed from the house and taken to a shelter as soon as space is available.  The other cats remain feral and unadoptable.
• 3 had already died of unknown causes before volunteers could arrive.

All the cats have been given basic vet care including S/N surgery, and there will be no more kittens.

Thank you,

• PAWS Chicago Lurie Clinic, 
• South Suburban Low Cost Clinic
• Dr. Cecott Veterinary Clinic of Tinley Park

Thank you Cook County Animal Control for managing the Feral Cat Ordinance.

Thank you to the wonderful supporters and volunteers of Triple R Pets.

We are looking forward to another great year in 2013. If you haven’t already, consider making a donation to help this important work or get involved and volunteer with us

Click to see flyer

** POSTPONED** Due to weather, we have moved the workshop to the 27th.

Its about that time of the year when it begins to cool down, trees start  to drop their leaves and we know that winter isn’t far around the corner. You might be thinking about pulling out your heavy winter layers but have you thought about what you might do to keep your feral colony warm this winter?

Here at Triple R we are gearing up for our annual shelter building workshop where you, a caretaker, can walk home from this workshop with a shelter in hand for your cats. We strongly encourage folks to register in advance so we can have enough materials on hand.

Click the flyer to the right for all the details. Workshop will be Oct. 13 at PAWS in Tinley Park. Begins at 10 sharp. As always, we’ll have coffee and snacks at hand.

You can purchase your shelter(s) online now, using the checkout below (** 2 shelter limit per caretaker). Purchase of a shelter online is all you need to do to register for the workshop. If you prefer to pay cash for your shelter at the workshop, please select that option during checkout. If you can’t make the workshop, you can buy & pick-up a shelter for $25. E-mail us if you’d like to pick one up.

Winter Colony Shelter

$15

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** Note ** The 2012 TNR program will end in November dependent upon the weather. There are only three TNR workshops remaining in the year.

Workshops in Willow Springs
6:30 pm to 8 pm on the 2nd Thursday of every month
8261 Willow Springs Road, Willow Springs, IL (Public Works Building)
Google Map

How many unwanted kittens will she have if we don’t help her?

Workshop dates in Willow Springs:
April 12
May 10
June 14
July 12
August 9
September 13
October 11

Workshops in Tinley Park
P.A.W.S. Animal Shelter of Tinley Park
10:30 am to Noon on the 4th Saturday of every month
8301 W. 191st Street, Tinley Park, IL
Google Map

Workshop dates in Tinley Park:
April 28
May 26
June 23
July 28
August 25
September 29  ** Moved Date from 22nd to 29th**
October 27

At the workshops, we will:

• show you how to set the traps and transport cats.
• share a couple of tricks to help you catch elusive cats
• loan traps to caretakers.
• help you complete all paperwork
• pass out donated food to registered caretakers

Again, those caretakers who attend a workshop will receive priority for TNR assistance.

Workshops are presented free to the public by Triple R Pets
For more information, contact info@tripleRpets.org

This is another huge victory for the TNR movement in the Chicagoland Area. Bridgeview residents should feel free to fill out a Request for Assistance and become a sponsored caretaker.

Please contact us if you have other questions and to read the full ruling you can download it as a PDF.

Spring Clean-up at Your House?
Don’t know what to do with all that “stuff” in your basement, attic, closets, or garage?  Want to help the animals and feel good about cleaning your house?  We are asking for donations of gently used items for the sale.

To donate gently used items please email us at info@tripleRpets.org or call 708.738.1438 or bring your donations to 812 Vinewood in Willow Springs on May 16 or 17 only. Your donated items will be much appreciated! Thank you!

All proceeds go directly to help cover veterinarian costs for our rescued animals.