Fancy Cats Rescue Team

I was VERY upset when I went to the Pet Value in Reston when I first spoke with the woman in charge for Fancy Cats. I told her I had another 4 month old male cat at home and wanted to adopt Bugsy on the spot — he was previously adopted 3 times and RETURNED every time, just awful, my heart hurt for him. But when I spoke with the woman, she starts telling me about OTHER female cats in other adoption areas –I came in for Bugsy, not another cat. She starts pushing for me to adopt a cat I’ve never seen, and then proceeds to tell me that Bugsy is too needy and clingy, and I wouldn’t be a good fit for him because he needs «an elderly family who’s home 24÷7». Um. Excuse me?
Anyway, fast-​forward. I come for my 3^rd visit (this was to finish filling out the adoption forms and to officially take him home) and ANOTHER family comes in — a woman with her 2 kids to adopt Bugsy. The woman in charge actually TELLS them he’s up for adoption — I’m standing right there… filling out the paperwork.
Sadly, I looked at the mother and said «I’m actually adopting him today, I’m sorry» which I felt really bad saying it. Then she tells me «we were here this morning already, we already spoke to the woman about it»
I was so pissed.
Maybe it’s not ALL of fancy cat, but that woman that goes into the Pet Value in Reston is awful.
Ps: they had also told me Bugsy was clean and recently checked for anything wrong with him and said he was fine. I took him to the vet right after having him meet my cat and he had a contagious parasite which my other kitten got. Yep. That was expensive.

Here is my honest opinion of Fancy Cats Rescue Team, hereby referred to as «FCRT.»
I have adopted five cats from FCRT since 2011. Additionally, I have learned quite a bit about proper feline care, (and I thought I knew a lot before I met them!), and the procedures those in the rescue community follow. «RESCUE»… which is what they aim to do, is a noble endeavor and I admire the President/​Owner of Fancy Cats, Cathy, as well as her volunteers, immeasurably. As one reviewer on here mentioned, until you have walked a mile in a rescue volunteer’s shoes, don’t criticize. They are attempting to make a difference for the never ending stream of homeless cats in need for no pay, and in addition to their own jobs, and family responsibilities. Quite frankly, some on here seem to have personal issues with the volunteers, rather than looking at the bigger picture which should be to help «rescue» homeless cats and find a good fit to a home/​family.
What impresses me the most, about Fancy Cats, is the genuine care for the cats that they all have. This comes directly from the owner/​president. Cathy tries to rescue ALL the cats that she can, and while I’ve seen other rescues pass up on senior, or ill, or darker colored cats, because they are less adoptable, and thus will not bring in money (adoption fees), as quickly as the younger, lighter colored cats, FCRT often takes these very cats first because they know that they have a lesser chance of being adopted. I have also fostered for FCRT BECAUSE they pulled a cat from a shelter that they didn’t have room for simply to save the cats life! There have been some posts on here that are, quite frankly, untrue: There are NO cats outside of the presidents house. I know. I have been there to pick up fosters. The cat’s house is heated, air-​conditioned, and each cat has a separate 36 inch cage for a home. My personal opinion was that their living area was very nice… one of the nicest that I’ve seen. The health of the cats is verified before you are allowed to adopt or to foster. The adoption process is strict… as it should be! If you have a problem with being asked questions about your home life, or past pet ownership history, then that raises a different question about you! FCRT has invested time, and care, in each of their cats. They truly want to ensure that the adoption process is a successful transition to a forever home for the cats. When a cat is returned, it can be traumatic for it. Having seen this first hand, there is nothing worse than watching a cat grieve because they have been dumped by their «family» for whatever reason. Often, the returned cat is now older, or has had their health neglected, which, in turn, makes them even harder to find a home for the second, or unfortunately, third time. The adoption process tries to avoid past scenarios that have resulted in cats being returned. I know of a rescue that turns people down based on how much money they have. Not true with Fancy Cats. They truly are looking for a loving, lifetime home for all their cats.
If you can find room in your home, and your heart, for a furry addition to your life, please, please, visit the Fancy Cats Rescue Team page via their website, or check them out on Facebook. They are a group to be admired. Their hearts are truly in the right places.

I am a foster for Fancy Cats. We have had over 50 cats/​kittens stay in our home over that last year. It is a very joyous experience. Fancy cats rescues hundreds of cats and kitens from shelters, where they are on the verge of being euthanized. If not for Fancy Cats and all the volunteer fosters, these babies would not be alive. They are loved, treated well, and prepared for life in their forever homes. Some of the cats come from poor living conditions and shelter environments, and need to be quarentined in cages, for a time. The goal is to find great homes for each and every animal.
The comments posted by Katie G. on the obsurd application questions, are simply not true. I process applications every week and there are no inapprociate questions. There are no glamour shots of a woman on the website, but there is picture of «featured» cat, who needs a home.
This is a fabulous organization of, very hard working voluteers. We all do our best to care for the cats in our charge and, then, make sure they end up in good homes and not back in a shelter.

Since 2007 I have adopted 6 cats from Fancy Cats Rescue Team, and I have never had a problem with them. Therese at the Springfield Petsmart and the other volunteers were extremely helpful and knowledgeable about all of the adoptable cats in the store. After the adoptions, they were also very responsive to my questions and comments regarding my cats. Over the years, my admiration for this all volunteer group has only gone up. In addition to the «public face» of Fancy Cats in the various adoption centers, there are many fosters who care for the kittens and cats waiting to be adopted. Cathy, the president of Fancy Cats, and all of the volunteers work tirelessly to ensure the welfare of the cats and kittens.
Yes, the adoption application is long, and some of the questions may seem odd to some people, but I know for a fact that they are consistent with the questions asked by other groups. It is the goal of all responsible rescues to make sure that the animals are placed in loving homes for the rest of their lives and that they will not be returned for frivolous reasons or subjected to abuse. The adoption coordinators at Fancy Cats are experienced enough to recognize red flags when they see them. I find it interesting – and revealing – that nearly every negative review came form someone whose application was qypuestioned or rejected.
As for cats being kept in outdoor cages at Cathy’s house – that is ABSOLUTELY NOT TRUE!
Another reviewer recommended that those posting negative reviews try walking a mile in the rescue group’s shoes. I second that. Fancy Cats Rescue Team works hard and is consistently complimented by the various shelters – including Fairfax County – for its success in adopting out thousands of cat over the last 19 years.
If I could give them 10 stars, I would.

1. As a foster for this organization, they would send me on missions to save «cats» and then refuse applications from military families, families with kids (even though as an approved foster I had kids the same age), and even once the owner said, «I can’t give a cat to this family their kid is retarded.»!!! Furthermore they refused to spay and and neuter cats I was fostering –that they knew I was fostering, saying give it more «time» and «just wait». Well the foster cat became in heat (and it was a stray to begin with) ran outside and then was kept by a family around the corner. Eventually through me advertising on sites, I found the cat but they were upset that I advertised telling me «It looks bad for us that we lost a cat.» Well maybe they should have spayed her when they had the chance.
2. Cathy personally told me that she has 15 cats in cages OUTSIDE her house permanently and that half the cats they adopt out come back returned.
3. Then they knowingly adopted out cats to families, saying they had a higher adoption fee because «they had been spayed/​neutered» when they really weren’t, so that they could recoup fees they had from vet bill. Needless to say I ended my «relationship» with them.
4. I adopted two kittens from them when I first started the relationship. The kittens were chipped and spayed NOT BY FANCY CATS, but by Montgomert County. Of course they charge you a fee, but you can bet it’s not for microchipping or fixing these cats in MC even though they say it is.
5 This past week (MORE THAN A YEAR LATER) one of the two cats got out and was found near my house, right outside the school where my son goes to school, half a street down from us (they found her within two hours). They teacher called the vet, who called the Fancy Cats since I had not changd the chip. The teacher called the organization once she received the information from the Vet, and through FC, found out it was me. She figured the cat followed my son to school. «I know this family, I’ll let them know. The man on the phone «Ryan» said «Don’t do that-it’s our job.» He got nasty with her. She then notified me right away.
They claimed I was in breach of the adoption contract because the cat got out. Are you kidding me? They demanded I return the cats (both of them!) and then had the audacity to say if I don’t return them, they would resort to legal action. Then they mentioned some things on my FB ABOUT MY DAUGHTER that I posted to indicate they had been stalking me FOR THE LAST YEAR. When I replied by pressing «reply» to the email –it went returned. The woman who sent this email was «Angela».

The folks at FCRT, who are almost all volunteers, do an incredibly difficult job; emotionally and financially. We adopted two rescues from them a couple of years ago and yes, the adoption process is a bit cumbersome and while that’s unfortunate it’s also understandable. As others have said, they are trying to look out for the best interest of the animals and if that requires a bit of extra effort on the part of the person adopting I think that’s more than reasonable. Really it’s just a matter of taking the time to communicate with them; if you care enough and aren’t getting the info you need via telephone or email, go to one of their many adoption events and talk to them. Remember, this isn’t some big corporation with tons of staff, this is a local non-​profit staffed with mostly volunteers and one can imagine that sometimes they’re probably overwhelmed. From my personal experience, they’re great.

AVOID AVOID AVOID.
First things first, had I not known this organization actually existed because I had seen them at the Fairlakes PetsMart, I would have thought this organization was a scam.
I contacted this organization because I was interested in adopting some kittens. I wanted a more information about their application process because their website is very vague. The response I got from Anita was also very vague. She told me to apply and then I would meet the cats at a foster home or at the event.
After submitting my application I received an email for some follow up questions. Anita asked me some very personal questions, that I believed shouldn’t have been asked over email, they were questions you should ask in person. Here is what she asked:
On Wed, Sep 16, 2015 at 3:22 PM, FCRT Representative
wrote:
Hello,
We have reviewed your application and have some questions.
You indicated you would return the cat if it hid during the first week. Can you elaborate?
You indicated you would return the cat if you became ill. Can you elaborate?
What happens to the cat if you become pregnant/​have a baby?
What happens to the cat if you enter a new relationship and that person is allergic to, or doesn’t like, cats?
Have you ever had any pets other than Humphrey?
Are you experienced with kittens?
Do you plan to allow the cat outside?
Will you be willing to follow the instructions for properly introducing a new cat to current pets, including keeping the new cat confined to a small area, like a bathroom, for at least 10 days?
We need the names of all the adults in the house please.
Thanks for your interest in our Fancy Cats!
Anita
Fancy Cats Volunteer
I ask you Anita, would you ask male applicants these questions?
She then told me I was not approved for a pair of kittens WITHOUT calling me, meeting me, coming to my home. Anything. She just based this off my EMAIL responses. How is this professional? Why should people adopt from this organization if you won’t even meet the people who apply?
This organization is very unprofessional. And you should not give any money to them. It’s probably not even used to help the animals.
Update:
I got a response from the President this morning. I’ll post it for you all to see.
On Sep 17, 2015, at 11:14 AM, Cathy Awad
Hi Caroline, I was sent your application by Anita. I am happy to approve you for kittens if you are still interested. I am sorry there was an issue. Anita explained that she suggested an older cat because of the scratching and noise issues with kittens in apts. & condos. Our goal is a lifetime home for all our cats and frequently we do get returns because of these issues. It is not our intention to insult anyone. Alot of the questions we ask are because we are trying to head off issues and find the best fit. It is your choice; but I personally like the adults because kittens can be destructive and are alot of work. Let me know if you are still interested. Again our apologies.
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Cathy Awad
President, Fancy Cats Rescue Team
That’s right. I was «approved» once I called them out. They make grand assumptions about you before even meeting you.
Do yourself a favor and avoid this place.

I received an email after I sent an in an application for adopting a kitten named Tiger asking me to go over a few questions.
«We have reviewed your application and have some questions.
What changes in your life might cause you to return the cat? (move, illness, divorce, job loss)
What happens to the cat if you become pregnant/​have a baby?
What happens to the cat if you and your spouse separate?
Where do you work?
Do you plan to allow the cat outside?
Will you be willing to follow the instructions for properly introducing a new cat to current pets, including keeping the new cat confined to a small area, like a bathroom, for at least 10 days?
We need the names of all the adults in the house please.»
This is what I sent back all of my statements were COMPLETELY genuine.
«Anita,
I don’t think I would return the cat under any circumstances. I have a very supportive family and husband so if I wasn’t able to take care of the cat say because of an illness I would have them to help me. I don’t plan on having children, but if the cat wasn’t friendly towards the baby I would just make sure to never leave them alone together. If my spouse and I separated I would most likely keep the animals because he knows how much animals mean to me. I’m a student as of now, but my husband makes considerably more than enough to take care of the animals at our house. The cat would be an indoor cat. I have a guest room that has a walk in closet where I would be placing the cat while he/​she is being introduced to the house.
Frank is my small maltipoo dog and Henry is my 5 month old cat that I recently purchased from an animal shelter in Arlington. He is a sweet cat, but likes to play a bit more than my dog so I would like to save another kitten/​cat and find a play mate for Henry. Frank is very sweet and would never hurt Henry or any other cat. He likes to sleep and lay with me for the most part and go on short walks seeing as he has bad knees. If this has any consolation I’m trying to become a doctor in the future, but my family keeps telling me I should look into being a vet because of my love for animals. I would love any cat or kitten I adopt, but Tiger just really caught my eye and heart. Is there any way that I could meet the cat sometime soon?»
This is what I got back:
«Thanks for answering those. We are not able to approve your application. Please visit a local shelter.
Thanks for your interest in our Fancy Cats!
Anita
Fancy Cats Volunteer»
Are you kidding me??? I’m a complete pet lover and see them more as my children than pets! I had a cat for 14 years that passed away last year from a brain tumor and I spent thousands of dollars on it just to find out that it had an inoperable tumor. Why would you deny cats a great home? I’m so disappointed.

I guess I didn’t think to look up Fancy Cats on Unilocal and came across their page but here’s my two cents. We got 2 kittens from them — 2 brothers who had been neutered, had their current shots and when we went to adopt them, they put the tracking implants in them moments before we took them home. They each came complete with a folder holding all of their medical records.
The people at Fancy Cats are all volunteers and are doing the work of angels. When we adopted our two boys, I had recently lost my cat of 15 years and was having some guilt over falling in love with these 2 new kittens, one of the volunteers put her arm on my shoulder and kindly told me «Your little girl is looking down saying, rescue these boys, share the love with them you gave me».
I emailed the group to ask some questions and was responded to promptly and even posted pictures of my boys on the Fancy Cats Rescue Team’s Facebook page.
I guess your experience is what you make of it, animals aren’t like appliances, you can’t expect them to never «break», they get sick just like humans, if you want to adopt one, you have to be ready to take care of it fully. The application process can be cumbersome but could you imagine if it weren’t? Labs would show up at events and round up kittens and cats for experiments and testing. I found them calling my apartment complex and asking if cats were allowed to be prudent, if they didn’t care, they wouldn’t make the effort.
Also, when you adopt with Fancy Cats, if you cannot take care of the cat, they will always take back their cats or kittens if it doesn’t work out — they’d rather see them in one of their foster homes than in a shelter facing an uncertain future — that’s a huge commitment to stray cats.
Try walking a mile in their shoes, they maintain adoption centers, hold events and foster hundreds of animals, its easy to be an armchair quarterback but get involved. If you really want to help, donate to their organization, volunteer at adoption events or offer to help out with office/​admin work, maybe they could use the physical help instead of the online criticism.

My fiancée and I are two young professionals that just wanted to get a cat to take care of and love and we were turned down because we were «too young» from a few different organizations even after I had grown up with cats all my life. Fancy Cats didn’t care about our age and actually talked to us and they approved us to get our first cat together. Muffy is so cute, healthy, and Fancy Cats took great care of her.

These people help homeless cats from kill shelters. How anyone can give them anything but 5 stars makes no sense to me. When it’s a beautiful sunny weekend, they stand with these cats and help make sure they get into good homes. My fiancé and I adopted 2 cats from these lovely people. They followed up and replied to messages and questions in a very timely manner even following adoption. They provided great information and it was a pleasure to work with them to adopt two amazing, sweet cats. Great team with a great mission.

Earlier this week I lost my furry friend of 7 years. If you have ever lost a pet to sudden illness you know how challenging it can be emotionally to care for your pet the remaining few weeks of their lives. She lost her battle and died from a Upper Respiratory Infection and cancerous obstruction in her digestive tract.
Some of my close friends suggested that I search
to see if there were any cats on there that I liked. My friends said I would be helping the rescue organization by adopting the pets and giving them a good home. Those that know me, know how much I love animals. So, to make a long story even longer, I found two cats that ‘Fancy Cats’ in Herndon had listed on their adoption page. A cute torte maine coon named Cinnamon, and a charcoal and white maine coon named Rufus (who incidentally was marked ‘URGENT).
I don’t know if you have ever tried to apply for a pet using Fancy Cats online application but, their questions are very limited (Yes, No type) and offer no other choices in many cases. Nor, do they allow you to make remarks regarding your application. The term not ‘user-​friendly’ comes to mind. At any rate, I submitted my application to adopt Cinnamon and Rufus. A couple of minutes later I received a blank email from
in my mail box. See the following.
To:
Subject: Application Submission
Date: Fri, 15 May 2015 02:18:33 +0000
From:
—–
That’s it… the note said nothing. I dismissed it thinking that whoever setup the email response failed to create a ‘template’ outgoing email. They should correct this by saying something to the effect ‘Thank you for submitting your application to Fancy Cats. It will be reviewed by our staff in a timely fashion and someone will get back to you shortly’.
—–
So, today I received this brief ‘denial’ letter. See the following.
From:
To:
Subject: Elliott Application
Date: Fri, 15 May 2015 09:54:33 –0400
Hello,
We are not able to approve your application. Please visit a local shelter.
Thanks for your interest in our Fancy Cats.
Anita
Fancy Cats Volunteer
—–
I’m very disappointed that Fancy Cats rejected my application. I don’t think they are reflective of other cat rescue organizations out there… I know, many do good work. But, when someone comes along and wants to adopt two of your pets and one of those pets is marked URGENT, the least they could do is allow for the prospective adoptee to meet the pets in person and see if they are even compatible. Immediately rejecting someone solves nothing.

Too bad I even have to give them a star. Three times I tried to adopt a cat from these guys. Twice I was ignored. The third time I was persistent and they refused me for no real reason. Just don’t like them and will never donate to them nor endorse them. I got my cats elsewhere and will never again approach them.

I adopted my cat from them 2 years ago. They are very hard working and care about their animals. They rescue cats from local shelters that would have been euthanized and find them homes. They have strict adoption policies, but they are just trying to find the cat’s forever home. They always have lots of cats to choose from, which makes it easy to find the right one for you. My cat is my baby and I’m so happy they matched us up :)

I just adopted a cat from fancy cats a few days ago. After getting his medical records it turns out that his rabies vaccine had worn out! Poor thing was around other animals and hasn’t been vaccinated for rabies in years. I don’t feel like this shelter is really interested in the well being of their cats. I’m just glad now that I have the cat and he isn’t still in their care.

I wish I would’ve just gone with a shelter for my second cat. I adopted my 1 year old from a shelter, had to get her spade but besides that it was cheaper and she was perfectly healthy. I decided to get another cat through Fancy Cats because the cats are already fixed and that was a plus for me, plus I thought it meant the cats were better taken care of and such. However! When I adopted our 4 year old from them they told me that he had URI and that he was treated for it and he was good to go, but to look out for any other symptoms, and ALSO if he did need to be treated it would be fine because they give you a gift of 30 days free insurance that would cover it. OK so it came back I take him in and pay 180 for his treatment and the insurance company says they won’t cover it because it’s a pre existing illness. So yeah no not free! So guess what we get rid of it and it’s come back and now my other cat has it UGH!!! I love him and have grown attached to him, but I would not have adopted a sick cat, I know stuff can happen no matter where you get cats from, but I think they adopted him out too early, they should have given him plenty of time to get over it, not just 4 days! I think that is terrible for the owners and the cats, if stress causes URI to flare up shouldn’t you wait a while to adopt them out? Also there is all this paperwork to fill out like you are buying a car, so it makes you feel like wow I’m really getting taken care of getting this new cat this cat has been well taken care of and we will have a smooth transition, not the case. The people are very nice and helpful, but my experience was/​is a true bummer! It’s been 3 months of a sick cat and now probably even longer now that my other cat is sick. I’m furious! 2 stars because the people are nice, and I have the most beautiful loving sweet cat ever. That is the only reason!

I adopted two wonderful cats from them three years ago this month. Both my adorable kitties are now considered teenagers and just as loveable as can be. I can relate to one post that said socialization was an issue. I really had to work with my female cat (we adopted a bonded pair) but in all fairness Fancy Cats did let me know she was extremely shy and even the vet confirmed that this behavior is often normal for her breed (calico). She is doing wonderful now and comes up to me and meows when she wants attention, but it has to be on her terms otherwise she will run away. But that is much better than the first year she was with us when we barely knew we had a second cat! Our male cat is just the opposite. He is so lovey and wants attention so much that if he were human he would definitely be a person that was spoiled and thinks the world revolves around him. He is pushy and thinks «No» means «Yes» when he wants to attention. Nothing will stop him! I have never heard back from Fancy Cats after their adoption, but I did send emails to them at the six month and one year mark and got very nice responses back. After that I have not hear anything, but then again, this is one of the largest cat rescue organizations and there is probably very little staff resources to take care of the cats they have let alone make hundreds of calls that most people do not want to get anyway. Overall we had a wonderful experience with Fancy Cats!

Worst adoption agency I’ve EVER dealt with. DO NOT ADOPT FROM THEM.
We adopted a 3 year old cat from them a few months ago. She had some weird puffiness around her jaw and we were told she might have gotten into a car accident. We have lots of pets and don’t mind some extra attention so we adopted our sweet kitty. Over 1,000 dollars in vet bills later, our cat has been on steroids, antibiotics, and pain killers for weeks in a row. We took her to the vet the day after we adopted her, so she was definitely in this condition before our adoption. I emailed Fancy Cats to let them know what happened — they adopted out a VERY sick cat. In response I got a slew of rude, defensive, and accusatory emails from the HEAD of the organization. They do not seem to genuinely care about their cats — just getting rid of them, no matter the costs. I do not recommend dealing with this agency.
If you are looking to adopt an animal in the area I would recommend Lost Dog and Cat Rescue. We adopted our kitten from them and they are fantastic.

I adopted a cat here a few years ago. He’s my baby and is so sweet! However, the staff wasn’t very helpful. He’d also obviously NEVER been socialized (which has taken alot of work) and is scared of so much because of that. He’d been born in and raised with the rescue for almost a year, so you’d have thought they would have spent some time with him. They actually had him kept in a small glass cage with three other large cats, I felt so sorry for him! Health wise he’s been fine from the start, it’s just the socialization that’s been an issue. I never heard from them again to check in after he was adopted, which is sad that they don’t seem to care what happens to the kitties.
Not the worst rescue I’ve come across, but also not the best. I would look at adopting from them before I’d ever go to LDCRF again.

I’ve adopted two cats from Fancy Cats now, three years apart. I got Max in 2004 from the PetSmart in Fair Lakes and my husband and I just adopted Dora from the PetSmart in Chantilly. Both times, the volunteers have been very nice and helpful people. I admire what they’re doing so much and I only wish I could adopt all of their lovely kitties.