Plainfield kids stir up purr-fect fundraiser for stray cat’s medical bills

Jamie Harris of Plainfield said people were lining up at her house on Memorial Day to buy lemonade from her 8-year-old daughter Lila Harris.

Now the lemonade itself was nothing special – powdered mix and water, Lila Harris said. The reason behind was stand was special.

Lila, along with her 6-year-old brother Killian, were raising money for Boo, a stray white kitten who needs medical care and currently is living at the Harris home.

Although Lila charged 50 cents a cup, some people paid much more, she said.

“Most people gave $25 and $1 and one person gave me $45,” Lila said. “He took out his whole wallet.”

‘We always joke that we get a cat every five years’

Jamie Harris said she had just returned home May 19 from taking her children to school when she saw her three male cats – Dexter, 15; Pallet, 10; and Chicken Nugget, 5 – staring out the back door.

“What are you looking at?” Jamie Harris asked them as she followed their gaze.

We always joke that we get a cat every five years. We never buy one – they just show up. Elvira came off the street. Dexter came because of my job; I was managing a Petco at the time. Pallet came in on a pallet truck at David’s job. Chicken Nugget was found behind a McDonald’s.”

—  Jamie Harris, Plainfield resident who rescued stray cay, Boo

That’s when Jamie Harris saw a white cat under her pergola, keeping dry from the rain. Jamie Harris said she told the cat, “Hello,” and was surprised when the cat meowed in return, which wasn’t her experience with feral cats.

Jamie Harris recalled joking with her husband David Harris about how their next cat would be all white. That’s because they once owned a black longhair cat named Elvira, who died three years ago.

“We always joke that we get a cat every five years,” Jamie Harris said. “We never buy one – they just show up. Elvira came off the street. Dexter came because of my job; I was managing a Petco at the time. Pallet came in on a pallet truck at David’s job. Chicken Nugget was found behind a McDonald’s.”

Jamie Harris said she asked the cat if it was hungry, and the cat meowed again. So Jamie Harris said she brought the cat some kibbles and clean water and took a few photos.

“He ate half the bowl and then rubbed up to me as if to say, ‘Thank you,’” Jamie Harris said. “And then he went under my neighbor’s deck – not a bad spot for a feral cat.”

Jamie Harris said she posted the cat’s photos on her subdivision’s social media page, but no one claimed the cat. David Harris then named the cat Boo.

“My neighbor fed it on Saturday and Sunday. It did not leave the deck,” Jamie Harris said. “And then on Sunday night – the 21st – it was under our pergola again. This time it was 9 at night.”

Jamie Harris said she brought the cat inside and confined it inside a bathroom with dry and wet food, water and a litter box. Boo even let Jamie Harris pet him.

A plan to help Boo

That’s when Jamie Harris noticed how skinny the cat was – so skinny you could see every bone in its body. Its two back paws were mangled and bloody.

Boo slept and ate most of Monday, Jamie Harris said. On Tuesday, Jamie Harris called her mother, Joanna Hume of Romeoville.

“All right, Mom, I need your credit card,” she said. “I’m taking it to the emergency vet.”

Dr. John Michael at Animal Care Center in Plainfield cleaned and bandaged Boo’s lacerations and gave him antibiotics. One of Boo’s nails fell off, but it would grow back, Michael said. He said Boo was a pretty clean cat, but thin.

“He definitely needed help,” Michael said. “He would not have gotten better without treatment. ... [Jamie Harris] was very interested in doing everything she could for him, making sure he was healthy, so that was nice to see.”

In addition to searching for Boo’s owner, Jamie Harris said she started a GoFundMe page to repay her mother and to pay for Boo’s medical care, which eventually will include neutering and immunizations.

Jamie Harries probably will not keep Boo if she can’t locate its owner because she already has three male cats. She plans to work with a local rescue agency to find Boo a new home once he is healthy.

Now that Jamie Harris started the GoFundMe page, Lila wanted to hold a fundraiser for Boo, too.

“Because he was hurt,” Lila said. “He’s cute and also very friendly.”

These kids gave back

Verica Trpeski of Plainfield said her 6-year-old son David is Killian’s best friend. So when she heard about the lemonade stand, she headed over with David Trpeski and her 7-year-old daughter Ellie and wound up staying for two hours.

In fact, Ellie donated her entire allowance because she said she was luckier than Boo – she has someone to care for her, Verica Trpeski said.

“I cried at one point,” Verica Trpeski said. “It was that emotional.”

Krystle Rasinskis of Plainfield said she was walking with her daughter Grace, 8, who attends school with Lila, when they saw the lemonade stand. Krystle Rasinskis said they stayed for an hour, and Grace helped out by holding the lemonade sign to attract potential customers.

“She was ecstatic the rest of the day,” Krystle Rasinskis said. “She kept talking about how we should try to raise money, how we should have a lemonade stand. I think she got really excited that she was doing something for someone else. It made her feel good about herself and kind of motivated her to do the same for others.”

Jamie Harris said Lila raised $199 from the lemonade stand, so she added an extra dollar to make the total an even $200.

“I’m incredibly proud that these children are willing to do something to raise money for a cause other than themselves,” Hume said.

Jamie Harris said the response to the lemonade stand reinforced one key concept she wanted her children to learn: Good people want to help.

“This was awesome for our kids to see – people being kind, being good,” Jamie Harris said. “People came out in droves.”

To donate to Boo’s “Help me in foster care” GoFundMe, visit gofund.me/d84c0ad8.

For information about Animal Care Center of Plainfield, visit animalcareplainfield.com.