Independent CAT SOCIETY

In late 1976, several cat lovers in Beverly Shores, Indiana, met to discuss the possibility of opening a no-kill cat shelter in their area. Two of the people had volunteered at a local shelter and were of the opinion that more attention was paid to the dogs and the adoption of dogs. There was also a serious problem of cats being abandoned in the beach community of Beverly Shores. Their intention was to form a society which would be dedicated to rescuing abandoned and abused cats, give these animals the best affordable medical care, including neutering, and house these animals in a cageless, no-kill shelter with pleasant, clean surroundings and caring personnel. The cats were to be adopted into good homes. If its adopter could no longer care for the adopted cat, it was to be returned to the shelter. Cats would not be euthanized unless recommended by a veterinarian or if the cat was hopelessly ill or injured.

In March 1977, the Independent Cat Society, Inc. was chartered in the state of Indiana. Why the name “Independent Cat Society?” It was chosen to show that the organization was not affiliated with any other humane society, animal shelter, cat organization, or with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Membership grew rapidly and members’ meetings were held monthly. A search began for suitable property to rent or lease for a shelter. During that year and into 1978, all rescued cats were kept in and adopted out of foster homes. In June 1979, the first ICS shelter opened at Harrison and Maple Streets in Michigan City in leased space in the old streetcar barn not far from the center of the city. The shelter consisted of two rooms at street level and two rooms on the second floor connected by a staircase. It housed approximately 35 cats. The cats and kittens were kept in good-sized pens and were only caged for observation when they first arrived, or if ill. Four Michigan City veterinarians and a Porter veterinarian agreed to participate in the spay/neuter program and the general medical care of the cats. The shelter operated smoothly with all volunteer help and was kept open with intensive fundraising, growing membership dues and donations. ICS was given excellent media coverage in northwest Indiana.

The building in which the shelter was located also housed other businesses and on a Saturday afternoon in June 1979, a fire started in one section of the building. Smoldering stacks of newspapers being stored for a paper drive caused the fire. The papers had come into contact with an exposed electrical wire. Two small boys ran into the shelter to tell the volunteer on duty that the building was burning. Fire engines and equipment were soon on the scene and the rescue of the cats began. The family of an ICS member who lived only a few blocks from the shelter raced over and, with the help fire personnel, got all but two of the cats out of the smoke-filled building. Those two cats had hidden themselves and they died of smoke inhalation. Two other cats were burned and escaped, but were trapped a few days later.

All rescued cats were then housed in a garage. Word went out via newspapers, radio, and local TV that foster homes were needed for all of these cats and many of them were placed within a few days. ICS proceeded to operate out of a trailer placed in front of the closed building. The trailer served as an office and shop for several months while the search for new quarters went on. In late summer of 1979, the president of ICS purchased an old cabin-type roadside motel. It was located on the outskirts of Michigan City on four acres of land. ICS agreed to lease the motel, the zoning permit was obtained, and volunteers descended upon the buildings to repair and renovate, clean and paint – no small task. Fundraising continued to support the cost of all of this work and for materials and supplies. Membership grew and donations poured in. The shelter fire had received national media coverage and contributions came from across the county. The motel buildings soon housed 100 cats. A small separate cabin on the grounds, which had been a caretaker’s cottage, was used for kittens. This isolated them from the adult cats in the other buildings. In late December 1980, ICS did not renew the lease on the motel due to disagreements over finances. Space was rented on the top floor of a three-story building in the northern section of Michigan City. This was the historic Pullman Building. The building was not in top condition, but the rooms on the top floor which totaled 2,500 square feet, were large and airy with windows all around. The building had once served as the office building for the factories, which were located to the north. The original complex had been built in the early 1900s. The walls were thick and the building was cool and breezy in the summer. A trucking firm occupied the first floor, along with a gospel church. The second floor housed a dance school and an artist’s studio. ICS cats enjoyed the wafting strains of both “Swan Lake” and church spirituals.

Again, a crew of hard-working volunteers spent many hours converting form e r office to cat quart e rs by cleaning and painting, building isolation pens, perches and climbing trees. The gift shop, located on the first floor of the building, sold books, cards, t- shirts, artwork, crafts, cat supplies and cat litter. ICS was at that time a distributor for a very fine cat litter, Nicky, which was used almost exclusively in the shelter. The litter was stored on the first floor and no better exercise could be had than carrying 50-pound bags of litter up three flights of stairs ! As before, the shelter depended upon membership dues, donations and fundraising events such as bike-a-thons, auctions, rummage sales, bake sales, raffles, ice cream socials, and participating in local craft fairs and cat shows. Two Open Houses were held each year at the shelter: in the spring to celebrate “Adopt-a-Cat” month and a Holiday Bazaar in late November. Because the shelter was so large, part-time cleaning help was hired, but a great deal of the work was still done by volunteers. A cat care committee worked diligently to maintain the health of the cats and kittens with the help of veterinarians who visited the shelter on a rotating basis, donating their time and expertise.

When ICS moved into the Pullman Building, it was with the knowledge that we would not be there indefinitely, as it was known that the property would one day be sold for development. At that time it was rumored that condominiums were to be built on the land north of the building. In 1983 a building fund was started so that ICS could eventually purchase property and build a shelter. In the autumn of 1986, the building we were in as well as the adjoining factory building and all land north to Highway 12 was sold to developers. This was to become “Lighthouse Place,” a large outlet shopping mall. The new owners of the property decided that the Pullman Building would be too expensive to heat for the coming winter, so ICS was told in October that it must vacate the premises by mid-November. It was short notice, to say the least. There was an empty house, in poor condition, across the street from the Pullman Building. ICS, in a desperate mov e , obtained a zoning permit to occupy the house as a shelter, at least for the winter. But it was soon discovered that the cost of totally replacing the electrical system in the house, along with other repairs, would be prohibitive and the idea of occupying the house was abandoned. The heat in the Pullman Building was to be turned off at the end of October. The developers at a local business employed one of the Board of Directors and through her efforts ICS was allowed to stay in the building through our Holiday Open House, which was the last weekend in November. A call went out, via local media, for heaters and blankets. The shelter was inundated with warm blankets and space heaters donated by concerned animal lovers.

The Open House was held a week earlier than scheduled and 23 cats were adopted and 90 placed in foster homes. That same weekend another board member received a call from a local bank president who had always been very supportive of ICS. He offered a building in Pines Township, Porter County, and adjacent to Michigan City. The Bank had recently foreclosed on the property, which consisted of two pole barn buildings that were connected on 21⁄2 acres of wooded land. One of the buildings contained a two-story apartment with kitchen and bath. The other was very spacious and could be converted to a roomy shelter with remodeling of the interior. The board members made a quick visit to the property and voted a resounding “yes” to occupying it immediately. A week was spent cleaning the grounds of mounds of garbage and painting and cleaning the apartment. Volunteers did all of this. Necessary repairs were made to the heating system and the septic system. More work would have to be done on the septic field if zoning permitted us to stay.

On the last weekend of November 1986, with the help of many ICS members and supporters along with the regular volunteers, all remaining 94 cats were moved out of the Pullman Building to the building in Pines, along with some furnishings. The balance of the belongings was stored.

Plans were drawn up to remodel the large pole barn building. Because the property was situated in a rural area, no problem was anticipated with obtaining a zoning permit from the county as local residents kept horses, hounds, chickens, ducks, geese and peacocks. But, that was not to be. Two zoning hearings were held in Valparaiso in January and February 1987. Both of these meetings were extremely heated with ranting and raving by a few of the area residents. Apparently the majority of them strongly objected to an animal shelter being located in their neighborhood. The hearings were given a great deal of coverage by the local newspapers. The vote of the zoning board was close: 3 to 2 against us. ICS would have to move by April 12, 1987. The only positive that came out of the meetings was praise by the zoning board for the professionalism of the ICS presentation.

In April, cats were again placed in foster homes and a generous offer was made to ICS by Arbor View Animal Hospital in Valparaiso for the use of part of a building located behind the clinic. This location served as a temporary shelter as the search went on for more permanent quarters. The section ICS moved into had an outdoor run, which allowed some of the cats fresh air and sunlight. Renovations were made, again by volunteers, and the cats moved in. The Building Fund, which had been started in 1983, now had enough money in it for a down payment on land and/or a building.

In 1989 the property on which the shelter now stands was found. It is three acres of wooded land on the Porter/La Porte County Line Road on Highway 6 just into Westville, Indiana. Zoning hearings were held, the zoning was approved, the property was purchased and construction began on a pole barn building. That building was completed in early 1991, again with volunteers doing all of the finishing touches on the interior. The cats were moved in during the spring of 1991. An old farmhouse had stood on the property, but was beyond renovation and was torn down. A two-car garage in good condition was remodeled and became the “Paws Awhile” Gift Shop. A drive was held, Building Fund II, for a much-needed Isolation Building which would house kittens, newly arrived cats and an office.

ICS continued to be operated primarily by volunteers with part-time employees hired for cleaning the shelter and feeding the cats. A volunteer Cat Care Committee was responsible for medicating and maintaining medical records. Thirteen northwest Indiana veterinarians worked with ICS in the spay/neuter program and an associate veterinarian visited weekly. ICS had participated in the American Humane Association Early Spay/Neuter Program since the fall of 1991, so most of the cats were tattooed with an AHA assigned logo and an ICS identification number. Financial support for the operation of the shelter and the care of the cats continued to be derived from membership dues, donations, pledges, fundraising, bequests, and, in December 1996, a grant was received from the International Fund for Animal Welfare. With the continued support of members, contributors, and local veterinarians and the dedication of volunteers, ICS continued to strive for the best care it could give the cats that came to the shelter and to adopt them out into responsible and caring homes.

By Jean Gerometta, May 1997

2026 and Beyond

Today, we are proud to be able to continue carrying out the dream of those cat lovers almost 50 years ago. The shelter and our activities stand as a legacy to those tremendous, hardworking, caring volunteers who came before us. All of this wouldn't be possible without our volunteers, staff, donors, and friends who bring their support and dedication from miles around. Our reach goes well beyond LaPorte County today, and we are very fortunate to have been able to provide thousands of cats over the years with shelter, medical care, and new forever families.

As the year goes on, please look for this logo on our materials, social media, and around the shelter, and stay tuned for more information about our 50th anniversary celebration, planned for May 1, 2027 at Purdue University Northwest in Westville. Mark your calendars - you won't want to miss it!