Misleading, disorganized, and unprofessional. We provided every requested document, were repeatedly…read moreassured that all issues were resolved, and completed a home visit during which we were told we were approved to move forward with payment and a pickup date. Then, we were denied at the very last moment. Communication was nonexistent, expectations constantly changed, and the process was a total waste of our time. This felt less like an adoption process and more like being strung along.

My husband & I had a very poor experience with Stray Paws the 1st time we used them. We were told…read morewe'd have a 2nd chance at a visit with the puppy named Echo we fell in love with, and it would be without the foster couple, whom the dog was extremely attached to after knowing only them her 3 months of life. A lady from Stray Paws was supposed to visit our home with the dog without the fosters, and we were told we had dibs & NO ONE would get a chance to adopt the puppy before we saw her again. I left a voicemail & 2 emails, but no one ever replied from Stray Paws. We were called by the foster family saying they didn't keep their word, that they let the sweet puppy visit with a lady without them & the puppy showed interest in her. Yes of course she did because the fosters weren't with her. That was supposed to be our experience; we were promised a "hold" would be put on the dog & no one would even see her profile as available until we saw her again. Plus, during our 1 visit, the puppy was completely comfortable when my husband & I held her in our arms for at least 40 mins away from the foster parents. She didn't act scared or freak out, but because she didn't come to us with her foster parents right there in the same room, they didn't let us keep her. We are wonderful dog loving people, and we took exceptional care of my sweet baby girl dog for 11.5 yrs until she died last March at 13.5 yrs old. We have a young son that cared for our dog, too. What kind of organization betrays their clients & doesn't even have the decency to reply or apologize for what happened? I hope this doesn't happen to other families. We got our hopes up; we even bought a dog bed, big bag of puppy dry food, puppy wet food, pee pads, a collar, leash, harness, name tag, dog toys, dog treats, doggy ice cream, a tracker to place inside her collar & more for this sweet girl. Only to be completely heartbroken at not even getting our chance at adopting her.

A wonderful place where cats can have a second chance…read more I've been coming here to volunteer here regularly and everyone working/volunteering here is great. While I think a shelter doesn't have to be non-kill to make a positive impact, I think it's important that places like this exist, especially for older cats who might have a harder time integrating into homes. If you're interest in adopting from this place, definitely come and check it out. If you're interested in volunteering, also definitely come take a look, as the place can always use more committed people that love cats.

Several months after the unexpected and tragic loss of our first family cat, we visited many…read morerescues in St. Louis and the surrounding suburbs, searching for the right cat for our family. We went into the process with very tender hearts, and wanted to take our time finding the right organization and cat. As soon as I walked into Animal House Cat Rescue, I knew this was the place where we would find our new family member--if not that day, then eventually. The adoption coordinator greeted me at the door, explained the visit guidelines, and walked with me through the different areas. She knew the cats so well that she was able to direct me toward ones that might be a good fit. After I shared just a little context about our needs, she immediately took me to a little female cat named Amber Glen, whom she thought would be a great match. As soon as I opened the enclosure and made contact, I knew she was our cat. I continued meeting other cats just to be sure, but Kate had directed us perfectly. I even came back the next day, just to be sure I hadn't jumped to conclusions too quickly. Thanks to Kate's help, we had most definitely found our next family member. When I brought my kids to meet her, the volunteers were very accommodating and didn't seem frustrated by the sounds of children. Since we were in the middle of moving, we couldn't take her home that day, but we returned the following week to pick her up. They provided us with vet records, food, and her little stuffed toy (at the insistence of my children, who were certain she needed her favorite stuffed animal to sleep with at night). Now that she's home, she is adjusting well, and we are filled with deep gratitude. She was cared for so well, had appropriate space while at the rescue, and was clearly well known and loved by the employees and volunteers. I encourage anyone looking to adopt a cat to seriously consider Animal House Cat Rescue and Adoption Center!

Finally, a success story! I've been eagerly awaiting the day I found a dog and would take one home…read more I checked the website before I left to make sure the one I wanted to see was still there and he was. It had been several months since I was here last and I couldn't remember what the protocol was for visits. Once I got inside, the man at the desk told me I could look around and then fill out a form about the one(s) I was interested in. When you first walk in, the cat wing is on left near the front desk; there's two hallways with dogs on the left, and the puppies and critters are on the right. I heard straight to the puppies, took one peek at him, and immediately went to the front to fill out the paperwork. After what seemed like a while, I was granted my visit. He took to me right away and I knew I was going to take him home. After the woman came here in to finalize the paperwork, she told me to go to the front to finalize his pet insurance. Things got a little chaotic because as I was in the middle of finishing his insurance, I was called by the other side to finalize his paperwork. We got everything straightened out, but it'd be nice if a better system were in place. Regardless, I finally got the puppy I wanted and was pleased with the service.

We had to make the hard decision to put our 16 year old orange tabby down today. My husband took…read morehim to The Humane Society at 9:20am this morning. They took him back to scan his chip and brought him back up to the front. My husband was upset, said his goodbyes and left. At 6pm I get a text asking my permission to put him down because my name was on his chip! Why would it take this long for them to contact me????????? Totally inexcusable! We are beyond upset of how this was handled! Terrible!

Decided to foster a dog for the first time and thought of CARE because they are literally begging…read morefor help. This HAS to be the most unorganized unprofessional shelter. I ask about a dog upon arrival and she was absolutely shocked that I wanted to meet him. "REALLY?!?" Uhh... what?! Is that how you really get dogs out the door? What's wrong with him? After I get him home I realize the amount of drugs they have this poor dog on and how terrible he looks. They tell you absolutely nothing about the dog, why they are on meds and how important they are to stay on them and how to take them off the meds. So I come home with a collar that's too big and slips off his head, a few toys, food to last maybe a week, and a folder of how to reach and update the shelter. Well... NO ONE answers emails or answers the phone. So how am I suppose to get ahold of anyone? This dog had major behavioral issues. Over a few weeks time he attacked my dog and bit my mom. After several attempts to contact the shelter to bring him back I got NOTHING! So I brought him back and they tried to turn me away. "Do you have an appointment?" they ask... NO! You don't answer anyone! Now I am an animal lover through and through. I would never do harm even with the aggression. BUT this is never allowed in my home and is a liability that I am not willing to deal with. I told them I would leave him on the front step if they didn't take him back and he is not allowed to torment my home, dog and especially my freaking mother! RUN FAR FAR AWAY FROM THIS SHELTER!!!! They are absolutely terrible and I would rather urbanization than to see how poorly these dogs are treated. It's DISGUSTING!! Do Better "CARE STL"!!! Shame on all of you!

Wow wow wow! I'd…read morelike to preface that it was my first time going here this year but have visited multiple times in the span of two weeks lol I found out about this place when I went on adoptapet.com and found a kitten that was so cute so I decided to go visit her in person. Right off the highway, tucked behind a starbucks is where their cozy building is which comes with a fenced off parking lot. You have to ring the doorbell to be let in! It was quite a commotion the first time I went where it looked like 5 groups of people were being helped. There wasn't really a clear line or anything so I sat on one of the couches to wait for someone that was available. (Definitely in need of some more volunteers!) I had to approach someone since it was pretty chaotic. I ended up speaking with another visitor who told me that you have to go on their website and sign a disclaimer /liability waiver which totally makes sense. Then afterwards, a volunteer took a look at my "application" (you don't have to commit to fostering or adopting, just covering their asses!) but I was interested in fostering. After I got the all clear, I was brought into the kitty room which has free roaming kitties who have been socialized. There's another room for cats who should be in a single home and of course the main attraction, the kitten room! There were SO many cute kitties waiting and ready to be adopted! I honestly wanted to take them all home, but I could decide so I left. That's why I had multiple trips. I ended up going back to socialize with them and find the right fit! My boyfriend came along this time and we had an idea of who we wanted but decided to sleep on it. We came back and picked up our new kitten and the process was so seamless! We went here so many times, we were practically seasoned to be volunteers already. Shoutout to all the friendly staff who helped us and talked to us about some kitties backstories! It was also nice to see that each time we went, there were 6 being adopted at a time! So beautiful to see strangers fall in love with their new kitties and such a nice community to be around. If you're interested in volunteering, sign up on their website and trainings take place on Sundays! Go, go, go!!

This place rules! I have never seen so many happy, cheerful and good lookin cats in one place. Glad…read moreto have a shelter option this great in the area. The staff was wonderful!

What does the 5 A's stand for? I'll translate for you, it means, Alton Area Animal Aid Association…read more They are a non-profit, no kill shelter that has been serving the Alton community for 65+ years. 5 A's is worthy of their 5 Star rating. They are a great small town, county shelter that takes good care of homeless dogs and cats. Recently they got some publicity for one of their residents who had been living in the shelter for 11 years. Wiggles had a tumor that was unoperateable, but 5 A's kept her and loved her. Finally after appearing on a local news channel, she found her forever home for her senior years. Being new to the Alton community, I stopped by to see what I could do or donate to help them with their cause and was impressed with the cleanliness of the shelter. I was also impressed with the friendliness and love I saw the staff and volunteers showing the resident animals. My house currently is full of four paws, but I now know what they need and will be donating regularly. When: January 2021 Why: Donations

They turned me way when I found a big dog in the streets and I brought him there to be sheltered…read more They claimed it was my dog, because I brought him in. Secondly they claimed no room for him, and would not help any further. Staff was blunt and bordered on nasty and disinterested.

I LOVE Stray Rescue!!!! I love all the wonderful things that they do to save the lives of ALL…read moreanimals throughout the city. I follow them on IG and love watching Donna go out and complete her rescue missions, love seeing the fur-babies take their freedom rides in the jeep. I love that they have a plethora of volunteers that the fur-babies are able to be walked twice a day and receive genuine love and affection without the fear of being abused. The volunteers are serious and take their jobs very seriously and ensure that they announce themselves when bringing a fur-baby outside and inside of the premise. They take the time to actually get to know each dog so they can inform potential adopters of the dogs needs, dis-likes and likes. The staff and volunteers are dedicated to the well being and livelihood of each animal in their care. The fosters do an amazing job as well getting the fur-babies acclimated to human interaction, peaceful interactions with other animals and training. I was able to walk around the shelter and I was amazed that the majority of the dogs are housed in their own rooms and blocked from looking at each other, unless you fall into the over-flow room. The rooms that house each of dogs are clean, with cots and blankets. The over-flow room is a spacious room that is open with crates and it's quiet. I love how neat and clean they maintain the shelter. My sister recently adopted a puppy at one of their adoption events, which was held outside on the sidewalk up and down the building as well as across the street to showcase the fur-babies. What a great way to conduct a meet-n-greet for these amazing fur-babies in need of adoption instead of walking throughout the shelter. Since she adopted a puppy, we attend the FREE puppy training classes each Saturday morning. When I t in the ell you that the trainers are phenomenal, that's an understatement. They are incredibly knowledgeable and there to assist you every step of the way in your journey. I highly recommend Stray Recue!!!

Tenth Life deserves more than 5 stars. I found this organization when I was looking up "cat…read morecafes/cat shelters" or something of that nature. All the volunteers and staff are beyond welcoming, and the cats are so sweet and playful. My eyes literally turn into hearts when I visit, and I'm always so excited to meet new kittens and cats to play with. Sometimes they only have 2-3 cats roaming around, and other times, there's 12 kittens running all over the place. The space is very open, and there's so many cute toys for the cats to play with. It's essentially a real-life neko atsume set-up (side note: if you love cute kitties, download this game. Trust me!). The storefront is open to the public Friday-Sunday from 12-5 pm, and it was such a lifesaver for me during my first year of PT school. There's nothing better than hanging out with cats after a hard week of school/tests. If you're interested in fostering cats, they run an awesome program. I recently applied to become a foster, and it's been incredibly rewarding. If you aren't in a position to adopt, I highly recommend that you look into fostering. P.S. they also have cat yoga once a month! I've never been because I always had class or another commitment at the same time, but that's definitely on my to-do list. I believe it's the first Wednesday of the month, and it costs $15 (+fees?), but it goes towards helping cats!

Hello, my name is Max, have we met? I love cats…read more Tenth Life is hands down one of the most awesome organizations in Saint Louis when it comes to rescuing cats. If you're going to adopt a cat, you've gotta come here and see what this place is all about. We heard about it through our friend who is a kitty foster for Tenth Life. There are often cats at their brick and mortar storefront on Cherokee Street, but there are also several cats that are being taken care of at foster homes all around the Saint Louis area by Tenth Life volunteers, or getting ready to be the right age to live at the Tenth Life storefront. The space is big, cozy, and has so many toys for the cats to play with and places for them to rest. You can tell that the staff is always keeping up with fresh food and water for the cats, and cleaning up after them. This cat rescue has a very detailed adopting process, and make it known that the employees and volunteers are there to support you in any way if you are adopting a cat from them. The mission they set out for and excellently accomplish is, "Giving cats the life they deserve." We recently adopted two four-month old kittens, brother and sister, and are so so happy we went through Tenth Life!

I'm grateful they were able to take in the stray Boston Terrier we found. She had no microchip, and…read moreI'm relieved she's safe now. That said, our interaction with Lance was surprisingly rude and dismissive. When we told him we'd been calling her "Mama," he rolled his eyes and said, "We have so many Mamas," like it was an inconvenience. When my friend offered to foster, he brushed her off, saying the dog would "probably get adopted quickly anyway" and that she could "maybe go on the website." He also made the whole intake process uncomfortable. I was sitting with the dog in my lap when he sat at a desk far away, asked for my ID (which my friend had to bring to him), and then slapped it back on the counter without a word. The entire time he was typing things in, he didn't explain what he was doing, what the next steps were, or even why he needed my info. I'm thankful they took the dog in, but the lack of kindness or communication really soured the experience. It shouldn't feel like a burden to bring in an animal who needs help.

I can not say enough good things about the caring staff and the APA Adoption Center itself. Those…read morewho work or volunteer there have a sincere commitment to the welfare of all the animals in their care. They do their best to ensure you and the animal you adopt are a good fit. I appreciate that they go the extra mile. A loving forever home is the goal with every adoption! My cat Picassa and I are the perfect match. She is my soul kitty, we are forever family!!!

This is a great place to volunteer if you are looking for opportunities. The leads train you…read morethroughly and explain their twice a day process to clean the litter pans, feed/water, and provide a scratch or hug if appropriate. They follow appropriate procedures for avoiding any cross contamination, required vetting, and administering meds when needed. They have supplies and cute items for your pets too and all purchases go back to supporting the cats care! They mainly take in strays and surrendered cats, so consider taking one or two home and give them the love they desire!

I ws rather shocked. 2 or 3 folks sitting at a table but almost every litter box was dirty. they…read morehad been dirty for some time. if I was adopting out kitties...I would make things spotless. I have volunteered for many years at shelter, and we always kept kitty cages spotless. some litter boxes so full of "stuff", nowhere for cats to go anymore. also, sure would be nice to know cost of adoption. did not have info until I saw it posted. 3x what other shelters charge. $150. I know many vets donate their time or greatly reduce their fes. if this is not happening for them..they need to bring in someone to negotiate fees or get some volunteer hours from a vet. ty.