I reached out to Melin's to donate after seeing they were a rescue local to my hometown. I applied to foster soon after and ended up adopting my foster because we fell in love with him. While I was fostering they provided all the items the kitty needed and Sherry was available anytime I had any questions or advice I needed. Their network of volunteers is invaluable! I donate whenever possible, help out when I can and plan on taking in another foster in the future. Merlin's puts thought into each kitty they place whether it be to adopt or foster. I cannot put into words how awesome they are and I love knowing I'm a part of helping.
Horrible customer service- they are rude and demanding and inflexible to the point they are, in my opinion discouraging pet ownership. They rejected me for insufficient vet references- three was not sufficient (so if you move a lot and had a cat for two decades- better be prepared to remember who your vet was 10+ years ago in another state) and missing a rabies vaccine at the height of the COVID pandemic (seriously?).
The are fully unreceptive to feedback from the community, I made multiple respectful attempts to contact them privately through email to express my concerns before posting a public review. They ignored all of them. But once I posted a public review on google they responded within the hour falsely claiming I was trying to get them to change their policies “for my benefit” and lobbing personal insults at me. To be clear- I absolutely would never adopt from this organization- I seek zero benefit from them in any way.
I moved on and adopted two delightful kittens from a public shelter. Strongly recommend others do likewise and avoid this organization.
After many years as a dog Mom, I stepped out in 2021 to add a cat to our family with many nerves and uncertainty. Merlin's was so incredibly helpful as they stepped me through their application and adoption process. They took the time to listen to what we were looking for and helped us make the perfect match for us! Volunteers also made themselves available post-adoption to support us as we adjusted with advice and encouragement.
It is abundantly clear that our kittie was loved upon and worked with to ensure he was well adjusted and best prepared to get along with everyone - kids, dogs, and even a newbie cat Mom.
I have since started volunteering with Merlin's because they are doing it right - making good matches that are safe life-long homes where they will be treated as family.
If you're considering adding a fuzzy family member, cat or dog, I encourage you to turn to a good rescue (like Merlin's). If you do the math on the costs incurred with a young animal to get them fully vetted, spayed/neutered, and on their path in training you'll see what a great deal rescue is. Like other (dog) rescues I have volunteered with in the past, there is a process to follow in order to adopt -- and yes, because they rely on volunteers it may take a few days and back and forths to complete the process. If you have questions after reading about the process on the website feel free to ask.
Had a great experience with adopting from Merlin’s! They gave me the opportunity to foster to adopt which was wonderful for myself and my kitty. He was feral for many years before rescued and I was a little worried he would be too shy so I am grateful they gave me that opportunity! I appreciate they were thorough in the adoption process, I feel they wanted what was best for the cats. Overall, I had no issues with the adoption process and would recommend Merlin’s to anyone looking for a kitty!
Utterly wonderful organization with truly dedicated volunteers.
Their process was very thorough, and I’m overjoyed that these ladies want to see the cats in forever homes, instead of jockeyed around from home-to-home.
We adopted from Merlin's 3 separate times. The adoption process was as expected for a volunteer-staffed organization. They were accommodating, bringing the cats to us. And they remained responsive even after each adoption was finalized. 5 stars!
Note that almost all the glowing reviews here are by people who volunteer or are on the board for Merlin’s, and three out of four adopter / prospective adopter reviews are negative?
It SHOULD BE all about getting needy cats into good homes. But with Merlin’s staff’s ways of interacting with prospective adopters, It’s not.
If you make adoption too much harder than just buying a cat or kitten, it does not help foster animals in need of good forever homes. But that appears to be exactly what Merlin’s does.
If you're considering donating (or adopting) from this organization or another:
* Look at their adoption application form; does it seem overly intrusive?
* Reach out to Merlin’s and any other place and ask them:
* How many cats they get into forever homes per week, month, or year?
* What is their approval rate / rejection ratio of prospective adopters?
* How many cats are in their care?
* How long does the average cat is in their care before it gets adopted?
* Look at their responses to negative reviews, both on this site and on others.
* Decide if the number of animals they put into loving homes is worth your sponsorship.
Or… pretend to be a prospective adoptee. See how long it takes to fill out the application. Put at least one thing that is not 100% perfect on the form, submit it, and then see how they treat you.
There are SO MANY OTHER BETTER organizations to donate to. Ones that are getting cats into good forever homes, not keeping them in foster care forever. I can attest that Ninth Life Rescue, Animal Advocates, and Rescue and Relax, all near Pittsburgh, are much more willing to WORK with adoptees to remedy any shortcomings in the home and GET CATS INTO FOREVER HOMES.
In contrast, the Merlin’s organization seems to look for the tiniest reasons NOT to get animals adopted, rather than working WITH (possibly less than perfect) prospective adoptees / homes. They seem totally uninterested in proactively discussing and addressing any of what the Merlin's staff perceives as shortcomings of the home, adopter, etc. prior to releasing the cats.
I adopted two wonderful young cats from one of those OTHER organizations. The cats will be healthy, happy and loved in their new forever home. And the other charity got $450 from me to help them continue to do great work.
As mentioned by another reviewer, it is SUPPOSED to be all about the cats... but apparently not for cats held by Merlin's. I hope they can do better for the cats in their care, or prove me wrong with statistics / numbers, as suggested above. I also hope, if they respond to this review, they can reply without being condescending.
Merlin's does an excellent job vetting the cats and vetting the adopters. I had no issue applying to be a foster and then adopting one of my fosters. What most people don't understand is that the cats come first, not the people, so there will those who get rejected. They then post negative reviews on the internet, in which case the only who are sadly hurt are the cats. I have nothing but good things to say about the founder and the board of directors!
My sister attempted to adopt a kitten through this rescue and had a terrible experience. No one shared with her the process of adoption through this rescue, they never explained the steps or provided time frames. While I understand a volunteer run organization, there has to be set expectations for all involved. After passing each step, another step was added. I have volunteered at 2 shelters, fostered pets, my husband is a veterinarian, and I've rescued cats of my own and never had a seen such a difficult process. There should be transparency, expectations, and information given from day 1 and there wasn't. When my sister attempted to ask clarifying questions from the volunteer (who told my sister to reach out to her) she was then scolded via email and still not provided with answers to her questions. Very disappointing.
This is Meadow that I adopted from Merlins Safe Haven Rescue. She is such a sweetie and brings so much joy to our home. Merlins does such a great job rescuing homeless cats, getting them vaccinated and spay/neutered and getting them back to good health.
This is Aries (use to be Sienna) she had a very difficult life prior to Merlin taking her in. I found her on their site and fell in love with her. My husband didn’t want another cat but the wonderful people at Merlin let us do a foster to adopt. My husband soon fell in love too. We have adopted and she is still a little skittish but she jumps on the couch with us now and lays with the other cats and dogs. She is such a sweetheart. Merlin did a wonderful job with her and does wonderful work with all their fosters. They are all angels to these cats and kittens!!!!
I used to foster for Merlin's until I found the cat hair affected my asthma. This rescue does a wonderful job with their cats. I've never seen a group of people with such big hearts to help these poor animals. Since I can no longer foster, I do what I can to help with donations...be it money or making crafts for them to sell. It's a very difficult job raising funds, so I'm glad I can help in that way! God bless all of the fosters and volunteers of this Rescue! Especially Sherry Huchko, it's founder!!!
Merlin’s Safe Haven Cat Rescue was created to help the unwanted, the dumped-abused-neglected-lost. We all work together to give them a voice. We strive to do the best for each cat and their particular need. It’s all about them!! The wonderful board and volunteers are completely all in for the cats and what’s best for them. I could not ask for a better team of people to help me in the mission to save as many as we can. With your help- we can save even more.
The founder of this rescue, Sherry, has the biggest heart and truly is a champion for the kitties who otherwise have no one to speak for them. She graciously offered to help vet potential adopters for strays that were trapped in my area. Her values are evident in the values of the rescue. The focus is on the cats and what is in their best interest, and that is the number one priority within the organization. I would not have accepted a board position if this was not the case, nor would I have also opened my house to several Merlin's kitties to foster. If you are looking for a great organization to volunteer that puts the needs of the cats above everything else, Merlin's Safe Haven Cat Rescue is that organization!
When I needed help with my feral cat colony, Merlin's was there. Didn't get much help from the more well known animal shelters. Every one is a volunteer, use their own resources, cars and money for the benefit of the kitties. They have done wonders for some of the cats who were touch and go. So many have gone to their forever homes! Truly a wonderful group of people. Their only means of funding is through events to raise money, like craft shows, bingo, online auctions and various other fundraisers throughout the year. You can be sure if you donate to this group, every penny goes to the care of these kitties. I was so impressed with them, that I joined the group!
I was interested in fostering cats and reached out to several rescues. Merlin’s was the only one that seemed to treat the cats like a name and not a number.
The love and care for the cats in this rescue is astounding. The cats are treated like family, with volunteers often reaching into their own pockets to pay for things.
This rescue is run by honest hard working people, and you can be assured that your donation will be appreciated and will provide care to many cats and kittens in need.
Merlin's Safe Haven Cat Rescue is a great rescue! They put the cats first. The volunteers with this organization are amazing!! They all do what they can to help cats in need. The volunteers know each cats personality and what kind of home would suit them best. They have also pulled multiple cats from being put down at shelters because of health issues or being there too long.