Kitty Kind NOT so Kind

Bixby and I tried to adopt a sweet lady cat named Pumpkin from Kittykind, the rescue group that has homeless cats in cages at Petco Union Square.

I'm so mad I could just spit.

See below for their letter to me and my subsequent resonse:

Dear Paul

I apologize for the delay in contacting you. There was some confusion on our part and we regret the delay.

I spoke with 2 different adoption reps and after some consideration by them and the director of Kittykind a decision was reached with regret that we are not able to approve your application. That you and your boyfriend represent a caring and loving home is without any doubt. Our great concern is that there is a high risk of escape for your cats (with the many attached risks) via your backyard and that while some cats may be at a lower risk, statistically the risk is still very high. Cars, other cats, other animals, poisons, traps, mean people who would hurt or take your cat, even kind people who want to "rescue" your cat represent just some of the risks they would face.

And while we would love every cat to be able to safely go outside - finding or creating a safe outdoor space is difficult. And while it may not apply in your case, you may still want to look at www.catfencein.com both for ideas on how to create safe outdoor spaces and also to see how seriously the idea is taken by many people.

Your cat may have acclimated to your outdoor space in such a way that you feel confident in letting him or her out. Whether that confidence is well placed is not for us to say, but we have no reason to feel that a new cat would be safe going outside.
Most of our cats are "street rescues" and by that we mean that they come to us from outside either because they escaped from their home, or were let out and got lost, or in some cases were dumped by their former owners. A very small number of lucky cats get rescued. A lot of our cats are rescued from awful circumstances and while they are generally healthy and well adjusted by the time they get to the store, they are often in bad shape when we first get to them. "Street cats" - however they got there - have a very short life expectancy.

All of this is our way of suggesting that you re-think the use of your outdoor space as you continue your search for another cat for your household. Since you obviously represent a loving home in so many ways we are sure you will be able to easily adopt from another group, some of whom will not even ask if the cat will go outside. As you prepare to bring another cat home you may wish to discuss the outdoor issue amongst yourselves especially the notion that a recently rescued cat may feel so acclimated to the outdoors that they actually might walk away from your home in search of adventure and not return. Many cats disappear in just this way. An owner turns their back, or perhaps thinks "we've been watching him for two weeks now and he seems content to stay on our side of the fence" only to discover that on the "15th day", the cat is no longer there.

We wish you and all your animals well and we hope you now have some insight into our position and our sense of responsibility to the cats we rescue.

Sincerely,

James Tobin
KittyKind

James,

I appreciate the response though I don't appreciate
the delay in hearing a response of any kind from your
organization, nor do I agree with your decision. - I
have made 4 visits to Petco, made multiple phone calls
and sent e-mails offering to elaborate about our home
and our animals. Last night I sat with Dawn and gave
a thorough explanation about our yard which, while not
cat-proof, is very enclosed and private and has no
street access.

If anyone from Kitty Kind had expressed interest in
hearing the full explanation of our home (or even
coming by for a site visit) or our history with cats
and dogs (all street rescues) perhaps I would feel
better. Harvey, our oldest who I rescued from a
rooftop in San Diego in 1992 and recently had to put
to sleep due to an agressive tumor behind his eye,
always knew home base and, aside from a few rolls in
the sunshine outside, preferred to stay inside.
Tibidey, a rescue from Harlem, while more of an
adventurer, always stays close and comes in for the
night.

We do not let the cats out unattended and certainly
would monitor closely any new cat's reaction to the
ability to venture out to our small yard. All our
animals receive regular vet care from Dr. Delorenzo at
Abingdon Square and are micro-chipped and wear collars
with ID tags.

My animal-loving friends, many with rescue pets of
their own are baffled that Kitty Kind would sooner let
Pumpkin or another cat sit in a cage than have a
chance to adapt to a loving new home with attentive
cat-lovers at her disposal.

Perhaps for clarity's sake, Kitty Kind should include
on your flyer the information that you don't place
cats in homes where animals are allowed to go outside.

My whole experience with Kitty Kind left me frustrated
with the lack of formal interview process and lost
application (instead I fielded weighted & meandering
questions from Hilary who seemed disapproving that we
feed our cat dry food when, in fact, it is a
prescription food provided by our vet) and
disappointed at your inflexibility of vision which
resulted in denying a homeless cat a good home.

Paul Davis