Tree House Humane Society | Ensuring Every Cat Thrives

Lights of Love 2024

Inviting all friends of Tree House to honor loved ones, past, present, and future.

November 2024 Appeal

Tree House cats need your help to find warmth, safety, and a chance to thrive.

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HAPPY ENDINGS START HERE!

We believe there’s a cat for everyone and our open adoption process takes the time to ensure you find the perfect match. Learn more about our conversation-based approach and meet our resident cats!

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2022-23 IMPACT

Healthy pets, healthy families, and healthy communities.

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Did you know only 17-22% of all-white cats with no

Did you know only 17-22% of all-white cats with non-blue eyes are deaf? (And 65-85% of all-white cats with blue eyes are deaf.) It’s a hereditary thing! Tree House cat, Mashumaro, is no exception. 🔈️⁠
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And right about now would probably be a good time to tell you that she’s also mostly blind, now that you’ve seen her cloudy eyes. ☁️ But this cutie can see some light and shadows. How do we know this? She loves sparkly toys! (P.S. blindness is NOT a hereditary thing for white cats with blue eyes.)⁠
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Mashumaro is about five years old, and she’s definitely a laid-back girl. She is looking for a calm, peaceful home where she can bask in patches of sunlight. ☀️ Since it takes a little more time for her to get to know people—which she can do through smell, touch, and seeing shadows—she loves it when people are patient and gentle with her. Once she gets to know you, she’ll come find you and snuggle up in your lap. 💗⁠
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Are you looking for a cool kitty to hang out with you through your day-to-day routine? Come meet Mashumaro at Tree House!⁠
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🔗 https://treehouseanimals.org/adopt/adoptable-animals/?id=56553830

It’s starting to get chilly outside—prepare co

It’s starting to get chilly outside—prepare community cats in your area for Chicago winters! ❄️⁠
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We’re selling outdoor cat shelters for $25 (plus tax) at our retail store located on the first floor of our shelter. Because they’re made with love and care by our volunteers, we are able to sell them at the cost of the supplies! 🫶 They’re insulated on all six sides with foam, and have straw for nesting inside. These simple shelters can save an outdoor cat’s life by providing a warm, dry sanctuary, shielded from the elements. 🧡⁠
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For additional comfort, you can purchase extra straw, heated water bowls, and heating pads at our store. ☀️

Lights of Love is taking place on Saturday, Decemb

Lights of Love is taking place on Saturday, December 7 from 4 to 6:30 p.m. 🎇 Get ready for a Whisker Wonderland full of family activities, a festive choir performance, an exciting raffle, and cozy drinks and snacks, including a hot chocolate bar and roast-your-own-s’mores station! ☕️🍫 At the end of the evening, gather with us for our program and tree lighting ceremony as we honor loved ones of past, present, and future. ❄️⁠
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This heartwarming event—free and open to the community—was made possible by our generous sponsors: The Smith Family, @newport_one, @ravenswoodvet, and Daspin & Aument LLP. We thank them for being a vital part of this annual celebration. 🥰⁠
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🔗 We would love to see you at our shelter! Learn more and RSVP to Lights of Love at https://treehouseanimals.org/events/lights-of-love-2024/

Most bonded pairs have been together since birth o

Most bonded pairs have been together since birth or since they were adopted into the same family. Crochet and Een’s story, however, began when they met at Tree House this September. 🌳📖⁠
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Een came to Tree House as an older kitten in mid-summer, and was fearful of people. 🤕 After spending the rest of the summer in foster care and becoming more comfortable socializing with people, Een joined our adoption program. She was placed in Colony 5 where Crochet was, in the hopes that these two might get along. 🥺⁠
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Crochet is a quiet calico kitty whose sweet and curious nature emerged slowly but surely as our team gained her trust with treats and toys. 🎣 When the two met, Een quickly became friends with Crochet, following her lead whenever visitors came to the adoption floor. Our behavior team determined that Crochet was a perfect “helper cat” for Een—more confident and outgoing, she showed the shyer kitty that humans aren’t so bad! 🥰 Ever since they bonded in September, we knew they had to go home together.⁠
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When you visit Crochet and Een, you might think they’ve been sisters since birth, given how snuggly are together. 💞 In their case, the best family is the one they found. We can’t wait for them to begin a new Happy Ending together. 🔗 If you’re interested in adopting this sweet pair, visit https://treehouseanimals.org/adopt/adoptable-animals/ to learn more about them!

When Charmer’s mama was TNR'd by a colony careta

When Charmer’s mama was TNR'd by a colony caretaker, he and his littermates were brought into a home as kittens to begin socialization. 🏚️ They eventually made their way to Tree House, where they continued to gain confidence around humans. Charmer quickly learned how to be a snuggly kitty in his foster home, making him ready for adoption. 👍️⁠
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Charmer was adopted, but he came back to Tree House not long after. The reason? He was too playful for the senior resident cat! 😅 While it was unfortunate that his first home didn’t work out, we knew Charmer was a good boy who just needed a home with playmates who could match his energy. 💥 The more we learn about a cat, the better we can match them with the right adopter. 🤝⁠
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This cute gray tabby was eventually adopted into a home with several other cats, and we’re thrilled to share that he’s been a wonderful addition to their family. He even has a new name: Smokey! (Can you guess why?) 🤔S mokey loves bird watching from the window, and it’s clear from these photos that he’s always happy to be around someone—whether it’s another feline friend or the human taking his photo. 🐈️🧍‍♂️⁠
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Got a cat who loves hanging out with other cats? 👇️ Let us know in the comments!

When you foster a Tree House cat, you save two (or

When you foster a Tree House cat, you save two (or more) lives! How does this math work? ➕️🧮❔️⁠
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Tree House is a managed admissions shelter, meaning we only intake the cats for which we know we have the capacity. This allows us to provide exceptional care for our cats and ensures we have the resources they need. One of these resources is space: when space in an isolation ward or the adoption floor opens up, we can help even more cats in need. You can help us expand our space by fostering. 🙋⁠
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What exactly is fostering? 🐈️🚶‍♂️⁠
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Fostering is volunteering from the comfort of your home!* 🏘️ When you foster a Tree House cat, you have an entire team of dedicated staff here to help you from start to finish. Every cat is unique, and our team—from support staff and veterinarians to our experienced Behavior Specialist—will provide support and guidance to help you help your foster cat thrive. 🤝 Plus, Tree House provides supplies, such as food and medicine, along with individual demonstrations and seasonal training opportunities to ensure you're fully prepared!⁠
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➡️ We welcome people of all experience levels to join our team of fosters. All you need is a desire to help and a can-do CATtitude! If you're ready to start a conversation about fostering with us, apply at https://treehouseanimals.org/engage/volunteer/foster/

Twenty-three 2️⃣3️⃣ #TreeHouseCats were ad

Twenty-three 2️⃣3️⃣ #TreeHouseCats were adopted last week, and more than half were adult cats! Does this mean kitten season is finally slowing down, or did our adopters see just how equally wonderful our adoptable adults are? Either way, we’re elated! 🥳⁠
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Thirteen adult cats, including long-stay FeLV+ cat Horseradish, started their new Happy Endings. Horseradish had stayed in a foster home for the past few months, and one weekend back on our adoption floor was all it took for him to find a home! 🏡 His foster experience made it easier for us to get to know him, making it easier to find him the right match. Congrats to these adult kitties on their adoptions:⁠
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Creature & Keepsake⁠
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Mina & Dorothea⁠
🥕 Horseradish⁠
🏈 Faurot⁠
🌊 Arctic Ocean⁠
🥗 Spinach Greens⁠
👑 Ignatius⁠
👻 Hallow⁠
👻 Howl⁠
💫 Gracy⁠
🌶️ Serrano⁠
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Ten kittens went home last week after witnessing our holiday lights get put up around the shelter. 🎄 We bet they can’t wait to see the lights go up at their new homes too.⁠
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Bada Bing & Bada Boom⁠
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 North Pacific & South Pacific⁠
🧩 Crossword⁠
🧩 Connections⁠
🥓 Biscuits and Gravy⁠
🌊 North Atlantic⁠
🌊 Southern Sea⁠
🔪 Buffurlo Bill

NICE CAT OF THE WEEK: Meleys ✅️👍️⁠ ⁠

NICE CAT OF THE WEEK: Meleys ✅️👍️⁠
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Named after Princess Rhaenys' dragon, you would expect Meleys to be fearsome and commanding. 🐉 But she’s actually the sweetest and most affectionate kitty you’ve ever met! 🥺 Come on up to Colony 2 for head butts and purrs from Meleys.⁠
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NAUGHTY CAT OF THE WEEK: Cool Kid ❌️👎️⁠
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We all know the coolest kid in school was also the biggest clown. 🤡 So we weren’t surprised with any of Cool Kid’s shenanigans.

If you’ve taken your kitties to the vet, you wer

If you’ve taken your kitties to the vet, you were likely recommended to get your feline family member the FVRCP vaccine. 💉 That sounds like a bunch of letters mixed up together—and perhaps too many in combination to memorize—but this vaccine can do a whole lot of good. It protects your cats from three diseases, one of them being feline calicivirus. That’s the “C” in “FVRCP.” 😉⁠
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Tree House mama cat 🎸 Iron Meow-den and her band of kittens System of a Meow-n, Rage Against the Meow-chine, Meow-tallica, and Meow-tly Crue are fighting against feline calicivirus right now. It’s an upper respiratory infection that causes painful ulcers in the mouth and on the nose. If this highly infectious disease were left untreated, it can be life-threatening. 😰⁠
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Our staff wear full PPE when treating and interacting with this family of cats, since feline calicivirus can be spread to other cats by humans who touched an infected cat. ⚕️ It’s important to ensure all cats are protected against this virus through vaccination: Even if your cats don’t go outside, the virus can be found in the environment and brought unknowingly indoors by you—the human!⁠
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Iron Meow-den and her band of kittens are receiving supportive care including fluids, pain medicine, and antibiotics to treat secondary bacteria and are expected to make a full recovery. 🎶⁠
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If you’re interested in the FVRCP vaccine, talk to your veterinarian about how you can ensure your cat stays healthy! 💓

Baby sensory videos: Who knew they’d be great fo

Baby sensory videos: Who knew they’d be great for anyone? 🍼👶🏻🤝👨🏽☕️

From stressed workaholics to bored teenagers, baby sensory videos have started popping up on our social media feeds as we scroll, providing us with about 20 seconds of relaxation and comfort. Or 3 hours, if you keep replaying the video. And you know who else can enjoy baby sensory videos? That’s right—cats can. 😹

As much as we would love our #TreeHouseCats to have every inch of the world to explore and every toy to play with, there’s only so much they can do in a shelter. To prevent boredom in the cats, we try to provide different kinds of enrichment to keep them stimulated and happy. And we have baby sensory videos in our pocket.

#ShelterCats #BabySensory #Enrichment #CatBehavior #Cats

Thanks to the help of Volunteer Adoption Counselor

Thanks to the help of Volunteer Adoption Counselor Sharron, Pizzeria found her Happy Ending after seven months at Tree House! 🥳 Our Adoption Counselors are feline-human matchmakers who learn about our adopters and their lifestyle and introduce them to a Tree House cat whose personality might fit right in! And we're so glad Sharron was there to make the introduction! 🐈️🧍‍♂️⁠
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Now named Wimsy, this friendly feline loves chatting up a storm with people, especially while being brushed. We made sure that her purple hairbrush and favorite toy squirrel went home with her, so that she was 100% ready for the start of her new life! 🥰

It’s National Shelter Appreciation Week, and we’re here to cheer on the incredible team at @chianimalcareandcontrol (CACC)! Despite challenging circumstances like severe overcrowding and limited resources, CACC’s staff and volunteers are tirelessly caring for animals within an underfunded system.

Rather than adding to the pressure on those working hard every day to care for animals, let’s rally together to advocate for the resources our shelters desperately need. With community support, we can push for the changes that will make a real difference in how we care for Chicago’s animals.

At Tree House, we’re proud to actively support CACC by transferring vulnerable cats into our population. In our latest effort, we welcomed several cats, including a one-month-old kitten with scoliosis. Together, we’re uniting with a shared goal of saving more lives and fostering a community that cares for every creature.

#ShelterAppreciation #CACC #TreeHouseCats #ShelterCats #Chicago

The Lights of Love are shining bright this Decembe

The Lights of Love are shining bright this December 7th for our Whisker Wonderland celebration! 🎇🐈️ Join us for an evening filled with joy and love as we honor our past, present, and future companions. Enjoy a children's choir performance, family activities, and complimentary food and drinks! Let's illuminate the shelter with thousands of lights and embrace the holiday spirit together. ✨️⁠
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🎟️ Your ticket? Just a kind heart—entry is free with a suggested donation or a canned pet food item for our community pantry. Register at https://treehouseanimals.org/events/lights-of-love-2024/⁠
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See you there! 🥰😻

Fourteen #TreeHouseCats went home last week, inclu

Fourteen #TreeHouseCats went home last week, including Macaw and Mallard who bravely fought pneumonia this past summer. 🩺 With the spooky season behind us, we're eager to see which kitties will find new homes this holiday season. 🎄⁠
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A special shout-out to the six adult cats who went home! We were especially excited to see 12-year-old Juniper get tucked away into an adoption carrier, ready for her new Happy Ending. 🥺⁠
🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Macaw & Mallard⁠
🍓 Juniper⁠
🏋️ Elliot⁠
🌸 Princess Bubblegum⁠
🍵 Oolong⁠
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And let's not forget the eight kittens who scampered off to bring warmth and joy to new families! Here's to making homes cozier, one adoption at a time.⁠
🌊 South Atlantic⁠
👋 Toodles⁠
🌾 Farro⁠
🌾 Quinoa⁠
🌾 Barrley⁠
🌾 Cous Cous⁠
🌾 Cottonball⁠
🖍️ Sidewalk Chalk

Who are these #TreeHouseCats and what’s their de

Who are these #TreeHouseCats and what’s their deal? We’ll spill the tea on what these cats’ problems are.

#Adopt #Chicago #Problems #ShelterCats

Welcome to the new Colony 1! It hasn’t changed l

Welcome to the new Colony 1! It hasn’t changed locations or gotten a new look, but it is the new temporary FeLV+ room at Tree House. 🆕⁠
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We typically house our cats who are positive for feline leukemia cats in the Cat Cafe playroom, to increase awareness of the infectious disease. But if you haven’t noticed lately, our playroom is already home to three FeLV+ kittens! Our adult FeLV+ cats, Bunny, Samson, and Milo were hanging out in their foster homes over the summer, but are finally back at Tree House and are ready to be adopted! 😍 To provide a more calm space for our influx of FeLV+ residents, we put these mature kitties upstairs on our adoption floor in Colony 1. Ready to meet them? 🫡⁠
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Bunny is a floofy Tuxedo cat looking for a home where she can lay on your chest and rub her face on yours. She loves being around people and getting all the love and affection she can! 🥺💓⁠
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Samson is a gray floof with a cloudy eye, which makes him look cool. 😎 Samson's foster swears that if he were human, he'd be out exploring caves, diving into extreme sports, or ghost hunting-he's always on the lookout for his next big "mission." When he joined Colony 1, we could see exactly what they meant. Samson spends his days at Tree House trying to playfully stalk and catch sweet little Bunny. 🤣 Someone better come adopt one of them, because Bunny is really more of a people person—or is it “people cat?”⁠
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We would consider house panther Milo to be an equal mix of both Bunny and Samson’s personalities. He loves to play, and will mew to let you know it’s time to whip out a wand toy. But when playtime is over, he will happily get in your lap and snuggle. Talk about a perfect work-life balance! 🎈🫶⁠
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👉️ Come in during adoption hours to meet these cuties! We’re open Wednesday through Sunday from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. To learn more, visit https://treehouseanimals.org/adopt/adoptable-animals/

This Happy Ending Tail takes place outside, where

This Happy Ending Tail takes place outside, where this cat thrives best. 🌤️🏙️⁠
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Griffin, formerly known as Maroon, was transferred to Tree House from Chicago Animal Care and Control. He spent several weeks in our isolation ward recovering from a ringworm infection, where it was very obvious that he didn’t quite like being indoors in close proximity to people. This made him an unlikely candidate for the traditional shelter to couch adoption. Therefore, Griffin took a less-traditional pathway out of the shelter—he joined our Cats At Work Program. 🐈️⁠
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Since his release into an outdoor colony, Griffin has been thriving! He was placed with another cat like him, named Frankie, who had come from Anti-Cruelty. The two of them are now playmates who are happy to be in their caretaker’s yard. Their caretaker reports that Griffin loves treats (and asking for them). He gets to use his agile skills to jump and climb tall fences to find places to bask in the sunlight. The best part? He gets to do all of this with his friend Frankie by his side. 🧑‍🤝‍🧑

Meet Creature and Keepsake, a mother and son duo.

Meet Creature and Keepsake, a mother and son duo. 👩‍👦⁠
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Creature is a gorgeous calico with a cloudy eye, and is about three years old, while her ginger baby boy, Keepsake, is about five months old. This inseparable pair is available to be adopted into the same home. 🏠️⁠
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It’s not often that we mark a kitten as “Better Together” with another cat, because we know that it can make it harder for them to find the right Happy Ending. However, due to Keepsake’s incredibly shy nature and attachment to his mama, we knew it would indeed be better for them to remain a pair. 💕⁠
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But, don’t let Keepsake’s shyness stop you! Once you’ve gained his trust, he is a very sweet and gentle boy. He’s bonded with his mama and they can be seen curled up together like a pretzel. His mama, Creature, gives him the confidence he needs to interact with humans by showing him that we’re not so scary! 🤗 Creature will come up to you for snuggles and head scritches, and the hope is that one day, Keepsake will tag along with her to snuggle with you too!⁠
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🧾 Read their profiles here: https://treehouseanimals.org/adopt/adoptable-animals/

Ergo’s foster dad quickly noticed something unus

Ergo’s foster dad quickly noticed something unusual in the way Ergo walked. He also realized the little tabby would not use his legs to jump. Radiographs that revealed that, despite his young age, Ergo’s knees were causing him severe discomfort. 😢🦵💥⁠
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Because of Tree House friends like you, 🤗 Ergo was able to receive corrective surgery and in addition to the physical transformation in his legs, he has experienced an amazing emotional transformation as well. This once shy cat is now incredibly affectionate and loves people. He started his Happy Ending when he was adopted earlier this fall, just in time for the holidays. 🎁❄️⁠
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Right now, more cats are waiting at Tree House for their chance to thrive. What holiday gift could be more meaningful than changing their lives too?⁠
🙏 Please make your Lights of Love tribute gift for the cats today: https://donate.treehouseanimals.org/campaign/620490/donate

Look who’s dressed up for Halloween at Tree Hous

Look who’s dressed up for Halloween at Tree House!⁠
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🎃 Mallard and Macaw enjoy some Churu and don a pumpkin hat to celebrate kicking pneumonia’s butt!⁠
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👨‍🎤 Cassius is rocking a punky hairdo.⁠
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🦁 Elliot’s as brave as a lion.⁠
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⛵️ Kelpie’s as sweet as a sailor.⁠
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👔 Samson's looking preppy.⁠
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👨‍🍳 And Ignatius is ready to whip up some biscuits!⁠
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Come on up to our adoption floor, Wednesdays through Sundays from 12 a.m. to 6 p.m., to meet these cuties!

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