When someone mentions kittens, you might immediately think of cute, cuddly fur balls playing together one minute and curled up, sleeping sweetly the next. If only they all had this life, with a home, warmth, food, and love.  Your gift this holiday season gives cats like Catbot a second chance.

Would She Be Alive Tomorrow?

Catbot was spotted wandering near a house that, fortunately, was home to Good Samaritans. They saw Catbot’s ragged appearance and unsteady gait. They knew she needed immediate help and brought her to Tree House.

Alone, frightened, sick, and going downhill quickly. Catbot was hungry and horribly malnourished. One of her eyes was badly infected and swollen shut. She was very thin and had lost fur. She had raw, bleeding sores on her neck. She was scared, tired, and in critical condition. This kitten needed immediate care.

Our veterinarian examined her and found that she was malnourished and had a severe eye infection. But the bigger problem was what appeared to be a bulging growth on her neck with two small holes.

We discovered this tiny kitten had two long, parasitic insects moving inside her neck. These wormlike insects are very painful and can be deadly if not treated. Our veterinarian was able to gently extract the insects and clean Catbot’s wounds.

We gave her antibiotics and medication for her eye infection. With food, water, and care, this sick little cat was on the road to recovery and was placed in a caring foster home to regain her strength.

Catbot Recovers – Thanks to Supporters Like You

After just 5½ weeks in foster care, this resilient kitten was happy, healthy, and energetic — just like we all picture kittens to be. Catbot became a resident in the kitten colony on our adoption floor. Four days later, a loving family adopted her.

Catbot has recovered incredibly well. It is hard to believe she is the same kitten who first arrived — so sick. Her eye and the wounds on her neck are healed, and her fur has grown back.

Catbot is a joyous kitten who loves toys and exploring new places. Her favorite thing is a chin rub, and she’ll start purring as soon as you touch her!

Thankfully, Catbot finally has a home. But there are thousands of cats who are in desperate situations like she was. Your donation helps transform their lives, too!

Saving Strays is What We Do. But We Couldn’t Do It Without You!

Tree House is working toward a world in which every cat thrives. We are especially dedicated to saving stray cats who are in difficult and life-threatening situations. Together we give these cats a second chance to not only survive but thrive.

Since opening our new shelter last year, your generosity has helped us place more than 1,000 cats in homes, provide more than 1,200 spay/neuter surgeries, and increase our team of colony caretakers to 1,000, supporting more than 4,000 cats in the community.

All of these cats have a better life because of you! Many are alive solely because Tree House, with your help, was able to provide expert care.

Your donation is the gift they need. Help give hope to thousands of homeless cats like Catbot this holiday season.

This year’s Black Cat Ball was a big success! We celebrated with fellow cat lovers and raised money to support our work to help even more cats across Chicago who deserve a second chance.

Check out photos of the evening below.

Our sincere thanks to everyone who attended and to our emcee, Natalie Bomke from Fox 32 Chicago, auction donors, Ball volunteers, and to all of Tree House’s passionate animal lovers who help make our vision of every cat thrives possible.

Thank you to our sponsors: Merrick Pet Care, Cat Hospital of Chicago, Halby Marketing, Inc., Bridgeview Bank, and Pets First Veterinary Clinic.

Harry has added so much joy and love to my life. He is the sweetest, gentlest, most loving cat I have ever met.

— Annette

All of us at Tree House are tremendously grateful to generous donors like you who make our work possible and for the wonderful cats we have the honor of helping.

Cats are part of our family. They make us laugh. They get us up early in the morning and sometimes in the middle of the night. They listen to our problems, sleep on our favorite sweaters, and add joy to our lives.

This year, we wanted to share two wonderful Happy Endings.

Adopters like Josh & Dana and Annette give Tree House cats a second chance at family.

Love at First Sight – Harry’s Story

Harry the hunter. Here he is in his new home getting ready to pounce on his favorite prey…the bookmark!

Harry came to Tree House as a stray. He is a senior, FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus) positive cat who was pretty shy at first. Slowly, he started to come out of his shell. Meanwhile, his future adopter, Annette, was learning about him on our website. “I was in love with him before I even met him.” When Annette finally met Harry in person, she adopted him that day!

Harry is an incredibly sweet cat who yearns for the love of a human. He has settled into his new home very well and enjoys cuddling with Annette when it is reading time and eagerly seeks pets from everyone who visits.

Best Friends in the Making – Sigmund – aka Siggi’s Story

Siggi has been such a joy to have around the house. He and his new brother, Otto, love to wrestle and chase each other all over. It’s adorable.

— Josh and Dana

Sigmund is an FeLV (Feline Leukemia Virus) positive cat. Although he has a weakened immune system, with proper care and diet, he can lead a rich life.

Josh and Dana felt that their FeLV+ cat, Otto, needed another playmate after his sister passed away. They read about Siggi on our website and thought he would be a perfect fit. When they came to Tree House to meet this beautiful black cat in person, they “immediately fell in love with his charm!”

Siggi loves his new cat brother as well as hanging out on the window sill and watching the world go by. He is happy, healthy, and loved.

A Gift that Gives Back: honor or remember a special person or pet with a Tribute Gift

Each year, Tree House remembers and honors special people and pets who are important in our supporters’ lives through the Lights of Love lighting ceremony at our Holiday Open House. For each gift that a donor makes, a white light will be lit for those being remembered and a multi-color light for those being honored. Thousands of lights will illuminate the shelter throughout the month of December — “shining bright” for the people and pets who have added great joy and love to our lives.

Please consider giving a tribute gift to remember or honor a special person or pet in your life and send a personalized e-card to that special someone.

Each tribute gift is $15 which provides a week of meals for one stray cat or kitten.

Join Us at Our Holiday Open House

This year, our Open House will be held on Saturday, December 8th. Get your tickets today.

We have a heartwarming update about a cat named Ella. This stunning beauty was found roaming the streets and brought to Tree House. Coming off the street and settling into shelter life can be challenging, and Ella’s fears and anxieties came out in the form of overstimulation. Shelter life was difficult for Ella. She was hesitant and cautious at Tree House and liked to have her space. Sadly, this made it hard for individuals to get to know the sweet cat underneath her fears…until one fateful day when she met her new family.

Addie (12 years old) and her mom, Liz, began visiting Tree House when Addie was just 7 years old. Liz shared that Addie struggled with anxiety, and the pair began volunteering. Being at Tree House and with the cats and kittens was very positive in helping Addie learn how to work with her “everyday worries”. For several of her birthdays, this compassionate little girl conducted collections at her parties to raise money for the cats in lieu of gifts.

“Ahhh…life is so good in a home!”

A few months ago, after losing their cat Teddy after 22 years, Liz and her husband, Eric, along with Addie decided to check out Tree House’s new shelter – but with the agreement that there would be no adoptions because Eric wasn’t quite ready.

The family met Ella and were provided with some guidance on how to approach her to help avoid overstimulating her. However when they entered her room, “Ella walked right up to Eric and sat down in front of him. We hung out for a little while, then Addie and I moved on to the next room, but Eric stayed with Ella. Needless to say, when we left, we all decided we needed to spend more time with Ella.”

Liz, Eric, and Addie came back to visit Ella and that was all it took, “She broke our hearts and healed them at the same time, and we brought her home that day.”

We are so grateful to Liz, Eric, and Addie for taking the time to understand this beautiful cat, see beyond her anxieties and fears, and give her a chance.

Ella is doing great in her new home! “She’s very curious about where we are. And when we come home, she runs out like a puppy to greet us.” Ella loves her morning “zoomies”, “She runs the path from the basement to the 2nd floor of the house.” She also enjoys soaking up the morning sun in the bay window.

Addie has given her a middle name, so she is now Ella Forrester Brown – plus, she started an Instagram account for Ella. “We love her very much.” The family continues to work with Ella’s overstimulation issue which has improved. She is even attempting to become a snuggler.

We are so grateful to Liz, Eric, and Addie for giving Ella a second chance and a loving home. What a wonderful story about the cat-human bond as well as the powerful healing effects this bond can have on children!

You can change a cat’s life. Help us spread the word.

To Tree House Humane Society

We are happy to be able to share an adoption update about two easygoing cats, Morris and Sammy, who were recently adopted together.

Liang and her husband Casey visited Tree House, “determined to adopt that day after the recent death of our beloved cat Mieville.” Casey had adopted Mieville many years ago before meeting Liang. Mieville was Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Positive (FIV+) and had 11 good years in his forever home, “We attributed his calm, kind demeanor to the wonderful socialization he received at Tree House. When we were ready to fill our home again, we knew we had to return to Tree House at their amazing new location.”

Now fondly referred to as The Beefy Boys, these two have taken over their new home. These lovable guys can be found wrestling each other, lazily lounging around their new home, or meowing ferociously — begging to be fed.

Liang shared their experience of meeting Morris and Sammy at Tree House, “The Saturday of adoption day, both of us were wracked with nerves. We were so excited, but had no idea what to expect! All we knew was that we would shortly be growing our family by two. Casey and I both agreed that we wanted to adopt adult cats and were open to cats with special needs. Sammy was in one of the first cat adoption rooms we visited. He approached us right away and perched gracefully on a cat condo. His sleek, tuxedo coat and cute black goatee drew our attention, and he loved rubbing his face and neck against our hands. [He had] a shy demeanor, and the most adorable “elevator butt”! He was instantly one of my favorites.”

They continued visiting cats at our shelter when, “This beefy orange and white, 15 lb. furball strutted into the middle of the adoption room. We loved how he [Morris] seemed like a luxurious boy, commanding to be petted. Despite his big ‘tude’, he was also very gentle and welcoming. We considered how these two cats would get along and decided to take the chance.”

The two cats love to wrestle and hang out together. After arriving in their new home, “By the end of the first night, Morris was walking around like he owned the place. Sammy was hesitant and slowly came out of his shell over the next several days. Introducing the two to each other was  a breeze — they nose-booped and the rest is history!”

“Sammy and Morris have brought so much joy into our lives. We will continue to adopt from Tree House for the rest of our lives as they have truly helped us in so many ways!”

Morris was obese for his size when he arrived at Tree House. We are glad to learn he has continued to slim down in his new home, “his svelte new figure weighs in at around 13 lbs!”

We are so grateful to Liang and Casey for giving these beauties a loving, forever home together and for their wonderful support of Tree House.

You can help a homeless cat by adopting or donating to help us save more lives. Give to Tree House >>

To Tree House Humane Society