Friends of Cats

I am so thankful for Friends of Cats! Support your local no-​kill shelter by adopting from here.
This place runs like a well-​oiled machine. They have cat rooms that you can enter (carefully – don’t let the cats out like I did, whoops! I had to have a staff chase a cat. SORRY) and you can play with cats! I fell in love about 15 times and had to leave empty handed (I came just for a visit. I am not responsible enough for a pet yet).
The staff is knowledgeable and friendly, AND we go to watch one of the staff play with KITTENS and it was SOOOO CUTE.
4 stars because the facilities could use some more help. They are not bad by ANY means, but it must be pretty hard to keep up after 50 cats in one place, so they’re pretty dang good considering that.
Please consider supporting/​adopting from this shelter! They’re doing some good work for the cats out there.

Don’t deal with these people!!! I had contributed to this organization often. I drove 15 miles and took my healthy cat there because I could no longer manage his care. They denied his admittance, even going so far as to try to bribe me by saying «Even if we did take him, we’d have to charge you $ 400.00 ($ 100 for each year of his age).» When I agreed to make monthly donations which would total $ 400 in one year, they said «We don’t operate like that.» When I described my concern about his personality and finding a safe, no-​kill facility, they responded «that’s your problem.» Do not contribute! Do not deal with them in any way!

We adopted our beautiful cat, Rainee, from Friends of Cats on Saturday. I am so happy that I found Friends of Cats online, because it’s a short drive compared to other adoption centers from where we live. The staff and volunteers were extremely nice and helpful. I forgot to bring a cat carrier, but they give you one for just $ 5 when you adopt a cat. The price for cat adoption is extremely good. Rainee is such a great addition to our family and she’s absolutely settling in perfectly. I’m really happy that I decided to adopt a cat from Friends of Cats, because it’s changed my life for the better. It’s amazing how loved the cats are and the amount of people who volunteer to see the cats and play with them.

Friends of Cats is nothing short of amazing!!! Not only do they have a large selection of cats and friendly staff, they truly make the experience of adopting a cat painless.
I went to Friends of Cats to adopt my first kitten. Although I didn’t have any cats, I do have 3 dogs. My new kitten gets along great with my dogs and she is an absolute angel. We are very excited about our new addition to the family. Thank you Friends of Cats!!!

We got our cat here about 10 years ago and we couldn’t be happier. This place is awesome the cats are happy and healthy. We adopted an older cat and she still alive and she’s the light of my light! When Olivia passes we will head right back to friends of cats and adopt again. Adoption is the best way!

Although I enjoy animals, the staff is very rude and have attitude. They are not very helpful at all.

This place is amazing. I had to relinquish my beautiful cat here and I feel so relieved knowing he is in good hands. I called so many other places and all had turned me away but these people immediately helped me. Everyone there was very friendly, they answered all of my questions, and genuinely cared. The place is really great too, lots of open space for the cats to roam around freely in which is a huge plus. I also love the fact that they have a kitty cam. Thank you so much!

Over ten years ago we adopted a cat from Friends of Cats. She died a few months ago. Last week we went back and adopted another cat from Friends of Cats. They are so responsible and their love for cats really show. They take care of so many cats. So far we are happy making a new home for our new family member.

I am so glad that San Diego area has a no-​kill sanctuary for these precious kitties. It is true that the place houses cats of various breeds, sizes, ages, and health states. I love coming to volunteer at the shelter, or assist with events that they participate at (ie Humane Society adoption fairs, booths at the San Diego County Fair, etc). Volunteering is EASY and so valuable for these animals. Even just coming and hanging out with the kitties is helpful, as it keeps them socialized and gives them the one on one attention that they need.
The staff is more than willing to answer any questions for you and there are books outside of each of the main cat rooms with pictures and info about each of the cats. True, sometimes you will see rooms with some messes, but it is evident that those involved in this organization do all that they can to care for these animals.
If you cannot donate your time, the sanctuary readily accepts donations (think money, food, bedding, etc). As a non-​profit organization, any little bit of outside assistance is beneficial. The center holds volunteer orientations on a regular basis and is a great way to learn more about Friends of Cats.

I volunteered by spending several hours taking photos of some of the adoptable cats at this shelter; the cats were all very sociable, eager to interact, and the staff was warm and welcoming. Places like Friends of Cats deserve as much support and assistance as we can give.

This shelter is amazing. So many cats, so much work, and still the place is fairly clean (as much as can be while constantly cleaning up) and a great staff. I volunteered here last summer because you can just sign up to PLAY with the cats — that’s it! I volunteered for many years with the SD Humane Society (old facility), and while I still feel it’s a great organization, they have become «pretty-​fied» and hence the volunteer force is overwhelmingly huge and people fight for the jobs now. I didn’t feel as if my presence was needed any longer, so I wanted a place to make a real difference. FoC is cat-​centric in every way. You can see how the shelter is structured by reading some former posts, but let me tell you that these cats are well-​socialized, and you can get down and dirty with them so that the right cat finds YOU in the process.
This leads me to the reason I can’t go back right now: they are too easy to fall in love with and I can’t come home with anymore pets. :) After just one afternoon, a previously-​abandoned 6 year old Ragdoll named Jonah found his way onto my lap and seriously wouldn’t budge. I had to leave him, because he was already committed to appearing on KUSI the next morning, but the staff promised me I could come back for him the next day. They wouldn’t let me pay or leave a deposit, so I was nervous. True to their word, despite many calls about him following his appearance, they let me adopt him. Their adoption fees are very reasonable (regardless of breed), and they are all microchipped and come with a coupon for a free vet visit with your vet of choice.
Jonah has added much love to our household, and he reminds me everyday that there’s a no-​kill shelter out in El Cajon that needs donations, supplies and support. They may not be the prettiest or the easiest to get to, but their occupants are just as needy and deserving. I urge you to go find your cat companion here! Even if you can’t take in a kitty of your own, they need supplies, towels, etc. so it’s good to do what you can.
As a side note, the FoC has a Facebook page where supporters and parents of their adopted cats can post pictures and remind the staff what a great service they are providing. Take a trip out and be sure to visit the two blind house kitties too — they are so fun to watch and they help you appreciate the simple joys of cats.

Recently one of the sweetest cats was abandoned in our neighborhood and lived on a garden bench outside our door. After a few days of trying to determine whether she was simply lost or heartlessly ditched, I had her m-​chip scanned, and learned that her original place of adoption was Friends of Cats. My neighbor drove her all of the way back to FoC (rural El Cajon) whose staff loved on her, and within a week she was adopted!
As sweet as she is, there are SO many sweeties (300+) in need of forever homes at FoC. The volunteer staff has a lot of work (sometimes unpleasant) and few breaks, and the facility is exactly what I expected. Three middle schoolers and I spent the afternoon volunteering and will be returning. We’ve donated both time and funds and will continue to. FoC is the only no-​kill shelter in San Diego.
Please adopt, if you’re able :-)

things have improved a lot since 2008. the place was clean (no more cat urine smell — which must take a lot of work). the staff was warm and friendly.
and we found our own dear little tortie, ChaCha here. (she actually hijacked us, hence her nickname, the Pirate Queen).

As hard as it was for me, I needed to relinquish my 2 cats. FoC was willing to take them in and couldn’t have been more pleasant, understanding and caring (I was a emotional mess). The cats here aren’t kept in cages (after the initial 5 day quarantine when they 1^st come in) but are kept in rooms with other cats. The cats all looked happy & healthy and there were a bunch of people coming and going (I’m assuming some were volunteers, some were prospective adopters).
I am grateful to FoC for helping me at this difficult time and will definitely add them to my list of charitable organizations that I donate $$ to.

I was a little hesitant to come here after reading some of the reviews, but we went to Friends of Cats yesterday and could not have had a better experience.
The staff were extremely courteous and professional, and took a lot of time introducing us to the cats. When they had questions about our application, they clarified them and cleared us to adopt a cat.
We adopted a beautiful papered Ragdoll cat with help from the staff. I am very thankful to the good people at Friends of Cats and for the work they are doing to rescue cats. No, the facility isn’t beautiful but our treatment and their treatment of the cats all seems to be very good.

This place is horrendous.
Me and my mother walked into friends of cats looking to adopt a baby kitten, and upon opening the door we were introduced to the urine ridden stench and the just plain mean work staff.
We kept our hearts open to the place though because we found a very cute and adorable kitten that was just what we were looking for. When i reached to pick the kitten up, the main woman yelled at me to stop, claiming i was not yet ‘qualified’ to hold a kitten and i had to fill out a form first. If it wasn’t for that perfect little kitten i would have walked out with a few choice words, but i decided to stay and fill out the paperwork .
The horror continued when i was filling out the paperwork and a worker picked up a cat about three feet away from me and forced medicine into his mouth, not in a private room but right in the middle of the room, and unfortunately for me the kitten started FOAMING at the mouth and hissed and clawed all over the place coming very close to me. i did not receive an apology or anything!
Once i finished the paper work the woman looked at the paper for approximately two seconds and wrote ‘denied’ all over my paper. She claimed that i was not good enough for one of their kittens because i allow my cats outside. After explaining that my cats are free to roam in my backyard because it’s a CLOSED environment where the cats are safe from the street and other such dangers, she simply ignored me and told me to look elsewhere.
These people are no lovers of cats, rather i think it’s just an excuse for a cat hoarder to keep over 350 cats, yes all indoors in a single building.
This place is a disgrace to cat lovers because instead of trying to find them all a home they would rather keep them for themselves, where they are poorly treated, and lead poor unaffectionate lives, never knowing what it’s like to have a loving owner who truly cares.
I would have been a loving owner of that kitten, and instead it might be doomed to a life of poor treatment.
Friends of cats should be ashamed of themselves and i am sickened by their methods.

We volunteered at Friends of Cats in 2010 during the Disney volunteerism promotion. With how expensive Disneyland is, I would have scooped boxes for hours to get free tickets, but instead the volunteering was simply hanging out with the cats… brushing, playing, socializing.
I was impressed by the rooms and the indoor/​safe outdoor spaces these cats are given to lounge. Most of the rooms house the healthy cats, and like any groups of cats, some are friendly and filled with love, and others are standoffish or defensive. (Sidenote: it is clear that volunteers’ duties do not typically include trimming difficult cats’ nails! But who can blame them — that wouldn’t be a way to keep volunteers coming back again and again!)
There was also a large sick kitty room, where all the kitties with health problems were quarantined together. My husband and I once adopted a sick kitty, seemingly at the brink of death (see review of the Riverside County shelter), so these cats really tugged at our hearts. The cats were sweet, but it was kind of gross/​smelly to have all the ill kitties in one room (sick cats with URIs can’t smell their litter boxes to find them, for example), so I’d say that this room isn’t for the faint of heart.
We ended our volunteer experience by going to the trailers where they keep non-​adoptable kitties who were willed to Friends of Cats with an endowment to keep them safe and healthy there forever. Emotionally, I really struggled with this room and the balance of that sort of decision someone would make. (When my grandmother died, her cats were given to a shelter and adopted quickly, but I understand the fear of beloved surviving pets getting euthanized before finding a new home because of overcrowded shelters…) Yet it was clear that these cats were visited frequently by staff and volunteer and were happy and social.
The visit here had a huge impact on us. It was one of the few times we went to a shelter and didn’t walk away with an animal to love (for this reason we go to shelters very infrequently!), and this is probably hugely because we knew that these animals would be safe until they found homes. On the drive back my husband and I had a lively discussion on why someone would adopt from a no-​kill shelter. My sentiments had been pretty similar to Unilocaler Kassie C.‘s comments. But my husband pointed out that you adopt from this kind of shelter to support them (through adoption fees), and that your adopting a cat from them creates a vacancy for them to take in another cat who will remain safe until they, too, find their forever home.
In hindsight, another plus is probably seeing these cats interact with others and be active in a room. I bet you have a lot better idea of your cat’s personality here than if you’re judging it through a cage!
Friends of Cats is a great organization to have around. Check them out, support them, and hug a kitty or two. It’s good for them, and for you.

I’ve volunteered at this place a few times now, and I think maybe some people are missing the point of this facility. They are a no kill shelter that will let the cats live there until they are adopted. They are a non-​profit and operate only on donations, so i’m not sure what exactly people are expecting when they go in there. The workers, at least on the weekends when i’ve been there, are all volunteers.
Personally I would go to a kill shelter to adopt a cat before getting one from here since I know that these cats will get to live unconfined (not stuck in a small cage) until someone comes along to get them. There are so many other cats out there that don’t have this luxury, so in my opinion you should go rescue one of the less fortunate cats first.
I have seen many very loving, affectionate cats there. They will climb right up in your lap and let you pet them for hours; which I really think is the benefit of not having these cats be stuck in cages. The cats are very socialized to people and other cats.
Because the workers are so caring about their cats, of course they have a rather strict adoption policy. I don’t think a ‘bed ridden’ person would really make the best pet owner, do you? What happens when that cat needs to go to the vet? Needs its litter box cleaned? I think it should be viewed favorably that they wouldn’t give a cat to a person in a situation like that.

poor cats. there are cats with prolapsed bladders, feces covered bottoms, mats, mats, mats, for starters. i didnt see any cats that were in very good shape. it is heartbreaking but the cats dont seem very well taken care of. i left in tears and the employee just looked at me like i was crazy, with no compassion. i saw one worker throw a cat in the room two different times. i plan to report the facility to a higher source

We recently had to relinquish of wonderful cat Jackson. A friend of mine recommended Friends if Cats. They’re a no-​kill shelter that’s different than most. After the cat is brought in he’s kept in his own cage to get used to the environment. Then after a few days is allowed to mingle with the other cats. This way at least he won’t be confined in a small cage until he’s adopted. I felt really good about that.
April helped us out and seemed very caring. She took to Jackson very quickly. The shelter didn’t smell like anything which was surprising since there were so many cats there.
I think they screen their applicants well and I appreciate that. I don’t want my boy going to a person that’s going to let them go outside and get eaten by coyotes or to someone who’s never going to be home.
I wish I could have given it 3.75 stars only for the fact that it is pretty much on the furthest outskirts of east El Cajon. I hope and pray they get a lot of traffic out there. I want Jackson to go to a great new home. =)