Indy Neighborhood Cats

Booker is officially up for adoption! If you have a special place in your heart and home for a senior kitty, Booker would love to meet you. Read his story. Booker is a special soul. Thanks to Hotel Bravo for giving Booker a safe place to heal.

Mr. Booker was surely an old Kung Fu master in a past life who has assumed the form of a handsome urban panther in order to continue his mission; assisting human-kind with everything from the mundane to the magical. He’s wise beyond his years, confident, slightly salty, and quick to share his thoughts using a well-developed vocabulary. His raspy old man voice creates an astonishing array of exotic sound effects which he uses for both praise and appraisal. If he sees anything out of order or someone violates his ‘no fly’ zone (his personal space bubble), he’ll speak his piece for sure. And not only does Booker have a white spot on his chest that often makes it look as if he has a long white goatee, but he also has a white crescent moon on his belly very similar to the markings on an Asian Black Bear. 🌙😸
Booker spent his whole life indoors with his one human, an elderly gentleman, who lived a solitary life with his cats until he recently passed away. During the ensuing confusion, Mr. Booker escaped outdoors, and he spent a full month outside in an area inhabited by coyote before he was finally (and quite miraculously) trapped and secured by volunteers from Indy Neighborhood Cats. He was incredibly stressed and confused from the ordeal, and he’d lost some weight, but was otherwise in decent physical shape. Since being here at Hotel Bravo, he’s gotten a clean bill of health from the vet, put on a few pounds, and has had time to process his experience and deal with the grief of losing his best pal and his home. Booker has a lot of love to give to someone willing to be his special person and give him time to adjust to his new life. In exchange for a safe home and your friendship, he’ll happily share his sage wisdom and offer his ‘sound’ advice any time the need arises. ❤😺
For Mr. Booker’s full bio (including a photo of his belly ✨🌙) or to fill out an adoption application, please visit our website at 👇 https://www.hotelbravosanctuary.com/adopt

Are you making your own shelters for winter? Here is another affordable product that provides insulation without bulk.

https://www.amazon.com/Reflective-Insulation-Poly-Air-Radiant-Weatherproof/dp/B0C15RHRBB

You can line this in between two totes, along with straw. You can also line the inside of the shelter with this material and add straw. Heat will reflect back to the cats and provide extra protection. Use duct tape to piece it together.

Great tips for preserving water in the winter.
While we highly suggest not using metal bowls, this is a great idea. Indy Neighborhood Cats does have smaller coolers not suitable for shelters if caretakers would like some for water stations. They are available Sundays at FIDO. Our remaining schedule can be found at: https://www.indyneighborhoodcats.org/outdoor-shelters/

Struggling to keep water from freezing without a heated bowl? Here are some things you can do:
✔️ Regularly refill with warm water.
✔️ Add a pinch of sugar to prevent freezing.
✔️ Place the bowl in sunlight, shielded from wind.
✔️ Use hand warmers or microwavable pads underneath.
✔️ Opt for plastic, thick-walled bowls (like Tupperware).
✔️ Choose a deep, narrow bowl; they freeze slower.
✔️ Pick a dark bowl for sun-absorption.
✔️ Sink the bowl into a styrofoam box for insulation.
🏓 Float a few ping pong balls in the water to slow freezing.
📦 Check with your doctor's office, vet, or pharmacy for smaller vaccine boxes.

Thanks for your efforts for the kitties, especially in this chilly weather! 🐾❄️

Indy Neighborhood Cats is back at Indianapolis Animal Care Services today from 10am to 2pm. Supplies are now limited. First come, first served. Limit 2 shelters.
We will be at FIDO Warehouse Sunday from 12p-3p.
For more dates, locations and times, see the graphic or go to our website.
https://www.indyneighborhoodcats.org/outdoor-shelters/

We have had many calls from Indianapolis residents who are using their own traps. This is AMAZING news. We need everyone participating in trap-neuter-return. However, this time of year it is critical to have a plan and make sure you are taking special considerations for the temperatures. It is better to be safe, than sorry.
1. Make a PLAN. This is critical any time of the year. Especially during cold weather. Remember, it is illegal to trap in Marion County when temperatures fall below 20 degrees F.
2. Consider the weather forecast while trapping AND when you plan to return the cat to their outdoor home.
3. Make the trap comfortable and prevent freezing paws. Place cardboard under the trap and use extra newspaper to line the trap. Puppy pads ball up and will leave the cats paws exposed to cold metal. Newspaper folded up is the best way to line a trap.
4. NEVER ever leave a trap unattended. Cats are exposed and vulnerable in a trap. If you can't sit and watch the trap, do not set the trap. Remember to cover the trap immediately and get the cat into temperature controlled room and off the cold floor.
5. Use the right bait. Oil based canned proteins are great. If you warm the can like a baby bottle, the aroma will be stronger.

When in doubt, ask! This goes back to making a plan.

Giving Tuesday $10,000 matching donation challenge presented and accepted that challenge and brought their A game!
As of this evening, we have a total of $11,058. For a total of $21,058 raised. This is going to help fill the gap this winter and allow Indy Neighborhood Cats to keep the TNR wheels rolling when weather permits. Thank you for helping the cats that call our neighborhoods home. While we met this challenge, there are more cats out in our neighborhoods than ever before. This fundraiser will continue for another week. If you did not get a chance to donate today, please keep giving. It is money well spent. Thank you from all of us at INC.

It is not always about trapping a cat! This summer, a mama cat gave birth in a vacant apartment on the east side. Jef, from American Bombshell knew he had to get help. She had just delivered and they were beginning renovations. Indy Neighborhood Cats field team mobilized. Thanks to strong partnerships, our friends at IndyHumane took in this little family. Everyone was adopted and found forever homes. The kittens had been born hours before Jef arrived, mama was locked inside. Who knows what would have happened if Jef and his team did not know who to call. So many situations happen just like this with less favorable outcomes. When you donate to Indy Neighborhood Cats, you are helping us with resources to assist in situations like this, so our city animal care officers can continue their work. We are all

is 85% of the way to meeting the $10,000 matching donation challenge!
$1,648 dollars is all that is needed to make Giving Tuesday magic for the cats who call our neighborhoods home.
Remember, 2024 brings price increases for medical and Spay/Neuter funding. So let's make sure your donations are MAXIMIZED. 90% of the donations we have received today have been under $50.00 No donation amount is too great or two small. Every dollar is matched up to $10,000
Time for to rally.
You can donate through our Facebook Fundraiser, or PayPal Giving Fund Online. Or you can mail a check to us!
You can donate through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/donate/888855439255973/696363079263308
Or with no fees through our PayPal Giving Fund: paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/3652517
Mailing Address: Please mark your donation for Giving Tuesday and let us know it is on it's way!!
Indy Neighborhood Cats
6929 E 10th St. #143
Indianapolis IN 46219

WOW is coming out in force! Thanks to you, we just need another $3,995 to reach our matching goal!

Why donate to Indy Neighborhood Cats? Let's talk about the numbers. We still have one month to go before the end of the year.

1,992 cats have been trapped, fixed, vaccinated and returned to their homes this year. We utilize multiple clinics and have programs to help people who can help themselves but need help with appointments or paying for surgery. We also have our field team. They are out every week working cases for those who cannot help themselves. Their faces are all over our cover photo.

252 cats have received medical care that was not at the time of their spay/neuter. Many of these were surgeries such as dental extractions, eye surgery to repair entropion, treatment for URI's, UTI's, pyometra, hernias, and so much more. These cats never had to enter our already over taxed sheltering system.

1400 warm winter shelters have been picked up, cut and stuffed and handed out to residents all over central Indiana. We are just at the tail end of fall!

We have an intake team of volunteers that enter forms for assistance, give people information on how they can help themselves, get cats on our waitlist and return calls. This was the first year we had an amazing group of volunteers answering the call, quite literally.

We are grass roots, boots on the ground, helping in our communities every day. We need your help!

You can donate through our Facebook Fundraiser, or PayPal Giving Fund Online. Or you can mail a check to us!
You can donate through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/donate/888855439255973/696363079263308
Or with no fees through our PayPal Giving Fund: paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/3652517
Mailing Address:
Indy Neighborhood Cats
6929 E 10th St. #143
Indianapolis IN 46219

Indy Neighborhood Cats got a call about a cat named Big Daddy. He was in pretty rough shape. Male cats live solitary lives of fighting others for territory and females, and being on the hunt for breeding females. Big Daddy had some war stories and they told that story all over his body. He got fixed but needed additional dental surgery and had a condition called entropion. This is where the eyelids are growing inside. Big Daddy got all fixed up and we got a picture of Big Daddy after a neuter, dental extractions and entropion surgery. What a difference. Big Daddy is living his best life. He has a shiny coat and he is no longer roaming, fighting, and making more kittens.

Your support has helped over 250 cats get medical surgeries and care vital to improving their lives. Cats like Big Daddy, who have no owner. help us help more cats like Big Daddy through a generous donation. We have a $10,000 match for every dollar you donate this Giving Tuesday.

You can donate through our Facebook Fundraiser, or PayPal Giving Fund Online. Or you can mail a check to us!
You can donate through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/donate/888855439255973/696363079263308
Or with no fees through our PayPal Giving Fund: paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/3652517
Mailing Address:
Indy Neighborhood Cats
6929 E 10th St. #143
Indianapolis IN 46219

Have you missed winter shelter pickup and need some DIY ideas? Here are some shelter and feeding station tips. You can download this from the Indy Neighborhood Cats website at:
https://www.indyneighborhoodcats.org/winter-shelter-tips/

More tips:
Change water bowls to deep dark bowls. Silicone is great, ice pops right out.
When you pop ice out of bowls, do it far away from the shelters and feeding stations. Ice will melt and cause issues in the areas that need to stay dry.
Put a teaspoon of table sugar in water to delay freezing
Place ping pong balls in water dishes to keep the surface of water moving. This also delays freezing.
Feed at the warmest part of the day, if possible. Feed just enough for the cats to eat and go back to their shelters. Do not over feed and attract predators to their colony area.
Never mix wet and dry food in the coldest parts of winter. Wet food freezes fast and cats will not be able to eat it.
Place food and water in feeding stations to protect from wind and delay freezing.
Use dry kitten food in the winter which gives extra calories needed to stay warm.
Try and replace water a couple of times each day. Cats are more prone to die of dehydration than starvation in the winter.

For more winter tips, visit our survival guide: https://www.indyneighborhoodcats.org/winter-tips-survival-guide/

Join us on Giving Tuesday and help improve the lives on neighborhood cats and the compassionate people caring for them. Thanks to a very generous donor, we have a $10,000 match. Every dollar you give, will be matched up to $10,000!

You can donate through our Facebook Fundraiser, or PayPal Giving Fund Online. Or you can mail a check to us!

You can donate through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/donate/888855439255973/696363079263308
Or with no fees through our PayPal Giving Fund: paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/3652517

Mailing Address:
Indy Neighborhood Cats
6929 E 10th St. #143
Indianapolis IN 46219

Indy Neighborhood Cats has run out of shelters at FIDO today. There is still fresh straw if you need this. Will be here until 3pm!

Meet "Siamese Cat". This big guy found a patio he thought was perfect for his home. His caretaker noticed his eyes were very irritated. She also noticed he really wanted the inside of her house to be his home. She started to try and find someone that wanted to take him into their home, this was after months of caring for him and not finding anyone who claimed him. She reached out to Indy Neighborhood Cats to see if we could help his eyes and get him neutered before winter. This kitty had a condition called "entropion". His eye lashes were growing in the wrong direction, causing painful irritation, and if left untreated, can damage the cornea.

We reached out to our friends at IndyHumane and Dr. Rose was happy to help him feel better. While he was there, he charmed everyone he came in contact with. Dr. Rose contacted us to ask if it was possible to get him into their adoption program to find a forever home. His caretaker was delighted, and so were we.

He is now known as "Willis" and available for adoption soon through our shelter friends. We do not make decisions based on how social a cat it, but we can read the signs and let them tell us where they want to be. Thanks to long standing partnerships, Indy Neighborhood Cats gets to focus on the outdoor cats and IndyHumane can focus on being the best shelter it can be. We are all

Just a few more days. We hope you will consider a donation to Indy Neighborhood Cats this Giving Tuesday. The difference your donations make in the lives of cats in Indianapolis also improves the lives of the compassionate people caring for them.

Please share and help this kitty get back home. Speedway area.

Lost Cat, Alert #64641 Lily–a siamese cat missing near Cahill Ln. and Farley Dr., Speedway46214 Location Information: Cahill Ln. and Farley Dr., The Traditions of Westmount Park, Speedway, Marion County Nearest Address of Where Pet went missing: Contact Information: Phone: (317) 201-5670 Lost…

Important information on how to help cats during the cold winter months. Watch a short video and save lives. Thanks to Patty Spitler and Life Style Live for having Indy Neighborhood Cats on to help educate residents. To get a winter survival guide, visit our website: https://www.indyneighborhoodcats.org/winter-tips-survival-guide/ and to find out times, dates and locations to pickup a warm winter shelter, https://www.indyneighborhoodcats.org/outdoor-shelters/ We are all

Indy Neighborhood Cats taking action for the wintertime Indy Neighborhood Cats mission is “To improve the quality of life for unowned neighborhood cats and the community they live in by reducing overpopulation through trap-neuter-return”. Indy Neighborhood Cats takes in stray cats found on the streets, or brought in by families and neuters then relea...

If you find a sick or injured stray animal, the most efficient way to get help is to use the Request Indy app on your phone or go to the website.

https://request.indy.gov/citizen/home

Select or fill in the following:
Request
Animal Care
Enter Address
Select Stray Animal
Select Stray animal is sick or injured
Select NO for "is this animal wild"
Select the type of animal
Complete the rest of the questions
Provide accurate contact info and submit

You will get an email with the request number and can check the status.

For full instructions visit Indy Neighborhood Cats website: https://www.indyneighborhoodcats.org/marion-county-how-to-get-help-for-a-sick-or-injured-stray-community-cat/

There are other ways to submit a request, however this is the most efficient way to get help as quick as possible. Please share this holiday weekend.

Today we are thankful for so much. Most of all, we are thankful for everyone in our community that cares for the cats that are not owned. From all of us at Indy Neighborhood Cats, we wish you a Happy Thanksgiving.

Indy Neighborhood Cats will be back at Indianapolis Animal Care Services from 10a-2p Saturday November 18th. Please make sure you are parking in a valid parking space.
Do not block closed garage bays. Animal Care Officers store their vehicles inside the bay they have been kind enough to give us for winter shelters.

Please see comments for the location in the garage bays.
Last week we distributed over 600 winter shelters to residents. We have more shelters coming. Everything is first come first serve. We will ask people to be conservative on how many shelters you need. Cold weather is forecast for next week and we want to make sure shelters are available to as many cats as possible. Cats in colonies will share life saving warmth when it is critical!

For more dates, times and locations, see our website: www.indyneighborhoodcats.org

Save the date: November 28th is Giving Tuesday. A global day of giving to help the causes you care most about. This year Indy Neighborhood Cats has been given a very generous matching donation. Every dollar you donate on Giving Tuesday will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $10,000! This is a huge chance to help recover the cost of price increases and continue to impact as many cats as we can.

If you are mailing a check, please include "Giving Tuesday" in the memo, so we know it can be included in this generous matching donation.

Let's and so we can continue to help make Indianapolis a kinder place for the cats, and the people who care for them!

Update Tuesday 10am! It looks like we have plenty of help thanks to everyone who emailed.

We need your help! If you live on the south side of Indy, or are willing to meet our president, Andrea Estes at Humane Society of Johnson County to help load shelters into two U-Haul trucks, They are meeting at 9am Saturday November 18th. Depending on how many volunteers, this will take between 45 minutes to an hour.

This weekend began Indy Neighborhood Cats first winter shelter distribution of the year. Caretakers came and picked up over 600 shelters and bales and bales of fresh straw. In years past, this would have lasted 3 weekends.

Indy Neighborhood Cats has another load of shelters we can pickup in Johnson County to make sure we have plenty for this coming Saturday and Sunday.

We have a pool of volunteers that will be meeting the trucks at IACS who are cutting and stuffing more coolers we are picking up this week.

If you can help load up shelters that save thousands of cats in the cold weather months, please send an email to [email protected]. We will be in contact tomorrow to provide more details and confirm your assistance.

Alternately, if you have coolers in your garage from deliveries, please bring them to our shelter distribution sites on the days we are there. We will be looking for volunteers to help get coolers from our suppliers and having ad hock mini builds. Dates, times and locations are available on our website. www.indyneighborhoodcats.org

All the cool cats know it is hip to be tipped in Indy! They practically jump in the van. Happy Monday from Indy Neighborhood Cats

Please help locate this kitty by sharing this post from our friends at Community Cats of Hamilton County

Community Cats of Hamilton County We are a community working together to Trap, Neuter, and Return (TNR) all of Hamilton County, Indiana

Update on Smokey! He is recovering well from his emergency leg amputation! Indy Neighborhood Cats could use your help paying for the hefty medical bill. We have collected $1,800 so far out of the $2,800 bill. We try to avoid emergency surgeries, when it is possible. This was necessary and Smokey has a great life ahead of him.
You can donate through Facebook or any of the following ways:
Mail a check to:
Indy Neighborhood Cats (this is mailing address only)
6929 E 10th Street #143
Indianapolis, IN 46219
You can also donate via PayPal Giving Fund with zero fees charged to INC. paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/3652517
Finally, you can donate via credit card through Network for the Good. A small fee is charged for processing. https://www.nfggive.org/guidestar/83-2376982

Time to pickup warm winter shelters! It is also a great time to pickup fresh bags of straw, check out the INC gear at our table, and talk with all of the caretakers caring for cats in Central Indiana! While Indy Neighborhood Cats does not charge for winter shelters, donations are very appreciated. This program runs year round to collect enough shelters to meet demand.

Check out the instructions for each location before you come!
For more information, go to https://www.indyneighborhoodcats.org/outdoor-shelters/

We are sending our TNR Tuesday fundraiser a little early to help a kitty named Smokey. The first picture you see is Smokey as a little kitten born in an outside colony. With appointments through Indy Indy Neighborhood Cats and a few traps, His caretaker has fixed over 20 cats this year at her colony. She emulates everything we need every resident of Marion County to do in their neighborhoods, if they are able.

The next pics you see are Smokey hanging with his family. His family is his colony. It is where he was born, he has friends, and a caretaker who watches over him. He is a sweet friendly guy.

Last week, we got a call at 10pm from his caretaker. Smokey had a very nasty wound to his back left leg. By the pictures, we knew this could not wait. So we called our friends at Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Care - West. Dr. Potts was on duty and she was able to get Smokey some good pain meds.

After assessment, Dr. Potts said he was extremely painful and the injury included so much tissue and muscle, she was concerned she could not get him closed up. She would not be sure until he was sedated. Dr. Potts said it has already been 2-3 days since this happened. Likely he was on his back using his legs as kickers to defend himself and something took a huge chunk of his thigh/hip. She said it would need to be done tonight to try and prevent sepsis. Smokey was young and healthy otherwise. He has a very well cared for colony, and we knew we had to approve this.

Smokey is doing great. He is crated, eating like a champ, and starting to get restless already. For a guy like Smokey, that is a GOOD thing. If you can help us with the cost of his surgery, which was $2,800 before our discount, Smokey, his caretaker, and all his buddies back at his colony will thank you.

You can donate through Facebook or any of the following ways:
Mail a check to:
Indy Neighborhood Cats (this is mailing address only)
6929 E 10th Street #143
Indianapolis, IN 46219
You can also donate via PayPal Giving Fund with zero fees charged to INC. paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/3652517
Finally, you can donate via credit card through Network for the Good. A small fee is charged for processing. https://www.nfggive.org/guidestar/83-2376982

Caring for cats outside? Keep them warm and safe and out of areas they are not wanted. Pickup winter shelters starting this Saturday. Dates, times and locations below:
https://www.indyneighborhoodcats.org/outdoor-shelters/ Donations are appreciated!

Indy Neighborhood Cats scoping out the next large trapping project scheduled for the final big spay day FACE Low-Cost Animal Clinic of the year. We have 54 cats on the docket in hopes we fill our 50 spots generously provided by the clinic 10 times this year. The colony was located at a home which was purchased last year. The cats came with the house and the new homeowner has done what he can to give them shelter, food and care. Several kittens are well socialized and three of the six kittens will be going to IndyHumane through our weekly kitten slots for adoption. Two more will be joining them from a litter of 7. Last week we could only get 5 of them in. Hopefully next week, we can get the last of the smaller guys from this colony into their foster program and off the streets. We so often find kittens suffering outside, like these little ones. It is impossible to make the choices on which 5 will get to be removed from all that suffering each week. All of their parents will be fixed and the kittens will have amazing homes. No more kittens for this colony. Now to figure out how we can meet the demands of the other 5,000 cats in this exact same situation. That is just the cats we know about. Because the reality is, there are a lot more, and we must do better by them.

Update: This clinic is now full!

Microchip Pet Clinic event happening soon. Please schedule an appointment today if your cats are not already microchipped. This event is free but please only sign up if you are sure you can make it. Thanks to IndyHumane for everything they do.

Happy Halloween from Indy Neighborhood Cats.

Remember to feed your colonies early today so they can get to their hiding places before trick or treaters.

This sweet calico was captured last fall at a large colony. The caretakers were wonderful and the cats are happy and healthy. A true celebration of what trap-neuter-return does for the cats that call our neighborhoods home.

Tippy has been missing a few days from N Beville Ave and 12th in 46201.
She was taken to Noah’s 24 hour on Emerson on and 56th Friday night but bolted from the finders car. There are a couple of colonies more than half a mile from Noah's Animal Hospital & 24 Hour Emergency Center at 56th and Emerson Ave on Millersville Rd. We do not think Tippy would have crossed Emerson or 56th. If you know anyone around the clinic, please be on the lookout. Owners contact info is in the shared Indy Lost Pet Alert Post.

Lost Cat, Alert #63971 Tippy missing near Beville Ave and Nowland Ave, Near Eastside46201 Location Information: Beville Ave and Nowland Ave, Springdale, Near Eastside, Marion County Nearest Address of Where Pet went missing: Contact Information: Phone: (817) 713-9626 Lost Pet Informatio…

As temperatures get colder, cats and kittens will find their way into engine compartments of cars. You would be surprised how flexible and creative they are. So if you park your cars outdoors, please give some loud bangs on the hood, honk your horn a few times to startle any animal that has crept into a warmed engine overnight. Give them a few minutes. A few extra minutes can save many lives.

Disclaimer: This curious kitty hopped into the engine compartment while his caretaker was doing a tune up on his car. No cat was harmed in the process. Though, this is a good example of "curiosity killed the cat". ;)