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Rescue Stories – Summer 2026

Here are some of of happiest stories 

In the past year, 2025-2026, Hagrid’s Hope Cat Rescue received calls from at least 40 residents of Porter County who were desperate for help with a situation that they could not resolve themselves, nor could they find any local agency able to assist them. They are compassionate and caring people, who are frantic to find someone who can help them with a situation involving a family cat or a cat outside, on their property or in the community. Yes. We help cats. But we also help the people who call us. It’s not the cats making the calls.

Some callers are families that are experiencing financial difficulties, homelessness, health problems, or domestic abuse, and can no longer care for their family cats. Hagrid’s Hope will take these cats, stay in touch with the family, and arrange for visits. If the family can stabilize their financial or health situation, and care for the cat again, the cat is returned. If the family must permanently surrender the cat, we try to find another family to adopt them.

Hagrid’s Hope also gets calls from residents who have found cats and kittens outside in their yards, under their porch, in a shed, who have been abandoned. Often the cats and kittens are injured or ill. These cats cry out for help, and these kind people look for ways to help them. Often callers are elderly people who can no longer care for their own cats, or they have found cats and kittens on their property and are fearful that predators will kill them, or they will die from disease and weather extremes. These caring people want to help save these cats, and they are despondent that they cannot.

 Below are just a few of the stories from the last few months about cats we have rescued and people we have helped:

Anubis

An older gentleman called Hagrid’s Hope because his wife had cancer and had to go into hospice care. He could no longer care for their cats. They surrendered 7 cats to our rescue. One cat, named Anubis (5-6 years old), had an injury and infection in his eye. We gave Anubis medication, but the eye did not heal, and the veterinarian said the eye had to be removed. Anubis recovered from the surgery and was adopted at our most recent adoption event. His adopting family checks in every 2 weeks, and says that Anubis is healthy, and very happy in his new home. Now, we would like to find homes for the other 6 cats from that elderly couple. They are all sweet and loving adult cats, and they’re confused as to why they lost their home.

Lego

Lego was a 4-week-old kitten who was found by another elderly couple. This couple heard screaming in their backyard, near their trash cans, and found a poor, little kitten with a severely injured leg. They called Hagrid’s Hope, and we immediately took the kitten to the vet’s office. The doctors said that the leg was broken so badly, all the way into the shoulder, and it could not be saved. After the leg amputation surgery, Lego went to live with a foster-to-adopt family, who intend to adopt him as soon as it is legally possible. (State law says that a rescue cannot allow a cat to be adopted until it has been spayed/neutered and received a rabies vaccine) Lego’s foster family says that Lego is thriving. He runs and plays and is happy and healthy.

Dorito and Taki

Dorito and Taki were 8-week-old kittens found and saved on trash day in Portage. A woman went outside her house and heard crying coming from an old mattress someone had put out in the trash. She called Hagrid’s Hope in tears, because no one else that she had called would help her, and she could not get the kittens out of the mattress. Hagrid’s Hope volunteers rescued the kittens, just before the garbage truck got there.  Taki has already been adopted. We are hoping Dorito will find a loving home soon.

Cheeto

A woman called Hagrid’s Hope because a 10-month-old kitten came to her porch with a swollen eye. Our volunteers took him straight to the vet’s office for medication and medical care. For 2 weeks we gave Cheeto the antibiotics, but the eye did not heal and it had to be removed. Cheeto is especially loving and cuddly and all the volunteers adored him. He was the first one adopted at our last adoption event, and is doing well with his new loving family.

Dolly and Reba

Hagrid’s Hope received a call from a woman who was frantic because her dog had found a momma cat and her 4-week-old kittens in a shed. The dog had already killed the momma and one of the 3 kittens. He had another kitten in his mouth. Our volunteers were able to get the dog to release the kitten in his mouth and save the other kitten hiding in the shed. Dolly had a severe infection from the dog bite and injuries, and she needed treatment and medications, but she has recovered. Both Dolly and Reba are living with a foster-to-adopt family and are doing well. As soon as they are old enough to be spayed, this caring family can adopt them and give them a forever home.

Hoppity

Hoppity was a 3-month-old grey kitten found with her siblings around Easter time. She had a neck injury and was on medication when we brought her to our May adoption event. We made it clear that she was a “special needs” kitten that would require extra care. A Portage police officer came to the adoption event and told us about a kitten he and his wife had tried to save. Portage Animal Control had received a call about a kitten found in the street on Route 6. They caught the kitten, and the officer’s wife was driving him to the vet’s office, but sadly the kitten died on the way. Now the officer wanted to console his wife, and save a kitten with special needs, that many people would not want to adopt. So, he adopted Hoppity. This couple reports that the medications worked, and Hoppity’s neck has healed. Hoppity is healthy and loves playing with the couple’s children and the police dog that is part of their family.

A Day in the Life of Hagrid's Hope Cat Rescue

This is a typical day at our rescue

·      6am Start

·  Feed wet food to cats and kittens, refill dry food bowls, freshen water. Clean litter boxes (40 boxes). Administer any medications that are needed.

·  Clean rescue, including sweep, mop, disinfect surfaces. Clean food bowls.

Late Morning

·  Social Time – volunteers hold and play with cats and kittens

·  More Cleaning – Take out trash. Wash blankets/beddings

·  Go to homes of foster families to check on cats/kittens. Bring supplies, food and litter, if needed. Administer medications, if needed.

Vet Visits

·  3 -4 times a week or more cats are taken to the vet for health issues, rechecks. New intakes receive SNAP test and exams.

12pm

·  Feed wet food, if needed (some cats/kittens need to be fed more often).

·  Refill dry food bowls, freshen water. Administer medications if needed.

·  Clean rescue, sweep, mop, disinfect. Clean litter boxes.

·  Afternoon – Inventory supplies and go to the store for cleaning supplies, paper towels, litter, etc.

4-6pm

·  Feed wet food to cats and kittens, refill dry food bowls, freshen water. Administer any medications that are needed.

·  Clean litter boxes (40 boxes)

·  Clean rescue, including sweep, mop, disinfect surfaces. Clean food bowls.

11pm-1am

·  Feed wet food to cats and kittens, refill dry food bowls, freshen water. Administer any medications that are needed.

·  Clean litter boxes (40 boxes).

·  Clean rescue, including sweep, mop, disinfect surfaces. Clean food bowls.

Daily Kitten Care

·  Depending on their age, kittens need to be fed every 90 minutes – 2 hours

·  Administer medications, if needed. (Kittens taken from outside often have infections)

·  Kittens must be weighed daily to make sure they gain weight every day.

·  If the kittens have no momma cat present – volunteers must bathe them daily (with bath wipes).

·  Volunteers must also stimulate the kittens after each feeding so that they go to the bathroom. This is done by wiping them, to imitate a mother’s licking the kittens. If this is not done, the bladders can explode.

Spay and Neuter Days –

7am

When spay/neuter surgeries are scheduled, the kittens and cats are picked up at foster homes and taken from the rescue

8am

Drop off at the vet’s office

3pm

Pick up cats/kittens from the vet’s office and return to foster homes or rescue

Kittens Go to School

Kittens from Hagrid's Hope went to Portage High School so teachers and staff could enjoy some kitten therapy. The kittens enjoyed all the love and attention, and the staff enjoyed a nice break 

2 views of the break. The right view shows before surgery, the left view shows after the surgery

A note from Jennifer....

Things are not always easy at a rescue ... some days I can say we just feel like ..." can we do this anymore " "can we keep making it " - between what we do here and our own lives, jobs, family, etc .. it's a full plate that runs over past full. Sometimes you get calls in the middle of the night that just rip your heart out - you can't do it all even when we want to.  However, I told James - look at all of the incredible people we have met, people that have helped us save these lives so sacrificially, not asking for anything in return. We have met people that have been encouraging and changed the outlook on a rough day here. We have met some beautiful souls through this work, that we now consider to be family to us. Most of all, we as a community, as a team have saved many cat lives, we have given them hope, they are no longer on the street, hurt, injured, etc ..

Then we start new with a new outlook and reset for the next emergency, blessing, challenge, and sometimes shocking news. We are blessed, and we will keep going as long as we are able and as long as you are willing to walk to the road with us .

James and one of the cute new kittens at the vet

                    Cost - Benefit Analysis

 Costs

Monthly costs :

Food -  we go through a 40 pound bag every 2 days

Kitten milk -  a can or 2 a day

Litter -  we go through 6-10 boxes a day!

Cleaning supplies  -  4 rolls of paper towels daily , bleach, scrubbers, natures miracle, etc.

Electricity - especially vital for keeping newborns warm, as well as all the other cats and kittens

Veterinarian bills - shots, wellness checks, spay/neuter surgeries, medicines - if they're sick it can be several hundred a visit. If an entire litter is sick, it's costly to get medications for the whole group 

Benefits

We save the lives of these sweet, but helpless little fur babies.

 We delight in finding a family that loves and takes care of them. 

Please let us know if you would like to adopt, foster, or sponsor -  hagridshope@gmail.com

or message us on Facebook - Hagrid's Hope Cat Rescue

Happy Birthday to our President, Jennifer Thank you for all your hard work and loving care!

                            October Adoption Event

Scarlett lost her eye after she was injured by a trap. She has been a brave little warrior. Then she got FIP (feline infectious peritonitis), which is a serious and life-threatening virus. Medication for FIP costs $700 a month. Initially, the vet said she needed 2 months' worth of medication, but now they say she needs 1 more round. A generous donor paid for the first 2 months of medications. We are raising funds for the 3rd month. If you want to help, please see our donations page.

Mary and Charlie - Happy in their forever home

Sunday has a new home for every day of the week