T.L.C. Paw Prints Spring Issue 2001
In Memoriam
Wish List
You Could Win a $500.00 Shopping Spree!
It's "Rafflemania", T.L.C's biggest fundraiser of the year, with 2 ways to win!
A chance for money, fun, jewelry and a romantic weekend! For just $1.00 you have a chance to win any of these great prizes:
1st prize: $500.00 shopping spree at Kohls donated by Margaret Blauw of Burr Ridge
2nd prize: A Suite night out! A night's stay at the Essence Suites donated by the Essence Suites of Orland Park and a $50.00 gift certificate to Mr. Benny's Steak and Lobster House donated by Beverly Ermler of Lockport
3rd Prize: Karaoke Machine donated by Frank Dunn of Lockport
4th prize: Fragrance Basket $165.00 value donated by Laura M. Palermo of Lockport
5th prize: Silver and amethyst pendant donated by Kathryn Ashe of Orland Park
6th prize: Diamond cut 14k Gold Bracelet donated by Kathryn Ashe of Orland Park
7th prize: 13" color television donated by Sandi & Parnell O'Brien of Lockport
8th prize: $100.00 Best Buy Gift Certificate donated by International Importers of Chicago
9th prize: $100.00 Best Buy Gift Certificate donated by Mark & Lorrie Cerkvenik of Mokena
10th prize: Cafe Amore Expresso/cappucino maker donated by Bonnie Pace of Palos Hills
11th prize: Cooks Combo! West Bend Bread Maker donated by Sal Maratto of Chicago and a Cooks basket of goodies donated by Mr. & Mrs. Chwierut of Palos Hills
12th prize: Sterling silver pendant with citrine stone donated by Kathleen Cannella of Bridgeview
13th prize: Navajo sterling silver pink mussel shell necklace donated by Kathleen Cannella of Bridgeview
14th prize: 4 rounds of golf at the Palos Hills Golf Club donated by Janice Augle of Oak Lawn
15th prize: Classic gumball machine and stand donated by Frank Dunn of Lockport
The chances are $1.00 each and every chance purchased will help the animals
The second way to win a great prize is by selling the most chances!
The 5 people selling the most chances will be awarded the following:
Top chance seller wins: 13" color television donated by Sandi & Parnell O'Brien of Lockport
2nd place wins: 3 month Power House Gym membership donated by Robyn Colant of Lemont
3rd Prize: Sung Perfume tray donated by Laura Palermo of Lockport
4th Prize: Navajo sterling silver, Malachite and mother of pearl lapis pendant donated by Kathleen Cannella of Bridgeview
5th Prize: $50.00 best Buy Gift certificate donated by Yvonne Harris of Fort Meyers FL
You need not be present to win!
lf you need chances please call the shelter at (708)301-1594 and we will be happy to send them out or you can stop by the shelter to pick some up. If mailing chances in please allow the post office a few days for delivery!
The Drawing is June 2nd at 4:00 P.M. All prizes will be awarded.
Hooray! The discrimination suit is finally over!
We knew you were anxiously waiting to hear what had transpired regarding the discrimination suit that was filed against T.L.C.. We didn't update you in the previous issue of Paw Prints, because things were coming to a head. We felt, if we spoke too soon, or were overly confident, the entire thing might blow up in our face.
But now we can rejoice and breathe a big sigh of relief! It was deemed by the Illinois Department of Human Resources that the plaintiff did not have a valid suit. It was also noted that if the plaintiff wanted to pursue this matter any further, he would have to hire his own attorney.
We are deeply grateful to Emmett Dunham, the lawyer who not only took our case, but did so Pro Bono. We don't know what we would have done without Emmett, and can never thank him enough for the great job he did, not only on behalf of the shelter, but for all the animals this ruling would affect.
We cannot stress how important this ruling was, not only for T.L.C., but for every humane society. We must maintain the right to safeguard the placement of animals at the shelter. Had the plaintiff won, and the shelter been stripped of this right, it would have dealt a terrible blow to animals everywhere. We are here to protect these animals, not be forced to put them back out on the street in a similar, or even worse situation than they came from.
Thankfully our prayers on behalf of animals everywhere have been answered. We also want to thank you for your words of encouragement and faith!
It Had to be Fate (A purrrrrfect story for Mother's day)
No one knew where the cat had come from, but it was apparent, she had given birth to kittens not that long ago. What might have happened to her kittens, nobody knew. The people that found the cat did everything in their power to try to find her owner, but each new search led them to a dead end. They told us she was a very nice cat, and if their circumstances were different, they would have kept her. Having so many pets already, they did not feel they could take on one more, so they brought her to the shelter, in hopes we could find her a home.
One look at the cat, and your heart went out to her. It seemed that she was still missing her kittens, and very bewildered in her new surroundings. A cat as gentle and loving as this one, definitely at one point in time belonged to someone - unfortunately, if she did have an owner, they certainly weren't bothering to look for her. The other possibility is that whoever had owned the cat had abandoned her without giving it a second thought. Her past no longer mattered, all that was important to us now was that the cat was safe, well fed, and resting comfortably at the shelter. Her story does not end here, though...
Just about an hour later, a man came in with a kitten so small it fit in the palm of his hand. The kitten could not have been more than 10 to 12 days old, since the eyes were just beginning to open. Although he was very tiny, we could tell it was a little boy with a good set of lungs! The man said had the kitten not been crying as loud as he did, he and his wife would never have discovered him. As he continued to tell us the sad tale, he kept the kitten cupped in the palm of his hand, trying to give the little guy some warmth and comfort. He mentioned how he and his wife worried that there were more kittens out there, and how they scoured every inch of the area, but there were no more to be found, nor was there any sign of the mother, just one helpless little kitten who had been left to die.
You might say it was fate, that these people found him, but the kitten's plight was far from over. The man said they would have loved to have kept him but unfortunately, they were not prepared to raise a kitten this young. The kitten needed to be bottle fed every few hours, and since they both worked they would not be there to give him all the feedings a kitten that young required. They entrusted the kitten to our care, hoping against hope, that we would be able to raise him.
Ok, so you are one jump ahead of me.... you're thinking why not put the kitten in with the mama cat? Sometimes what seems the simplest and most obvious solution just won't work. Not every nursing female cat will gingerly accept a foundling. In fact in some instances the female cat will attack and try to harm the kitten(s) you are trying to get her to accept. Caution must be used so the kitten does not get hurt.
We held our breath as we introduced the kitten to what we hoped would be his new "mom" for the first time. The female cat sniffed the kitten, and then began to lick it. She nuzzled the kitten gently and laid down to allow the kitten to nurse, and we all breathed a big sigh of relief. When the kitten's hunger was satisfied, the cat drew the kitten even closer to her, and put her head down beside his, as they both drifted off into a contented sleep. If you didn't know what had transpired, you would say that this was just another mama cat and her kitten.
The only damper to this whole scenario is that we knew these two would eventually be separated - it isn't often someone adopts two pets at a time. The bond between these two had grown so strong, we really hated to have to separate them if we didn't have to. But once again fate intervened. An extremely nice woman came to the shelter in hopes of adopting a cat. She had looked at all the animals that were up for adoption, and had spied the cat and kitten. We were surprized at first when the woman asked if it would be possible for her to adopt the pair. We looked at one another and smiled. Almost in unison, we answered YES! She had met all the adoption requirements when we first had spoken to her, she had the time, space, and a whole lot of love to give them - the situation was absolutely purrrrfect!
One final note: we received verification from the vet that mama cat has been spayed, and the kitten is going in to be neutered in the very near future.
Is Your Cat a Floozie?
Do you "let the cat out"? Does she occasionally get overly affectionate and roll seductively? Does she hang out with an undesirable lot of feisty aggressive males who yowl and hiss and fight through the wee hours? Does she disappear for long periods of time and come back with a suspicious smirk on her face? Is she spayed?
Were your answers Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! and No! Then you are the owner of a feline floozie. A dubious distinction indeed, for her, and for you. Why? Because cats breed like rabbits, that's why. An uncontrolled mating pair will have on the average 12 kittens in a year, then those kittens grow up, reproduce and those numbers climb to 66 kittens in 2 years, and 382 kittens in 3 years, then 2,000 kittens in 4 years, 73,000 kittens in 7 years, and are you sitting (gasp) 8,000,000 kittens in 10 years! Need I go on?
Result? Inevitable suffering for millions of our friendly, fluffy friends. Homelessness, starvation, disease and death from cars, larger animals, pranksters and more. You can help stop these generations of suffering. Have your female cat spayed, and your male neutered (remember, it takes two to tango). And you can once again hold your head up high, when you walk through your neighborhood.
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