Make a cat happy this holiday season. Please.Get that special Santa photo of Rex or Fifi at PetSmart in Joliet then head over to the Petco in Shorewood for a plateful of home-baked treats. All proceeds benefit COPE Animal Rescue.
If you don’t have a cat, COPE can provide one through its adoption program. After completing a preliminary questionnaire, each member of the prospective family meets the cat.
“We want to see how everyone acts around the animal, to be sure they can take care of it and that there are no allergies,” said Joe Bertoglio, vice president of the rescue group. “People might not be allergic to another cat at home, until they get one with a different type of dander. Six months later, they’re bringing back the cat.”
Founded in 2003, the Joliet-based no-kill, all-volunteer, not-for-profit animal shelter is committed to rescuing abandoned and/or injured pets and finding them permanent homes. To assist this effort, COPE has five humanitarian abuse investigators.
Signs of trouble
Symptoms of animal neglect and/or abuse include emaciated appearance, a matted coat, prolonged periods outside, elongated nails, mange and ticks, limping, cowering and being inappropriately tethered
COPE also spays and neuters as many stray cats as possible by providing humane trap loans and a list of veterinarians that perform low-cost, feral sterilizations. Recently, a 21-cat feral colony in the Joliet area underwent mass spaying and neutering. COPE also assists those who care for colonies of non-feral cats.
“We try to hold down the population of these cats,” Bertoglio said. “Cats have three litters a year. If half survive, in two years you could have 20 or 30 cats running around. But if you get a colony spayed and neutered, it will die off within four years. That’s where the compassionate care comes in. Without caretakers, feral cats would be quickly euthanized.”
COPE volunteers remove non-feral strays from the streets and into COPE’s adoption program.
Feral cats are not eligible. Even if they allow people near enough to capture them, these cats generally do not adapt well to domestic life. Feral cats may strike if cornered. Conversely, cats that have lived as family pets do poorly when abandoned.
“People dump cats thinking they will go kill mice and snakes, but that’s not the truth. They will starve to death out there,” Bertoglio said. “There have been so many people who have left cats behind in foreclosed homes that we’ve gotten calls from banks.”
Wish list
COPE’s biggest need is donations. Bake sales generally net only $800. A veterinarian bill quickly gobbled up a $9,000 grant. Frequently seen medical challenges include older cats with rotted teeth or gum disease. Other cats have broken legs or injuries due to automobile accidents.
“A lot of people use cats for target practice,” Bertoglio said. “We’ve had quite a few brought in here full of pellets.”
The shelter’s ultimate goals are to begin and operate a cage-free, no-kill shelter for cats in the Will/Grundy counties area, start a dog shelter and then create a sanctuary to help additional needy animals.
While this may sound impossible, the proposed shelter has already received an anonymous donation of $25,000 and the installation of a 50 percent matching grant agreement up to $100,000.
In addition to individual donations, volunteers have worked hard to raise money through mum sales, garage sales, poker runs, pet magnet sales and raffles.
For more information or to help, contact COPE at 815-773-4340 or visit www.coperescue.org.
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