News & Events
Recent & Upcoming Events
Neighborhood Cat Tour Brings Cat Lovers Together in Bowmanville
Thank you to everyone who joined the Bowmanville Cat Tour and visited Touched By An Animal for a memorable “Spooky Caturday” on October 10, 2026.
Cat lovers from Bowmanville and across the greater Chicago area came together for an afternoon celebrating community, creativity, and – of course – cats. We were delighted to welcome so many visitors to our doorstep and share the work of Touched By An Animal.
The event was a walking tour featuring adorable neighborhood cats, festive costumes on cats and humans, and a lively block-party atmosphere. As an official stop on the tour map, TBA welcomed visitors who were treated to our resident kitties frolicking in the spookily decorated catio and green space. Outside the sanctuary, our volunteers greeted tour-goers, answered questions, introduced visitors to our mission, and showed off a few of our adoptable kittens in a stroller.
We are deeply grateful to everyone who stopped by, spoke with our volunteers, learned about our programs, and helped make the day so special. Your interest and encouragement strengthen our ability to support people and animals in our community. A special thank you goes to the Bowmanville Cat Tour organizers, without whom we would not have had such incredible support and sponsorship. To learn more about the tour, visit the Bowmanville Cat Tour website.
We’d also like to acknowledge and thank our generous local business supporters: is/was brewing, Fireside Restaurant & Lounge, and Mata Traders. Their cat tour specials benefited Touched By An Animal, and their generosity showed what neighbors can accomplish when they come together for a shared cause.
To our visitors, volunteers, partners, and neighbors: thank you for making Spooky Caturday such a joyful celebration! We loved sharing our mission and kitties with you, and we look forward to welcoming you back soon.
Save the Date for Our Annual Thanksgiving Benefit, Sunday, November 22, 2026
Mark your calendars now and plan to join us at the Irish American Heritage Center, 4626 N. Knox Avenue in Chicago, for this wonderful, celebration brunch benefit.
Stay tuned for more details and information about how to reserve your spot…coming soon!
Lilypad makes biscuits from her stroller for our visitors
Neighbors enjoy watching TBA’s kitties in the catio and green space on
“Spooky Caturday”
What’s New
Help us this Kitten Season!
Touched By An Animal is committed to finding loving homes for our “tossed and found” kittens. We are looking for adopters to help us find loving homes for all the kittens currently in our nursery. Call us at 773.728.6336 OR click below to view available cats and kittens.
A Star Is Born!
Touched By An Animal Featured on NBC’s Chicago Today program
Executive Director Melanee Schoendorff recently joined Chicago Today to promote TBA’s lifesaving work and highlight our adorable, adoptable kitties as part of the network’s annual “Clear the Shelters” campaign. TBA sweethearts Boozer and Rihanna stole the show and no doubt the hearts of local viewers! In case you missed it, check out the clip below:
Melanee’s exclusive interview on Chicago Today starring TBA kittens
A Wildly Successful “Meow”rning at Touched By An Animal
We recently welcomed new friends to Touched By An Animal for a “Purr-logue” to the first annual Lincoln Square Cat Tour on “Caturday,” August 8.
As a featured partner of the official community event, Touched By An animal opened our doors to offer special morning tours of our cozy, cageless cat sanctuary. All told, we had the pleasure of greeting 27 new visitors who got a firsthand look at the wonderful world our resident kitties call home.
Tours were led by Executive Director Melanee and dedicated volunteers who shared stories and our history, answered questions, pointed out favorite feline napping spots, and helped every guest feel right at home.
Visitors were guided through the house where they met some of our friendly residents, enjoyed zoomies in the kitten room, admired cat antics in the enclosed catio and brand-new outdoor green space, and learned how Touched By An Animal helps save cats while keeping beloved pets with the families who love them.
Watching the smiles on the faces of tour-goers as they wrapped up their visits and headed out to enjoy the rest of “Caturday,” it was clear they were inspired by the experience and touched by our mission.
A big, warm “thank you” to our enthusiastic, amazing volunteers and staff who made the morning a wonderful introduction to TBA and our resident kitties.
We’re also tipping our ears in gratitude to the Lincoln Square Cat Tour for including us in the celebration, helping spread the word, promote our organization, and bring more neighbors to our doorstep to learn about the lifesaving work happening here every day.
To everyone who stopped by and spent part of the day with us: thank you. We were proud to share our sanctuary, our mission, and a good dose of cat-approved charm with the community—and we hope to see many more friendly faces again soon!
Pets to the Vet Update: Bringing Care to Seniors & Their Companion Animals
For many Chicago-area seniors, a beloved pet is more than a companion: it is family, comfort, and a daily source of joy. Through partnership and community outreach, Touched By An Animal’s Pets to the Vet program brings compassionate veterinary care directly to low-income seniors in their living facilities or other community centers, removing the stress of excessive travel and helping pets get the care they need.
This important work is made possible in part by a grant-funded initiative at TBA that is making a real difference for local seniors and their beloved pets. Thanks to support from Pets for the Elderly, qualifying pet owners aged 60 and above can receive a comprehensive veterinary exam for their cat or dog, covered up to $250 per pet.
Our experienced veterinarian provides standard wellness exams, including nail clipping and basic vaccinations. For pets who aren’t feeling well, diagnostic testing helps pinpoint the issue. When a pet needs additional care beyond the grant coverage, TBA actively fundraises to help support those expenses.
Our most recent Pets to the Vet session was graciously sponsored by the Northcenter Chamber of Commerce at 4054 N. Lincoln Avenue on Friday, September 16, where Dr. Dawn Straily examined nine cats and dogs. The day’s highlight began when a mother and daughter brought in a friendly young black cat with distinctive backward-curving ear tips that had been visiting their porch. With no identification tag, they hoped she might be a lost pet. Dr. Dawn confirmed the cat was healthy and scanned her for a microchip, allowing the veterinary team to contact her family within minutes. Just 30 minutes later, the cat was reunited with a delighted household—showing how accessible care and quick coordination can turn uncertainty into a joyful homecoming.
As part of this heartwarming program, we take a picture of each senior with their furry companion to share with the foundation sponsoring this initiative. Celebrating the special bond between people and their pets has been integral to TBA’s mission since our inception, and the human-animal connection certainly comes to life in these photos!
How You Can Help
We are proud to support seniors and their animals, and we need your help identifying retirement communities, senior community facilities, and churches where we can organize Pets to the Vet events for the remainder of 2026. Please send location recommendations to Pat Spaulding, the program coordinator, at pat.spaulding@comcast.net. We appreciate your input.
If you are interested in assisting TBA in our outreach to seniors, please click here to make a donation. Thank you!
Amazon Wish: Please Help Our Kitties!!!
Click the link below and help us provide essential supplies for our influx of autumn kittens!
Newsletters
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Ready to greet visitors at the “Purr-logue”
Kitties enjoy “Caturday” fun in the sun at our new cat green space
Carol’s kitten, Baby, is being seen by Dr. Dawn Straily, our “Pets to the Vet” Program Veterinarian
Homeward bound!
Kitty Yoga aka…PURRLATES: Pilates with Kittens
Stretch, relax, and let a cat judge your downward dog. It’s wonderful. Click here to sign up!
One of the instructors:
Thanksgiving benefit 2025
Join us for our 42nd Thanksgiving Benefit!
November 16, 2025 11:00am - 3:00pm CDT
Irish American Heritage Center, 4626 N. Knox Ave Chicago Il 60630
Touched by an Animal invites you to join us for our 42nd Thanksgiving Gala. Together we will share good food, friendship, and the spirit of giving.
Your participation or donation helps provide veterinary care, food, litter and support to all our kitties and allows us to help those who can't provide for their furry companions.
If you can't make it to the gala, please click RSVP to buy tickets!