Barb's Precious Rescue celebrates 10-year milestone in Palatine

PALATINE, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — It's feeding time at Barb's Precious Rescue, and dozens of spunky, furry felines bum-rush the volunteer cart filled with bowls of kibble.

“Brunch time,” squeals a volunteer. “Who's hungry?”

Located in a former farmhouse in Palatine, the building housing Barb’s Precious Rescue is now a three-story, 7,500-square-foot space dedicated to rescue cats and kittens.

Owner Barb Weber said she was always destined to care for animals, especially of the furry feline kind.

“I always attracted cats,” she laughed. “When I was a child, I was the one who collected all the kitties.”

A nurse by trade, she was born to be a caregiver. In 2005, when she moved to Palatine, she said cats just seemed to find her.

“This is when it really started,” Weber said. “My home was next to a forest preserve. Within the first three to four months, we had identified, trapped and neutered 30 cats from the forest preserve. That's when I realized how many cats were out there that needed help. Before you know it, cats were showing up at my door either pregnant or injured, but there are only so many cats you can take in your home.”

Soon enough, she said she knew it was time to open a place to help and care for feral and abandoned cats and kittens. In 2014, Barb’s Precious Rescue was born.

“We decided to purchase this farmhouse on Quentin Road and the village allowed us to transition into Barb's Precious Rescue,” Weber said.

Ten years later, and the rescue is now housing up to 300 cats and kittens at one time while preparing them for adoption.

“We rescue domestic and feral cats,” she said. “We're not-for-profit. We have two stories, different rooms. We have the teen room, which we call the party room; we have the mature room, as well; we have the cats-in-training room. We have newborns all the way up to our oldest, who is 18.”

Two hundred volunteers and foster families help care for the animals.

“The volunteers are so important,” Weber said. “It's giving the cats time and socialization. We have two shifts. They play, they feed and they spend time with them, so they truly have a homestyle environment so when they find a home the transition will be easier. They are in a colony with other cats so they can play and live with others so their stress level goes down.”

April was peak kitten season, so Weber said they are at capacity.

“In the past month, 29 kittens were just delivered,” she said. “Within two weeks, we received six cats that were pregnant, resulting in 21 deliveries, and we just had two more come in. It's our busy time. Already in the first month and a half, we've already exceeded the number of kittens we had last year.”

Expansion is already in the works and Weber said fundraising will help to open a new 2,500-square-foot, on-site veterinary care center.

“We always had the medical side covered, but now we'll have the surgical side, the timing of when kitties can go home sooner,’ Weber said. “We could have 30 cats waiting for spay and neuter, and the ability to fit them throughout different animal hospitals could take up to three to four months. Now we'll be able to do it every Friday."

She added: “When we receive the cats, they are spayed and neutered, they are vaccinated and tested before they go to their new home. This is focused on our rescues within the facility to prepare for adoption.”

The new facility will house two veterinarians, a large lobby, office space, a dental room, two specialty rooms for Leukemia positive and special needs cats, a maternity room, pre- and post-rooms, and recovery rooms. Weber said they'd like to raise $1 million to open the new expansion by 2026.

Down the block, they've purchased the property to become an adoption center and soon they will be welcoming dogs.

“The designs have been drawn up for our adoption center, we just need the funds,” said Weber. “We're going to have dogs next year. The village is letting us start with six dogs, they will be able to go outside in the yard. We're currently building the kennels.”

Weber cares for some of the critically ill ones herself, but she knows she can't keep them all, but she said there's nothing better than matching a fur baby with a loving home.

“When the families come in, you can see the bonding take place when the right person meets their right kitty,” said Weber. “They fall in love, and off they go with the adoption process. Families keep in touch with me, they keep me posted on their progress, they send me pictures. I view them as I'm sending my kids off, they are never going away because I remember them, especially when they flourish and get adopted. It's very rewarding when we can find homes for these animals.”

Weber estimated that they've housed and helped 5,500 cats over the last 10 years.

More information on how to donate to or adopt from Barb’s Precious Rescue can be found online .

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