Tampabay Cat Alliance

We have a young cat and decided he definitely needed a partner in crime. So, we thought we’d check out a rescue and help a kitten that had been taken from a bad situation. The kitten we picked out had come from a hoarding situation. Perfect. She was beautiful, friendly with my baby sis and daughter who picked her out and her best friend was a black male cat (as is our cat). Perfect.
When my sister and daughter walked in, they told the woman they were looking to take a cat home that day, and that they brought a carrier. The woman said no problem… and showed them the kittens. After playing with the one they chose for an hour, they told the staff they’d like to take her home. That’s when they were told «Oh, it’s not that easy» that they’d have to fill out an application and that Tampa Bay Cat Alliance would deliver the kitten after a few days. Disappointing, but no problem. The fact that they wanted to see where the baby was placed simply meant they cared about the cats in their charge. Completely understandable. So they fill out the application and the rules for adoption (no declawing, showing proof of neuter/​spay by 6 months, agreement never to have the cat outdoors, etc — all perfectly fine with us. Our animals are always fixed and never let outdoors.) My sister and daughter leave and go buy a new bed and toys and then we go online to purchase a cat tree.
Fast forward 4 days and we’ve still heard nothing. My sister calls the place and is told they’ll get back to her in a few days, that the place has been hectic. Ummm, okay. Meanwhile, there are 2 other kittens at the Humane Society we’re looking at that also need homes. My husband calls them to see if they can simply check to see if the application has been approved or denied — we’ll wait as long as needed for the kitten as long as we know we will get her eventually — and the woman yells, «I am NOT going to be harassed by anyone!» and then proceeds to hang up on him.
I will NEVER forget my first experience with a shelter… nor will I recommend this place to anyone looking to adopt a kitten or cat. The staff is beyond rude and obviously not interested in seeing the animals in their charge placed — even with signs stating that they are currently at capacity.