09/28/2026
This... We are asked almost on a daily basis from someone somewhere if we can just take a kitten/cat in.
And when we say we are full, these are the types of responses we often get and folks just don't understand.
Maybe this can help to explain it a little better. All rescues can ALWAYS use some kind of help!
Sometimes it's physical/people help we need and the financial is ALL of the time.
If you currently volunteer or help a rescue, THANK YOU!!! If you're considering it, we say do it!
“I contacted over 20 rescues and they were all full.”
We hear this a LOT😭
And recently, after being told that we are full and we do not take in kittens, the response was:
“So we should have just left her in the car engine?”
Um. No?😬
Why is the expections that we HAVE to take in a cat/kitten or else someone will simply let it d*e?? Let it be hurt? Leave it to suffer? How is THAT the standard??
If an animal is in immediate danger, get it somewhere safe. That part should be obvious.
But getting an animal out of danger does not automatically mean a rescue organization now has to take ownership of it.
If 20+ rescues are full, that isn’t because all of them suddenly stopped caring about animals. It means there are more animals needing placement than there are available fosters, cages, volunteers, money, and adopters.
So what CAN you do?
🐾 Keep the kitten safe yourself temporarily if you are able.
🐾 Ask rescues for resources, not just intake. A rescue that cannot take the kitten may still be able to point you toward a low-cost vet, foster network, adoption resource, or other option.
🐾 Ask friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, and local community groups for help.
🐾 Contact your local shelter or animal control and find out what resources are actually available in your area.
🐾 If the kitten came from outside, look for Mom. Removing every kitten you find is not always the solution. Sometimes the best answer involves keeping Mom and kittens together and getting Mom fixed.
And please remember this when contacting rescues:
“Can you take this kitten?”
and
“I found a kitten. I can keep it temporarily. Can you help me figure out what resources are available?”
are two VERY different questions
And please don’t respond to a rescue’s “we’re full” with guilt, insults, or “so I’ll just leave it to d*e”
We’re telling you the truth about our capacity‼️
We can’t create a foster home that doesn’t exist. We can’t magically make an empty kennel appear! And no rescue should take 50 kittens when they have space for 10
Get the animal safe. Ask for resources. Look for solutions.
And most importantly, let’s stop treating rescue as the solution to every unwanted litter.
Because we cannot adopt our way out of cat overpopulation.
Spay. Neuter. Prevent the next litter. 🐾
