Cleaver Cats Project
If you or a loved one has faced challenges in affording end-of-life care for a pet, please read on about our project.
Starting April 4, 2023 ..............
Chicago BWB is thrilled to introduce the Cleaver Cats Fund, a new initiative within the Cleaver Cats Project aimed at supporting animals in need in our city.
Our Goal:
We aim to offer financial aid through a need-based application system for community members dealing with a pet's medical crisis. This includes emergency veterinary care, ongoing life-sustaining treatments (medications, injections, blood-work), and end-of-life expenses such as euthanasia and cremation services for pets, which owners might not be able to afford otherwise.
Current Project Focus:
Due to limited funds, we are initially focusing on end-of-life costs for applicants. However, we hope to broaden the fund's scope to cover non-end-of-life emergency needs as community engagement and interest grow.
Why It Matters:
Pet owners often face financial difficulties that coincide with unexpected but necessary veterinary expenses. We believe no one should have to give up their pet or miss being present during their pet's final moments simply because they cannot afford the associated costs. After numerous discussions, we identified an urgent need for a dedicated fund for this purpose.
How to Apply:
We have a two-page application form and a review process where volunteers evaluate need-based applications. More information on the application process coming soon!
How to Donate:
All donations are eligible to be tax-deductible. Contact the project lead for details on donating to this project through our fiscal partner, B.U.R.N.
From 2021 - present the Cleaver Cats Project volunteers did a lot! Here's some of what they worked on ...
Cleaver Cats
March 2021 to PRESENT
Affected Area(s): Chicago & Surrounding Suburbs
Initial Project Overview
Multiple BWB members working alongside a few local animal welfare groups have been active for a number of years helping animals in need and decided to start a project.
We identify a target area (i.e., a specific neighborhood in Chicago) where we track the location of the colony from tips, work with neighbors to assess and triage the colony (or individual feral cat(s)) in need (of either spay/neuter, kittens able to be adopted, or any cat with an immediately apparent medical need), and then trap the cats.
Specifically we assess & triage to trap the desired cats for adoption or veterinary care. We have individuals who are on a list for fostering cats and/or kittens during this time. We spend anywhere from a few minutes to a few days to (safely & humanely) trap each cat. Cats are then transported to foster locations. All care up to the point of adoption has been funded by donors.
We are seeking to shift the focus of this project to all types of pets and specifically use the money we raise going forward to fund emergency medical needs and end of life associated costs for members of our community facing a financial hardship. We are developing a new application process for this purpose and plan to open the fund for distribution in by April 2023.
Project Stats
17 cats rescued / adopted
Cats adopted throughout the Chicagoland area
Over $2,500 raised in 2 years
Animal Welfare effort involving 20+ volunteers from inside and outside the BWB community