Adopting a Cat Called "Badge of Honor" by NY Times. We Knew That!

At the shelter, Abigail is bored by the "news" in a recent New York Times article called "I'm a Cat Lady? Thank You."

The story says that the image of a "cat lady," once a term used to connote loneliness in women, is now getting an upgrade--thanks to people like singer Taylor Swift, who loves cats, and the cable TV series Girls, which also features a cat in what the NYT writer considers a hip, young way.

Of course, we've always thought that adopting a cat was a terrific badge of honor! Now tell Abigail something new.

What Does Your Cat Think About You? Here's the Answer.

Admit it...you have always wondered what your cat thinks about you. According to The New York Times, a new book has the answer. Titled Cat Sense by John Bradshaw, the book explores new feline behavior and science, translating it to how you can improve your relationship with your cat.

And the work is going to be all yours, according to  Bradshaw, a biologist at the University of Bristol in England. Bradshaw, who has studied feline behavior for the past 30 years, says that cats make up their minds, based on their natural instincts, on how they are going to interact with humans. And, unlike dogs, cats like to maintain their independence.

Of course, we knew all this. But the book is a good read--particularly with a feline friend nearby. According to Bradshaw, cats probably look at us as either a mother substitute or a very large, non-rival cat.

Check out the NYT's article Cat Sense explains what they're really thinking

Or read this excerpt Inside the Cat Brain

And the winner is.....

Recently, Red Door held our first Design Contest. 

Entries were posted on our Facebook page, and fans were invited to vote by "liking" their favorite entry.
Click here to view all of the entries

Here is the winning entry, by Claudia Aguilar, which received 176 votes:

A long-time animal lover, Claudia moved to the Ravenswood neighborhood several years ago and learned about Red Door through a co-worker.  " I started by helping out on cleaning days and dog washes. I've continued to volunteer at events and participated in the Holiday Bazaar. By far my favorite thing has been taking part in "Kitty Boot Camp" this year. It helped me establish relationships with the current Red Door residents and see their personalities emerge"

Claudia received her BFA in Fine Arts from Columbia and currently works at PaperSource in the West Loop, designing crafting kits and samples. "It has always been a dream of mine to use my creativity to help others, so I thought the Red Door contest was the perfect opportunity to do so!"

"When I set out to design something for Red Door's contest I knew I wanted to communicate what they do in a simple, bold way. I played around with ways to combine images of the animals that are helped by Red Door most often, with a message about their work. I feel that it is so crucial to really emphasize the importance of adoption. When I sketched out the word adopt, I liked how the roundness of the letter "o" could be turned into an animal. I added details I felt communicated a cat, dog and rabbit in the simplest most universal way. And of course, I made it red to convey the name Red Door."

We're sure that Gizmo, Polo, Tortilla and Eleanor Rigby (cats) and  Franny & Zooey  (african clawed frogs) may have helped a little.  " I am very fortunate that my pets didn't have to experience shelter life, but it makes me more determined to help those who are in shelters"

So congratulations to Claudia, and to all of our designers.  Look for the winning design as well as several others on a new line of Red Door merchandise coming soon.

Another Hoppy Ending - Panda/Lola

Panda - November 2008

Little Panda was born at Red Door, and adopted by a pre-teen girl and her family.  We thought she was in a happy forever home, but poor Panda had a long way to go before finding her Hoppy Ending.

Red Door was contacted by the girl, who wanted to bring Panda back because she was "going away to college".  A little checking on Facebook revealed the truth - that the girl wanted a kitten and needed to "get rid of" Panda!

Still, a Red Door rabbit is a Red Door rabbit for life, so we offered to take her back.  We received an e-mail from the girl saying that her little brother was going to take over Panda's care. 

Over the next several months, our volunteers received several emails from the brother claiming that Panda was "aggressive" and looking for advice as to how to "tame her".  They pleaded with the boy to just bring her back, but received no response.  Apparently he went off to summer camp, and Panda sat alone in a cage for months, un-socialized and lonely, receiving food and water but starved for companionship.

Panda - February 2012

When the family was finally convinced to relinquish her, she was skittish, unhealthy, and very unhappy. She found the shelter environment very stressful, and was absolutely miserable.  Luckily, we have many angels at Red Door, and one of them is Patti.  She took Panda home with her and gave her loving care, rooms to stretch her legs,  and a quiet space to heal.  After several months, Panda was coming out of her shell and ready for another chance at a forever home.

Jessica had grown up with a Hotot, and loves pets with "lots of personality".  (Some would say "attitude"). When she and her husband decided to adopt a rabbit, fond memories of her childhood companion drew her to Panda.  Now renamed Lola, she shares her home with two feline siblings.  Pixie is the younger cat, nearly the same age as Lola, and the two have become best friends.  Marley, the older cat, seems content to observe and merely seems grateful that Pixie has somebunny to pester instead of him!

Lola and Pixie - Best Friends

 Pixie has taught Lola how to go down the stairs, and she has made the largely-empty basement into her own private bunny-gymnasium where she can run, jump, and lounge in cool comfort.  She has taken over one of the many cat-trees as her daytime napping place, and "redecorated" the doorway for easier and more convenient access.  And woe betide anyone who dares to set a glass down on "her" side table - she will come running to defend her other favorite lounging space

Aaah - that's the spot!

 
Lola would never have found her Hoppy Ending without the tireless work and dedication of our many Red Door volunteers. But there is always more that needs doing.  Cleaning volunteers don't have the most glamorous-sounds jobs, but they are essential to keeping our residents healthy and happy.  Foster-parents take animals into their home for more one-on-one time, a quiet vacation away from the shelter, or just to free up a shelter space for another animal needing rescue.  Donations of money and pet food help keep our Pet Food Pantry running and provide a way to help people on fixed or limited incomes keep their beloved animal companions.  Volunteers staff our events, do community outreach, follow-up on reports of stray or abandoned animals, or just help with the phones and the paperwork.  For ways that you can help see our Volunteer Needs page or just give us a call.

 

Leap(ing) Year!

We had a great month of adoptions in the month of February.
Here are some of the cats and bunnies who found their forever homes in February:

 

Venetia

Venetia was found in some pretty rough shape. She had were patches of fur missing from her back, scabs all over her body, a small hard nodule just beneath her skin on her shoulder (later found to be a BB pellet), and a damaged left eye.  Now she sleeps in her new momma's bed and greets their 5 year-old with headbutts every morning!

Popeye

Highway

Popeye made a love connection on Valentines Day with a family who originally came in looking for a rabbit!  This charmer managed to change their minds.  (Hint hint - he gets along GREAT with bunnies....)



Little Highway was just a baby when he was found dumped on Dempster Street in Skokie, with a bad case of coccidia.  With time, loving care, and proper treatment he recovered, got his neuter, and now has a home of his own.

Swatch

Rolex

Swatch and Rolex have been Red Door buns from birth!  (Their mother Blossom was pregnant when she was rescued)   They have great homes now, but their brother Poke Chop will be ready for adoption soon.

Mr. Peppermint got to spend some quality time with Toni before finding his forever home.  Now this cuddly big boy is named Louie and he loves to tooth-purr for his new people.




Sir Paul was adopted by a single mom, and is really enjoying having the space to run and binky!  He's still a bit shy of his new people, but they are being patient with him and he should settle in just fine.

Congratulations to our latest Red Door Alumni!

I Do, I Do--As Long as My Dog (or Chicken) Is Invited

Of course, we already think of our pets as part of the family, so it is only natural that we would want to have them involved in our weddings. According to an article in the New York Times, more couples are including their dogs or cats in their weddings. One woman even talks of carrying her pet chicken, instead of a bouquet, down the aisle!

"We get asked about including dogs in weddings all the time," says Wendy DeCarlo-Young, dog trainer with Dog Obedience Group. DeCarlo-Young, who was named the best dog trainer in the city by Chicago Magazine in 2011, offers some tips for those thinking of including Fido:

First, be sure to check that the venue (church, hall, etc.) will allow a dog in the building, in the grounds, or in the ceremony.

"Then, it all comes down to the dog," she says. "Will the dog feel comfortable with all the people?" she asks. "It's best to have a handler for the dog, and to make that someone the dog is very familiar with. This takes all the pressure off of the bride and groom." It also allows someone to focus entirely on the dogs, she points out.

DeCarlo-Young suggests that that handler then be responsible for taking the dog home after the ceremony--unless, of course, the dog is allowed at the reception site.

 The next issue is training. "The dog should have basic skills," she says. "The worst thing would be to have an over-excited dog who would be jumping on people, knocking things over, or chewing flowers."

And then there is attire. If you are going to dress up your dog, DeCarlo-Young strongly suggests that you practice having the dog wear the special collar or bow tie long before the event.

Follow this advice and you can expect many happy returns!

Huey Is The Reason For The Season

At some point, most visitors to Red Door will come across Huey. Most people will exclaim how big Huey is, or will compliment him on his distinct Ocicat markings. Huey loves visitors, because having visitors means having people who will lavish him with attention...and the occasional treat if he can sneak one. This was Huey's 11th year at Red Door, and despite his numerous medical ailments, he's still going strong and is as goofy and playful as ever. While many people would say that Huey is lucky to have Red Door, the truth is, Red Door is lucky to have Huey. His spirit to overcome the odds stacked against him, his loving and generous nature, his affable personality are all great reminders to us all this holiday season to love the ones who love us unconditionally.

From all of the staff, volunteers, cats, rabbits, and dogs at Red Door, have a Happy Holiday, and a safe and Happy New Year.

The Marilyn Monroe of Cats

June is adopt a cat month, and it turned out to be a really great month for Luna. Her journey of finding that forever home was finally realized on Wednesday.
Luna was originally adopted from Red Door in 2001 as a kitten, with 3 other cats. A few months after adoption, her and two of the other cats were unceremoniosly left in a box outside the shelter. It was a very hot day, the box had no air holes, and no one knew how long they had been there. The cats were dirty, greasy, and matted. Needless to say, Luna got back on her paws, and quickly found a home again, this time for over 10 years.
Sadly, Luna was returned to the shelter again late last year, this time due to inappropriate elimination. It had been doing on for several years, and her adopter had tried everything in the book, had numerous medical tests done, and nothing seemed to work for poor Luna. It was with a heavy heart that her adopter brought her back.
Upon being readmitted to Red Door, we ran comprehensive tests to evaluate Luna's condition. She was also being treated for arthritis, pancreitis, and liver disease. When the xrays came back, they showed a tiny minute facture in one of her vertebrae. Dr. Gia at Animal 911 came to the conclusion that most likely everytime Luna went to make a bowel movement in the litterbox, that the squeezing of her abdominal muscles and intestines most likely put pressure on the vertebrae to make it painful, enough so that Luna associated the litterbox to be a painful place to be. Given her current medical conditions, and the fact that she had lived in a home for over 10 years and was now back at the shelter, Luna's outlook seemed gloomy, and it was speculated that her physical condition might continue to deteriorate quickly.
However, Luna pressed on and took her more than 6 medications each day like a pro. She definitely wasn't happy being at the shelter, but she would never give anyone the satisfaction of seeing her down in the dumps. Then one day, Luna's luck changed when a couple who had just lost their cat to illness came in looking to adopt again. It turns out they fell in love with two cats. After hearing Luna's situation, they decided to foster Luna for awhile to see how she would do in a new home. They fell in love with her of course, and this week they came in to finalize her adoption. They said they just couldn't imagine their lives without Luna, and they love her so much. As the adopters put it: "She's just so beautiful. She's like the Marilyn Monroe of cats!".
Some like it hot, and some just like to be loved.

Black Velvet

January was a great month for adoptions at Red Door. There were 9 cats adopted, and the biggest one of all was Velvet. For those who don't know, Velvet had been at Red Door for over 5 years. He was orignally living in a nursing home facility which then closed and Velvet had no where to go. Soon after coming to Red Door, Velvet was diagnosed with Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease and was prone to urinary blockages because of it. Once the problem was diagnosed, he was prescribed 2 different medications as well as prescription diet food.

Even though Velvet managed very well on his medications, had a very sweet & easy going personality, due to his special needs and age (7-10), he was constantly overlooked by potential adopters. Last winter a couple visited the shelter looking to adopt a pair of cats. They decided to foster Velvet to make sure he would be the right fit for them, and to be sure they would be able to manage his medications and special needs. Of course, they fell in love with Velvet, and could not envision their lives without him, and finalized his adoption in January. Velvet and his cute tounge-sticking-out antics will be missed by the staff and volunteers at Red Door, but of course it's most important that he found a great loving home to live his life with.