By The Tree House Humane Society
The Tree House Humane Society, in partnership with Felines & Canines Chicago, took in 22 homeless kittens transferred last month from the Felines & Canines Hunter Stephenson Rescue Center in Northern Alabama.
In Alabama and in surrounding Southern states, shelters face overpopulation in their communities because a warmer climate leads to a year-round kitten season. When local shelters there are at capacity, homeless animals like these 22 kittens are left at risk. Tree House was happy to step in to ensure these kittens have the opportunity to thrive.
Because of the incredible growth Tree House’s foster program has seen over the past few months, there are currently an abundance of foster homes available to take in both the local kitten population as well as transfers from outside Tree House’s immediate service area.
Two-month-old Luna waits for her intake exam in Tree House’s Clinic
“Our foster program has more than tripled since March,” said Tree House’s Foster & Behavior Program Manager Shannon Wilson. “Since the COVID-19 outbreak began in Chicago, our community members have shown such compassion in offering to take in our resident cats. Because we currently have more foster volunteers than we have cats needing foster homes, we are excited to be able to use our foster resources to partner with other facilities and save more lives.”
Team members from Felines & Canines in Alabama drove the kittens over 600 miles to Tree House, where medical staff were waiting to admit and evaluate them. Each kitten will receive a complete medical exam along with a spay/neuter surgery and will then become a Tree House Shelter Skipper.
Cats in Tree House’s Shelter Skippers program move from their foster homes straight into their forever homes without ever having to reside at the shelter. This program allows Tree House to increase their life-saving capacity, and the Shelter Skipper cats receive the benefits of avoiding a stressful shelter environment, which can lead to medical and behavioral issues. Each of these 22 kitties will be adopted right out of their foster homes.
Tree House is accepting donations to help care for these animals. The public can help by donating at treehouseanimals.org/donate.
About Tree House Humane Society
Since its founding in 1971, Tree House Humane Society has created innovative and progressive approaches to animal welfare that not only enhance the lives of companion animals in the community but also bring a greater awareness of animal welfare issues to the general public. Tree House’s vision is to see every cat thrive.
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See also:
Tree House Humane Society Offers Virtual Adoptions.
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Comments welcome.
Posted on June 19, 2020