Animal Welfare Association — Local services in Voorhees Township

I have adopted from this clinic multiple times in the past over the last 20 years. Today when I went into adopt a kitten, I was banned from adopting a kitten because I mentioned that one of my cats likes to spend time outside. This made the adoption counselor immediately close the folder, and say I was banned from adopting because of “diseases that could be brought inside from my cat that likes to go outside.” I told her I would obviously not let any kittens go outside. She said she would talk to her manager, walked away, came back and told me I was banned from adopting. I told her in the past, I’ve always been honest about my cats being indoor/outdoor and I’ve never had a problem before. Likewise, if I’m paying for the cats and I’m adopting cats, what business is it of theirs what I do with the cats as long as they’re being loved and cared for? I’m the one paying for them and adopting them.

Then I tell this counselor that I was actually getting The Cat as a gift for a friend whose 17-year-old black cat just passed away and was expressing interest in getting a new one, but had no idea where to get one. She told me this was an immediate ban as well because he would have to come in and adopt The Cat himself as gifts were not allowed. On their website, not only does it condone giving animals as gifts, but it has statistics to back up their stance on gifting animals and not only condone it, but their website encourages it.

Nowhere on the application does it state in fine print If you have a cat who likes to go outside, sometimes, you’re banned from adopting. No signs, no fine print, no nothing.

Likewise, they have a statement on their website stating that “if you have a cat that goes outdoors, it is recommended that annual or seasonal flea prevention measures are taken.” They are recommending the necessary measures be taken. Nowhere does it say you were banned from adopting if your cat likes to go outside.

It’s a shame that two perfectly good kittens could’ve had a loving and caring home but instead I got turned away and banned from adopting. It was humiliating. The entire situation was so humiliating for me. The two workers upfront were extremely supportive, and their jaw dropped to the floor when I told him what the counselor told me as I was walking out empty-handed. I don’t know the name of this adoption counselor, lucky for her, but she was a walking textbook with no clinical judgment. Every single thing that was told me was a contradiction of what the mission statements say on their website.

I come from Northern California where not one cat is an indoor cat. They all live outside. They all thrive and live long lives.

Humiliating experience. I highly recommend for future people who want to adopt to just lie completely about any question they ask you, and tell them what they want to hear, because if you tell the truth, you won’t be allowed to adopt.

Later on I found out it is illegal in NJ to ban a person from adopting a cat based off of the outdoor lifestyle of other animals. Little did they know they were breaking the law!!!

And it’s concerning for you if I tell people to lie if they want to adopt? It’s concerning that you condone and straight up defend your employees to discriminate against potential cat owners. The cats are the ones getting screwed at the end of the day, so yes, I encourage lying!! How else will you get to leave with an animal? The counselor felt “uncomfortable” with me adopting. I’m a 92 pound registered nurse with cats my entire life. Let me tell you...

We adopted our dog from the awa about 3 weeks ago and we could not adore her more. She is an amazing dog and I am so happy she is in our lives. That being said, the treatment and help we got from the AWA was awful. During the adoption process we noticed that one our dog’s ears was inflamed and crusty. We asked the staff about it who assured us that she was looked over by their medical department and everything was fine. We believed them and went on our way with our new family member. The next day the ear was getting worse and our dog kept scratching at it and shaking her head violently, when you rubbed the ear our dog would whimper and we knew something wasn’t right. We called the AWA to see if we could get in with their free clinic only to be told that the clinic does not have a vet right now so nothing could be done. We took our dog to our vet who examined her and informed us that she had a double ear infection. We took our girl home where that night things got worse. Our dog started to have extreme coughing fits, major amounts of nasal discharge and wheezing. Later the next day she would not eat, had diarrhea and did nothing but sleep. We knew something was wrong so we took her to the animal hospital, when we got there the doctor examined her, took blood and xrays and came back with the news the our rescue had pneumonia and she needed to stay in the hospital until further notice. We were devastated and, of course did what was best for the dog. After our girl was in the hospital for 3 days and 2 nights. Coming home with over 10 medications the the vet bills were extreme. We called the AWA to see if they could assist at all considering we just adopted her 6 days ago and in the nicest way someone told us it is not their problem. That once the paper is signed the dog is our responsibility. the woman on the phone seemed to have no care or concerned about our situation. It had been 2 weeks since we brought our dog home from the hospital and she is still sick. Going to the vet once a week with more and more meds and treatments as the bills for her get higher and higher. Not only does the AWA not seem to care or want to lend a helping hand, but they do not take responsibility for the. illness of our dog which is their fault. I am so disappointed in this rescue and the only bright side of this is that we got our sweet dog out of that place before...

This is the letter i sent to the board of directors. No response.

Board of directors

I am providing feedback about my recent experience with VAW voohrees animal welfare. I’d been looking for a companion cat for my 2 year old cat. I visited various shelters and decided between two at VAW, knight and stanley. I sensed the staff felt Stanley a better choice as he was more friendly and outgoing. As I wasn’t sure how my cat would react i chose knight who was more shy. When, I believe her name was kaitlin, took him from the cage he put a gash in her arm from elbow to wrist. She said he was trying to get away. I asked about his background and was told there was no info about where he came from or why, no history. I was told he could be returned if he didn’t work out. No criteria was given just that there was a $25 return fee. I kept knight in a room for 6 days with constant visits. I could never get near him. He had a number of litter accidents and a couple of what appeared to be panic attacks. He was almost feral and seemed terrified. I called to say i wanted to return him and was referred to behavior counselor Elizabeth. She said I didn’t have him long enough. I explained that because of my experience of 70 years with multiple cats, i knew knight would not work in my household. I asked for suggestions on how to get him in the cage. She said “well, you seem to be the expert”. With the help of a neighbor we did get knight crated and she has taken him to her home. I hope she succeeds where i failed. He may still need to be returned. I decided to then take stanley. I spoke to Kelly and was told that I couldn’t adopt because I hadn’t kept knight long enough. Rules seemed to be being made up as we went along. I was also told nothing on the application is verified. All by trust. Couldn’t they have called my vet for a reference? I paid $150 for knight. Would have paid again for stanley and have made monthly donations. For this I’m scoffed at and treated like an idiot. In retelling I’ve learned others have had similar experiences there. I expected better from VAW. I hope you will address this. I expect the staff response will be “oh please”.

So...