Just before 9:30 on a Wednesday night, the main window of a Chicago cat rescue shattered. Thirty-one cats were inside.
None of them escaped, thanks to neighbors who acted fast.
What Happened at The Catcade
The window broke at The Catcade, in the 600 block of West Belmont in Lakeview, just before 9:30 p.m., according to police. Residents told the owners they saw two people get away afterward.
The Catcade is a nonprofit cat rescue with an arcade theme and a cat lounge. It opened in 2017, and by 2019 it said it had adopted out more than 800 cats.
On a typical day, people walking by that window can see adoptable cats waiting to play.
Why This Matters
The AVMA says one in three family pets gets lost at some point in their lives. ASPCA figures show that about 710,000 stray animals are returned to their owners each year, and only 90,000 of them are cats.
One study of more than 7,700 shelter animals found that cats without microchips were reunited with their owners only 1.8% of the time, compared with 38.5% for microchipped cats. A microchip also only works if its registration information is accurate.
Cats go missing in other ways too, like when a cat being driven to a rescue went missing after a semi crash on I-95 in Brevard County, Florida.
The Neighbors Who Showed Up
Co-owner Shelly Casey said that when the owners arrived, one man was inside the building trying to keep the cats away from the window.
Another neighbor brought his own broom from home and swept the glass away, Casey said.
Neighbors have come together over cats elsewhere too. Reno neighbors barely spoke before the Hawk fire, and a stray cat changed that.
What Happens Next
Casey said all of the cats were picked up by various foster families by midnight. The cats are adoptable, and they will return to The Catcade once the window is fixed.
If you have ever thought about fostering, these foster tips from LA rescues cover everything from home setup to saying goodbye.
Have you ever stepped in to help an animal in an emergency? Tell me in the comments what happened.
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Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only.