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

While this is a bittersweet story, it is also a heartwarming one about two Tree House cats, Cloud and Cashew (pictured l to r), who found the loving forever home they deserved.

Loss and New Love

Shortly after we moved into our new shelter, Jacob and Matt visited Tree House on the suggestion of friends. Sadly, they had lost their cat Peanut very unexpectedly due to a heart issue. Their other cat Noodle was very lonely without his buddy. Jacob and Matt knew they were a four-member household and decided to adopt another cat. “We were mightily impressed with [Tree House’s new facility] and wanted to see it for ourselves.” The visit was also difficult, “…a mixture of sadness about losing Peanut and the stress of trying to choose just one cat to be the right one.”

After meeting various cats at our shelter, Jacob inquired about cats who were attention-seekers, similar to their cat Peanut. That’s when they met Cashew and knew he was the one.

Cashew and Noodle became quick friends, and the family settled in.

Cashew settled into his new home very well. He was an affectionate cat and a true love bug.

Another Heartbreaking Loss

It was doubly heartbreaking when Cashew fell ill just a few short months after being adopted. He was diagnosed with cancer and passed away shortly thereafter. We are so glad he was able to have a loving home — even if only for a short period of time — and the care and compassion he deserved in his last days.

A Twist of Fate – Cloud’s Return

Jacob shared, “Because we had such an incredible experience with Cashew…and we had such a first-rate experience when adopting him [at Tree House], we felt it was only right to honor Cashew and his memory by giving another cat in need the vacant place he left in our household. Enter Cloud.”

It seemed to be fate that Cloud (who also resembles Cashew) was returned to Tree House the same day that Jacob and Matt also returned to Tree House to find a furry family member and to honor Cashew’s memory.

Cloud had been adopted from Tree House shortly after Cashew but was returned through no fault of her own. Ironically, as she waited in our clinic admissions room, Jacob and Matt had been meeting other cats in our cat adoption rooms. They hadn’t quite met their match, and Tree House staffers just had a feeling….  Staffers asked if Jacob and Matt would like to meet Cloud.

“What a trip Cloud was…she chatted and chatted and chatted. We were able to get her to play with a string toy, and after that, she rubbed our legs and continued her serenade.” Fate truly stepped in that day to bring this family together.

Cloud settled in quickly…it only took her a couple of days to manage to escape from the bedroom, and Jacob found her resting calmly in the living room with Noodle nearby. It was clear that these two cats were going to be the best of friends. Cloud and Noodle are very close and often cuddle together.

Enough Love

We are incredibly grateful to Jacob and Matt for all the love they have shared with all of these cats. As so many can appreciate, grieving the loss of a beloved pet is painful and takes time. We are glad that Cashew received so much love in his final months and days and that Cloud received the gift of a loving home in his memory. We wish the entire family (furry and human) many happy years together.

Volunteers are a vital part of enabling Tree House to do the work we do to help thousands of cats each year. We currently have just under 200 volunteers working in many different areas of our organization. Together, they give hundreds of hours of their time.

We are grateful to all of our volunteers for all their efforts to help the cats.

Since June is Adopt-a-Shelter-Cat month, we wanted to share a volunteer’s perspective from one of our adoption team volunteers. Meet Brian – who also recently adopted a “shelter cat” from Tree House and talks about his experience.

In what department do you volunteer at Tree House?

Adoption department

How long have you been volunteering at Tree House?

I’ve been volunteering at Tree House for about five months. Interestingly, the day I was scheduled to start in adoptions, a request came up that help was needed to pick up some cats who were being transferred to Tree House from another animal control center. Since I had a car, I knew I could help out. It was an interesting experience, and I was surprised when I met the cats. They were so eager to see me and jumped up in my arms. I then began my regular volunteer activities at Tree House helping in the adoption department.

How did you first hear about Tree House?

I heard about Tree House through a friend in my neighborhood. She knew my love of cats and told me about the brand new building on Western. So, I had to check it out myself. It is pretty awesome. The cage less, spacious, and open building offers a more natural environment for the cats and is beneficial to both the cats and potential adopters.

What drew you to volunteer at Tree House?

My job allows me some free time during the week, so I wanted a way to do something fulfilling with my free time. After visiting Tree House, I thought it was a great organization and a cause worth my time. I appreciate how the organization treats the cats and guests. It is a no pressure [adoption process] that allows adopters to get to know the cats. The adoption counselors are very helpful both during the adoption and after. [The adoption counselors] help people find a cat who is a good fit vs. just trying to get a cat into a home that might not be a good match.

What do you find most rewarding about volunteering at Tree House?

The most rewarding part is watching people get “chosen” by cats. When potential adopters come to visit the cats at Tree House, there is always that one cat that is drawn to them and who develops an instant connection. I love it.

Why do you believe having an organization like Tree House in Chicago is important?

Tree House is vital to Chicago because they not only place cats in wonderful homes, they provide essential programs like the Community Cats program which offers TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) services to help keep the feral cat population under control and healthy. Tree House also assists pet parents with cat behavior advice through their Behavior Hotline. They also have a compassionate stance towards FIV+ (feline immunodeficiency virus) cats. I previously had an experience at an animal control center that treated FIV+ cats negatively. Cats with FIV can live long, happy lives and can live together with cats who do not have FIV. Tree House places FIV+ cats in the same adoption rooms as cats without FIV and gives them a chance. (Brian recently adopted a Tree House FIV+ cat).

What are your thoughts on the work that Tree House does?

I think the work that Tree House does is amazing. I’ve been to many shelters, and Tree House has the most humane set up I’ve ever seen. The cats are clearly happy.

Adopting a cat from Tree House

Brian is also a recent Tree House adopter – having been “chosen” by a Tree House cat. Brian quipped that his cat is now French, having named him Henri. In honor of Adopt-a-Shelter-Cat Month, we wanted to share more from Brian’s perspective as a Tree House adopter!

Henri is not afraid to let Brian know when it is quiet time.

When did you adopt your Tree House cat?

I adopted Henri on Feb 15, 2018. He was my Valentine’s gift to myself.

Do you have any other pets?

I have one other kitty named Charlie who I adopted from the ASPCA in New York City in 2016. She is a Tuxedo just like Henri.

Why did you choose to adopt a cat from Tree House?

I was looking for another cat to keep Charlie company. At many shelters, the cats are kept in separate cages, and it is difficult to predict how they will get along with other cats. I also had a very negative experience at another shelter. At Tree House, since the cats are in cage-free adoption rooms, it is easier to get an idea of how a cat will interact with a companion. Also, as a volunteer, I’ve seen how well the cats are treated at Tree House and the extensive records that are kept, so I knew I was adopting a cat who had been well cared for.

Tell us about your adoption experience.

The adoption counselors provided a lot of information and assistance. I was nervous about bringing a second cat into my home and at one point thought it wasn’t working out because my first cat, Charlie, is a little shy compared to Henri who is an outgoing and friendly cat. The counselors were there for me to help out with tips and things I can do to create a peaceful cat home.

How are the cats doing at home?

They are doing very well. The two cats continue to improve with how they get along with one another. It is funny to watch how they figure it out with each other. I’ve caught Charlie playfully instigating things a bit as she flips her tail in Henri’s face. Then, when Henri has had enough, he goes back at her. One of the tricks I learned is to give Henri a time out when he gets too aggressive, which is fine with him because he loves the bathroom and drinking from the faucet. I’ve discovered that if I wait until he is calmly sitting on the floor when I open the door – it’s a sign that he has calmed down and is ready to come out. Henri also loves to take walks on his harness. He is like a dog. He will grab his leash off a cabinet, jump down and drag it over to me, meowing to ask to go outside.

We are so grateful to Brian for not only all his help as a Tree House volunteer but for giving an FIV+ cat a loving home.

Interested in finding out more about volunteering?