My Nonprofit Reviews
KiSmith
Review for Mercer Island Eastside Orphans & Waifs (aka MEOW Cat Rescue), Kirkland, WA, USA
We had a horrible experience yesterday September 21, at Meow Cat Rescue. We came in on Srptember 20 about 4:30 and worked with a volunteer on our application. She had some questions but said we just needed an FIV test for our current cat prior to being able to adopt the cat we wanted. So I turned my schedule upside down to accommodate getting this test done for my cat since my three boys were so excited to adopt this cat. Our cat tested negative and did not have FIV. We were excited and went back to get the cat. Upon arrival we had a different volunteer help us. She proceeded to rereview the application. I said, why are we rereviewing the application we were told that the only thing we needed to do was the costly FIV test? She was like oh no, no it's not approved. She proceeded to grill me over the fact that we kept the cat litter in the garage. I told her I would not move the cat litter into the house that they would have to access it through the garage. She and her supervisor Marnie refused the application. It was absolutely devastating to my children. We got in the car and their were tears, hyperventilating, and uncontrolled sobs. It broke my heart! How unfair! I would have never returned a second day to get the cat if they had been honest in their application process. They said I only needed one further test, the FIV results. I was honest with them about the garage but they were not honest with me! Also, my kids overheard another adoption on the 21st of Septembet where the new owners cats would also have access to the garage and they got to adopt their cats but we didn't. Also, I called to speak with the director twice but haven't received a call back yet.
We extend our deepest apologies for KISmith’s bad experience at MEOW Cat Rescue on September 21, 2016. MEOW adopts to indoor only homes. This family had the unfortunate experience of losing a cat due to access through the garage, where the litter box was kept. While they insisted that the remaining cat no longer tries to go outside, we did request that he be tested for FIV/FeLV before adopting a new cat into the home. The family complied. However, when they came back to adopt, it became clear that the litter box would not be moved indoors, so there would be no way to prevent another cat from bolting when the garage door opens, and potentially another loss. As for the kids’ overhearing discussion of another adoption in which the cats would have access to the garage, we were unable to identify such a case, but it is possible that such an adoption would be allowed, provided the garage was secure from access to the outdoors. Our Executive Director did return the call on the following day, and she reports that after extending our sincere apologies that our Adoption Counselor hadn’t identified and explained our differences sooner, they had a very cordial conversation. While we were unable to do an adoption into the Smith’s home unless they agreed to change the configuration of their garage/litterbox situation, we do sincerely apologize for the unhappy experience. We regret that the process had progressed so far before being denied due to the potential for outdoor access. Many other organizations have less strict indoor policies and we’re certain the Smiths will find a good match for their family and a friend for their remaining cat.
