St. Sophia's Forgotten Felines — Local services in Wheaton

St.Sophia's was at Yorktown mall. My nine-year-old daughter wanted to stop and look at the cats. We held one cat and bonded with him, we held him and he placed his little held on our chest and my daughter stood by his cage the entire time. This cat had no pending adoption. They stated I needed to fill out an application in order to adopt and I made it clear that if I filled out an application it would be for that cat only, the volunteer said "okay, come this way to fill it out". Not once was I told that it was first come first serve while I was being told to fill out the application. I was not helped with the application but instead told "here" and just given a laptop. Within five minutes of starting the application, my daughter ran to me and stated that somebody else was going to take the cat. I hurried up and filled out the application and asked one of the volunteers who was encouraging me to fill out the application "what was going on?", no answer. I then was told that the people who were potentially looking at the cat that we bonded with filled out an application two weeks ago. So their application was “approved.” When I asked if their application was for that particular cat, none of them knew!! This made me extremely upset because my nine-year-old daughter was already getting ready to take that cat and I was doing my best to fill out the application as quickly as possible since she came and told me that. Only to be answered with my application was "one word answers" and I said "well, yes because my daughter came running to me to say someone else was looking to take the cat". She told me the cat wasn't a "toaster" and I said "well obviously it is because you could careless, that cat was held by that family it was clawing its way out of their arms and we had genuinely bonded with it." The lady with the purple hair started getting upset because I asked her "why didn't you tell me it was first come first serve, even if that meant two weeks ago someone applied then just shows up and takes the cat randomly while I’m being encouraged to apply for it at the same time?!" and then she threatened me in front of my 9 yr old that she would call security because I was questioning how all this was being handled and who was in charge of the organization. She then started saying "leave, before I call security”, In front of my daughter when I kept asking how is this all being done? How is it possible that they are so eager to get rid of the cats that they tell you one thing and do another? Meanwhile I left with a crying 9 yr old who never got her cat. This “director” should be ashamed of how she handled the situation and represented her...

Just came home with our new baby today from a PetCo adoption event. My daughter had no idea what we were doing at this PetCo so far from home. I used the guise of going shopping in Oak Brook as the guise. The St. Sophia’s staff helped me keep my secret. LOL. I applied on line the day before and was approved to adopt. We were told that the kitten I was interested in was going to be at the Elmhurst location. Well that kitten was adopted prior to us getting there. I had read the profiles of other available kittens and had a back up plan of names to meet. This precious girl was on my list because it specifically said good with dogs. Well after meeting several different kitties and getting hissed at a few times. This kitten chose us. She purred when we held her, was playful, and did not seem at all the noise people and other dogs. The staff waited patiently and was as my daughter asked a million questions to prove she wanted her. She even said she would pay for her with her own money and had been asking to adopt a cat for months and she would pay for everything. As she was making her plea, another couple asked for that kitten and said they filled an adoption application on line and was approved. My daughter immediately burst into tears and said “Mommy I love this Cat with all my heart, I have already named her Pearl.” A staff member then said, “Are you going to adopt this cat or not. If you are not, then give the kitten to them.” My daughter’s was red with tears and the couple said, “you can have her, we are not going to take her from a little girl.” I felt bad for them. Then I reached into my purse and pulled out the money which she saved in her bank for something special and told her if she wanted the kitten she had to use her money. She took the $100 dollars out of my hand and gave it to the staff member. It was a moment of joy and the couple found a different kitten and adopted that one. I always say that the right kitten will come along and it will be the right one. Well it looks like she is the right one. She met our little dog this afternoon and they were playing and already friends. I didn’t expect it to go so well. She played so hard with her new cat toys and definable made herself at home. In a day or two she will meet the big dog and fingers crossed it will go as good! My daughter has been glowing all day and so happy. She continued to use her own money to buy the kitten’s new toys, food, and litter with a litter box. She also donated her remaining money to St. Sophia’s. I am proud of her for her behavior and maturity at today’s event. What an...

We adopted 2 kittens from St. Sophia’s one week ago and could not be happier! We had been checking their website for a few weeks and had a good feeling about a litter of kittens that they posted pictures and descriptions of. The website states to wait to fill out the adoption application when you are absolutely ready to take home a kitty within 1-3 days. So, we were ready and filled it out! Within hours St. Sophia’s texted us to let us know that they checked our references and that we were approved to adopt. They informed us that the kittens we mentioned would be at Petco the next day. When we arrived at Petco, 3 of the kittens in the litter were already adopted. But, we got one kitten from that litter and fell in love with a different kitten from a different litter. So, we took the two kittens home and we are so in love!

St. Sophia’s takes their role at saving cats seriously, which we appreciate! They do check references and do their best to ensure each and every cat goes to a SAFE and LOVING forever home. When adopting, they provide organized paperwork on the cats so you have everything you need to make a vet appointment when you get home.

The staff/volunteers with St. Sophia’s at Petco on the day we adopted were kind, informed about the kittens, and provided us with great information. They were so patient to let us hold and play with several kittens so we could make the best choice for our home. The staff/volunteers clearly work very hard caring for all cats and kittens, ensuring their health and happiness, so that adopters, like us, could welcome our kittens home with the least amount of stress possible.

Thank you so much for everyone at St. Sophia’s for caring for our kittens before we got them! We are so so happy and we think our kitties are quite happy too. :). We appreciate all...