Tree House Humane Society

My husband and I had been thinking of adopting a cat for quite a while, so we decided to try out volunteering first to get a better understanding of cats. We had two training sessions before we could start to volunteer. The sessions were pleasant and informative.
Once we started volunteering we could not believe how much we enjoyed our volunteer time. Honestly, I cannot believe this is something you can do for free! It is the highlight of my week. You get to go and play with kittens and cats. Everyone at TH is so nice and helpful.
After about 3 months of volunteering we were ready to adopt. We had prepared our condo, made sure to get the essentials, like a litter box, food tray, and cat condo. We let the staff know we were ready to adopt and they were very patient and helpful. We weren’t sure how you could pick just one cat, but it turns out it is true what they say, the cat picks you. We ended up with a bonded pair, a 9 and 10 month old. We were expecting to get an older single cat. We love the experience, having 2 cats is so much fun. We sit back and watch them play tag and wrestle. TH made sure to follow up with us and find out how we were all doing.
I highly recommend volunteering if you are thinking of getting a cat. You learn so much and have a ton of fun. Each cat has a different personality, which surprised us. Each week we check the adoption board as soon as we get there and celebrate all the lucky kitties who found a forever home.
You can also offer to foster a cat, which is a great way to help and see if you like having a cat in your home.

I had been looking to adopt two kittens for a little while when I visited Treehouse. I could not be happier with my experience. Olga, the person who helped me went above and beyond to help me. I decided to adopt two five month old siblings who are feral kittens that were rescued from outside. Olga went into great detail on how to care for them and socialize them. I had many questions, and she took the time to explain everything to me. This is a great organization and I would recommend Treehouse if you are looking to adopt a kitty!!!

My fiancée and I went to Tree House last night after a disheartening experience with PAWS over the weekend. We didn’t even know about Tree House until we read through the Unilocal reviews for PAWS.
We arrived around 6PM and were worried about being rushed by the staff/​volunteers, but we could not have had a better experience. We were immediately greeted by someone who explained the adoption process and got us started with an application. Afterwards was a brief interview, during which they helped with all of the questions we couldn’t answer ourselves — neither of us have owned cats as adults, so we weren’t sure how much to expect to spend on our cat each year, nor do we have a vet since we recently moved from Texas. Fortunately we weren’t judged at all (unlike our experience at PAWS) and the staff provided thorough coaching.
After we were approved, we were introduced to some cats we were interested in from looking at the website, as well as some other cats who would fit our lifestyle and expectations. We were planning to adopt an adult cat but quickly fell in love with a kitten. We were given plenty of time and privacy to get to know Mr. Beaker and make a decision on our own. Again, it was getting close to closing time and we were never rushed to make a decision. We were left to bond with our kitten while Michelle got all of the paperwork started; when she was finished, all we had to do was go over some paperwork, pay the adoption fee, ask a few questions, and take our new friend home!
All of the volunteers were clearly there because they adore the cats, and they were super friendly. They were very knowledgeable about the animals’ different personalities and were very invested in them going to the right home. We also loved that the cats were free to roam around and play; we were able to get a pretty good sense of our cat’s behavior and personality.
We couldn’t be happier with our experience and would recommend Tree House to anyone looking to adopt a cat!

Great organization! True animals lovers, they r so helpful and so fast to act kindly and ethically on behalf of the welfare of animals. They help trap, neuter and return feral cats safely and they offer their services at great prices and can benefit from any size donation!

I absolutely adore this organization. When my boyfriend and I moved in together, our cats fought all the time. We were desperate for a solution. Tree House was the only place to offer behavioral therapy at no charge even though our cats weren’t adopted from there (1 stray, 2 from Anti-​Cruelty).
A lot of bad reviews say the staff is rude. They are not rude. They are DIRECT. I’ve had cats my entire life and I thought I was doing everything right, and they were swift to correct me. They asked me to take videos of the cats interacting and they pointed out errors I was making. I wasn’t insulted, I was grateful! Grateful that someone cared about my pets as much as I do. As humans, WE are the ones who can make changes to influence behavior. It’s not about your ego. A cat is going to cat.
Thanks to the tips Tree House gave us, we now have a happy kitty home.

One of their ‘community outreach’ employee trapped our cat. One day our cat disappeared. I put lost pets posters and posted a lost pet on craig list. A neighbor saw my posters and told me that ‘Tree house ’ was trapping cats in our neighborhood. It then took me weeks to get a hold of this ‘community outreach’ employee, Lizz Houtz, who trapped our cat. I called her, I emailed and I sent text messages. She she finally got back to me and admitted that she trapped my cat and told me that since the cat did not have a microchip, they assumed that the cat was homeless, surrendered the cat to some partnership shelter. Lizz told me ‘The cat has probably been adopted’.
There is no law requiring a pet to have a microchip in Chicago, there is, however, a law, requiring a license to hold a stray cat. Tree house does NOT have such a license. If they were doing TNR — trap, neuter, release, than please RELEASE. They tipped the cat’s ear and then put her in this shelter on the other part of the city instead.
They realized that the animal they trapped — was not feral. She was well-​cared, fixed cat, but they did not turn her in to Animal Care and Control for a 7 day holding period, when owners could reclaim a lost pet for a fee. We made multiple visits to animal control (ACC shelter) and other shelters that had stray cats — and could not find our cat.
We finally found our cat in a Petsmart store. The cat looked lethargic and in need of medical attention. She was kept in a CAGE. They would not give my cat back to me or let me adopt her for a fee. She was an adult cat, with tipped ear and she was freaked out, lethargic and overweight from lack of any exercise. The cat became sick from being exposed to shelter environment, her eyes were swollen and small. I begged this LIZZ to help me to get this cat to the veterinarian. I begged to pay for a veterinarian, even if they would not let me take the cat home,.
The cat had spent several months in that CAGE and she was NOT adopted. She was in her cage all the time. People at the shelter were very arrogant by telling me ‘We ll find a good owner for her (better than I am). She is very adoptable! «(overweight, ear tipped, adult lethargic cat with small, swollen eyes).
One thing they would not let you adopt THEIR pet because they do not trust you to be a good owner. Totally different thing is stealing pets from owners and refusing to give the cat back (I had vet’s record of vaccination, lost cat posters with the cat’s photograph as proof that it was my pet).
This activity is just outright illegal.
At about the same time my neighbor told me that he found a kitten freezing outside, and he asked those Tree house people who were trapping in the area to give hat kitten shelter. They would not take the kitten. Go figure.
Updated: I am giving THHS more stars, since I noticed there were a couple of feral cats in the neighborhood with a tipped ear. I appreciate what they did for those cats. However, their ‘community outreach’ job could be a lot better.

Five stars for this place and the volunteers. Though I haven’t been here in a few years, I spent a solid year working with them to ‘trap, neuter, return’ (TNR) several adult cats in my new neighborhood — between ten and fifteen I think. They loan out humane traps, walk you through the process of catching feral cats, and offer low-​cost neuter/​vaccinations/​chip services for those feral cats and kittens. They also helped guide me in socializing some of the feral kittens that spent three months in my bathroom (aside: socializing feral kittens is both emotion and time intensive).
I wish they had been able to help out with the adoption side of things once those kittens were socialized, but I did manage to find homes for them all. And I get it. There are too many kittens up for adoption at shelters already.
I can’t speak to the adoption side of things, but the care they offer for Chicago’s outdoor cat population is pretty amazing. Regarding TNR, it also let me help neighbors who seemed to be in the «I’m going to feed all the cats» and «I’m going to call animal control on all of these cats» camps respectively. No more kittens, no more fighting tom cats, and a stabilization of the wild cat population that some of those older folks were not going to stop feeding any time soon.
Edited to add — I noticed some people complained about the smell in the reception area. Early in the morning, people (like me) would bring those feral cats in on designated days to be neutered, vaccinated, etc. Speaking from experience, feral cats do not always smell like roses — this could have been the odor you smelled.

Tree House is the perfect place to go if you’re looking to bring a new member into your family. The staff is incredibly knowledgable and friendly. Everyone that works and volunteers at Tree House is clearly passionate about cats and happy to share their own adoption stories.
We had four adoption advisors to help us make our decision, Olga, Michelle, Elizabeth and Mike and we couldn’t be happier. We told them what we wanted in a cat, and right away they had some recommendations for us. We fell in love with two amazing guys and even though we only went in for one cat, ended up taking both! The cats get along great. The adoption process is fairly simple, the cats are well taken cared for and is very clean-​considering how many cats are roaming around.
Parking is not the easiest, but the adoption experience more than makes up for it.

tree house humane society is amazing, especially this location.
the uptown location might be larger, but i find the amount of cats to be overwhelming, the smell to be a bit too strong, and for it to be a smidge too busy in there. having said that, the volunteers are warm and friendly there as well. BUT BACK TO BUCKTOWN.
it can be just as difficult to find parking at this location as it is in uptown, but the atmosphere is far less intimidating and more inviting. i think what really sets this place apart from, say, PAWS, is that the volunteers here genuinely know the cats well — they don’t need to read from a piece of paper to tell you about each feline’s personalities and tendencies. it makes searching for the purrrrfect* companion easier and more natural.
i ended up falling for a grey tabby upon entering. one of the volunteers, michelle, informed me that he actually had a sibling, and that the tree house policy is that kittens are adopted together. at first, i was slightly put off by this, but then i saw the two interacting, i completely understood why that was the policy. they’ve been together forever and they NEED one another. they’re brother and sister for heaven’s sake, why would anyone separate them?! so i went from planning on adopting one cat to adopting two kittens. and guess what? it was the best decision i’ve made in a while.
olga was super helpful in going over all of the paperwork for both kittens, and the next steps i had to take, such as the distemper boosters and final round of deworming treatment they needed to be completely up-to-date.which was all included in the adoption fee! also, for just $ 15, they were able to find and give me a carrier crate that fit both kittens. those things are like $ 65+ at a pet store! they also sent me off with eight cups of dry food and a folder with all the information i needed to know.
i HIGHLY RECOMMEND tree house bucktown if you’re in the market for adopting a feline snuggly buddy.
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*i couldn’t resist.

The people who work/​volunteer here clearly love cats. When I arrived to adopt my cat a few months ago a staff member took me around to meet all the cats, even though I had my eye on a specific cat from their website. She wanted to make sure I was making the best adoption choice for me and the cat that I chose to take home. Once I decided on the cat that I was going to adopt, I went through a thorough screening and application process. The staff member was very informative and provided me with a lot of advice to ensure my cat acclimated to her new home smoothly.
Since I’ve had my cat they have made several follow up calls to ensure it was a good fit and everything was going well. The staff is very helpful if you have behavioural questions. If you are interested in adopting a cat, I highly recommend Tree House.

These guys are great. They’ve helped me immensely with TNR and their service is/​was fantastic. I’m actually glad to read that they would not adopt out a cat to someone who lets their cat out. A cat could easily be injured or exposed to illness and if you don’t know that, then you’re not really qualified to own a cat in Chicago. When I assumed responsibility for an indoor/​outdoor cat he was infested with fleas and very sick because of those fleas. So I say kudos to Tree House for NOT allowing someone to adopt a cat who will let it roam the very dangerous streets of Chicago and keep up the great work. So very appreciative of all of your support + expertise.

They have helped me years ago when i found a feral kitten in my yard. Of course I think I made a donation. (I probably had to find someone to make a donation for me to make a donation). I think ts their job not mine. I was just trying to help. But noone else even helped with the mention of a donation so they get points for that. Recently I was not so lucky to get their help. I actually was treated like I was bothering them. Im not necessarily a «cat person» but I found a felv+ cat in the snow in my yard had worms, ur issues and crystals in his bladder. I ended up keeping the cat due to noones help. I had found someone to help me pay for his vet bills and a vet who was sympathetic. I love him now but he could use a visit to the vet and eats rx food but hes fairly well. I guess its better than being in the snow untreated where I found him or euthanized. Treehouse has more resources than I do. They could at least do something more than act like I am a bother. I dont have money and Im sure someone who didnt have the heart I do or the networking I do would have just let him stay in the snow and die a slow death. There really needs to be some better options out there for people who find animals suffering and cant take them in. My cat would have been euthanized and he has lived 3 years with the help I have scrounged up. Not everyone can have a cat. Landlords arent always sympathetic. Neither are pockebooks. I barely can take care of myself.
I don’t fully blame treehouse I actually can say they are one that has actually helped in the past. Most don’t. Our only option is acc which i refuse due to horrible experiences as a volunteer and someone who has reached out to them only to find they end up euthanizing pets that are healthy and have a home waiting.
My recent experience with them was a little dis heartening. They were in pet supplies plus with some cats to adopt out. I watched them let someone take a cat they brought who was currently on antibiotics, home right from psp. no home check. knowing they had another cat at home. Why did they even bring a cat on antibiotics to an adoption event?
The woman adopting the cat was concerned about the cats claws and asked them to clip the cats nails before they took it home. They told them they couldn’t. I did it. The woman had a nail clipper on her. Why couldn’t treehouse do that for her? I could! Were they not concerned this person may be questionable? I mean what if the cat starts clawing her furniture? Will she return him/​her? What if their current cat doesn’t adjust to another cat. The whole situation made me uneasy.

I adopted my cat Keeley (I changed her name to Tock) a few months ago from Tree House and have had a great experience. This was my first time adopting a cat and the staff was incredibly nice, knowledgeable, and helpful. I could tell that all of their cats are well taken care of and loved. Every time I call with questions, they call back and are great at following up. I would definitely recommend them to any friends or who are looking to adopt.

I have a very mixed reaction to my experience here.
I brought a pug we rescued from Craigslist — she was blind and in very bad shape when we received her. Prior to getting her spayed at Treehouse, she has been taken to my vet for eye exams, vaccinations & a teeth cleaning. We’ve only had her for 6 weeks.
The original receptionist I spoke with told me I’d have to wait 6 months after she was in heat to be spayed. 1: that doesn’t make an sense b/​c she would likely be in heat again 2: I called my vet who my 11 yr old dog goes to and now this new one and they said anywhere from 1 – 3 weeks depending on the dog. Their staff needs to be fully informed with correct information
After speaking to someone else, I was given the wrong cost to have my dog spayed — but Colin emailed me the correct price. I was still glad to pay the true amount. Colin was very quick to respond to emails.
The day of the procedure, Angela checked us in. She was great and went over everything with me. When there was a concern, she called me and went over it. She also followed up with me in email about my dog’s progress. I really appreciated her help through this process, since it was a high risk spay (age of the dog & her eye condition)
When I picked her up there was a younger girl who checking pets out. When it came to my turn, she sat me down and basically accused me of not giving proper care of the dog. She said I refused treatment of the dog’s eyes with my prior vet and I felt as if she was scolding me. Had she looked through the vet records I brought, she would have seen that my dog had 2 exams, prescription medication and a follow-​up exam on her eyes. She was not the vet and if they felt true concern they could have spoken to me. I was extremely offended and by this girls actions. Little does she know I took this dog off the streets, gave it a happy home and have only done everything in my power to aid in the recovery of this pet
I really appreciate the service they provide and flexibility they have with scheduling, especially in the city, but there needs to be consistency of their staff. I would definitely go back if all of their employees were like Colin & Angela but I now would think twice b/​c of the receptionist who checked us out. She needs an attitude adjustment

One star is for the one polite person working there, with whom I interacted.
The rest is a wholly well built sham. The volunteers do love the cats I will give them that. But they also feel that their way of raising and keeping a cat is the ONLY and the BEST way to care for a cat.
Because one of my cats is an inside/​outside cat, they would not even consider me for adopting one of their pets. I was told that they want no chances that «their» cat will end up back outside. Regardless of me telling them that my other 3 stay inside. Too many chances that the inside/​outside cat will bring something home to the others. WOW! Be a little judgmental why don’t you. I have had cats since I was 5. NEVER has any of my cats ever gotten sick from anything other than old age. How dare you tell me I don’t know how to properly care for cats!
They call themselves a «humane society» because they want to promote proper health care of cats. While the girl gave me good information, it was a waste of my time! She wanted me to learn to cut my cats nails, I am sorry — That is why I have a vet! If I choose to spend the $$$ for them to cut their nails then that is my choice, i don’t care how easy you think it is.
I went to their uptown location about two years ago and they would have let me adopt a cat (I just didn’t find one that fit what I was looking for) and they were told that I have one inside/​outside cat.
If as an organization you feel that strongly that all cats in the household be indoor only cats, you should say that on your website. I wouldn’t have wasted my time or theirs.
Shameful using cats to further your personal beliefs!!!
Go to Anti-​Cruelty, or one of many, many other rescue groups!

So far I have gone to Tree House on three occasions. Every time I have gone, the staff is very polite & the prices are always reasonable. My cat has a very hard time at the vet but they are always very gentle & patient with him.
I would definately recommend the Tree House to any of my friends with cats. I love what they are doing for the cats that they care for, as well how the treat the people & pets that come in for vet services.
Thank you so much for making my vet experience wonderful! I will be coming back next year for my cats yearly shots.

I was desperately looking for a place to get my English Bulldog fixed. Surprisingly, there are only a few low-​cost clinics in the Chicago area that will do them. Tree House is one. Even the well-​known Anti-​Cruelty Society wouldn’t perform the operation.
When I called to inquire the staff was super friendly. True animal lovers. My dog was on the border line of their weight requirement so they made sure to accommodate me day of when I brought him in. Luckily, he was light and healthy enough to perform the operation. Best part, the whole thing only cost me $ 40, compared to the $ 95 at Anti-​Cruelty and $ 500 my vet wanted.
After the operation they were very helpful in explaining the details including his meds. They even clipped his nails and no cost. I will definitely be back for other vet needs.

I am a fan of any organization that cares for animals and tries to find them forever homes. I visited both Bucktown and Uptown before adopting, and I can see that the cats at Tree House are well cared for and that the people who work/​volunteer there truly want what’s best for the cats.
Adopting can be an overwhelming experience. There are so many animals that have great personalities and sad stories, and you want to be able to take them all home and give them the life they deserve. My cat Murphy passed away suddenly of a genetic condition. While my heart wasn’t quite ready to adopt, my cat Loki informed me very vocally every day that HE WAS LONELY so I started my search for a good companion for him.
I adopted Calvino (now known as Gary) from Uptown. Gary has some diarrhea issues and also some behavioral issues. Both the Tree House vet and the Tree House behaviorist Joan have been SO generous with their time in helping me help Gary with his issues. I am incredibly grateful to Tree House because the staff has been awesome in that respect. Tree House provides you resources when you adopt, which is wonderful for new cat owners and experienced cat owners alike.
The reason I’m giving Tree House 4 stars instead of five is because of the advice it pushes on introducing cats. In theory and if you have the space, the territory sharing recommended on Tree House’s website is probably an ideal situation for a slow and gradual introduction. In the city, however, not all of us have extra bedrooms. I have a tiny bathroom which is the only place the cats can be truly segregated. So Gary has spent the better part of this week in the tiny bathroom. When I started letting him have the run of the house and kept Loki segregated in the bedroom with me, Gary eventually figured out that he can chill on top of my bedroom closet which he can get to from my loft. That stressed Loki because Gary was in a predatory position up high. Gary is increasingly upset when he has to go back in the bathroom, and basically destroyed the joint this morning. What I have now is 2 stressed cats.
My advice if you are an experienced cat owner is to follow your instincts, research other methods, and take the cats’ personalities into consideration more than the territory sharing model Tree House pushes does. I have a special bond with Loki, and wanted to do things «right» so that he loved his new companion and had a great relationship with him. So even though I’ve done the existing/​new cat introduction thing before, I decided to do it Tree House’s way. Instead of going into the introduction thinking that everything is going to be fine, I am now really concerned that the two will have a rough time of it because Gary is overstimulated from being cooped up, and Loki has associated Gary as a predator. If I could, I would have done it all differently and followed my gut, and I think things would have been much, much better going into the big reveal.
Bottom line: cats are not one size fits all, spaces are not one size fits all, owners are not one size fits all, and the advice on introducing a new cat to an existing cat should be overhauled to reflect that.

I adopted my white & blue domestic short hair, Lumpy (originally Kodak), from Tree House seven years ago although it feels like it was just yesterday. He was four months old when I adopted him and has grown up to be the best cat I’ve ever owned!
Adopting from Tree House was such a fun experience, walking through the shelter that allowed most of the cats to roam freely. It looked like a fun environment for them and I was happy to adopt from a cage-​less shelter. I was also happy to sign the I will not declaw agreement. I can’t remember all of the fees I had to pay but I know it was nothing unreasonable. I found Lumpy sleeping on a cat tree among all the other cats frolicking about.
All in all, it was a great experience and I have since recommended many people to Tree House.

I went to the Uptown location with a friend to adopt a furry companion. It had been highly recommended by my friends who had adopted here previously. I’m very impressed with the organization.
She filled out the paperwork and the volunteer asked several questions which were clearly geared at seeing if she was prepared to make a responsible, «forever» commitment. The volunteers are passionate about the cats in their care, which was great to see.
She escorted us from room to room naming each cat who came up to explore and explained what their background was. I was impressed with the level of her knowledge and familiarity. I was also happy to see that she avoided the kitten room, even though my friend asked for a young cat. Although cute, I’m of the mindset that kittens are easy to adopt, and I liked that she put the focus on some cats in the 2 – 3 year range. Of note, the cats are divided into rooms where they can roam around freely with stairs to climb, scratchers to use and plenty of toys. It’s a great alternative to the cages at the Anti-​Cruelty Society.
Once the final decision was made, they pulled her file, explained her medical history and asked my friend to sign a waiver that she was informed about an issue. I was happy to see how diligent they were. The vet gave her one last look and signed off on the adoption. They sold her a gently used carrier for $ 10 (I paid like $ 40 for mine!!) and a free 3lb bag of Science Diet.
Of course I wanted to take home 5 cats, but I don’t think mine would appreciate it. However, I will definitely recommend to friends!