This shelter does not enforce their own adoption contract, don't care who adopted the cats and most of all don't care about the animals. This shelter demonstrates loose operation, non-responsive and overall very bad people who are using the shelter name to do "good".
A couple month ago, we found a lost cat in my neighborhood and then found out that it was a cat that was adopted out from this shelter. Connected with the shelter and then they returned the cat to the same owner who allowed the cat to be outdoor unsafe. The shelter disclosed my personal contact information without consensus and worst is that this cat is still roaming on our property. The cat is unattended and could get run over, get lost or get in other troubles... etc. But I guess the shelter just don't care?!
Horrible experience with unprofessional CEO and volunteers. I would not recommend this rescue to anyone. I adopted last April and was approved for another in October , then ended up having a falling out with a volunteer there who is an ex wife of my fiancé. She was aware of us adopting in the past and even sent me photos of kittens to adopt through October. Now that she’s mad, she told the committee that my fiancé is an animal abuser. This is absurd. When I had proof to back us up, she started telling other lies. I emailed the CEO and asked why the ex had any reason to email me? Why can I not adopt now? She told me the volunteer had not told the truth, yet she needed her help so her hands were tied. This is unacceptable!! I am not allowed to adopt there due to personal reasons, not business or animal related. The CEO should have told her volunteer that she overstepped and let me have my kitten. Then I post reviews on Facebook with proof and she has them taken down. She has done the same on yelp claiming the reviews are made up. This place is a scam all around and being investigated for the over abundance of cat deaths in their care. BEWARE!!!
Ps) I have screenshots of all adoptions and approvals, along with the unprofessional message from the volunteer as well as CEO. I will happily share with anyone
I love this cat rescue because they help the cats who are overlooked and left behind. A sick or injured animal is going to have expenses, and Half the Way Home helps them anyway. Currently, I have a HTWH foster kitten named Chloe. She had a severed tail with the bone sticking out, and she suffered in animal control for more then 60 days with this bloody wound that would not heal. When no one else would help, Half the Way Home took her in and she received the surgery she needed to fix her tail injury. She was also spayed and she is now healthy and ready to be placed in a home. I have fostered several cats for Half the Way Home, and I have seen Dana Rittlemeyer and her husband give so much of their time and energy to this mission, supporting the volunteer fosters whether they are celebrating a happy outcome or grieving a devastating loss with the animals in their care. This really is a family, bonded by their love of animals and a desire to help as many as they can in the face of an overwhelming animal over population problem.
Absolutely love volunteering with this rescue! I have been with them for 2 years and helped in all areas from transport to fostering. Let me tell you, I love the no drama just saving lives motto. Focusing on the forgotten, abandon and unwanted no matter the cost. They teach, encourage, support and celebrate each and every one of the volunteers. Each cat, kitten, senior or bottle baby is important and loved ..it’s that’s simple. Simply put they are amazing!
I started fostering with HTWH just over one year ago. I am so happy a friend introduced me to this group. They are a well run organization and always helpful when needed. I love being a foster Mom; the only downside is I want to keep every kitten I foster. In fact, I have "foster failed" (which meant I kept the kittens) on three .
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One of my goals when I retired in a few years was to be a kitty foster. That changed when I was talking with my friend, Cindy Rawlings about the sweet kitties she fostered. I even went to her home one day so I could snuggle one of her foster kitties. I decided I didn't have to wait, I could do it now. I started with my first two. They stole my heart, but were adopted to a wonderful home. Now I have four in my care. Love watching them play and grow. I look forward to coming home each day from work just to snuggle, share kisses and watch them play.
My husband is homebound and the kitties I foster keep him entertained when I am not home.
Loretta Yike
Half the Way Home is an all-volunteer cat rescue run by people who are passionate about caring for homeless cats. HTWH volunteers sacrifice their time and resources to provide a lifeline for cats who have no safety net, such as orphaned kittens who need to be bottle fed, senior cats, cats with injuries, and cats in high-kill shelters. And the teamwork is amazing; when there is a need, everyone pulls together to fill it.
This is a great rescue. Operated by people filled with compassion and determination to not only save the lives of kitties that have been given up on, but to make sure they thrive.
A very dedicated, passionate and loving rescue who not only saves hundreds of cats lives from shelters, but take the cases others won’t or can’t which is an immeasurable asset to Georgia and these cats’ lives.
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Half the Way Home is truly in it for the cats of Georgia. They have made tremendous strides creating a community for saving cats, networking with shelters and other rescues for the greater good. They are incredibly passionate individuals and I am delighted to be a volunteer. HTWH is dedicated to hosting many adoption events to find good homes for their rescues as well as having great partnerships with Petco, PetSmart, and Pet Supermarkets. They are committed to their cats forever. And they are willing and equipped to take on the hard cases that many others cannot. This is HUGE for those cats in need. HTWH is making a great impact in the world of cat rescue!
This rescue is wonderful. I've adopted from them in the past and ended up becoming a volunteer. Once I started volunteering, I began fostering rescues. Well, we now have a total of 3 cats from them and one little kitten that we helping get healthy before she goes up for adoption.
This rescue has saved some really horrible abuse cases as well as abandoned kittens and they take on multiple cats when animal control has an over flow. They are truly remarkable.
Half the way home is a amazing rescue that cares for bottle baby and sick kittens that wouldn't have a chance at life otherwise. They make sure their kittens are taken care of by fantastic fosters and get them all the medicine needs they need. Not only that, but they make sure they are fully vetted and before they go to their forever home. It doesn't stop there, either. They keep in touch with the families to check on the cats and make sure everyone in the family is happy. They are fantastic. And I will definitely come back when I'm ready for another family member with 4 legs.
I am a volunteer with HTWH and bottle feed orphan kittens. They go above and beyond to help adult cats and kittens in need. I have never asked for help that I did not receive. They have never turned away a kitten in spite of being "full" - if I asked about taking one I am told yes -we will find a spot! And we do! The volunteers /fosters are all super supportive and we work together. Someone just took 5 of my kittens so that I can go on a family trip. It is quite amazing what this young rescue has accomplished in a short amount of time. I attribute that to the quality of the board members and the fosters who go above and beyond to do what's best for each kitten and cat.
I volunteer as a foster for HTWH. They are a great organization. They appreciate and cheerfully accept the abilities and/or limitations of each foster. I am only able to foster a few kittens at a time and they never make me feel that I am not doing enough even if I can only keep them a short period of time before they move to another foster home. They provide all of the support I need as a foster to do a quality job caring for and nurturing the animals in my care including sending someone to transport to and from my home because I don't have the luxury of having extra time for that since I work full time and have a toddler to keep up with. The group also works very hard at finding homes for the cats and kittens so that they are not stuck lingering in our foster homes without a permanent family to call their own. When I first considered becoming a foster I was reluctant because I was concerned that expectation would be too high and I wouldn't be 'good enough' and/or I would get stuck with animals. But neither could be further from the truth. I have never been stuck without another foster home for an animal to transfer to when I needed to go out of town, and I have never felt that I wasn't valued by this group. I absolutely love working with Dana! I would encourage anyone looking to volunteer to give Half The Way Home a try. I promise, you won't regret it.
I am a foster for Half the Way Home, as well as a board member. I have never worked with a rescue quite like this one. They do whatever necessary to take in the healthy, adoptable furbabies, but also the ones that will likely not make it...just so those babies know love. The compassion in this rescue is strong, and that can be seen by the leaders, volunteers, and those who follow, donate, laugh, and cry with us. So thankful to be a part of this great team!
Im a foster for this organization. They totally respect what you can and can't do and it is a judgement free family. This rescue is super great about saving as many cats as possible.
I started volunteering with the organization in October 2016. I manage the free roam cat adoption room located in Norcross and the Petco MOG adoption center. This is a great group of people to work with. They believe in "no drama" and helping the cats who really need the help. They pull from rural animal controls who would have to euthanize all the animals as they get little to no support from anyone else. They also pull the sick, injured and otherwise considered unadoptable. If you are thinking about adopting a cat, donating or volunteering with an animal rescue, please contact Half the Way Home.