Watching Over Whiskers — Local services in Springfield

Overall not the best experience. Oh boy, where do I start?

I would never refer people to this place, especially if you have/had different views than theirs on how cats should be cared for. It made my wife ridiculously anxious waiting for 3 weeks then wondering if we were "good enough" for their crazy standards. Also their prices are way too high. You can get basically the same stuff from the humane society for $35. Unfortunately for me and my wife, I found this out AFTER going through this entire situation laid out below.

They took a week an a half to get back to me about my application. Granted it was over the holiday break, but even so that's an unacceptable time to wait for a response, especially since I was told I would hear something in a couple of days. Nobody called me back, nobody messaged me back. Nothing.

Finally an email comes through. They told me the foster parents wanted more time to decide if they wanted to give up the cat. They say they give the foster parents first dibs (makes sense), but why put a cat up for adoption if you're not 100% willing to part with it? More waiting.

Another week goes by. They email me and ask me to "enlighten" them as to why I had a negative experience with another shelter. I told them the reason and they asked for a house tour before I got the cat. At this point, I was under the impression that she was bringing the cat to drop it off after she saw the house. Nope, not even close.

Then a few more days goes by and they come over for a house visit. They didn't bring the cat, then proceeded to chastise me about how I care for my current cat (who is healthy, happy, and well loved, mind you).

She then said we could have a month trial run with the cat to make sure the cats were a good fit for each other, which is nowhere in the paperwork, mind you. Probably just their way of being super distrusting, but who knows. It's not like this process was laid out for me in...

W.O.W is such an amazing organization and I not only recommend it to anyone looking for a cat companion, but to anyone looking for a worthwhile cause to donate their time or money to.

I recently decided to add another cat(s) to my family and I've decided to go with WOW for a number of important reasons:

1. I know the cats there are treated like kings and queens. Most of their cats are either in loving foster homes or in one of their specially designed "catified" rooms. These multi-cat rooms have tons of perches, hidden cabinet litterboxes for privacy and odor control, water fountains, and even special aromatherapy to keep the cats calm! I didn't know that was a thing before my visit. I even met a cat there who had lupus and was provided a custom diet/treatment for optimum health.

2. They aren't just trying to get cats out the door. I fostered kittens for a shelter in Springfield that does not vet adopters and one of my kittens ended up in a very bad situation. WOW does the opposite of that! They vet adopters AND help them set up the best environment possible for their new home. I know 2 other people who found their cats at WOW and both still have strong relationships with the shelter and ask questions/get tips if they need it.

3. It's a professional organization making a huge impact. WOW takes on some of the toughest and most tragic cases around. For example, when I visited last month they were working with a paralyzed kitten who had a bullet lodged in her spine. I also know they have gotten kittens through FIP treatment, which is particularly difficult and expensive. It used to be a death sentence. I feel so inspired by the work they do that I plan on volunteering with them next time I'm in town.

Genuinely so impressed with the love, care, and cleanliness of WOW. I can't wait to pick up my new cat baby...

I adopted a wonderful cat from Watching Over Whiskers (WOW) in Springfield, Mo about a month ago. I have adopted cats from numerous shelters in Ark, OK, MO, KS and LA over the years and WOW is the cleanest, and most cat friendly facility I have been into. They have 2 or 3 cat rooms with plenty of clean litter boxes for the 8 cats in each room. There were a few roomy kennels, similar to the ones at Petsmart outside of the main cat rooms with litter boxes and food/water stations, along with some obviously well cared for and friendly kittys that had plenty of room. There were several volunteers there caring for the cats and it was obvious they loved what they were doing.

Their adoption application process was so thoughtful and geared toward finding their cats homes that will be forever, and they try to match the cat and potential adopter and what the person adopting the cat expects or wants, as opposed to just trying to move a large number of cats.

I drove over 5 hours after we finished the application process and was so impressed with the whole WOW organization. I adopted an adult cat that they had rescued from a situation that could have resulted in him being euthanized at a different shelter. He received excellent vet care and WOW spent over 2 months rehabbing him back to health to be ready to find a forever home. This is another rare and outstanding thing they do that most other shelters can’t……they take in cats and even tiny kittens that need medical and/or surgical services and give them a chance at life.

When I got to Springfield and walked into WOW’s clean and bright cat area I knew I had made a wise choice and the long drive and overnight in a hotel were totally worth it. The volunteers who were at WOW were a...