Our Mission
Cat-Tastrophe is a nonprofit dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming cats across Chicago. We believe every cat deserves dignity, compassion, and a second chance — no matter their age, health, or past.
What began in a Lawndale neighborhood has grown into a foster-based shelter focused on medical care, thoughtful placement, and giving every cat the chance at a safe and loving home.
Your Donation Saves Lives
Street rescues come with serious medical needs. Your support keeps us going.
We rescue most of our cats straight from the streets of Chicago. Many are suffering from worms, mites, upper respiratory infections, eye infections, injuries, and/or malnutrition. These untreated medical conditions can quickly become life-threatening without medical care.
We pay for the veterinary treatments that help our cats heal. Donations allow us to continue rescuing cats in desperate need to give them a chance at a healthy life and a loving home. Every contribution, no matter the size, allows us to save more cats.
100% OF YOUR DONATION WILL HELP OUR 501(c)(3) NONPROFIT SAVE CAT LIVES.
Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.
Cat-tastrophe brought us our baby boy!! We were connected to him the second we saw him, and Shelon made sure we could walk out of there with him and everything he needs. She shared his story with us and her incredible mission, and we were touched. She took the time to help us transition him carefully and made him (and us) feel safe and comfortable. She changed our lives for the better, as she does for all these kitties!
Cat-tastrophe is amazing!
Franny & Zooey came into our lives and hearts two years ago and we are so very thankful.
Shelon is fantastic and pours her soul into this organization.
She was generous with unexpected medical costs just after the adoption and with additonal inquiries and vet appointments for the girls.
And she made sure the babies were adopted together as siblings, which we were more than happy to do. To say that my family is obsessed with these cats would be an understatement- we ADORE them and are enjoying watching them lives their best lives and rule the house! :)
Shelon Jackson is truly one of the most genuine, compassionate, and selfless people I know—especially when it comes to her love for animals. Her dedication to cats goes far beyond words. She consistently makes personal sacrifices, using her own money to ensure they are healthy, well-fed, nurtured, and deeply loved.
What stands out the most is her unwavering commitment. Every single day, she fights to grow and sustain her nonprofit, pouring in her time, energy, and heart without hesitation. This isn’t just something she does—it’s who she is. I’m truly impressed by her passion, and her story of building this business from the ground up is incredibly inspiring.
Her passion is real, her intentions are pure, and the impact she’s making on these animals’ lives is incredible. Anyone who supports or comes across her work should know they are witnessing someone who genuinely cares and is making a meaningful difference.
Shelon genuinely cares about every single furry friend that comes her way. When we found our perfect kitten through Cat-tastrophe, she helped us every step of the way. That was October 2024. We can’t imagine our lives without our sweet kitty, Cobweb, and that’s all thanks to this non-profit. I’m eternally grateful❤️🙏
Truly an amazing person. Called up about a kitten I found and she showed such concern and compassion for him. Can’t thank her enough for saving a kittens life and helping me out. Genuine kind hearted person, can’t thank her enough for taking the kitten in. Also appreciate that she has given me updates on how he’s doing. May she be blessed forever
Remarkable person!
You can definitely tell because the cat we adopted has the most gentle loving personality.
Hey I see things are looking up for you! We’ve had our baby now for three happy years and she is just more loving as time goes by. There is definitely a lot of love that came from your end because this is the most loving and affectionate cat I’ve ever had. Thank you Cat Tastrophe for all that you do 🥰🥰🥰
2 years ago, I adopted 2 kittens from Cat-Tastrophe. The first was the most frightened little thing I had ever seen. He had been abused by his previous family and was very timid and untrusting. After visiting him for 6 weeks (after earning his trust) we were finally allowed to adopt him and being him home... along with his a smaller kitten he had been nurturing. The experience of getting to know my cats before the adoption was life changing foe both me and son (now 13). I highly recommend adoption through this caring organization.