Category Archives: Cat Rescue

Volunteers Wanted: Clinic, Pet Food Pantry, and TNR!

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Dear Everyone,

We need you. Without volunteers, Tree House would melt. Well, maybe not MELT, but we might start to sweat and then we’d have no one to help dry us off. We’d have no one to enrich the cats with bubbles and bird videos. And we’d have fewer people to insert microchips, administer vaccines, and keep track of our all-important Pet Food Pantry, which would set us behind in our goals, and the cats don’t like when Tree House gets behind in our goals.

Stormy is concerned we’ll get behind in our goals.

Volunteers help make Tree House what it is. And right now, we have a few needs:

  • Our Pet Food Pantry program needs a Manager and Assistant. Shifts are alternating Thursdays when the Pantry is open to the public. Shifts are 9-12, 12-3, and 3-6.
  • The Cat Cafe (Coming soon….we promise!) requires some assistance from Assistants who will help maintain the cafe colony room, greet visitors, and monitor visitor/cat interactions. Shifts will be Thursday through Sunday from 11:30 – 2, 2 – 4, and 4 – 6:30.

We are ready to break last year’s TNR numbers and want to hit 1,200 Spay/Neuter surgeries this year. In order to do that, we need:

  • A Spay/Neuter Admin Assistant to help with data entry and administration duties. Shifts are Tuesdays, with flexible times.
  • A TNR Assistant. This one’s more of a clinical role and will require someone who wants to learn to administer vaccines, place microchips, and other basic clinic procedures. Shifts are Tuesdays, 8-1 or 11-4.

Interested? Wait. Before you say no, think again. Think about how good it would feel to help a non-profit. Think about how cool you’d be if you said, “Yeah, I helped neuter a cat today.” Think about how light your heart will feel when you hand a family the food that will allow them to fill the belly of their furry loved one during a difficult financial time.

Now that you’ve thought about all that, visit our volunteer page and fill out some info. Our Volunteer Coordinator, Shannon, will call and have a chat with you. Then you come to an orientation. Then you pick a shift. And then the magic of giving back to your community begins. Simple!

Stormy needs you. We need you.

Love,

Tree House.

Three Kittens Born Outside: Sick, Scared, Helpless

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It was a cold, wintry day and these little strays were frightened, sick, and struggling to survive. No food, no water, no mom in sight. The kittens were only six weeks old and weighed less than two pounds. Without help, they would die.

Luckily, Robert, William, and Larry were found by a Good Samaritan. This caring woman took them to a veterinarian to get medical treatment, especially for their eye infections, but the treatments didn’t work. They were getting worse. She knew Tree House could save them and brought them in for urgent care.

Saving These Tiny Strays

Thankfully, these kittens were found in time. All three suffered from eye infections, Robert with the most severe. They were riddled with fleas and were battling upper respiratory infections. These kittens were in serious condition and in need of immediate care.

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Emergency Surgery to Save Robert

By the time Robert was found, his simple infection had become a very serious issue. His eye began to bulge from his eye socket before it finally ruptured. If he did not receive urgent treatment, this little guy might not survive.

Robert was rushed to Tree House, where he received late-night surgery to remove his eye – which was his only option. After his surgery, he went to foster care to recover in a quiet and caring environment.

Three Long Months of Multiple Illnesses

In addition to Robert’s urgent care, we provided his siblings, Larry and William, the treatments they needed. Thankfully, we were able to save both kittens’ eyes. They also suffered from serious upper respiratory infections and ringworm and spent months recovering in our clinic isolation units. But these resilient little guys fought back.

Safe at Home

Robert (now name Willie), Larry, and William (now name Max) had a long and tough road to recovery. Despite all they have lived through, these little guys are all loving and gentle cats. Each was adopted only days after they arrived on our adoption floor. All are healthy and happy; thriving in their new homes with lots of purring, playing, and contentment!

These kittens are the lucky ones. There are thousands more like them who do not survive. 

Please Help Us Save Them

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Grand Opening @ Tree House’s New Facility

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You’re Invited – Help Us Celebrate the Future

On Friday, July 28th and Saturday, July 29th (see schedule below), we’ll celebrate a Grand Opening Weekend for our new, state-of-the-art, animal shelter. Our new facility is one of the most innovative animal shelters in the country and the largest cat-focused shelter in the state of Illinois. Forward-thinking from its inception, Tree House’s new shelter, located at 7225 N. Western Ave, Chicago, is a model for what animal sheltering can be and exemplifies how far animal welfare has progressed.

“This facility changes the way many people think about animal shelters,” stated Tree House Interim Executive Director, Kerri Burns. “This new shelter provides an enriched, cage-free environment designed to reduce stress on the cats, improving their quality of stay until they find a home. And our new resident clinic enables us to provide advanced, in-house care to seriously injured and ill cats.”

New Facility Benefits

  • Cat catios (enclosed outdoor cat patios) providing fresh air and outdoor access for cats
  • Diverse cat adoption rooms equipped with heated floors, calming spaces, expansive windows and healthy stimulation options
  • Modernized, in-house veterinary clinic providing advanced veterinary care to resident cats and expanded care for cats with serious injuries and illnesses

Saving More Cats

In 2016, Tree House placed more than 1,000 cats in loving homes. Over time, this new facility will enable us to more than double the number of cats rescued and placed each year.

Grand Opening Weekend Schedule of Events

  •  Ribbon Cutting Ceremony – Friday, July 28, 10:00 a.m.
  •  Public Grand Opening – Saturday, July 29, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
    • Guided tours will be available during this time
    • Introducing the cat cafe