Volunteer Orientation: Tree House Humane Society

Location: Uptown

Date: Sunday, February 23, 2014; 3:00-5:30 pm

My first interaction with cats was when I was visiting my Grandma as a kid and saw a litter of 4 kittens, which had been brought in through a window by their mom on one rainy night.  For several years after that every time I visited them, the kitties were there and I saw them grow up into 4 adult cats with 4 very distinct personalities.  Then they slowly started leaving home one by one, till one day there was no trace of them.  I never quite understood how someone who had been a part of a family for so many years could just abandon them.  I guess that’s why I never trusted cats, and while I did not resent them, I never quite warmed up to them either.  Dogs on the other hand are the epitome of loyalty and I have always loved them.  But recently, having been to PAWS and after talking with some of my friends who are cat lovers, they have begun to grow on me.  So when an opportunity presented itself about being a volunteer with ‘Tree House Humane Society’, an organization that rescues cats, I was interested.  According to their website, “Tree House is a humane organization that promotes the inherent value of every animal and strives to educate the public about proper and responsible animal care, with a focus on the care and placement of stray cats with special physical and emotional needs. We are committed to finding every healthy and treatable animal a home and to helping lead the way to a No-Kill nation.”

The brave Max

My friend Amanda had forwarded me a link to their volunteer page and I had written to them saying I was interested.  After some to and fro emails to figure out scheduling, Amanda and I managed to schedule a visit to their uptown facility this Sunday afternoon.  We arrived at what looked like a residential house, and thought that this was just a space for office and we wouldn't be seeing any cats there.  Boy, were we wrong.  It was a house all right, but a house for cats!  We were led into a living room, which had been converted into a reception area.  We saw several cats over there, most of whom were in middle of their afternoon siesta.  There were cats napping on tables, under the chairs, or curled up in their beds.  There were two white kittens that were awake and staring at all the humans who had invaded their place.  One of them started walking and no sooner had he taken a step, then he lost his balance and fell over.  He continued doing that after every other step and I asked the receptionist what was wrong with him.  She told us that this one - called Max - and the other cat - called Jax - were brothers. Their mother was vaccinated when pregnant and this led to them having cerebral damage, which causes them to be wobbly.  I felt sorry for the little fella who was having difficulty going even a few inches without toppling.  However, we were told that this is the only life they have known and were used to this; anything else being strange for them.  The one who was walking was a feisty fellow and determined to get around at any cost, while his brother has even more difficulty in moving.  These two were quite popular with the other cats who frequently groomed them and had adopted them as their own.  I was taken by these two and the staff told us that the eventual hope was that someone patient would adopt them as a pair; because there was no way that they would be split up from each other. 

Other potential volunteers had gathered and so we were led to the third floor attic where the orientation was to be conducted.  Since the cats were roaming everywhere, we had to be careful while entering and exiting corridors, closing a door before opening another.  This was especially challenging on staircases, but we managed to reach our destination without picking up additional passengers.  The attic had several cats as well and we were told that they were FIV positive – same as HIV, but for Felines.  Since that can only be transferred from cat to cat through bite wounds, they had to be kept in isolation.  Katie, the staff member who was conducting the orientation, asked us to introduce ourselves and state why we were there.  I told them the story from my childhood and how despite being a dog person, I was starting to get fond of the kitties.  Many others were cat owners, including a mom and her son, who have a dog and a cat at home.  I asked them how they get along and it seems that while the dog wants to be friends and play, the cat prefers to be alone. 

Katie started with an overview of Tree House and what they do, emphasizing that they were a “no kill shelter”.  Besides this uptown facility, there is another center in Bucktown and while the training was being conducted here, the need for volunteers would be at both locations.  After the introduction we learned how to go about handling cats, which was especially useful for someone like me.  Katie demonstrated on a stuffed cat and I realized how moody cats can be, and how we have to be careful while petting them.  Dogs are definitely much friendlier, but some of these cats were so cute!  Next, we saw how to play with a cat using wand toys.  Cats are predators by nature and so chasing the wand is akin to them hunting.  Just as you do not want to come between a predator and their prey, you also do not want to come between a cat and their wand.  It was interesting to see that many cats were actually following along as Katie demonstrated this trick.

We were then told about the various duties that are expected of a volunteer, including being caregivers and playtime companions.  While she was doing so, we saw a volunteer come in to feed the cats in our room.  We then went on a tour and saw the various rooms, all equipped to handle kitties.  The entire house was designed for cats and was meant to be an open space for them, not a caged setting.  Downstairs, near the volunteer offices we saw a bulletin board with all the cats that were currently in foster care, and also a memorial wall with names of those who had passed. The staff really cared about the cats and were not treating this like a job.  In fact, we were told that all staff members have cats sitting on them when working!  This is a great place for these creatures that are possibly coming from a previous environment of neglect and abuse.  No cat is abandoned, and in case a family does not want the cat they have adopted; Tree House takes the kitty back.  I don’t know when I would be able to help out or in what capacity, but I was extremely glad to have come and learned about them.  Not all stray kittens find a welcoming home on the other side of a window during a thunderstorm.  That’s where Tree House comes in.