Save The Strays - Stray and Feral Cat Rescue Education

14/06/2024

26/04/2024

❤️🐾❤️

24/04/2024

Anti Cruelty Society is in need of blankets and towels

🚨 We are desperately in need of blankets and towels! Can you spare a few? The animals in our care enjoy snuggling up to a cozy blanket and need to be dried off with a clean towel. Unfortunately, we are incredibly low on both at this time.

You can donate blankets/towels directly through our Wishlists and they will be shipped straight to our shelter, or you can drop off your donations any day of the week at our River North Adoption Center located at 510 N LaSalle Dr.

Queenie (featured) + all her friends would greatly appreciate it! Click here to view our Wishlist: https://amzn.to/3w5UWmS.

24/04/2024

Rescue folks need to stand together.

The celebratory post this SHOULD have been is maliciously being overshadowed with an extremely disappointing display of ill-informed rescue "community" gossip.
It has come to our attention that some absurd rumors are being spread about us wrangling a certain beast that many know we were trying to rescue for almost 4 years now...
This is our first snap of her back in mid 2021 when we were first contacted about her. She had already reportedly been there popping babies out for 7+ years at that time.
We will tell the very long dramatic tale eventually (with all the receipts) but for now those of you that are accepting false facts from a stranger (who publicly stated they just arrived a couple months ago, from cities away, and do not know about the situation or any local rescues) can drop the pitchforks.
This sweet (NOT feral) girl is safe, NO one ever said she was going back to the park or being TNR'd, she was NOT sent to a barn, she is currently being fostered, and is finally experiencing the first warm comfy bed and nutritious food of her entire existence. She will be adopted once the babies that she is once again pregnant with are vetted, and then they will be also adopted.
The kittens that were "reportedly" taken (still yet to be proven to even exist) from her location by the accusing party are NOT hers.
We were assured that she was still pregnant by those that run the property who contacted us to catch her.
This mother was NOT taken from her babies.
There are several other cats to interrogate there with maternity tests, if anyone so desires.
This case is closed.
Please cease the defamation and vilification.

We desperately asked for help with this situation from the rescue world, and not one person came forward... But when a ridiculous rumor pops up about it, suddenly nearly 200 "rescuers" chimed in with verbal assault and slandered our name all over the internet.

It is incredibly disheartening how often we see humans that are involved in volunteer rescue missions pouring so much energy into trying to tear each other down, when that fire could instead be funneled into collectively working towards the same goal.
This causes less people to want to be involved in rescue, and guess who suffers?
The animals.
This is about them, not us.
Their lives are critically left hanging in waiting at the other end of our egos.
Let's do better.

Ever have a genuine non-accusatory question?
Feel free to reach out.
This is a drama-free zone.

Disabling comments- because end of discussion.

04/04/2024

02/04/2024

📢April 13th is the next Feed The Beasts Fest at Soundgrowler Brewing Co. hosted by Jonathan Grimm Art !
🎵 the HŸSS is the first band of 3 to be announced, and there will be a hoard of r@ffle treasures to score. You'll also be able to snag this sick limited edition Metal Kitty art print at the show from Jonathan Grimm Art. Each one will be signed and numbered and won't be made again! 😮
More info to come soon... we hope to see all of Team Beast there in purr-son, so we can hug the heck out of y'all for the amazing support! 😻🤘🎸

18/03/2024

Help Feed the Beasts !!!

The cat's indeed out the bag. Our next show is a benefit for Feed the Beasts at Soundgrowler Brewing Co. in Tinley Park on Saturday, April 13th!! Details here: Help Feed the Beasts !!!

We hope to see you there! 🤘🏼😼

12/03/2024

MISSING BOURBONNAIS IL
“WHISKERS”

3/9/2024 21:03 Cat Yorktown Dr Whiskers male 2 yrs 17lbs orange longhaired tabby no collar Natalie 1 (815) 386-6591 [email protected] He’s skittish but friendly

06/03/2024

03/01/2024

IMPORTANT FOR ALL CAT OWNERS!
Copied: Please be wary of the following situations and do everything humanly possible to ensure they don’t happen. Awareness is key to prevention.

Cats and kittens will jump inside your dishwashers, washers, refrigerators, ovens, and dryers. ALWAYS look inside before closing to ensure no cat has jumped inside.

Watch paws inside of closing doors. Make sure there’s no paws sticking out on the side of the door near the hinges when you close a door. This can break paws, legs, etc.

Never leave toys with feathers with your cats unattended. The feathers can break off and eaten by a cat who then can become blocked. Emergency, costly surgery is needed and not all survive. Best bet is no toys with feathers.

Never hang a toy with a long elastic string or chord that can get wrapped around a cat or kitten’s neck. Strangulation or snapping the neck trying to escape can occur.

Never leave Himalayan Salt Lamps out with cats. One lick of the lamp can be toxic for cats causing salt toxicity and death.

Antifreeze is deadly yet sweet and good tasting to cats. If they smell it they will lick it! Never have antifreeze near your cats. Don’t track it in your home on the bottoms of your shoes. Snowglobe fillings are sometimes made with antifreeze. Don’t risk them if you have cats. If they fall and break /splatter the anyifreeze could be ingested by your cats. I’ve never heard of any cat ingestingg antifreeze survive, even with immediate medical supervision.

Beware of plants and cats. Most plants aren’t safe for cats. Research the plants in your home before your cat is exposed. Toxicity and death can occur.

Plastic shopping bags, chip bags, etc. Don’t leave them out with your cats unsupervised. If a cat’s head gets stuck in a bag and they can’t escape they can suffocate.

Don’t leave heavy items on tables or counters in areas where your cats frequent. If they fall, they can break a back, leg, paw, cause a head injury, and death.

Watch out for window screens! Opening windows with only a regular window screen between your cat and the outside is like playing with fire. It’s very easy for your cat to push on the screen and bust through.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post, hopefully you can help prevent a tragic accident from happening.

03/01/2024

🥰

28/11/2023

Can anyone near Joliet help these poor babies?

22/10/2023

22/10/2023

Go d our Volunteer Application at this link.

https://nebula.wsimg.com/539b702da61b6b5cd442b6e55c8a0272?AccessKeyId=9CCD4E19400A1E7AFC71&disposition=0&alloworigin=1

22/10/2023

Sun Gazing

22/10/2023

In most cases, cats will figure out how to use shelters on their own. Here are a few things you can do to attract them if it doesn't seem like your cats are using the shelter:

▪️Be patient. Some cats need a lot of time to get comfortable with a new shelter.
▪️Loosely fill the shelter ½ to ¾ full of straw, NOT HAY. Replace the straw every year.
▪️Remove any door flaps on the shelter. While doorway flaps help keep cold air out and warm air in, they should not be added until after your cats are used to going in and out of the shelter.
▪️Do not place food in or near the shelter. Cats instinctively avoid sleeping near food as it attracts other cats and wildlife (predators).
▪️Location is important. Place the shelter where your cats are already hanging out. More feral/less social cats typically want to shelter farther away from humans. The more secluded the shelter, the more likely cats are to use it.
▪️Place the shelter near natural cover, as opposed to out in the open where your cats may not feel safe. Cats prefer to move along walls, hedges or other natural barriers and boundaries. Place the shelter under or up against a building, fence, tree, porch, bush or some type of overhang.
▪️Place the shelter with the entrance facing away from the wind, rain and snow.
▪️Make sure the shelter is on a flat surface. A wobbly shelter could discourage cats from entering.
▪️It’s possible that your cats have another shelter where they feel safe. They may already have a shed, crawlspace or some other shelter they prefer.
▪️When all else fails, try a new location, but only after giving your cats plenty of time to explore and get used to the current location.
(We thank FeralVilla.com for this great advice!)

THANK YOU to the caregivers who have taken the time to build a feral cat shelter. Protection from the elements is critical, especially during the cold months, and your thoughtfulness will no doubt save many lives this winter.

22/10/2023

Great 'Cat Shelter Tips' graphic from Outsiders TNR.

1. Be patient - add a little catnip inside the shelter to attract them to it.

2. Don't place food by the shelter.

3. Place the shelter entrance away from the wind.

4. Place the shelter near natural covering.

5. Only place straw in the shelter.

22/10/2023

More info is forthcoming on this distribution so stay tuned! All Pack Members may sign up at 8:00 PM on October 30 here: https://rescuepack.org/distro.

30/11/2022

Why cats belong indoors. 😿💔

Today we received an urgent message about a cat named Gunnar that was mauled by a dog and needed immediate rescue. This cat was at one the county shelters we work with in Indiana. After some quick confirmations, we immediately jumped in the car and drove four hours round trip so we could rush him to the emergency vet.
After getting bloodwork, an ultrasound, and X-rays the team at VEG (Veterinary Emergency Group) came up with an intensive treatment plan and we put down $3,840.
After just five hours at the emergency room they said we are reaching the limit we already paid and while his stability comes and goes we can choose to stop treating him if we wanted to…

We know we need to consider the medical point of view for situations like this but it absolutely breaks our heart to even have to consider stopping treatment.
It’s not fair to Gunnar.
It’s not fair that he was attacked on Saturday and wasn’t brought to a vet or shelter until yesterday afternoon.
It’s not fair that he has to suffer because someone else didn’t care more about him.
So we will care.
We are choosing to continue his treatment at the emergency vet for at least 24 hours. He deserves a chance - a fighting chance that he wasn’t given but we will make sure he gets.
There is a high likelihood he will go septic due to all the infected bite wounds that went untreated for multiple days. But he still deserves a chance to have all of the medicine and testing done. He deserves to know that he is loved and that we care. - s

19/11/2022

So I was going to create a new Feed the Beasts fundraiser for my birthday (which is today) but apparently Facebook stopped allowing personal ones on November 1st. If anyone would like to help us continue to Feed The Beasts, we could definitely use the assistance! https://linktr.ee/FeedtheBeasts
Here is the (kinda lengthy, sorry!) update:

We started out helping trap just a couple of kittens... which turned into hundreds of cats! Some said it couldn't be done... but even through a pandemic that shut down the world and set everything back, a concussion, illness, and even a couple broken bones, we kept on hustling for the beasts... Now here we are- WE DID IT!!! But we couldn't have done it without all of you! I added the chart below to help illustrate actually how MANY cats lives we have collectively changed the course of.

We have now rescued over 327 cats off the street, got them vetted, fostered, and either placed in homes or barns where their lives are forever changed for the better. With your help and a few busy years of hard work, we finally finished collecting the LAST of our massive colony, but have run across more beasts in need nearby. It also takes weeks to get the friendly cats moved into an available shelter space one at a time, so we are currently backed up and waiting. We go through cases of several types of food and litter every day, as well as other supplies such as puppy pads, paper plates, paper towels, de-wormers, Rescue cleaner, flea meds, antibiotics, eye/ear cleaner, etc. The cost of gas alone for the four hour round trips we take to the city, or hour round trip to and from the colony area adds up quick. Running the heat/ air conditioner in the "rescue space" doubles our bill, and was as high as 500 dollars one month last winter! Our dryer recently went kaput, and doing loads of cat litter-filled laundry at the laundromat was another big expense, on top of current construction costs to fix up the space for our longer-term resident foster beasts. So long story short... without a little assistance, we cannot continue to help these poor beasts in need. Every gift of even a dollar helps! If you prefer to send supplies, our Amazon wish list is here, as well as Jonathan Grimm Art designed Feed The Beasts merch (which is currently 25 percent off) and other ways to pitch in. https://linktr.ee/FeedtheBeasts

Thank you SO much for helping us Feed The Beasts!!!
Just look at what us humans can accomplish, simply by working together. 🤘😻

Do the math...

14/11/2022

Yes! These are all techniques we regularly use for socializing scared kitties at Feed the Beasts
Remember that hisses do not necessarily signal aggression, it is just fear.

04/11/2022

😸🖤

01/11/2022

THIS! We see irresponsible feeders leaving plates and cans out, which attracts predators, and putting shelters in the wide open which draws attention to them. These actions threaten their sanctuary also, as the public does not like to see all these eye sores laying around and will blame the cats, which can end up being their death sentence. Care for cats responsibly.

31/10/2022

It's science.

Because cats spend a lot of their time sleeping, it's plausible that purring is a means in which cats maintain bone density. 26 hz is the frequency used by scientists for healing and that's the frequency of a cat purr. Check this out.

Read why you need a cat in your life

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-do-cats-purr/

21/10/2022

20/10/2022

😻

"Be kind to feral cats ... Just because you can't touch them, doesn't mean you can't love them."

20/10/2022

As the leaves start falling, it’s a good time to prepare housing for feral cats. Don’t forget to use straw instead of blankets or towels which can retain moisture and can freeze.
To make it easier to cut the plastic, use a hair dryer to heat up and soften the plastic before cutting. If you are making several or to save time, there are larger circular cut drill accessories available at most hardware stores.