So how can one person make any kind of difference? There are many levels of making a difference. I'll list some from low involvement and time to high.

1. Encourage a friend who has a cat or kitten to get him/her neutered or spayed. There are so many cats and even kittens that already need good homes. Also please do not de-claw a cat. Apparently it actually severs tendons and ligaments plus if the cat is ever outside or in a shelter with many other cats they will have a lot more anxiety and stress because they cannot defend themselves.

2. Encourage a friend is looking for a cat or kitten to look at shelters to "rescue" a cat or kitten truly in need. You'd be amazed at the huge sellection of amazing little spirits. There are many shelters in Chicago and hopefully most cities so visit a few.

3. Find a shelter that you can feel good about and make a donation that is comfortable for you. Usually they survive on private donations only so even small amounts count.

4. If you have time, consider volunteering at a shelter that you like. You'd be surprised at the variety of tasks you can do and the small time commitment per month and flexible hours involved. Many shelters have all of this described right on their websites. Some shelters want only 1 hr per month and some want at least four hours per month. Again check and visit multiple shelters because each has its own personality and approach and energy. You may be completely turned off by the people and/or the energy at one shelter and feel really good at another shelter.

5. If you have even more time at home and your home is fairly peaceful, consider fostering your own stray or feral kitten. You must be pretty patient and loving for this one, but the feeling of love you experience is really amazing. I work at home and have a pretty stable, flexible business as a clairvoyant reader, so I can afford to spend 3-4 hours per day working with my feral kitten. There are shelters that you can team up with and if you are approved you can foster a kitten for them and then they can adopt out the kitten once she's socialized. That way your commitment is under a year. I trapped my kitten all on my own, and the way things are going I'll probably keep her forever. Technically you could trap your own, socialize her, and adopt her out on your own too. There are lots of websites on how to be careful and find a good home for the socialized kitten.