I want to start by expressing my great respect and thankfulness for the people who volunteer in this rescue organization and its thrift store. If not for them, many animals would die outside. They take cats when they are left behind, and they end up on the streets without food or shelter. I am happy that every “penny” I spend in their Thrift Store goes directly to the homeless cats' rescue mission.
Since my first visit, this thrift store has become my favorite. It is a perfect place for a treasure hunt, and the variety of vintage and antique items is amazing. The prices are unbelievably affordable.
I wanted to love this rescue, but it’s impossible with a woman named Lynn running in. She’s an absolute lunatic!! She declined me because I have kids. That’s literally what she said. “I can’t adopt to you because your kids are too young” my youngest is 6, are you kidding me!? And they have grown up with multiple animals their entire lives. This woman needs to get out of rescue, she does more harm than good. I definitely will not be supporting her store, which is a shame because all she does is hurt the cats. Stay far away!
This foster was an absolute nightmare. Not only is the place filthy, but I certainly would only encourage to adopt there to SAVE the cats from the deplorable conditions. My family applied to foster multiple kittens so we could empty cages for other cats this winter and we were approved. Instantly a woman is calling me asking me to drive 40 minutes away to pick up feral cats that she doesn’t have an age, gender or picture of, that will be put on the street if I don’t do anything about it??? I told her I have cats and I can only foster kittens. She was not happy. What did she do? Asked for the kittens back because she felt it would be best and I just checked and they’re all in cages still since NOVEMBER and it’s March 1. CATS ruins cats lives. It would have been better to adopt an animal from a kill shelter because they don’t pull this. My biggest regret was going through CATS.
Edit: I checked poster below and we dealt with the same person. I’m not sure why she does what she does because the entire store is pouring out with cats/kittens and smells of urine. Also they are very sick and got my cats sick. She cares so much but dropped them off with pus filled eyes and ALL with upper respiratory infections. I took them back and forth to the vet for her. Vet said possible herpes for the rest of their lives which got to my cats and an upper respiratory infection which got to my cats. Which person below blamed me and then refused my texts and calls.
Several family members, acquaintances, and I have encountered a disconcerting and troubling situation involving Lynn, the owner of this rescue organization. I believe it is important that animal lovers in this community are aware of the following events.
Approximately a month or so ago, my mother encountered a neighbor housing a family of four stray cats - a mother cat and her recent litter - on her property. Given the risks posed by predators such as foxes and coyotes as well as the possibility that the mother could give birth to more cats, my mother decided to undertake the arduous task of rescuing them with the help of a friend.
Prior to commencing the rescue, my mother contacted CATS seeking guidance. They conveyed their inability to aid in the rescue phase but affirmed their willingness to accept the cats for adoption after my mother had successfully trapped and vetted them at her own expense. My mother also contacted several other local organizations including CLAWS, which fortunately said that they could provide the appropriate testing and exams at no cost though they not have the capacity to take in the cats at that moment. Despite her lack of prior experience in trapping cats, my mother persevered and accomplished the stressful and demanding task of trapping all four cats, bringing them to CLAWS for an examination, and ultimately taking them to CATS.
A few days after bringing the cats to CATS, my mother visited them and observed that the mother cat exhibited lethargy and rapid breathing. She promptly notified on-site volunteers, learning later that the cat had been spayed while nursing due to an apparent "misdiagnosis." Eager to offer her assistance, my mother immediately applied to foster the cats.
Upon submitting her fostering application and hearing little from the owner, my mother was subjected to an abrupt home inspection by Lynn. Regrettably, Lynn declared my mother's residence unsuitable, alleging a "musty" atmosphere and insinuating that there was mold. This assertion was perplexing and unfounded, given my mother's meticulous upkeep of her home and the fact that she has three healthy, thriving pets of her own. The baseless implication that her home wasn't an appropriate environment for rescued animals raised a significant red flag.
After that, my mother revisited the store, hoping that another individual had stepped forward to foster the cats. Unfortunately, the cats remained confined in a cage that was strewn with feces, vomit, food and litter. Disheartened and dismayed by what she was seeing, my mother renewed her foster request. She proactively addressed the alleged issue by purchasing an additional dehumidifier. Lynn agreed to revisit and evaluate the situation. However, during Lynn's subsequent visit, she exhibited discourtesy and dismissiveness. Her brief inspection was followed by the comment, "it still smells," before she promptly exited, failing to provide constructive feedback or engage in a meaningful dialogue with my mother. While rescue organizations possess discretion in selecting caregivers, I find it unsettling that Lynn casually dismissed my mother's foster application and preferred to keep the cats rather than placing them with a capable and willing caregiver.
Recently, a family friend visiting the store discovered that one of the kittens my mother rescued had contracted giardia while under CATS' care. My mother has since received a vitriolic and unprofessional email from Lynn, confirming our suspicion that a personal bias may be influencing her decisions.
I implore others to scrutinize this nonprofit and hold Lynn accountable. While this organization undoubtedly offers a valuable service to the community, it is distressing to consider that Lynn appears to be the sole decision-maker here and appears to be wielding that decision-making authority arbitrarily and capriciously. If you ever observe unsafe or unsanitary conditions here or suspect the animals' welfare isn't being prioritized, please report this organization to the proper authorities.
I tried to adopt a 3 year old male cat named Prince. Had an application, obviously, with flying colors bc Lynn called me after a 3-week hiatus with no answers via email or phone calls to ask me if I would foster an 8 year-old female cat that needs TLC bc she was recently diagnosed as being diabetic. I asked her about Prince, the 3 year-old cat I had put an application in at least 3 weeks ago, but she kept asking me to please consider fostering Stella, the diabetic bc I'm an RN with past experience with a diabetic cat. This phone call from Lynn, the owner, came out of the blue after I left an email again asking if this shelter was closed bc no one ever answers my emails, ever!! I explained to her that I am currently helping a friend who lives alone with a fractured humerus and use of only one arm. I told her that I would discuss taking on the care of Stella with my husband and get back to her, which I did. I texted her and told her that we would consider fostering but needed to know where their vet was located. She told me their vet was in Franklin Lakes, NJ, a great distance from my home. I said since Stella needs vet care that would impact on my time with helping my friend. Would have to decline taking on Stella's care. So Lynn asked me where I was located and my vet's name. She said she would reach out to them and ask them if they would accept their terms of payment for Stella's care. After doing some research and realizing the amount of time it would take to care for Stella, i.e., blood sugar testing possibly every 2 hours, insulin 30 minutes after checking blood sugar levels, I realized the huge impact caring for Stella would have on my schedule taking care of my friend. The next morning I texted Lynn and told her I would have to reconsider for the exact same reasons I mentioned above. I explained how I was searching for an older cat bc I knew that taking a kitten or younger cat into my home wouldn't work bc of my schedule caring for my friend. I asked her about Prince, once again, but never received a response. Lynn seemed as though she was such an empathetic person who texted me what a wonderful person I was for agreeing to care for Stella. After my long and heartfelt apology for having to refuse fostering Stella, I never received a response. Nothing. Not even, I totally understand. Or Thank you for at least considering. And here's what's happening with Prince. He's still up for adoption, I think. At least his picture is there. Maybe these cats aren't really up for adoption. Just a way to draw you in. After asking you very personal questions about your lifestyle, job, where you live, etc., I think they use that to their advantage to try to find foster homes for cats. This experience was very strange, to say the least. I learned my lesson.
Terrible. They take your kitten for two weeks then refuse to return him. Kitten stealers. Liars who refuse to take your call and hangs up on you. Lynn. Disgusting.
Just wanted to make a comment and public service announcement:
I am a veterinarian who applied to adopt 2 cats (Oslo and the blk/wht 2 week old kitten) from Caring About The Strays. I was turned down bc I live 1.5 hrs away in CT. I called to inquire about this and asked to speak with the founder, Lynn. A volunteer returned my call and I was told I was too far away for the volunteers to deliver the cats to me. I offered to drive to them but was still told I could not adopt from them bc they require a home delivery and they will not travel to me. I asked if there were exceptions for situations such as mine as I'm a veterinarian and a very low risk adopter, as I can provide not only a loving forever home but also provide any and all medical care the cats may need. I was told that it was just their policy and that they have turned away veterinarians and vet techs in the past who lived out of their immediate area. My reply was to say that it seemed misguided to turn away qualified adopters such as veterinarians and vet techs and that it seems to be in direct conflict with the organizations mission to get these cats adopted into good forever homes which would also open up their foster homes to care for more cats. I also informed the volunteer that this policy to only adopt in their immediate area was not clearly stated on their adoption application (I used the mobile site) nor on their Facebook page and she told me she would look into it. I again asked for the founder Lynn to call me to discuss but never received a call back from her. As a qualified potential adopter this situation saddens me, but even more so, this situation saddens me as a veterinary professional. It seems that this organization has lost site of the big picture and the goals and mission they originally set forth. There are so many cats that need homes it is unfortunate that ones that could be adopted to good homes remain in foster care because of a 1.5 hour drive and/or unwillingness to waive a home visit in a situation of extreme low risk such as adoption to a veterinarian. Seems to me that the organization needs to re-evaluate its mission and policies going forward and remember why they started it in the first place.
BEWARE! I recently tried to adopt a pair of kittens from CATS in Westwood. I filled out the application, including three references and a vet reference. I spoke with a lovely person in the office and my application and references were approved with flying colors the next day. I then scheduled a meeting with the kittens in the foster home with my two children. It was love at first sight. The kittens were adorable and friendly and exactly what we wanted. When we arrived, we were told that there was actually a third kitten in the litter, and we met that kitten too. The third kitten was also cute and sweet, but we didn't want to adopt three kittens; we were specifically looking for two, and these two were advertised as a pair and very bonded. The next morning I received a call from the person in the office saying that the cats were ours-- we just had to schedule the foster mom's drop off. The office person sent me several texts telling me what cat food ("fussie cat" wet and Earthborn dry) and litter (Dr. Elsey's) I was to get. I immediately went out and purchased those. She said the foster mother would contact me to arrange delivery, but when I hadn't heard from her by that night, I called her. She texted back that she could not drop the kittens off until the following Wednesday (6 days away) at 7 pm. I responded that we would rather have the kittens before the weekend, but if that was the best she could do, we would make it work. I received no response. The following Monday, the foster mother called to say she changed her mind. We couldn't have the pair of kittens because she had tried over the weekend to separate the third kitten and it was visibly upset and as soon as she brought it back to its siblings after the weekend, the third kitten was all purrs. We needed to take all three if we wanted them. I was angry and felt like I was being forced into a new arrangement. My kids were counting on the kittens now-- we'd spent half the weekend buying a cat tower and toys! At my request, the foster mom had the person in charge of the organization (Lynn) call me. Lynn kept telling me how it was wonderful that the foster mom was so sensitive that she cared only about the best interests of the cats but that I shouldn't worry, because she would make this work. Lynn was going to pair another kitten at another foster home with the third kitten from this litter and I could have my two kittens in a couple of days, as soon as she could convince my cats' foster mother that the third kitten was bonding. I told Lynn that I thought my kittens would be better off bonding with us while waiting for the third kitten to bond but she seemed afraid to go against the foster mother's wishes. I get that Lynn relies on the foster families to actually care for the cats-- this particular foster mother had 9 dogs she said, in addition to many cats (I only saw 6 but I gathered that there were more upstairs)? In any event, there was nothing for me to do but wait. I texted Lynn on Tuesday to ask if the kittens had gotten together yet and how the bonding was going. Lynn replied that we would have our kittens "soon." On Wednesday, I texted again, asking for an update and saying that we were hoping to get the kittens before this weekend (the second weekend since we'd found them). Lynn texted that she was on vacation and said "we're not ready yet." Then today (Thursday, September 1, 2016) Lynn texted me that "one of my friends... would like to open her home and heart to all three" kittens. She went on to say that "This is perfect for them but a disappointment to you and your family." So even though the cats were advertised as a pair, and I was promised the kittens verbally and in two texts, and my kids and I fell in love with them at first sight, and I purchased all of the requested items (and more) and did everything they asked of me, Lynn's judgment was that it was fine to string us along for a full 8 days and then give the kittens to "her friend." Is this really an organization you want to deal with?
Review from Guidestar