Not so long ago, a tortie Mom Cat and her teeny kittens were found beneath a porch near Bent School, a grade school in Bloomington, IL. Some of the students became enamored of the kitty family, visited them several times daily, and eagerly watched them grow.
But one day, the kittens were gone. The kids were frantic. Mom Cat was still there, pacing, glassy-eyed, searching for her kits.
The kids assumed the litter had died, and were worried that Mom Cat might be hit by a car while searching for her brood. They convinced a neighbor woman who happens to rescue cats to foster Mom Cat and find her a good home.
Meanwhile, it was also a sad day for some of the neighborhood adults. You see, they, too, had found the litter of four kittens and fallen in love with them, just as the schoolchildren had.
But they encountered a different problem. They noticed that Mom Cat was no longer around, and the kittens were getting very hungry. They feared the worst — that Mom Cat had perished — so Sharon Burris pulled the kits from beneath the porch, put them in a blanket, purchased bottles and formula, and took them to Paradise Pet and Day Spa in Bloomington, where owner Kathy Sieraski, agreed to feed them and keep them alive, even returning at 2 a.m. to make sure they were OK.
So, all were safe. It was happy ending. Sorta-kinda.
But, wait. There’s more…
Connie Burchette, a crossing guard at Bent School, knows everything about everything, since she chats up the parents and students as they wait to cross the street.
As it happens, she heard some adults discussing the rescue of some orphaned kittens. And, she heard some students bemoaning the fact that a mother cat had lost her babies.
Connie pieced the puzzle together, realizing that both groups had rescued Mom Cat and kits from harm without the others’ knowledge.
The Mom Cat’s foster mother was contacted. She still had Mom Cat. Sharon jumped to action and picked up Mom Cat, then sped across town to reunite her with her kittens.
According to Sharon, the moment that Mom Cat spotted her kittens, “it was amazing. She ran to them and began licking them and kneading them.” And the kittens ran to her, “cuddled next” to her and went to work suckling for their dinner.
Sharon and Kathy were transfixed, Sharon said, tears welling in their eyes.
As the word spread the next day at school, the concerned schoolkids had the same reaction. Tears of joy.
A sweet tuxie mom in Illinois has embraced the challenge of mothering three puppies and a kitten who is not her own:
Cats and dogs are supposed to be mortal enemies, but it seems a mother’s love can overlook the interspecies differences.
A black cat with white paws is nursing two puppies so young their eyes aren’t even open yet and another 3-week-old adopted kitten.
The cat, which doesn’t have a name, was brought in to Rock Island County Animal Care and Control with her own litter of kittens. Some of the kittens died and the remaining ones were weaned when the young kitten arrived at the shelter.
Shelter staff put the black kitten in with the mom and she took to it right away. But when the puppies were found in Moline late last week, there weren’t any nursing dogs to serve as a foster mom to the delicate pups.
“We didn’t know what we were going to do,” said Sam DeYoung, operations director of Animal Care and Control. “They didn’t have their eyes open, they were 1-week-old, so we decided to try putting them with the momma cat, and they latched on and away they went.”
The cat takes her mothering duties seriously, letting anyone who puts a hand in her crate know that these are her babies and they are not to be touched.
The kitten is more than twice the size of the puppies, whose cries for milk are barely audible. They climb all over each other, vying for a better spot to feed from. It’s too early to tell what breed the puppies are, but shelter staff can tell by their tiny size that they are a small-breed dog.
“She’s just an all-around supermom,” said Laurel Harmening, animal caretaker at the shelter. “She just loves being a mom.”
The shelter is overrun with cats and kittens right now and finding foster homes that can bottle feed kittens and puppies every three hours is a challenge. So the cat is saving two foster homes by nursing the kitten and puppies, as well as delivering nutrients and immunities that they can’t get from formula.
The kitten will stay with the cat until it is weaned, and the puppies will stay with their unlikely foster mom for about two weeks before going to a foster home. DeYoung said anyone interested in adopting the animals should wait about eight weeks before contacting the shelter, because it will take that long to get all the animals altered and vaccinated.
WARNING: The following story discusses (in general terms), an act of cruelty toward a cat.
Jack T Henderson, who was living at 3447 Sheridan Road in Zion, Illinois, has been sentenced to a year in jail and 30 months of probation for kicking his cat Winnie to death.
The incident occured on August 23rd of last year. When officers asked Henderson what had happened, he said the 14-month-old cat had been “acting up” and scratched him. He told police he had “disciplined” Winnie by “hitting the cat with his hands and feet.”
Officers said that Henderson smelled of alcohol and told them he drank “several beers” before disciplining the cat. They reported that Henderson admitted having disciplined the cat “more than 10 times” before this incident.
Lake County Circuit Judge John Phillips also sentenced Jack Henderson, who was originally charged with animal torture but pleaded guilty Feb. 24 to a lesser charge of aggravated cruelty to an animal, to undergo treatments for mental health, substance abuse and anger management, the Daily Herald newspaper in Arlington Heights, Ill., reported Friday.
The judge also ordered Henderson to complete 200 hours of public service and remain at least 50 feet from animals during his probation.
“You are to have no contact with, nor ownership of, any animal and you cannot be within 50 feet of an animal of any kind,” Phillips said. “If you are walking down the sidewalk and you see someone walking a dog toward you, you cross the street.”
Although I’m pleased that this piece of dirt got jail time, it troubles me that judges do not impose a LIFETIME ban on animal ownership and contact with animals in animal cruelty cases.
First there was Butch and Sundance. Then, Batman and Robin and the Skipper and Gilligan. Now there’s a new dynamic duo: John Capriotti and Baby Cat.
John’s an electrician in Kankakee, Illinois and Baby Cat is his new sidekick, going on calls with John in the company van.
“We have two other cats and this guy seemed to prefer the garage to hanging around the house with them,” says Cat Guy Capriotti. “So one day, he jumped into the van and I said: ‘You want to go for a ride? Then let’s go.’ And I figured he’d jump out. But he didn’t, and he’s been going with me ever since.”
All winter, Baby Cat has ridden with Capriotti on house calls, waiting in the van during stops at hardware stores, and often cadging a bite or two of his buddy’s sandwiches.
“He’s a good companion, but not always under foot,” he added. “He might get out at the job for a little while, but mostly he likes to sleep on the dashboard while I work.”
And Capriotti always parks where Baby Cat can get some sun.
“I keep a litter box in the truck and some water, but he seems fine waiting for his meals at home when we’re done,” Capriotti said. “When it was real cold, I’d leave the heat on for him. But when it gets real hot, I’ll probably have to leave him at home.”
“We got him from a farm in Bonfield and they only had yellow cats. That’s not my favorite kind of cat, but he’s pretty good,” Capriotti said. Spoken like a true Cat Guy.
The following recently appeared on Dogster’s For the Love of Dog Blog, and since it applies to cats as well, I’m reposting here. Although this was a warning specific to Wheaton, IL, coyotes everywhere are a threat to housecats, even in urban areas (there are coyotes in San Francisco).
Janice just barked this important information to me for Dogster readers in the Wheaton, Illinois area.
WHEATON, Ill. – The highly adaptable coyote continues to flourish in the western suburbs within populated areas, mostly because of the interesting menu available in the form of dog and cat food, or easy-to-open garbage cans.
Coyotes can survive on whatever food is available, from rodents to rubbish, from insects to fruit to carrion. They can be a threat to family pets. Although no attacks have been reported within the City of Wheaton, in isolated but tragic cases elsewhere, coyotes have attacked small children.
Essentially unimpeded by control measures, abundant food has encouraged coyotes to become accustomed to the sight and sounds of humans. Consequently, coyote populations and range have expanded in recent years in the western suburbs.
While coyotes are valuable in decreasing the rodent population, their presence in populated areas can be minimized.
DO feed pets indoors or promptly remove dishes when pets complete their meal outside. Store bags of pet food indoors.
DO clear brush and dense weeds from around property. This deprives rodents of shelter and reduces protective cover for coyotes.
DON’T leave domestic pet food outside. Wildlife will soon depend upon it.
DO use trash barrels equipped with tight clamping devices on the lids, which will prevent spills should they be tipped over by large animals.
DO try to educate your friends and neighbors about the problems associated with feeding coyotes. If you belong to a homeowner’s association or neighborhood watch, bring up the subject during one of the meetings.
DON’T feed or provide water for coyotes or other wildlife. This practice abnormally attracts coyotes and promotes increased numbers of rodents, birds, snakes, and other creatures that can provide major portions of the coyote’s natural diet.
TO PROTECT PETS
Keep small pets (cats, rabbits, small dogs) indoors. Don’t allow them to run free at any time. They are easy, favored prey. Some coyotes hunt cats in residential areas.
Large dogs should be brought inside after dark and never allowed to run loose.
DON’T leave domestic pet food outside. Wildlife will soon depend upon it.
Definitely some great advice for those that live in the area. Please be sure to pass this important information on to your friends and neighbors so they can keep their pets safe too.
* The beauty above, Yoat, actually lives on the property of a Dogster member.
