We adopted a cat from LHS 3 months ago. Overall it was a very unpleasant and stressful experience. First, there was a long wait just to visit with the cats we were interested in adopting. Then a longer wait to process the adoption. The place was severely understaffed and the front desk staff that day was surly. At one point the volunteer at the shop felt so sorry for us waiting over an hour that she personally took a look into our application, which, apparently fell through the crack.
We were in for a big surprise when we brought the cat home. We took her to two vets, who both said the cat was at most a year and a half old, not three years old, as we were told by LHS. We're elderly and would prefer an older cat that doesn't require lots of play time. LHS also told us this cat had no bite history. In fact she bites all the time! She goes after our toes when we are in bed, when we're walking down the stairs, when we sit and watch TV! She jumps to grab our fingers if we happen to lay our hand on the back of a chair or sofa. I'm sure it's play to her and we're her preys. But it's been a nightmare. We feel we're stuck with the cat, because they may euthanize her if we return her to the shelter. She was at LHS for two months, and it's impossible to imagine that she didn't bite until she came to live to us. So we're inclined to think LHS lied to us about this cat because they wanted to adopt her out so they could take in more cats.
We also learned that this cat came from southern Colorado. Now, with staffing issue, why are they're taking in animals from outside the area? One of the current employees, in a review, expressed his/her surprise at the fee charged pet owners ($300!). Perhaps that's why. They really ought to focus on taking good care of their current animals by expanding their temporary quarters, as well as caring for animals in the area.
For those of you who are interested in adopting a pet, we'd strongly recommend Boulder Valley Humane Society. It's much better run over there, with friendly staff and a relaxed environment. The cats are given a condo to roam, not in a cage. They don't make you wait forever just to visit with a cat (we can't say anything about dogs, since we didn't visit with dogs). The only downside is: most of the cats aren't interested in coming down from a high perch to meet visitors so you many have to just pick one you like and take him/her home to try out for 30 days (you can return a cat within 30 days if it doesn't work out; neither you nor the cat will have a black mark). read more