Heres an update, I went with "Saving One Life" rescue after being told by THIS rescue that I wouldn't be able to adopt a cat from them since i had a dog, and I was able to adopt a beautiful cat who perfectly gets along with my dog. This is proof that cats don't need to stay with cats and can be perfectly compatible and happy with other pets. read more

Desert Paws Rescue Cats - Animal Shelters Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

Best adoption experience! Everyone was helpful, friendly and obviously care about their cats / kittens! read more

Desert Paws Rescue Cats - Animal Shelters Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

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This places criteria to adopt a cat is INSANE. I went in and they wouldn't adopt a cat to me because I didn't have another one at home and they made numerous random excuses why I couldn't get the cat. I drove over an HOUR to get this cat. The women there are the definition of crazy cat lady's. If you want a cat the trick is to lie on your application. Tell them you have another cat at home who needs a companion. Also if you have a doggy door make sure to tell them you don't have one. You're welcome and happy adopting! Hope your experience wasn't the dumpster fire mine was read more

Withholding medical history! I am saddened to say that I have had a bad experience as well. I have been in contact with Desert Paws for a few weeks and was shown a year old male cat who is very sweet. When I got to Petsmart to see him, I had an odd feeling because Kelly showed him to me and basically stopped saying anything about him. They had to move him into another cage because he had diarrhea so bad and they told me he needed a box. I was curious why they wouldn't have one in each cage anyway. But that's not the worst part. I asked after all was paid and signed, what they had been feeding him. She started talking again, I mean to say, it was like she didn't want to say much until I signed and paid. But she told me she had been giving him GI meds for his stomach but also told me she thought it was stress. A few minutes later she told me it was probably because of the changing food, that they fed cats whatever was donated. And then in a text later said that she only gives GI meds to cats because of the stress they go through. So, no straight answer. When I got him home, the first thing he did was pee on my spare bed. A lot. He had been holding it. I texted Kelly to find out about medical history documentation. She told me she'd send what they had. And never did. Also she said that since he had been neutered, they didn't have any reason to take him to a vet. She doesn't know that I reached out to the vet that he was with before he was surrendered. All over the notes, were comments and concerns from previous owner about how he pees on everything. The vet said something about crystals in the urine multiple times. But didn't seem to offer any special diet or meds. I took him to my vet today. They did a fecal test and I'm waiting. He had previous parasites, and I don't know if it was followed up on after treatment. We also discussed the crystals. Today, he has not peed yet. I took all soft materials except the bed which now has a water proof cover on it out of the spare room. He'll have to be in there until we can get him well. I'm beyond upset that Desert Paws withheld his medical past with me AND didn't do anything about it. He's obviously uncomfortable. I also am upset that when I was at Petsmart, the way that she basically just waited for me to say he's cute and I'd like to have him, whisked me off. Her people had me signing papers within 10 minutes. I get that they are a volunteer organization. And I get that they have limited finances. But if they truly cared about the animals, they'd have them vetted. They'd make sure that the person taking them can handle any medical issues. Reducing additional surrendering. Some people just don't make sense. I would make sure if I were going to go through them again, that I got ALL information ahead of time. Unfortunately, most people don't go through this process more than once or twice in several years' time. It's hard to develop those lessons learned if you don't do it much. So, be aware! Have them tell you in writing everything you can. And ask for past vet phone numbers if nothing else. Don't be swayed by a cute face. Get your information and come back if you need to. I'd also mention that I know they knew about this after talking with the vet. It is clear. read more

We adopted two kittens from this rescue and were not told that they had ringworm. Their ringworm treatment was also omitted from their medical files, but their foster admitted they had ringworm and had been treated for ringworm through the rescue's volunteer vet. Now my daughter is covered all over her body with ringworm - 29 total lesions. Had we received a full disclosure about the cats medical history we would have likely caught it much sooner. We're looking at hundreds if not thousands of dollars for sanitization and medical expenses and at least four to six weeks to eliminate the spores from our carpeted home. I'm reading this could realistically take months to truly eliminate. We adopted these pets to bring joy in our home and now we're living in a nightmare. read more

Desert Paws Rescue Cats - Ringworm from infectious cat - Animal Shelters Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

Don't waste your time coming to one of these adoption events. Rudest staff I've ever worked with. I overheard a different staff member tell a customer that because they had a dog it would be a "hard no" to adopting one of their cats. When we submitted an application to one of the staff, we mentioned an enclosed patio for our cats. Something that is IMPOSSIBLE for a cat to get out of. When she found out about this she seemed to be done with the conversation and handed back our application. From the beginning, it seemed as though she did not want to speak with us. Neither me, my family, or anyone else in my life will be coming back to adopt a cat from here. read more

Full medical histories of the animals need to be disclosed to potential adopters. We got two kittens from them that, unbeknownst to us, had ringworm. One of the kittens ears were balding a bit but I didn't think much of it at the time, Apparently that's a great indicator of ringworm! We now have a terrible outbreak in our home that includes all our pets (the kittens plus two dogs) and humans. Multiple vet and doctor visits, hundreds and hundreds of dollars spent so far, and days missed from work. I reached out to the rescue and sure enough the kittens had had ringworm a few weeks prior but had been spot treated and cleared. While maybe that was the case, i don't think it was fully resolved and I think a longer period of time to make sure they were truly over the infection needed to happen before putting them up for adoption. We are now living a nightmare dealing with this. read more

Helpful, knowledgeable, caring. Adopting our rescue was easy. We are so happy with our new fur baby.

I've been coming to the petsmart every saturday for 4 weeks and finally found the one that was perfect!! The lady in charge said no. Because I had a dog. Do people not get kittens if they have other pets? I started crying, as did my little boy. I just can't believe they did that. Definitely not driving 45 minutes there again. read more

I am highly thrilled with my adoption including the process for a hard-to-place Siamese. She is... puuuurrrfect in every sense of the word. It was a very long drive and a lot of communication but this benefits everyone -- especially the renamed spoiled kitty who comes when called and does not hide! I would highly recommend them based on 1:1 screening and adoption interaction. This cat is coming out of her shell, LOVES her boy new siblings and I cannot wait to see her strut her own stuff. Thanks LauRen. You made a better year after a terrible loss of a elderly Lynx Point due to health issues. read more

Desert Paws Rescue Cats - Meeka the super kitty adoptee - Animal Shelters Near Me - Mesa, Arizona

I love that Desert Paws will only adopt kittens in pairs. So many people adopt a lone kitten only to have it sit at home while the owner is at work all day. Kittens and cats, get lonely. Young kittens love to play, chase and sleep close to one another. My two boys which we adopted from DP almost 2 years ago are constant companions to one another. Desert Paws is not a money making organization, it is an animal loving organization. They always put the pets first which as far as I am concerned is the right thing to do. read more

We just adopted two kittens from Desert Paws. They were very helpful and professional. The cats are healthy and happy. I would not hesitate to adopt from them in the future. read more

I inquired about a kitten and was told it was $125. When I got to Pets Mart and was all excited to get one I was then told I had to buy 2. That the 3mo and younger only came in pairs. Nothing was ever said or was on the web page about this. I broke down and got 2. I think this is a horribly misleading rescue. The kittens were very under weight and had ear issues and we are treating them for ringworm. I would not buy from them ever. I love my kittens but this organization is not taking good care of them and are misleading. read more

After speaking with Dan on the phone we set up a time to meet on Saturday at Petsmart to adopt a kitten for our 19 yr. old daughter that has Autism. We had 2 previous cats for 16 yrs that were very therapeutic and calming for her. We were told when we got to Petsmart and she found a kitten that she bonded with that we couldn't take her unless we adopted another one. The foster mom wouldn't budge, but the others were fine if we took one of theirs. This is a Therapy pet! You need one to bond with your child, not another kitten... We were so disgusted, and my daughter was so upset. The lady wouldn't speak to us and would leave or avoid us if we tried to talk to her to explain what a big deal this was. We ended up leaving, and my daughter was so upset. I would never recommend getting an animal from these people! (Queen Creek organization) read more

I am absolutely appalled by this rescue. I wanted a dog from them, I had already had a meet and greet with my dog to meet this dog and they hit it off, but I was waiting a couple days to get a confirmation on a job offer before making the move. Seeing as how the last dog I had died very unfortunately to kidney failure due to chronic illness, I wanted to make sure that my position was set in this new company so I felt comfortable with the income I had at my disposal to nurture this new dog in the case that she were to get sick. Apparently, this was seen as "illogical" by the foster mom Susan Gillan who was advocating for the dog I wanted. When I finally came to Susan after only a few days of waiting and said that I could come pick up the dog that day, she told me I had to wait because another family would be checking her out the following evening, and that she had also received two other emails on this dog. All the while, in the days when I was waiting and updating her about my status for the dog based off of what this future job was giving me, Susan made a point to tell me she could not hold the dog for me and that if someone else wanted to adopt her they would get to. So at this point, I'm offering my money and to pick the dog up that day to giver her a home and Susan tells me about the family and the emails, basically stating that if they don't want her THEN I can have her....except they didn't put down a deposit either, she was just holding the dog for them even though she clearly stated that was not something she was willing to do for me, and she even texted me that she thought my waiting for the news on my new job was "illogical". This woman was extremely disrespectful, unprofessional, biased, and a major let-down. I will never put my hopes into this rescue for another animal again thanks to this wretched wench. read more