St. Sophia's Forgotten Felines

What St. Sophia's Forgotten Felines does

St. Sophia's Forgotten Felines (SSFF) is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit, foster-based cat rescue and limited-intake licensed shelter founded in 2010 and headquartered in Wheaton, Illinois. The organization specializes in rescuing feral, stray, abandoned, and abused cats — prioritizing pull-from-high-kill-shelter intake rather than owner surrenders — and operating temporary care until permanent adoption placement. SSFF does not maintain a stray-holding license and does not board cats as a primary function; instead, it runs a volunteer foster network supplemented by a single physical shelter at 525 W. Roosevelt Road, Wheaton.

SSFF's service surface extends well beyond adoption. The organization has built an integrated ecosystem of community programs: Crisis Boarding (delivered in partnership with LoL Pet Resort on a sliding scale for families in emergency), HopeRX (medical-cost assistance for cats with treatable conditions such as FIP, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, kidney disease, and urinary disease), a Pet Food Pantry, Finder-to-Foster, TNR resource referrals, and lost-and-found support. Adoption distribution occurs via shelter open hours (Tuesdays 6–9 PM, Saturdays 12–3 PM), monthly Petco Elmhurst events, and Kitten Yoga fundraisers at Roselle and Lisle Park Districts. Funding flows through one-time donations (PayPal, Amazon Wish List, Bissell Pet Foundation shopping program), monthly membership tiers (Rescue Corps, 5 tiers), and yearly membership tiers (Nine Lives Society, 5 tiers).

The operating model is 100% volunteer-run with no paid staff; consequently, 100% of donations are directed to cat care. The only disclosed monetary inflow in the dataset is a $17,500 DuPage County grant dated 2025-06-24. Pricing (adoption fees) is not publicly disclosed; the homepage indicates 'Price Changes Coming in July.' Geographic scope is regional, concentrated in DuPage County with referral reach across the broader Chicago metro via TNR and clinic partners.

Name

St. Sophia's Forgotten Felines

Legal name

St. Sophia's Forgotten Felines

Website

https://stsff.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Short description

St. Sophia's Forgotten Felines is a Wheaton, Illinois-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit cat rescue that pulls at-risk cats from high-kill shelters and rehomes them through a volunteer foster network and community support programs serving DuPage County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Rescue and Adoption Services

NAICS

Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (812910), Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (81291)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Animal Shelters & Adoption Services (BPAGAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Animal Shelters & Rescue Operations (AFAEALAB), Cat-Only Boarding (Cattery) (HSANAHAD), Overnight Cattery Boarding (Cats) (HSANADAB)

Keywords

• Cat rescue services
• Animal shelter operations
• Pet adoption programs
• Foster care network
• Trap neuter return

Headquarters

HQ city

Wheaton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: As a 501c3 licensed shelter, all funding comes through direct donor support. Accepts PayPal donations with 100% of funds going directly to cats in care. Quarterly fundraisers held.
2. Monthly Membership: Monthly membership program (St. Sophia's Rescue Corps) with 5 tiers: Whisker Watch, Purr Patrol, Cat Crew, Guardian Circle, and Nine Lives Circle. Provides predictable sustained funding.
3. Yearly Membership: Annual membership program (Nine Lives Society) with 5 tiers: Advocate, Protector, Guardian, Lifeline, Legacy. Provides long-term stability for rescue planning.
4. Amazon Wish List: Amazon Wish List registry for in-kind donations of supplies.
5. Shopping Partner Programs: Bissell pet foundation and other shopping programs where percentage of purchases donated to the organization.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

St. Sophia's Forgotten Felines is a limited-intake, 501(c)(3) volunteer-run cat rescue and adoption shelter that provides temporary care, adoption placement, and a suite of surrender-prevention programs (Crisis Boarding, HopeRX medical assistance, Pet Food Pantry) for cats and community members in the DuPage County, Illinois area. It also operates recurring monthly (Rescue Corps) and yearly (Nine Lives Society) membership programs that fund food, medical care, and housing for rescued cats.

Product overview

St. Sophia's Forgotten Felines is a limited-intake 501c3 cat rescue and adoption organization providing temporary care for cats in transition. The organization operates as a unified shelter with multiple integrated programs: core adoption services paired with foster and finder-to-foster programs for cat placement; crisis boarding and pet food pantry for community support; HopeRX medical assistance for families facing veterinary costs; and monthly/yearly membership programs (Rescue Corps and Nine Lives Society) for sustained funding. Additional services include vaccine clinics, trap-neuter-return resources, and lost-and-found support. The organization holds regular shelter open hours and adoption events at their Wheaton, IL location and Elmhurst Petco, with fundraising events including Kitten Yoga.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cat Adoption Services
• Foster Program
• Finder-to-Foster Program
• Crisis Boarding
• Pet Food Pantry
• HopeRX Medical Assistance Program
• St. Sophia's Rescue Corps (Monthly Membership)
• Nine Lives Society (Yearly Membership)
• Stray & Feral Help Resources Directory
• Lost & Found Support Services

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

26 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Petco Love LostminorGTM or Marketing PartnerIntegration with Petco Love Lost platform for lost pet reporting. Website links to lost.petcolove.org for community lost pet coordination.
• DuPage Animal ServicesminorOthersReferral partner for stray holding and open-admission animal services. Recommended as alternative for owner surrenders and strays.
• CatVandominorOthersTNR organization serving Cook County. One of multiple Trap-Neuter-Return resources listed for community feral cat support.
• Feral Feline ProjectminorOthersTNR organization serving Wheeling area. Listed as community resource for feral cat Trap-Neuter-Return programs.
• Triple R PetsminorOthersTNR organization serving Western Springs. One of many regional TNR resources for community feral cat support.
• C.O.P.E.minorOthersTNR organization serving Channahon. Regional Trap-Neuter-Return resource listed for community feral cat support.
• Fixin' Feral FelinesminorOthersTNR organization serving DeKalb. Listed as community resource for feral cat Trap-Neuter-Return programs.
• Feral FixersminorOthersTNR organization serving Lombard. Regional Trap-Neuter-Return resource for community feral cat support.
• Spay and StayminorOthersTNR organization serving Grayslake. Listed as community resource for feral cat Trap-Neuter-Return programs.
• Chicagoland Stray Cat CoalitionminorOthersTNR organization serving Chicago. Listed as community resource for feral cat Trap-Neuter-Return programs.
• Treehouse Feral Friends ProgramminorOthersFeral cat spay/neuter clinic serving Chicago. One of multiple low-cost TNR clinic resources referenced.
• PAWS ChicagominorOthersFeral cat spay/neuter clinic serving Chicago. Community resource for Trap-Neuter-Return programs.
• Anti-Cruelty SocietyminorOthersFeral cat spay/neuter clinic serving Chicago. Community resource for Trap-Neuter-Return programs.
• Chicago Animal Care and ControlminorOthersFeral cat spay/neuter clinic serving Chicago. Community resource for Trap-Neuter-Return programs.
• Animal Welfare LeagueminorOthersFeral cat spay/neuter clinic serving Chicago Ridge. Community resource for Trap-Neuter-Return programs.
• Anderson Animal ShelterminorOthersFeral cat spay/neuter clinic serving South Elgin. Community resource for Trap-Neuter-Return programs.
• Animal Care LeagueminorOthersFeral cat spay/neuter clinic serving Oak Park. Community resource for Trap-Neuter-Return programs.
• P.A.W.S. Tinley ParkminorOthersFeral cat spay/neuter clinic serving Tinley Park. Community resource for Trap-Neuter-Return programs.
• South Suburban Humane SocietyminorOthersFeral cat spay/neuter clinic serving Chicago Heights. Community resource for Trap-Neuter-Return programs.
• River Wood Pet ClinicminorOthersFeral cat spay/neuter clinic serving Lincolnshire. Community resource for Trap-Neuter-Return programs.
• Lake County Animal ControlminorOthersFeral cat spay/neuter clinic serving Mundelein. Community resource for Trap-Neuter-Return programs.
• NAWS (National Animal Welfare Society)minorOthersFeral cat spay/neuter clinic serving Mokena. Community resource for Trap-Neuter-Return programs.
• LoL Pet ResortcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTrusted boarding partner for Crisis Boarding program. Provides safe, comfortable temporary care for cats in crisis situations. Sliding scale pricing through SSFF support.
• AmazonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAmazon Wish List registry for supply donations. Supporters can purchase items directly from organization's wish list.
• Bissell Pet FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBissell pet foundation partnership for donations. Percentage of Bissell purchases can be directed to the organization.
• 1-800-PetMedsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRecommended medical supply provider for flea medications and pet health products. Saves on cat medical supplies.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Anderson Animal Shelter: Regional Illinois animal shelter serving the South Elgin area. Comparable as a 501(c)(3) shelter providing adoption and community resources, listed in St. Sophia's TNR clinic partner directory.
• Animal Care League: Oak Park-based animal welfare nonprofit providing adoption and low-cost veterinary services. Operates in the same Chicago metro region with overlapping cat-care programming.
• South Suburban Humane Society: Chicago Heights-area humane society offering adoption, spay/neuter, and surrender-prevention programming. Comparable in mission and operational structure to St. Sophia's.
• NAWS (National Animal Welfare Society): Regional Illinois shelter serving Mokena with adoption and low-cost spay/neuter services. Listed in St. Sophia's TNR clinic partner directory and operates with a similar regional nonprofit model.
• Animal Welfare League: Regional animal welfare organization serving Chicago Ridge with shelter, adoption, and feral cat clinic services. Listed in St. Sophia's resource directory and operates in the same Illinois geography.

Broad incumbents

• Anti-Cruelty Society: Established Chicago animal welfare organization providing adoption, veterinary, and community programs. Functions as a broad incumbent in the same nonprofit animal-care space with overlapping TNR clinic services.

Emerging players

• Feral Fixers: Lombard, Illinois-based TNR organization. Comparable as a feral cat resource referenced in St. Sophia's community directory; both operate in the western Chicago suburbs.

Direct peers

• PAWS Chicago: Large Chicago-area animal welfare organization offering rescue, adoption, and low-cost veterinary services. Directly comparable as a nonprofit cat/dog rescue serving the same metropolitan geography with overlapping community programs including TNR clinic partnerships.
• Tree House Humane Society: Chicago-based cat-focused nonprofit rescue offering adoption, low-cost spay/neuter, and TNR services. Most directly comparable cat-only welfare model with overlapping community support programs.
• DuPage Animal Services: Local-government animal services for DuPage County. Closest geographic peer for stray and surrender services; St. Sophia's explicitly refers cases here for owner surrenders and stray holding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/st_sophias
• Facebookfacebook.com/stsff

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about St. Sophia's Forgotten Felines