08/13/2025
Let’s have some fun with a little informational Q&A post! This one may feel a little brutal but it’s always prevalent, especially during spring and summer….
Why do we turn people away from surrendering cats and/or kittens to us?
- Truly there are a number of reasons, but the most prevalent one is that we do not have space. While you may question “what’s one more?” Or “I’m sure you could find a spot in your house (bathroom, spare room, garage), ask a friend, family member, etc.” First of all, we can ask you the same things… 🫣 Second, is that we have quite literally expended every avenue we have by the time we tell someone “no” in regard to taking in an unwanted and/or abandoned cat. The reality is that when we are full, we really mean that we are FULL. It’s not to make you feel bad, it’s not to solicit attention, and it’s definitely not because we don’t want to help. All we want to do is help. The cats we have in our care are our highest priority and they do come first. Everyone has their limits, and ours are often maxed out. Especially being one of the feline only rescues in Clackamas County.
Why are we slow at responding to messages?
- We can’t keep up 90% of the time. For the past 3 months, we receive at minimum 8 requests per day of people requesting to surrender to us. This floods our messages. If you’re ever frustrated that you haven’t heard back from us, we implore you to reach out again until you do. We unfortunately do not have a phone number to call as we all work during the day and it’s not feasible for us at this time. Facebook Messenger or email is the best way to reach us. We try to respond within 48 hours, but we do fall short and bringing your message back up to the top of the list by reaching out again is the best solution for a response.
Why don’t we have a physical business location for people to come meet our feline friends?
- We would love nothing more than to have a true brick and mortar location for anyone to come by and meet our kitties, but we do not have the funding to do so… maybe one day. For now, we schedule meet and greets with potential adopters and the fosters that have the cat/kitten.
For what reasons do we decline adoption applications?
- There are a few reasons we will decline
1. The cat will be 100% outdoors and we don’t feel that it’s best suited for them
2. We do not support the use of Companion Pet Clinic in Gresham. If this is your primary vet, please do further research on this clinic, but this is also a reason we have declined people in the past.
3. We will look up adopters and if we see that someone either rehomed and/or has lost their pets, this will result in a decline. This is more circumstantial, however. We do realize that mistakes happen and some things are out of your control.
Why do we have some cats in our care for a REALLY long time?
- They are patiently awaiting their purrrfect furever family to come along to find them. This often happens with adult cats, shy cats, black cats, and tabby cats. At this time, we have about 11 teenage/adult cats we have had in the rescue for over a year.
Why don’t we do more TNR (trap, neuter, release), especially in Clackamas County?
- We try to step in and utilize FCCO’s service as much as we can with assisting people in Clackamas County, however, we are already spread so thin with our current day-to-day operations that it can be difficult for us to find a time suitable to get out and trap. We also do not have barn homes lined up for feral cats, so when someone is just wanting to rid themselves of feral cats on their property, we don’t have the ability to place them elsewhere unless prior arrangements are made.
Hopefully this sheds some light into the difficult things we face, primarily on a daily basis. It’s rough out here, and every summer seems to be worse with more and more kittens popping up.
This post isn’t to make anyone feel bad or shameful, it’s purely informational, and don’t let this deter you from still reaching out to us. We are happy to help however we can and we do have many resources and information to provide even when we can’t directly help.
