U-High Latin teacher Frances Spaltro has volunteered at Hyde Park Cats for close to 15 years, and has sought to protect cats around the neighborhood. Hyde Park Cats, a local nonprofit organization, has worked to return lost cats to their owners, and give medical vaccinations to strays. 

Ms. Spaltro is a medical coordinator and board member for Hyde Park Cats and has safeguarded and fostered cats from around the city.

“I started volunteering when I had a storage unit in my building, and whenever there was a foster, they would come to me to get supplies, and I would show them how to do things if they had never taken care of cats before,” Ms. Spaltro said.

Ms. Spaltro discovered Hyde Park Cats when she had litter boxes to donate, as she knew the person she was donating them to, who connected her with other members of this organization. Currently, she works as the medical coordinator, and schedules veterinary appointments for cats to be spayed, neutered, or vaccinated.

“It’s been incredibly gratifying,” Ms. Spaltro said. “It can be trying. It can be sad because not every story ends happily, but many do.”

Hyde Park Cats has not only worked with volunteers to protect cats, but also invoked outreach to connect with people around them.

“One of the things that has been the most gratifying and that I am the most proud of, is there are so many wonderful community members in Hyde Park and to see how they rise to the occasion,” Ms. Spaltro said.

In addition to reaching out to their community, Ms. Spaltro and Hyde Park Cats have worked hard to make a difference within it.

“We have worked with nearly everybody, from those who don’t understand the importance of getting cats spayed or neutered to those who do but don’t have the money for it,” Ms. Spaltro said.

Hyde Park Cats is the only registered cat rescue organization on the South Side of Chicago, and has recently seen an increase in work. This is due to the uptake of “dumped cats,” meaning cats abandoned by their owners.

“There’s been a really sad and tremendous increase in the number of dumped cats,” Ms. Spaltro said. “Especially at the beginning or end of the month, we usually get seven or eight reports.” 

According to Alley Cat Allies, another cat rescue organization, it is crucial organizations like Hyde Park Cats get involved, because due to a lack of socialization, stray cats are likely to be killed if brought to a shelter.

Ms. Spaltro said, “We do everything we can to try and help somebody who is trying to help an animal.”