Adoptions

If you are able to welcome a new cat into your home, visit Petfinder or Pets911 to see our wonderful cats that need homes. Or visit our cats at PETsMART on Cherry Hill Rd, Silver Spring, Maryland. Call: 301-586-8262.

ACR rescues stray, homeless and abandoned cats. All cats are spayed/neutered, tested and vaccinated before adoption.

Barn homes are always needed for feral cats.
Consider adopting a special needs cat from ACR.

PLEASE SPAY AND NEUTER YOUR COMPANION ANIMALS. This will save millions of lives, and stop the killing in the nation's shelters. Six million healthy, unwanted animals are killed in shelters each and every year.

ACR is striving to lower these numbers and to put an end to the suffering and unnecessary death of innocent animals. ACR also works to PREVENT feral colonies from forming. Spaying and neutering outdoor cats helps to stop new cats from joining and forming feral colonies.

ACR Guidelines for Adopting a Cat or Kitten
Alley Cat Rescue wants our rescued cats placed in homes where they will be treated as a member of the family for the rest of their lives which, with care, can be for 12 years or longer. If you do not agree with our guidelines, we suggest that you reconsider whether or not adopting a cat is right for you. When you adopt a cat you must sign a legal contract stating that you will comply with our requirements, which are to give the cat a long healthy life in a loving home.

1) Member of the family
A cat is not a possession, but a member of your family to be treated with love and respect. He or she should share the house and not be locked in a cage, or in a room separating him/her from the people in the family, except perhaps for the first few days, while they become accustomed to the new environment.

Reason:  A cat who is not an accepted member of the family will not be happy and may become withdrawn, exhibit other behavioral problems. The cat may even become sick if he is stressed and unhappy.

2) Neutering and Spaying
Your cat must be neutered (male) or spayed (female) by five months of age. ACR’s cats are usually already STERILIZED

Reason:  There are already too many unwanted cats killed in shelters each year. A female cat can become pregnant as early as five months of age. Spaying and neutering will prevent homeless kittens and will help your cat live a longer, healthier life. Neutered and spayed animals are less prone to cancers. Unneutered males often spray on furniture.

3) Declawing
Our cats must not be declawed. If you want a declawed cat, let us know. ACR often have cats who have already been declawed by their previous guardians before relinquishing them to ACR.

Reason:  Cats have a psychological need to claw as part of their total grooming ritual. They remove the sheath that continues to grow over their claws in a manner similar to our cuticles. Just as a cat cleans her fur, she also takes care of her claws. Clawing also helps keep the muscles toned in the rest of the cat’s body. Frequent nail clipping by the guardian can help alleviate scratching problems. Your vet can show you how to do this. You can also help by giving your cat plenty of things of his own to scratch and by gently correcting him when he scratches something of yours—a spray bottle works as a deterrent. It is cruel and inhumane to remove the cat’s claws, which function as part of his/her fingers and toes. Many cats will never feel right and may not walk properly after declaw surgery. Think about how you would feel if someone amputated your fingers down to the first joint! If you do adopt a declawed cat, she should not go outside without supervision.

4) Indoor/Outdoor cats
You should keep the cat indoors or allow her outside only under supervision. ACR recommends a catproof fenced-in yard if the cat goes outside. Instructions for building such a fence are available from ACR.  Cats must be kept inside at night. We also have information available on a variety of outdoor structures so that he can enjoy the outdoors safely.

Reason:  Domestic cats left outdoors without supervision could face dangers.  It is vital that cats always have access to their home, either by supervision or through a cat door so they can escape from danger and/or the elements.

5) Medical Care
Your cat will need to visit the veterinarian at least once a year for his or her annual check up. A cat is subject to the same sort of ailments we are, and when ill will need to be treated by a veterinarian.  You are responsible for medical bills, except for the initial set of shots we supply. Many veterinarians now recommend a three-year vaccination cycle, instead of annual boosters.

Reason:  The FVRCP booster prevents your cat from catching distemper and other cat ailments. Rabies vaccinations prevent your cat from contracting rabies and may be required in your state. Expect your cat to catch an occasional cold, ear infection, etc., and to develop some ailments as he or she gets older.

6) Children
If you have a child under six years of age, you should adopt a cat or kitten six months of age or older.

Reason:  Young kittens have not yet learned to retract their claws and could scratch if handled improperly. The younger a kitten is, the more fragile, and the easier she could be accidentally injured by a small child. No matter how good your young child is with animals, children are often unable to properly carry and handle kittens. Also, children frequently have high-pitched voices which can frighten a young cat.

7) Single Cat
Kittens and cats should be placed in a home with another cat or dog.

Reason:  One kitten alone in a house will get very lonely and can exhibit behavior problems. He or she may beg for affection when you come home. A young cat needs companionship and someone with whom to play.

8) Cats must be permitted where you live
If you rent your home or apartment, or live in a condominium, you need to be sure that cats are permitted. Your lease or bylaws should specifically state that you are allowed to have cats. Cats are a life-long commitment, so you must always live in situations where cats are permitted.

Reason:  Many people get a companion  and are then told by their landlord or condo association to give up the animal or move out. Rental housing permitting animals is becoming harder to find. ACR can assist your efforts to get permission.

9) Post-Adoption
We reserve the right to investigate the living conditions of your new cat through follow-up telephone calls and/or visits.

Reason:  ACR wants our cats placed into loving, caring homes as members of the family. The vast majority of people provide excellent homes for their cats. Occasionally, there will be a personality conflict between a cat and a person. If this occurs and is not resolved in a couple of weeks, it is best to return the cat to us. Follow-up calls and visits help us to ensure that our cats are being treated with the love and respect laid out in our guidelines. ACR wants to help you through your adjustment period with your new companion and we will be happy to answer any questions that you may have.

10) Relinquishment of your cat
If you must give up your cat, he or she must be returned to Alley Cat Rescue. You must not turn the cat over to a shelter or another person. Shelters euthanize over 80 percent of the cats that come to them.

Reason:  ACR will accept your cat at any time if you must give her up. We want to know that our cats are cared for all their lives, so we will take them back and find a new home if necessary. Do not, for any reason, leave one of our cats at an animal shelter. They may be killed before we can rescue them.

11) Literature
There are several excellent books on cat care and cat behavior.  Books and magazines are an excellent resource for answering your questions about your cat.

ACR suggests these books and magazines:

The Wild Life of the Domestic Cat, by Roger Tabor
Understanding Cats, by Roger Tabor
Adopting Cats & Kittens, by Connie Jankowski
The New Natural Cat: The Complete Guide for Finicky Owners, by Anitra Frazier
The Purina Encyclopedia of Cat Care, by Amy Shojai
The Stray Cat Handbook, by Tamara Kreuz
Kitten Care & Training, by Amy Shojai
Magazines: Cat Fancy Magazine, The Whole Cat Journal, Catnip and Cat Watch

ACR Kitties in Happy Homes

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Dre

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Schnoop

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Love and Volley

Love and Volley are beautiful black cats that came to Alley Cat Rescue as kittens in the spring of 2006.  They, along with their mother (Ace) and two siblings, were all semi-feral.  We hoped we would be able to work with them to find them loving forever homes. 

As the weeks passed, we noticed that Ace was really a very sweet cat, so we had her spayed and gave her shots.  She was adopted very quickly from PETsMART.  The siblings were also becoming very social with humans, so we found them loving homes as well.  Love and Volley, on the other hand, were much more reserved.

We kept working with them, hoping to bring them out of their shell.  We thought we might be able to find them homes if we took them to PETsMART.  They sat there for a few weeks, and there was some interest, but nobody really wanted to adopt two black kittens that were shy around humans.

Eventually, we brought them back to Alley Cat Rescue, as we didn’t see the point in leaving them at PETsMART when nobody was adopting them. 

Love and Volley are beautiful young cats who are totally bonded to one another, but not interested in human affection. We are hoping to build a small shelter for our special cats like Love and Volley, but we need your help.  Please email AlleyCatRescue@gmail.com if you are interested in helping Love and Volley or visit www.networkforgood.org to donate.

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Alley
Two years ago, I was called by a young woman who told me she could no longer keep her young 9-month-old cat, Alley, as she was moving. I told her our current policy was that the cat had to be spayed, up-to-date on vaccinations, tested for viral diseases, flea treated, and had to go to our PETsMART with her health records.

She assured me that Alley was up-to-date on shots, and fixed, and I told her to bring the cat in. I could not make it the pet store that day, as I had to go to work. But I called the Manager and told him to expect Alley.

The cat arrived with no papers, and the young woman told the manager that she would fax over the paperwork. Well the paperwork never arrived and 2 days later the manager called me and told me Alley was in heat!

I tried calling Alley's previous caretaker, but she was long gone, with no forwarding phone number. It turned out that not only was Alley in heat, she also had a heart condition, and very few teeth. So she ended up becoming a "permanent foster" and we desperately need on-going donations to help us with Alley's medical expenses But she is happy, and a pleasant cat who does not seem to know that her condition is critical. She plays with the other cats, and eats well, has gained weight, and definitely still has a great quality of life. She has strange longish fur (she is a calico) that sometimes gets very oily and sticks up all spikey!

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Professor

Professor survived distemper, and because of that he has brain damage. At first, he would not even walk. Kylie has taken him home and is working with him. Now he walks, uses the litter box, jumps on the couch, plays with her other cat, and in general is a very happy, sweet, purr-box of a cat!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Samantha

Samantha is a 13 year old Norwegian Forest Cat. She cannot properly clean herself, so we have to keep her shaved. She also sometimes does not use the litter box, and at her age, it will be almost impossible to find her a new home.