Welcome to TNR Chicago
This site is being administered by Tree House Humane Society, a cageless no-kill shelter for sick, injured, abused and neglected stray cats in solidarity with the organizations listed on this site for area Feral Cat Colony Caretakers practicing TNR.
We are eager to make this site a resource for anyone in our community who is interested in helping neighborhood cats. Please contact us with any questions, comments, suggestions or announcements.
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
September 14, 2011
Media Contact: ▪ Jenny Schlueter ▪ 773-784-5488 ext. 231 ▪ jenny@treehouseanimals.org
Free Cat Shelters and Supplies in Honor of Feral Cat Day!
Chicago – Tree House Humane Society is celebrating National Feral Cat Day by hosting a Feral Cat Colony Caretaker Fest on Saturday, October 15th from 1 – 4 p.m, at our shelter headquarters, 1212 W. Carmen Avenue in Chicago. At the Fest, registered feral cat colony caretakers can get free and low-cost colony winterization supplies, including outdoor shelters, insulation materials (Styrofoam sheets and straw), heated water bowls, cat food and more. Refreshments will be served. Tree House is a Sponsor Organization for Feral Cat Colony Caretakers in compliance with the Cook County Managed Care of Feral Cats Ordinance passed in November, 2007. For more information, please visit our sister web site: TNRchicago.org, or contact our TNR counselors at 773-784-5488, ext. 234, or tnr@treehouseanimals.org.
Tree House helps feral/outdoor cats all year by providing low-cost spay/neuter packages for them. In addition to the surgery, the package includes: pain medication, rabies and FVRCP vaccinations, penicillin, parasite treatment, ear-tipping, and treatment for any wounds. The package costs $30.
Please call the Tree House BDVM MacLean Spay/Neuter Clinic at: 773-227-5535 to make an appointment. Cats must be dropped off in a humane trap between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. and picked up between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. on the same day. Additional services include micro-chipping ($8) and virus-testing ($22). Space is limited and fills quickly so plan to call at least one week before you plan to trap. The clinic is open Tuesdays – Saturdays from 7:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Our feral spay/neuter services are just one part of the Tree House Feral Friends TNR Program which includes a trap bank, post-surgery recovery space, food pantry and sponsorship of community TNR meetings and workshops, and the administration of TNRchicago.org website.
There are an estimated 60-80 million feral cats in the United States, but thanks to a growing number of organizations and individuals participating in Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) – an increasingly widespread humane method of managing feral cat colonies – there is hope that we can drastically reduce the number of cats born on the street while respecting the lives of these animals. Feral cats make up the largest percentage of animals euthanized at shelters, so successful TNR Programs are the key to reducing euthanasia and becoming closer to a no-kill city and a no-kill nation.
Tree House was founded in 1971 and since then we have expanded and enhanced our programs and services to become a premiere, cageless, no-kill shelter for sick, injured, abused and neglected stray cats. To date, we have found homes for more than 16,000 cats and have provided low-cost or free spay/neuter to more than 20,000 cats and dogs. In addition to our focus on the rehabilitation and adoption of stray cats, we offer many other valuable programs and services, including our low-cost Spay/Neuter Program, Feral Friends Program, a Pet Loss Grief Support Group, a Humane Investigations Team, our Youth Volunteer Program, Animal-Assisted Therapy, a Behavior Hotline, our Pet Food Pantry, and our Education Outreach Program. Tree House is a 501(c) (3) non-profit charity and proud member of the Chicago Animal Shelter Alliance (CASA).
New Targeted TNR Project Funded by PetSmart Charities ® Grant Means FREE Spay/Neuter/Vaccination Packages for Zip Code 60651!
We are very excited to announce that in January of 2011, Tree House received a $75,135 grant from PetSmart Charities® to sterilize 1,500 free-roaming cats. These sterilizations will be in addition to the 4,000 cats and dogs we spay and neuter annually at the Tree House BDVM Mac Lean Spay/Neuter Clinic. The PetSmart Charities project will focus on free-roaming cats in the 60651 ZIP code. This area of Chicago is home to a large number of feral and abandoned stray cats and a very small number of active trappers or registered colony caretakers. This means that every year the feral cat population in 60651 dramatically increases as well as the number of cats that are euthanized at Chicago Animal Care and Control. The PetSmart Charities project will allow Tree House to proactively reduce he number of cats being euthanized from this area and greatly improve the lives of feral cats by establishing well-managed colonies of sterilized cats. We are thrilled to be teaming with PetSmart Charities on this much-needed, life-saving project.
To make this life-saving project a success, Tree House recommends a humane method to control stray and feral cats called Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR). TNR is the most effective way to control stray and feral cat overpopulation. In this method, cats are safely and humanely trapped, sterilized, vaccinated, treated for parasites, and ear-tipped. After a short recovery period they are released back to their colony here in your neighborhood. If any of the trapped cats are friendly, including young kittens, they will be adopted into good homes.
Whether you are a cat-lover or not, we encourage you to improve your community by doing your part to reduce the feral cat population. Take a look at the benefits of this effort. You will likely find several things that impact you personally. A robust TNR program will have the following impact on your neighborhood:
Decrease the number of sick cats – each trapped cat is vaccinated and treated for parasites as well as sterilized
Reduce nuisance issues – sterilized cats won’t loiter around your house looking to mate with your pets
Lower the number of sick, suffering kittens – cats can give birth to 2-3 litters of kittens each year and the average number of kittens per litter is 4 – 5.
Reduce noise – no more crying cats in heat or loud cat fights
Stop fighting males – neutered males are much less aggressive
Prevent urine-marking – sterilized cats no longer feel the need to mark territory
Reduce the rodent population – feral cats love to hunt mice and rats
If you are opposed to supporting neighborhood cats, please be aware that permanently removing the cats does not improve the situation. Where there is a food source and areas of shelter, un-sterilized cats will flourish and reproduce quickly. When a colony is removed or greatly reduced in size, new cats will move in. That is why an existing colony – and any newcomers to the colony – need to be managed through TNR.
We are asking for your help to trap these cats, transport them to our low-cost spay/neuter clinic, and release them back to their original site once they have recovered from surgery. Tree House is offering FREE TNR packages for everyone in the 60651 zip code. Please call 773-784-5488 ext. 234 to discuss setting up a trapping project in your neighborhood.
FREE spay/neuter/vaccination packages are available for your pet cats, too! As a community, it is important to be vigilant about spaying/neutering your own pets. For your health, the health of the cats, and your neighborhood, make sure your animals are spayed/neutered and do not let them roam. Bring your cat to the Tree House BDVM Mac Lean Clinic for free FREE spay/neuter/vaccination packages for everyone in the 60651 zip code. Call 773-227-5535 to make an appointment directly.