Cats in the Wild

She looks like a very tough cat, doesn't she?
Actually, Coal is a very gentle female cat.  She loves to have her ears rubbed and no matter how hungry, she will do a funny little dance as she moves back and forth to make sure she takes advantage of every time we pet her neck and back.  The reason she looks so angry here is because she was on approximately day 18 of a 20- to 25-day stretch of temperatures ranging from 15 below to 10 degrees above zero with wind chills sometimes at 37-45 degrees below zero.  On this particular day, the wind chill was -36 degrees.  She was shivering and almost too tired to move.  Had not eaten probably since the 24 hours earlier when we were there to feed her.  She had spent most of her time in a plastic garbage can on its side with straw in it which was hard from frozen snow that had drifted inside.  The lid had fallen off and she had been at the back trying to get out of the wind.
If there is anyone out there interested, I believe Coal would make a great pet and housecat.  Her brother, Cliff, has already been rescued and adopted out.  He is living happily in Savoy, Illinois.  Here are some more photos of Coal on that very cold day.

She meows so softly here and raises her paw as the snow is so cold it burns the pads on her paws.    In the right photo, she eats the chunk canned food we feed them with a little extra water added.  They seem to prefer ground canned foods, but it freezes so quickly that they cannot eat it as easily as the chunks.  As they eat, the moist food freezes on their whiskers in a very short time.

Coal cleans up after eating one large can of food and 1/2 cup of dry food.   
The cats in the colony tend to eat anything you give them as they usually
eat only once a day.  It all stays down, too, as they have adjusted to eating
large quantities all at once in order to survive.   

She tells us "goodbye" in her own way.  She is a very vocal little girl.  
Unless she has been frightened by something or is very cold, she always
expresses her happiness at seeing us, has a few "words" here and there as 
we go about feeding her, and usually follows us as far as she can and not feel threatened by others and then often speaks to us as we walk off.  Always a 
feeling of guilt that we have not the funds or space to take her out of her 
harsh environment.  

PLEASE SPAY/NEUTER YOUR PETS so there will be fewer cats/kittens
like Coal suffering through incredibly bad conditions daily.

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This page will feature photos and brief stories about cats still living in the wild.  Reaching the area where this colony lives requires me to drive ten to fifteen minutes each way.  I wish this colony was closer to my home so that I could work with them more often.  Colony cats are fed each day with me sometimes going to the area twice daily if time permits.   If any of the cats show signs of distress physically, I attempt to help them with medication if possible.  If their injury is very serious, capture and veterinary care if they cooperate.  This is not always possible as many of the older cats resist capture, even with a safe trap.  I have watched with much frustration as cats beautiful both physically and in disposition waste away from an injury.  It angers me that they do not realize my desire to help them in a situation such as this and that I am unable to do more.  I can imagine their fear, however, as even the cats who reside in my home resist being caged to go for veterinary visits, etc. 

Whenever a foster home or a permanent home can be found, I attempt the capture/socialization/ placement of cats from this colony.  More information on this as well as photos of cats currently available for adoption as work on this web page progresses.  With a few exceptions, most any cat featured on this page could be captured and socialized.  All that have been captured and placed into homes have become wonderful, loving pets.  Anyone interested in adopting or fostering cats on the adoption page or any shown here should contact me.  I will attempt to answer any questions.  If funding permits in the future, I will also consider the spay/neuter/ release program which is discussed below.

Individuals adopting cats from FLUFFY Cat Rescue get an added bonus of one free week of pet sitting per year, one visit daily.  Obviously this pet sitting bonus can be offered only to residents of our immediate area in Champaign, Urbana and Savoy, Illinois.  

Betsy -- also very gentle, very sweet.  
Not too fond of cameras, but loves our attention.