Hyde Park Cats is a volunteer network which has been operating since 2008. We are licensed in the State of Illinois, Department of Agriculture, as a Humane Society.
We began as a strictly TNR project, but have grown to include a robust intake-and-adoption program and various volunteer programs such as working with the South Side Animal Welfare League and reaching out to the community via various community events. We consult with local residents who have lost or found an animal or who are seeking help and advice on issues such as rehoming a pet.
We have developed some policies which area cat-caretakers need to be aware of in order to work with our organization. Please note that these are guidelines.
How we can help:
We can pay for TNR and help transport feral cats to the clinic. Our abilities to pay and to provide transport rest on our continued fundraising and volunteer abilities. We need and appreciate any donations and any help from community members! We can rent out traps and help consult on trapping projects.
We can pay for TNA (trap-neuter-adopt) for cats to adopted out by Hyde Park Cats and help transport those cats to the clinic. We carefully select our adopters and have an unconditional return policy.
We can place FeLV negative cats on our waiting list for foster homes. After placing cats in our foster homes. Hyde Park Cats is responsible for finding them an adoptive home and any ongoing medical care. Hyde Park Cats reserves the right to refuse adopting the cat to any individual.
We can help find homes for cats not in our foster homes by posting their adoption information on our blog, facebook and other websites. We can screen adopters for these cats or simply refer potential adopters directly to the original finder.
Intake policies:
Because of the small size of our organization and limited resources we do have the following intake policies:
> We do not place FeLV positive cats in our foster homes. We will not pay for veterinary care for FeLV+ cats. We will not TNR a cat who is FeLV+. All adult cats who come in under our auspices who are found to be FeLV+ are humanely euthanized. Kittens who test positive and are too young for a conclusive result are retested.
> We do not routinely euthanize for FIV or other specific veterinary issues, but we do euthanize on occasion after consultation and concurrent opinion of a veterinarian.
> Any cats who come into the Hyde Park Cats foster program must do so with the agreement of our intake/foster coordinator. The intake/foster coordinator must be responsible for placing any cats into one of our foster homes.
> We don't share personal (contact) information for our fosterers.
Hyde Park Cats has two main sources of revenue: donations and adoption fees. We do not pay anyone for their time, expertise, or labor. All monies received go directly back into our programs. Most of our money is spent on veterinary care. Because of this, we have a veterinary-care protocol. For example, we neuter and spay all cats at a low cost, neuter/spay clinic and not the local veterinarian. We ask that any medical care for a cat in our program be approved by our medical coordinator.
Although we attempt to help community members who are caring for cats, not all expenses incurred by community members can be covered or reimbursed.
