Second Chance Shelter for Cats

Thanks to this wonderful shelter, I have the most beautiful and perfect pet cat, Sushi! Sheera and her shelter deserve more than 5 stars.

Great! Just great!
1)NO KILL shelter. Which already deserves 10 stars. No matter how many homeless cats there are, nobody will kill them (unlike famous MSPCA!)
2)Sheera (the owner) is very accommodating and we still keep in touch though I adopted my cat a while ago. Every time I have questions she answers them.
3)For those who are looking — great selection of cats! So many of them (sad on the other hand, so many left behind animals) you will certainly find The One (or even two!).
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE go and adopt there!!! Find yourself a furry soul mate!
Good luck!

I inquired about adopting a kitten, filled out the form and then had visits with the cats in a short period of time. This part went fine and I met a few kittens I liked but one stood out to my fiancé and I. We fell in love with a kitten and were told it was not necessary to put down a deposit because those kittens weren’t ready to be shown to a bunch of people yet. The NEXT day at 8am I sent an email (our main form of communication to this point) to Sheera and it went unanswered until 5pm at which point all seemed well and she said that it was great and she would let the foster mom know. I was so happy and excited. When I got out of work I called the other woman and was told that SHE HAD ADOPTED HIM OUT. She Accepted a deposit for him. I did my best not to cry on the phone. It was a terrible feeling.
We were not told he was being shown. We were not contacted first before she let someone put down a deposit (which we were told was not needed) and no one checked to see if there were messages from us.
When we called Sheera her response was not to apologize, but to send us photos of other cats for adoption.
It was a slap in the face. They didn’t care about how upset we were. We felt lied to and incredibly hurt. They didn’t even ask us for money. If they had I would have been ready to put a deposit down right there on that kitten.
edit to add:
Saving grace that made this a 2 star review vs 1 star was one of the foster moms, named anne, who took the time to text me and tell me how sorry she was about the whole thing. I would give anne a high review on her own. It was very nice of her to send me a message.

I got my cat Roma from Second Chance in 2011 and she is the best cat ever. I initially came to donate food and toys from my cat that passed away. After getting a tour of all the cats and the shelter I decided I would become a volunteer. I fell in love with Roma as she was such a love bug and ended up taking her home to foster and then eventually adopt. I cant imagine not having my little buddy with me! Sheera takes in cats of all ages and conditions and helps feral cats all over the city. If you are looking for a cat or kitten please consider Second Chance!

Second Chance was responsive, proactive, and fair during the entire application process, and I couldn’t be happier with the cat I ended up adopting from them. Sheera was knowledgeable and friendly, and obviously cares very much about the cats she’s taking care of and finding them quality homes. She made sure I knew everything I needed for caring for the one year-​old cat I took home, and even gave me medicine at no cost for an amoeba my cat’s vet had found.
The only negative I would say is that the house they use to keep the cats is a little intimidating to walk up to at night — a sign on the door letting you know you’re in the right place would be helpful!

The people at second chance cats are amazing! They care about cats and are wonderful people

I adopted a pair of 1 year old sisters from Sheera a couple weeks ago and it was a great experience. I call them my pirate kitties because they (each) have a problem with their left eye where the lid is fused to the eyeball, making them look like pirates lol. These poor ladies are only a year old but have been with Sheera for 8 months, likely because of their eyes which don’t require any care except not scaring them from the left! So they are like kittens learning the wonders of life from having a big apartment to run around and carbonation (no, really, one will sit watching the bubbles for 5 minutes at a time).
Sheera knows everything about each of the cats and really cares that they all go to good homes. She even waits a week to cash your donation check until she follows up with you that everything is going well. She even gave them a flea treatment on the way out the door, just in case. Thank you!

we got our kitten seamus from sheera. she could not have been nicer or more passionate– truly an inspiration to us.

Wonderful shelter. I met the owner with two cats at Cambridge Petco. She spent her Saturday sitting at the store and trying to find cats a good home. A lot of us can be negative towards people we don’t like but how many can do what Sheera does? I didn’t adopt the cat this time. However, I made a donation and would love to donate more. I admire people who saves animals, protect them and advocate their rights. Great job Second Chance!

Anyone thinking of adopting a cat should go through Second Chance. If I had not found them, I wouldn’t have ever met the love of my life — Jinx! He was pretty sick when I first saw him at the shelter. Scraggly coat, ear mites, eye infection, you name it. He had to stay in one of the foster homes for a couple weeks until he got better, and Sheera kept me updated on how he was doing the whole time. When I picked him up, he was much better, a little shy at first but once he warmed up to my boyfriend and I he revealed that he was the most lovable, friendly, and affectionate cat ever. Sheera checked in a few times to make sure everything was going well and I think that type of caring attitude sets this shelter apart from most. As you can see by the picture, Jinx is doing very well! ps-I’ve heard that he still has 2 siblings that need good homes! =)

I’ve just simply got to step up as a fan of the Second Chance Shelter. I got 2 kittens from Sheera a little over a year ago and she has been nothing but helpful as we dealt with common kitten issues like diarhea and ringworm. She came by with medicine (no charge) and was available constantly for advice. Our cats are now happy and healthy and we love them.
It’s also amazing to have her as a resource as a no kill shelter. We recently found a feral kitten, barely alive in our garage and Sheera took her in, gave her medicine, killed her fleas and nursed her back to health.
I understand Tara’s feelings of being offended that Sheera wouldn’t adopt a cat to her. I’m sure the conversation could have been more tactful, but Sheera gives her all to these cats. She sacrifices time and money and attention and I think that gives her the right to set whatever criteria she believes are in the best interest of the cats. One can debate the pros and cons of indoor versus outdoor cats, but if Sheera believes its safest and best for cats to be indoor only, she has the right to say she will only adopt to houses that will keep the cats indoors.
Anyway, I think it’s a wonderful service she provides. And she was a great and helpful place for us to adopt from.

I have cats of my own. I live in a neighborhood when I never know when I cat is going to find me, that is why I don’t need to go to a shelter to adopt one.
Tara, you have been very lucky with your cat. Unless that you live in a farm, a lot of people get their «outdoor» cats killed by cars, mistreated by crazy people in the streets or in bad fights with other cats, etc. None to mentioned that they can get diseases faster than indoor cats even when they are vaccinates. One of my cats got lost from people that I never heard about until they moved away and left no address behind.
Each shelter has her own policies. Besides that, many of the cats that Sheera post in petfinder are in foster homes, and the people that are fostering them have a very important thing to say about them.
For example, if I am fostering a kitty that I found outside abandoned or a litter, I can say that I do not want them outdoors ever again and that is the way that you will find it in petfinder.
(Sheera is a VERY CAREFUL person that knows her business well and yes, it is expensive. Years ago, she used her own wages to lift this business. Someone that knows her already post that in a website).
When cats die from natural causes they die very slow. It may take days for them to die. I wouldn’t like that for ANY of my cats. Vets recommend euthanasia when they are in their terminal days to relieve the cat of a long agony. The ones that die the way your cat did are the felines in the jungle or stray cats because NOBODY CAN HELP THEM.
I have brought stray kittens to Sheera’s shelter and even last February she went an extra mile and brought a tamable cat that I trapped in my neighborhood to another non-​killing shelter because she didn’t have space in hers by them. She adored this cat!!!
Just go to a kill shelter like the MSPCA (I can care less for those that handle a huge budget and kill healthy cats claiming no space) or the shelter that you used to volunteer to get your kittens. I see that you are careful with your cats, but also lucky too.
I am with Sheera! She HAS SEEN TOO MUCH! SHE IS VERY, VERY CAREFUL AND CAUTIOUS AND FOR HER BE SAFE THAN SORROW WORKS. THAT ALSO WORKS FOR ME.
.

I am a life long cat owner and lover. All of my cats have been rescue cats. Just about everyone I know that is closest to me has a cat. We’re cat people. Indoor/​outdoor cat people. I have never had a cat get hurt or fall into any harm whatsoever because of it’s outdoor life. Nor have I ever had a veterinarian tell me to keep my cats indoor. On the contrary, my cats have always received glowing reviews from vets.
Why all this set up you ask? Oh, I’ll tell you. Because I recently expressed interest in two kittens at 2^nd Chance and was told they don’t adopt to those who will let the cats outdoors. There are just too many harms out there that could befall the kitty. True, yes. But I reference my above statement of no harm ever befalling my cats. I am a competent cat owner, indoor or outdoor. But not according to Sheera. She took the opportunity to call me and interrogate me about my last cat, who died last year at the ripe old age of 12. And while he did disappear and never come home, anyone who knows anything about cats (and I assume Sheera does) knows that they are solitary in the face of death and often go off to die alone. Especially when sick or injured, which my cat was.
Words cannot express the offence I took at her and her hateful inquisition. The love expressed by Bryan and Quinn for their cats is a love all cat owners share, especially those of us who have never known life without one. So for a woman who calls her shelter an «expensive hobby» to insult my emotions and fitness as a mother of my cat was one of the worst things I have ever experienced.
I support shelters wholeheartedly and used to volunteer at one in my hometown. But the elitist, self-​serving attitude Sheera took toward me shows me that she cares more about herself than the well being of her cats. Please, continue to adopt from shelters, but be wary of those who run them. No matter how fit you are to care for and love a cat unconditionally, it will NEVER be enough for them. If I could give 0 stars, I would.
I miss the days of giving cats away from cardboard boxes in front of the grocery store.

Totally seconding what Bryan S. said, I never liked cats. I only gave in and adopted one because my gf wouldn’t let up. We adopted a sleepy kitten with a cold and eye googies from Sheera, who rescued her from a kill shelter. I still think most cats are jerks, but I am so crazy about our little one, Maple Pancakes. We brought her to the vet and her ailments cleared up after a week of antibiotics and eye drops. Now she’s the most loving kitty ever, except when faced with human feet or slippers, her mortal enemies. She attacks those with great ferocity.

Sheera, owner of 2^nd Chance Shelter, is a living angel. She takes in cats of ALL AGES and finds them homes. Her shelter is strictly NO KILL.
I was a total dog person, but 2^nd Chance has converted me. I got my feisty little fur ball, FRED, from Sheera 2 years ago and now I don’t know how I got along without him.
Please, please, please, avoid the breeders and support your local shelters. If a kitten is too much for you, consider a beautiful adult cat that has already been trained and oodles of love to give.
2^nd Chance Shelter and Sheera 10 golden stars for you!
Second Chance Shelter for Cats
Jamaica Plain, MA 2 130
Phone: 617−522−1852
Email: