Ready to 'Fall in Love with a Feline'? Orphans of the Storm Hosts Ongoing Open House
Community residents, cat owners and cat lovers alike, are invited to visit Orphans of the Storm Animal Shelter during the next few weeks to help alleviate the largest animal hoarding case seen in the area in years.
No appointments are necessary, and all cats can be seen on the website: https://orphansofthestorm.org/cats. Orphans of the Storm of the Storm (OOTS) is located at 2200 Riverwoods Road, Riverwoods, IL. Phone: 847-945-0235.
"We were contacted by our partners at Lake County Animal Care & Control, who had assisted Winthrop Harbor Police Department with an animal hoarding situation.
"Sixteen dogs and seventy-six cats were impounded," said Rick Alexander, Director, Orphans of the Storm.
"The house has been red-tagged and deemed uninhabitable. It is our understanding that Winthrop Harbor Police Department is pursuing animal cruelty/neglect charges."
The ongoing open house, "Ready to Fall in Love with a Feline", starts on Wednesday, Nov. 9 and will continue through the following two weeks up until Thanksgiving.
The idea is to keep moving cats into homes to free up more shelter space for the remaining cats still being held at animal control.
What you need to know about the beautiful and healthy cats ready for adoption
Alexander responded to several questions to help community residents understand more about the cats ready for adoption and the process involved.
How many cats are available for adoption and are the resources in place to support them?
We have so far taken into the shelter 40 of the cats and will take 25 more this week. Community donations and support have contributed massively, allowing us to treat these cats and give them the medical attention and preventatives necessary to get them healthy and ready for new lives.
A few other rescues have stepped in to assist with the remaining dogs and cats, so all animals are safe.
How are the cats evaluated to ensure they are ready for adoption?
Each cat is individually treated and assessed by the shelter team and qualified veterinarians. They were treated for ailments including fleas, ear mites, malnutrition, and upper respiratory infections.
Each cat is given a full body health exam, spayed, or neutered, and given updated vaccinations as well as preventatives (worming, flea, and tick treatments).
Fecal tests are done to ensure no parasites remain, the cats are fed a gentle stomach diet as their dietary needs are addressed, and they are also given much-deserved love and enrichment from our volunteers and staff to measure sociability and temperament.
Can folks just walk into the shelter, meet with a staff member, and engage with the cats?
Interested adopters will be encouraged to visit the shelter in person where they can meet all the cats in our open cat house, where staff and volunteers will answer questions and assist in finding the "purrfect' match. Cats will be able to go home the same day of adoption to their new homes.
Animal Hoarding: A National Challenge
Sandy De Lisle, Head of Development and Community Engagement, OOTS, worked for the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) for nine years before joining Orphans of the Storm.
"I'm familiar with animal hoarding cases. I was part of the ASPCA's largest-ever animal adoption event where we found homes for more than 500 dogs and cats from an institutional hoarding case in one weekend."
"Knowing how the public rallies to help in these situations, I am hopeful that our amazing community will rise to the occasion and provide loving homes to these cats in need," De Lisle added.
For more information about that particular case: https://www.aspca.org/news/every-single-animal-adopted-event-leads-500-adoptions-one-weekend
For more information about hoarding and what to do if you suspect hoarding, visit: https://www.aspca.org/helping-people-pets/animal-hoarding
Contact: Rick Alexander, Director, OOTS Animal Shelter. Phone: 847-945-0235. Orphans of the Storm, 2200 Riverwoods Road, Riverwoods, IL Email: rick@orphansofthestorm.org.
Visit the cats ready for adoption at: https://orphansofthestorm.org/cats