Toronto Cat Rescue

They put cats up for adoption but when you call them or e-​mal them — no one answers. I e-​mailed them about a kitten and they replied right away telling me that the kitten had a potential adopter. I asked which other kittens were available with no potential adopters and they provided me with a list. I e-​mailed back to see if I was able to set up a meeting time and I have yet to hear back from them (days later). They seem to be very selective with who they reply to which is unfortunate because I literally asked about these kittens days ago and they probably already have potential adopters (and I say selective because I personally know people who have adopted from their organization with great luck and I thought I would have the same luck. but I’ve just been ignored). I even e-​mailed asking for a response and nothing! I find them to be very unprofessional.

Did two fostering fails with these guys — best fails of my life.
I really appreciate how thorough their screening process is for Fosters. They asked me about everything from my preferences on cat food, opinions on neutering and declawing, knowledge about cat integration. It was a pretty long screening process but I felt reassured knowing they care so much about where the cats are going.
For Fosters, you have to buy all your own cat supplies, food, toys, etc. They cover medical bills but you’re on your own for day-​to-​day expenses.
Their adoption process is also great for both Fosters and potential parents. They help you arrange meetings with interested parties. It was at this point that I realized I couldn’t say goodbye to someone who had become such an important part of my life.
So I mailed in my cheque and am the proud cat lady you see before you today!

An organization like this is only as good as its volunteers, and as an occasional foster parent for TCR, I admit that I’m a bit biased. Still, everyone I’ve worked with as part of TCR – fellow fosters, colony caretakers, administrative staff, the vets and adoptathon volunteers – have all been amazing, compassionate, driven people who care deeply and sincerely about animal rescue.
If you’re considering adopting a cat, TCR is a great way to do it. I know that it can be inconvenient, visiting with the cats you’re considering at different foster homes, but cats behave so differently in a home compared to a shelter, and you can really get a sense for how your new family member will behave in your home when you visit the cat in a foster home.

This review might be slightly biased, because I got my wonderful kitten Sawyer from them, but I really did have a great experience!
I actually came across TCR through Unilocal,and decided to check out their website. I really appreciate how often it is updated, and always with pictures and short blurbs about their cats. It makes the pre-​selection process so much easier to always have access to pictures!
I contact TCR originally about another cat, and got a call within a few hours letting me know he had been adopted. Then I found Sawyer and decided he was the one! I went through the interview process, which I found very thorough — it’s good to know they are serious about adopting cats only to people who can care for them. I promised to keep him indoors, vaccinated, and NEVER declaw, and then went to the next step, contacting foster parents!
It may have been luck that Sawyer was placed with such amazing foster parents, but they were flexible with my schedule, super friendly and also concerned about Sawyer’s well being. They checked out my cat carrier before taking him, and even followed up with me the next day!
While $ 175 may be more than other shelters, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend TCR. I do wish that fee included microchipping, but I can easily do that on my own!
If you want a healthy, happy, well cared for, socialized cat, TCR is the place for you!

Amazing. Amazing. Amazing.
And I’m not affiliated with them in any way, though I wish I was! I’ve worked with several cat rescue programs in the past and now share a home with three cats, all rescues. The most recent addition to our home was from Toronto Cat Rescue, and oh boy do I have a lot to say about that.
Toronto Cat Rescue is the only rescue I’ve worked with that is actively involved in reducing the massive amount of unwanted pets by scouting local feral cats, humanely trapping them, spaying or neutering them, and then releasing them back outside. To be fair, the only other rescue organization I’ve worked with has been in a small town, but still I was pretty shocked to hear about TCR’s program.
And not only that but they have a wonderful rescue program for their cats. Most of these cats spend time in foster homes with other animals and humans, getting consistent contact and attention until TCR can find them a home using their website.
Our most recent kitten was rescued by a TCR volunteer, who rushed him to an emergency vet after he was kicked into a wall by an angry drunk. (I know, it’s awful.) He stayed under observation for several days and when he surprisingly made a full recovery, TCR took him into their program. When we first saw him, he was with a batch of recently rescued kittens and they’d all been up on the website for at least a month with no luck so they’d started displaying them in local pet food stores. He was sneezing a lot and they agreed to pay for our first vet visit in case he had an upper respiratory infection. (He did.) Not only did they pay for our visit, but they paid for his medication, a SECOND visit and a second batch of medication. We were positive we had to pay for the second visit when he hadn’t kicked it yet, but it wasn’t even a question. It was taken care of.
I’m just beside myself with how wonderful TCR has been to us and our new family member. I cannot recommend this organization enough. I will probably be volunteering in the fall.

TCR is a no-​kill network of volunteers working to find forever homes for homeless Toronto cats.
They now rescue almost exclusively from Toronto Animal Services shelters, which would otherwise have to euthanize some of these cats due to lack of resources to treat older, sick, or cats needing special care. That means you know when you adopt from TCR, you’ve saved two lives. The life of the cat you adopt and the one they will rescue from TAS in your cat’s place!
TCR is also contributing to a coordinated effort by the Toronto Feral Cat Coalition to implement a city-​wide humane Trap/​Neuter/​Return (TNR) program on feral colonies around the city, though they are one of the less involved partners in this program.
What’s a feral cat, you say? It’s a cat that has either been abandoned young or born outdoors and is wild and fearful of humans. They lead short and sad lives, if uncared for. There are an estimated 100,000 — 300,000 feral, homeless and community cats in the GTA.
It’s a huge population and they are left in this situation by no fault of their own. Abandoned, lost, unsterilized, allowed to roam and breed freely out of lack of education and in many cases, just negligence.
TCR also has a long list of cats waiting for their forever home in foster care or at a local pet store affiliate like Pet Valu, Pet Uno and PetSmart.

The simplest thing you can do for animals in your community is just remember the wisdom of Bob Barker: «Help Control the Pet Population. Have Your Pet Spayed & Neutered.» And adopt, don’t shop!

TCR is a fantastic system that allows for pets to live in a more comfortable, livable environment than a shelter. Instead of waiting in a cage for adoption, animals live with foster families, which not only provides for better living conditions but helps them socialize with humans and sometimes other animals.
I found my 2^nd kitteh Mikey (Mr. Manager) on the TCR website, after seeing his rapscallion kitten face. Once you go through the application process (easy — just as long as you’re not in it for the wrong reasons or partially insane), someone will call you and set up an appointment.
Once you visit your potential pet (at the foster parent’s home) and choose to adopt, you fill out some paper work, pay $ 150.00 and ride off into the sunset with your new companion! The fee covers neutering/​spaying, too (you just have to take them to a vet). Definitely better than going to a pet store!