Emergency Room Policy & Information

Forever Fortunate Felines Emergency Room Policy
(Go to catsfff.org/urgent to get approval BEFORE YOU GO)

Normal Hours Emergency Vets:
1) Shelter Vet Solutions Chicago (773) 961-8735 – Open 6 Days
2) Oak Elm Animal Hospital Des Plaines (847) 759-1440 – Open 7 Days

Off-Hours Emergency Room Locations:
1) Veterinary Emergency Group (VEG) – Multiple Locations

During normal business hours, we must use either Oak Elm Animal Hospital or Shelter Vet Solutions

For after-hours emergency care, you must mention the cat is a foster cat with Forever Fortunate Felines for VEG to check in under our account.  We do not cover any expenses at non-VEG locations.

You must attempt to get pre-approval for your ER visit by going to catsfff.org/urgent to text our rescue board members and wait 15 minutes for a response.
If there is no answer within 15 minutes and you assess this is an emergency, it means you are facing a life-threatening situation, and your foster cat will not survive until our full-service vets open the next day. Only in this case will we authorize an emergency room visit.

VEG ER Authorization Letter – PLEASE BRING WITH YOU / SHOW TO VEG ER (PASSWORD PROTECTED – SEE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW)
Please show the authorization letter at this link to VEG when you check in.
The Authorization letter PASSWORD is the first 2 CAPITAL LETTERS of your CATS Foster ID with FFF.
You can find your FFF Cat Foster ID in your Messenger Cat Chat title; only use the first two letters of your FFF cat ID.

The rescue only covers up to 12 hours of care at an emergency facility, and the cat must be transferred to a partner vet the following day, Oak Elm or Shelter Vet Solutions (see details below).

Case #1: Physical Injury

If your foster cat experiences a physical injury off hours and is actively bleeding, which cannot be stopped or is in obvious/significant pain. Please bring it to the emergency room listed above. Please note that if the injury is a result of exposure to a non-FFF household pet or an unreasonable household hazard (dog bite, exposed nail, access allowed to an unsafe area of the house, swallowed poisonous cleaner, etc), the rescue does not accept financial responsibility for these cases as we expect our foster cats to be kept in safe environments. If the physical injury results from an accident and provided the cat has been properly cared for and isolated to safe and reasonable areas of the house, the rescue shall cover the emergency room expense on the night of the emergency. A fundraiser is required to help offset the cost of emergency care.

Case #2: Fever, Lethargic, Etc

If your foster cat experiences a high fever or signs of serious illness, you will be required to either have a video call or drive your foster cat to a core foster. For a list of core fosters who can approve ER visits, ask on your Facebook messenger cat chat. The core medical foster shall help to provide supportive care such as antibiotics and fluids. The core foster shall also triage and evaluate the cat for emergency care. Typically, the Emergency Room visit shall be approved based on criteria such as a fever above 106 degrees. Please be prepared to answer a series of questions that shall be asked related to urination patterns, stool, how long the symptoms have persisted, etc. If the core foster deems the cat requires emergency care, please proceed to one of the above-mentioned ERs. With a core foster pre-approval, the rescue shall cover you for the incurred costs on the night of the emergency. A fundraiser is required to help offset the cost of emergency care.

If you cannot reach a core foster or rescue management (middle of the night, etc), please use your best judgment for emergencies.  In almost all cases, your foster cat can wait until our partner vet in Des Plaines (Oak Elm Animal Hospital) opens at 9 am (7 days per week).  For emergencies, you can go directly to Oak Elm Animal Hospital to arrive at 9 a.m.

If you do not believe your foster cat will survive until our partner vet opens in the morning, please proceed to an emergency room.  The typical cost of an emergency visit will range between $500 to $1500.  A fundraiser must be created to help offset the cost of emergency care.

Case #3: Bottle Babies and Mush Babies

Due to the high mortality rate of bottle and mush babies, the rescue does not cover emergency visits for bottles or mush babies.

In all cases, a Facebook fundraiser is required to help offset the high cost of ER care. We will provide a short instructional video on quickly creating your Facebook fundraiser. This fundraiser must be led by the foster parent with significant support from the rescue. We will be with you every step of the way to help organize and promote the fundraiser for your foster cat. The reason we require the foster parent to host the fundraiser is that we find this to be the most successful model for Facebook fundraising, as the foster parent knows their foster cat’s personality and is the best person to tell the story from the heart. Therefore, when the foster parent tells the story, the story has a true impact on the community and people who want to help.

In all cases, the cat must be moved to Oak Elm Animal Hospital or another one of our regular partner vets within 12 hours (the following day) if continued hospitalization is required. Oak Elm Animal Hospital is open seven days per week, and Shelter Vet Solutions is available five days per week. The rescue shall only cover the first night of care at emergency room facilities. Please be prepared to transfer your foster cat as soon as they are stabilized.