Please enjoy this letter from ICS about Pierce and the other wonderful cats in our care.  Click here to read!

Recently, our members and those on our mailing list received a letter featuring sweet Katniss, who was recently rescued by a very intrepid and dedicated ICS volunteer. If you missed this wonderful letter about all of our ICS cats and the help that they need to stay healthy and safe, please click below to download it in Adobe PDF format. We would also encourage you to share this letter with others! Remember, as Freud once said, "Time spent with cats is never wasted," and we believe that if you are able to share some time with a cat in need, the kindness you show will come back to you tenfold. 

July 2012 letter featuring Katniss and all of our wonderful cats who have received kindess and help (Adobe PDF download)

No adorable kittens in this letter like the McKitties, so we hope nobody is disappointed.  Instead, may we present our esteemed elder statesman, Boy George? At almost 18, he is the oldest cat in the shelter. Boy George’s formerly bright eyes are cloudy and his vibrant orange coat has faded to a soft gold, but he is still quite the character.  Far from retiring and taking it easy, Boy George can almost always be found at the desk, greeting visitors as well as assisting with any paperwork.  He’ll inspect all food, too.  Above all, Boy George spends his days doling out endless doses of love to anybody close enough for a head butt.

So why Boy George?  Because he is a perfect example of the lifelong commitment ICS makes to each and every one of our cats. Boy George has been adopted and returned three times for various reasons throughout his life, but he is our cat and will always have a home at ICS.  An ICS cat is ours forever, no matter what.

Dear ICS Family,

McCrisis! Days before Thanksgiving, we were told of a tiny cat family living in the drainage ditch by the McDonald’s drive-through in Portage. Although an unwelcoming spot, a mom and kittens had been living there, waiting each day for the cover of dark to hunt for food. Alternately hiding and showing up for whatever anyone would toss their way, mom cat and her kittens were truly in danger. McDonald’s employees told us that try as they might, they could not get near the little ones without having them dart off into the darkness.
Big Mac, Ronald, Nugget, Mama McFlurry

After talking to McDonalds’ managers, ICS developed a plan to rescue all. It took several nights of monitoring a feeding station and sitting watchfully in the cold. We saw that each time Mom would come to the food first; then, as if by magic, each tiny kitten would appear by her side, each from a different direction. One came from the dumpster,
Cookie one from a tree, one from the water-and-ice-filled ditch. Under the security lights of the busy parking lot, the shadows of this little family made us vow that whatever it took, nights of watching and waiting, we had to help. The Tuesday night before Thanksgiving, we set covered traps with tuna, then gave our best meow impressions. We waited out of sight. Mom sniffed, but did not go into the humane trap. Kitten number one cautiously approached. The smell of the tuna proved to be too much for this little guy, later named Big Mac: he walked right in and the trap door snapped shut, assuring he would be safe. The other two kittens followed their brother, but Mom was still very wary. Eventually, the smell of tuna and the lure of her kittens tempted Mom into the trap. Success! On that cold winter night, just one day before the celebration of Thanksgiving, with the McDonalds crew we celebrated the safety of the little ones.

Monday December 27th, 2010

Beautiflul orange CURLEY patiently waits... He observes each visitor and hopes this time he will get himself noticed. He sits and quietly wishes that someone will pay attention to him whenever people come into the room. He is not pushy or sassy but has begun to wonder why no one picks him. He has been at ICS since July of 2007. He has seen many other cats come and go and yet he is always overlooked. Curley is warm and loving, and is a big lap kitty who loves to cuddle.

This beautiful long-haired, brown tabby was abandoned last fall with this note: "My name is CUDDLES. I'm 7 years old, fixed, and front declawed. My family can't take care of me anymore in these hard times. Please find me a good home." While Cuddles has a safe haven in her room at the shelter, she would love her own lap to sit on every day. Getting used to the shelter has been difficult, and while Cuddles is getting friendlier, she would really blossom in a home of her own.