CHICAGO — (May 24, 2014) — Tree House Humane Society and Merrick Pet Care have announced an exclusive partnership to provide Chicago’s homeless cats with quality nutrition while they’re awaiting their forever homes.
Merrick Pet Care, a leader in natural and organic pet nutrition, started earlier this month providing Tree House Humane Society with quality pet food for all of Tree House’s residents – formerly sick, injured, abused and neglected stray cats.
“Tree House Humane Society is committed to ensuring the health and happiness of every pet in our adoption program,” said Dave de Funiak, Tree House’s Executive Director. “We are proud to provide the pets in our care with Merrick and Organix cat food during their stay and provide a foundation of health and nutrition that we hope will continue for the rest of their lives.”
As Tree House’s exclusive feeding partner, Merrick will provide all of the meals to each resident cat, including Merrick Purrfect Bistro and Organix kibble and canned food, as they begin the journey to find a new home. From their first meal at both of Tree House’s Chicago Adoption Centers (Uptown and Bucktown) until adoption day, each Tree House cat will enjoy healthy, recipes made in Merrick’s kitchens with locally sourced USDA-inspected deboned meat, fresh produce and high-quality protein. All ingredients of Merrick are fresh, regionally sourced in the United States and made in Merrick’s own kitchen.
“Not only does Merrick’s generosity save Tree House money which now can be spent to help save more cats, it offers Tree House a diet of extraordinarily high quality, which is a luxury that most shelters don’t have,” said Steve Dale, CABC, and member of the Tree House Board of Directors.
“Tree House has a proven record of helping pets in need and we are pleased to partner with them to feed homeless cats awaiting their forever homes,” said Greg Shearson, CEO of Merrick Pet Care, Inc. “Together, we can better help cats not only survive, but thrive through feeding them more wholesome, natural and nutritious foods.”
What’s more – Merrick’s help and commitment to homeless pets doesn’t stop at Tree House’s doors. In addition to supporting the shelter-feeding program, they will help each new family kick-off a healthy at home eating program by offering each adopter a coupon to be applied to a supply of dry/canned food for the transition to their new home. “It’s a great partnership for Tree House and Merrick Pet Care, and especially for pets,” said de Funiak.
About Tree House Humane Society
One of the nation’s first cageless, no-kill shelters, Tree House specializes in the rescue and rehabilitation of sick, injured, abused, and neglected stray cats, and provides low-cost spay/neuter and wellness services for cats and dogs, with the ultimate goal of creating a no-kill Chicago and leading the way to a no-kill nation! Tree House has adopted out more than 20,000 animals since our founding in 1971, and has provided more than 30,000 free and low-cost spay/neuter packages. We also help countless cats and dogs through our community programs and services including our Community Cats TNR Program, Animal Assisted Therapy, Education Outreach, and Pet Food Pantry. Visit TreeHouseAnimals.org for more information.
About Merrick Pet Care, Inc.
Founded in 1988, Amarillo, Texas-based Merrick Pet Care Inc. is a leader in the natural and organic pet food category. With a mission to create the most nutritious and wholesome food, Merrick helps families take better care of their pets by cooking up nutritious, real whole foods for pets. All foods are made in the USA using only the freshest ingredients grown by local farmers. The company offers a wide variety of dry and wet foods, as well as treats, that are available nationally at independent pet specialty stores, Petco and online via select retailers. In April 2012, Merrick Pet Care Inc. acquired Castor & Pollux and its Organix and Natural Ultramix products. For more information about Merrick or Castor & Pollux, visit www.merrickpetcare.com or www.castorpolluxpet.com.
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
Jenny Schlueter, Tree House
Betsy Berger
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