The Tree House shelter is a large house with many specialized areas. On the first floor is the clinic, various department offices (filled with cats), and our large cat-friendly reception room. In the basement, there are rooms to house the cats who have just arrived at the shelter and those who are recovering from contagious illnesses. The third floor is the Socialization Room, which is home to the more feral kitties. The second floor has the Adoption Area, the FIV Room, the Step-Up Room, and a special room reserved for the littlest Tree House residents – Kittenville.

Kittenville is a magical place. To enter this room, all staff and visitors must wash their h ands, disinfect their shoes, and wear surgical gowns. Then, only when accompanied by a qualified staff person is it possible to pass through the locked door. Inside are large separate housing areas filled with adorable fuzzy faces.

The kittens in this room are either with their mother or least one month old and able to eat on their own. If their mother is with them, then they can be younger. Tree House places all kittens who are still of nursing age admitted without their mother into the homes of specially trained Tree House staff members, since newborns need ‘round-the-clock care. At home with staff, they are pampered and mothered -- just what the doctor ordered.

Staff members that foster kittens must be able to provide care throughout the night, and they must be able to deal with the real possibility that not all young kittens will survive. Even though Tree House has an amazing record of saving kittens, some kittens have been away from their mother for too long before they are found. If kittens are too dehydrated or their body temperature is too low, their chances of survival are compromised. While the staff always does everything possible to save each and every kitten, sometimes it is just too late. Every little life is precious and the loss of any kitten takes an emotional toll on the staff.

When kittens first arrive at Tree House, their medical condition is evaluated. They are examined from nose to tail, weighed, their temperature is taken, and they are vaccinated (if over 4 weeks of age). Healthy kittens are moved to Kittenville, and kittens suspected of having an illness are placed in isolation. Kittens from the same litter are kept together. Litters of kittens in Kittenville are separated from each other in large cages. Even though Tree House is a “cageless” shelter, this is a situation when cages are in the best interest of the cats. For instance, apparently health kittens sometimes break with a contagious illness a few days after arrival at Tree House due to exposure and stress from being on the street. Keeping kittens in small groups prevents the spread of disease from one group of vulnerable youngsters to another. Even a healthy looking kitten can later be found to have panleukopenia (also known as feline distemper) – a very serious illness. Additionally, cages keep bigger, older kittens from harming smaller, younger kittens and reduce stress on mothers trying to keep their litters together and safe from intruders.

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