I only looked up IBOK's Yelp reviews after having an upsetting experience with them, which I think is worth sharing for others navigating the adoption process. I was initially very excited about IBOK, particularly their thoughtful two-cat policy, which made a lot of sense to me. They were also flexible and kind about my living a few miles outside of Santa Clara County. I was approved to adopt and the process started off on a positive note. After being approved, I was quickly directed to a specific pair of kittens who were older than I'd hoped for. They sounded wonderful, but while young, they don't look like what you picture when you think "kittens." Our family recently lost our 20-year-old cat, and my children, who are younger than that cat, have always hoped to experience raising kittens. The initial email recommending the pair was polite and said if we didn't feel they were the right fit, there would be many others to consider. I felt bad tentatively turning down the pair they suggested and said as much in my reply. They quickly let me know that I might have to wait a few months because it was not kitten season. What made the situation upsetting was what happened next. A few days later, IBOK posted about eight 7-8 week old kittens on their Facebook page, asking for foster help. I was excited to see young kittens despite it not being "kitten season" and I inquired if it might be possible to adopt a pair instead of fostering as we are probably not up to giving up kittens we've taken into our home! We got our last cat at this age. I also commented (in what I thought was a friendly way) that the kittens were all cute and that one particularly reminded us of our late cat. The response I received was unexpectedly harsh. Part of the text read: "As you were not interested in the kittens we recommended to you as a perfect fit, you may want to look at other rescues for your new kittens. Wanting kittens as young as possible isn't a characteristic we look for in our adopters. We want the best match possible for our kittens, and you do not seem to be looking for a match that would be in the best interests of our kittens. We're sorry, but you asked us for help in finding the right pair for you, and we did that. But you were not interested. You should be looking for the right personalities, not just how they look." This response made me feel hurt, stupid, and misunderstood, and I regretted commenting on the kittens' cuteness, as it was meant to be chatty and friendly. It also made me feel very judged for expressing a preference for younger cats, which I already felt bad about but hadn't realized would disqualify us as adopters. Despite feeling upset, I responded apologetically to her text (even though my husband suggested I simply reply, "Are you OK?"). I dislike confrontation and understood that they were not going to let us adopt, but I didn't want to leave on a bad note. I never received a response back. As someone who works with a horse rescue, I understand how those in deep in the trenches of rescue work are often overwhelmed and exhausted. Still, I think it's important to assume the best of people who come to you hoping to love and care for animals. My interaction left me feeling like one of the Dursleys, and it's going to take me some time to build up the nerve to approach another rescue group. I know I should re-examine my preferences too. I imagine that adopting through IBOK could go well if you accept the cats they recommend for you, avoid expressing preferences about age or commenting on appearance, and pass their tests. Their focus on finding the best match for their cats is admirable, but I think they could benefit from more compassion and openness when communicating with adopters. Especially after reading the other reviews, I'm sure many people would likely be willing to adjust their plans if guided thoughtfully. (I'm leaving 3 stars because I think that's the fairest option considering I only experienced one small part of the adoption process.) read more

5 stars only for the kitties and kittens as they seem to be cared for. The org does care about their cats. HOWEVER: firstly: totally get everyone is a volunteer, but you CANNOT treat people rudely and unkindly. You are a volunteer- so it's so important to be cordial and PROFESSIONAL to other people AND your fellow volunteers etc. This is the base foundation of ANY volunteer organization- or any place for pete's sake. eg: person is the business owner responding: Lori. Does not seem to be aware of crassness... or know how to interact professionally in interpersonal HUMAN relationships. Feline care is fine. BUT the human component is really in need of volunteers that also have that component of being able to interact and not turn off people... seriously. The "customer service" part is just as important almost if you're gonna wanna find forever homes for the babies: both quality and quantity- so learn how to be cordial, respectful, and how to speak professionally and not rudely please. Just a word of advice for EVERYONE'S sake. read more

I brought GG to have her nails trimmed. Laurie did a great job and it was very quick. Thank you for providing this service.

We recently adopted two cute kitties from Itty Bitty Orphan Kitty rescue and they are truly the delights of our life. One thing we greatly appreciated about this rescue is the staffs are really nice and super caring about their kitties, and make sure the potential adopters will be trustworthy and caring parents of the kitties. They do careful review of applications, ask questions, provide helpful documents and tips on how to help the kitties settle down, and they come and deliver the kitties to the place and make sure it is a hazard free environment for them. If you would truly like to give love and home to these beautiful innocent animals, I recommend checking out their available cats and contact this kitty rescue! (Important) Note about two-kitty policy adoption: I like their policy and it's actually very aligned with how much they care about their kitties and don't treat them like dolls/puppets for entertaining humans. A lot of these kittens come from the same litter and they are very attached, thus it is not an ethical act to separate them from the other sibling they have a strong bond and this can make them suffer badly. read more

Itty Bitty Orphan Kitty Rescue - Cutie Esme - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - San Jose, California

Did you know they now have a brick and mortar location called Itty Bitty Kitty Cafe?!? The location is within Cambrian Plaza. We have been long time supporters of IBOK and we were so excited to see that they have an awesome set up to snuggle and meet kitties available for adoption. You can book a reservation online, $15 for an hour (they have a set up if you have an active approved application with them where you can visit numerous times, see their website, don't quote me lol), and play and love on little fur balls of perfection. We aren't looking to adopt at this time, but we love that we can get our kitten fix. It can get a little snug inside when you arrive for your appointment and the previous appointment is leaving, but don't fret you'll get situated quickly. Amazing organization and even more amazing volunteers! We will be back! read more

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By far the worst place you can go to adopt a pet. The employees are extremly rude and raised her voice at me. They denied my application for adoptiing a pair of kittens for no reason and just said I am not a good fit. I have a well paid job and have a clear background check and a lawful and respective resident of California. This is the exact email that their manager "Laurie Melo" working there sent me: They should consider changing their name to IBOK-DUNGEON for animals!! " Lawmelo Sat, 8 Oct, 18:36 (1 day ago) to Movassaghi.samaneh First of all, I wish to apologize for raising my voice when speaking with you today. It was a long day and you just didn't seem to understand that we were closed, were packing up, and did not have time to talk with you. Secondly, when you applied to adopt last year, you clearly were not ready to adopt a pair of kittens. We canceled the adoption and told you that you would be better off with an older single cat. We understand that you have moved, but we still do not feel that you are a good candidate to adopt a pair of our kittens. We're sorry, but it just isn't a good fit. There are lots of other rescues and shelters that have kittens so you should contact them and apply. We will not be adopting a pair of our kittens to you. Thanks. Itty Bitty Orphan Kitty Rescue www.ibokrescue.org read more

Itty Bitty Orphan Kitty Rescue - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - San Jose, California

After the passing of my sweet Carmen in May I decided to adopt pair of kittens to be with my 10 year old Gigi. Archie and Elvis are living the life now. I went through the application process and waited until I was able to take my new babies home a month later. Foster mom Nedra did an amazing job with them getting them neutered and teaching them how to be big boys. I think this rescue organization does a magnificent job in making sure these babies go to good homes. read more

This place has a great selection of kittens. One of the best I've ever seen in one place. I've read the negative reviews and strongly disagree. These are hand selected, well fostered kittens. You need to read and follow their rules. Should you get DQ'd, take a hard look in the mirror before posting something negative. You almost can't decide with so many cute kittens in one place. read more

Really impressed by the care and thoughtfulness this organization has put into making sure each animal finds the right forever home. The volunteers were really helpful when I went to visit and shared about the foster system they use to make sure the kittens are taken care of before they are adopted. read more

Went through their adoption process. Was shown kittens via FaceTime and agreed we were interested. Never heard back. After emailing, calling all numbers and emails provided, I contacted the foster parent who said the owner Lori never heard back from me and threw away my adoption paperwork. After showing them the attempted emails and correspondence on my end, I was told that it was too late. Take my advice and go through an organization that is more professional and organized read more

I adopted two kittens at Aug 2019. At first, the two kitten policy sounds odd to me, but after a year, it really makes sense to have two rather one- they won't be lonely and always feel secured around each other. I recommend this rescue because they took good care of the kittens, healthy, well trained and have a good personality, that's all you can ask for as a adopter. read more

Itty Bitty Orphan Kitty Rescue - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - San Jose, California

I just adopted a pair of kittens. They are very social. Adopting in pairs is the only way for me now. ESP for households where they can get lonely. Watching them grow together is a great treat. All communication with volunteers was very thorough. I couldn't be happier with my Marley and grace. read more

We adopted our sweet kittens from this organization and they were well taken care of and loved. Highly recommend!

Itty bitty kitty is rude and here is why: I was looking for a furry friend through PetFinder and I came across an adorable kitten through petfinder I messaged Itty bitty orphan kitty Rescue not knowing their buy two or none policy. I then reached out to itty bitty orphan kitty Rescue on my own to show interest in the cat ( still not knowing their buy 2 policy) where I was RUDELY told the cat I was interested in can only be adopted with their sibling and good luck looking for a cat. I felt like I couldn't even reach out to ask about both cats. If I could give zero stars I would. read more

So I just spent an hour looking to adopt a kitten and filling out an outrageously long application. Only after that did they inform me that they didn't accept indoor/outdoor adoptions. Unbelievable. Do not waste your time. read more

After reading the reviews here, I'm not surprised how disappointing this organization is. Not only I got rejected for adoption for unknown reason, but when I emailed and asked why. I got no response at all, which goes to show they had no valid reason and were being extremely biased and difficult. I have had over 10 years of experience with cats, including being a cat volunteer at an animal shelter in the Bay Area, and I provided all of that info to them. Word of advice, go to another organization or animal shelter for better and more professional service than this so-called rescue center. read more

Run by very shady people, friendly, but only at first. something is very off and not right about this group

We have adopted 2 cats from IBOK over the last 3 years or so. A wonderful tortie grandmother at only 2 years of age (!) and a tiny little girl black cat. What IBOK does is they go to the shelters, such as San Jose and pick out the cats that are perfectly adoptable but face euthanasia because of over crowding and foster them and find them homes.. clearly this is expensive and time consuming to hold these cats and bring them to adoption fairs most weekends. These are just regular people doing this with mostly their own time and money. if you think they make any money doing this (??), well, you're not very bright, sorry. Despite the name it's not just kittens because our 2 year old tortie was an adult when we took her. They also host a black cat fair because, sadly, black cats are the last to get adopted. It's silly, but for some reason perhaps superstition, people don't often adopt black cats and dogs and those are commonly put to sleep at shelters. One of the cats that I remember they had for a long time was a special needs Siamese kitten with a genetic problem that caused his skin to be very fragile.. this is clearly the sort of problem that would cause most shelters to immediately put the animal down. Why would a shelter hold on to an animal like that when space is a premium?? IBOK stepped in, paid for the genetic testing and held the animal for many months until the right home was found. They didn't ask for the new owner to pay for the testing. The shelters just don't do that. They are a big machine and cats last maybe two or three weeks max then they're put to sleep. Anyways, we're on our third IBOK cat.. this one also a black cat but a boy. He is a little rough and still a big clumsy kitten but they gave us plenty of time to see if he can get along with the others. My opinion is that they clearly love the cats they rescue and want to find them homes. One of the things they ask is that if you can't keep the cat you adopt cat, please give it back before you drop it at the shelter. This is for the cat's own benefit (as I say, the vast majority of cats at shelters are put to sleep) -- it also shows these people do love what they're doing. read more

I've adopted 3 cats from IBOK and we've had nothing but positive experiences. The adoption process for us consisted of a little paperwork, a waiting period to make sure you're serious about adoption (and not just swayed by a cute face at the pet store) and a quick site visit at drop-off. Nothing crazy, just a look to make sure its a safe place. Everyone we've dealt with has always been super friendly and caring and I'd happily adopt from them again and recommend them to others. If they can be accused of being difficult its only in the best interest of the animals but difficult has been the exact opposite of my adoption experiences with them. read more

Itty Bitty Orphan Kitty rescue group is by far the worst group I have ever experienced. As an experienced pet owner and foster volunteer for other rescue groups I know what I am saying. Ask yourself why this group has many more animals up for adoption than others, for a few reasons, one of those reasons is they make it too difficult to adopt a pet. I have seen some adorable kittens grow too old for adoption with OBOK... some have had legitimate offers to adopt to good homes but were turned down. This group is constantly on craigslist with ads asking for money to save this animal or that. I do not see other non-profits stooping to solicitation! I would not give them one penny or adopt from them. read more