Gifford Cat Shelter

This place is amazing! It is the oldest animal shelter in the country (started in the 1880s!). The staff is kind and the shelter is very clean with lots of space for the kitties. Iris was great and very attentive to the type of cat we were looking for. We couldn't be happier then we are with our 6-year old orange tabby!! Tequila is the best!! :) The adoption process is "first-come, first-serve", which is typical of all shelters that I looked at. It can be a little stressful because you have to book a time to come in and you can't put a cat that you see on the website "on hold" (again all shelters I looked at are the same and I think this is a good thing!), but this is understandable because people could say they want a certain cat and end up flaking. Therefore I thought this process

I can’t thank the Gifford Team and Iris enough. I adopted Simba back in March, and he was healthy and full of energy. A couple of months later, his energy started to decline, and we found out he had FIP. I reached out to the team to let them know about Simba’s situation, and they supported us through this journey in ways I will never forget. They helped us every step of the way and even donated to help cover the expenses during such a difficult time. We are now halfway through treatment, and Simba is doing amazing. Knowing that he is still so loved by the team and has such strong support means more to us than words can express. Thank you for introducing me to Simba and for everything you have done ❤️

The staff was wonderful. Gifford processed my application within 1 week, and I scheduled an in-person appointment on a virtual calendar. Our volunteer helper, Ziggy, was great. She had picked out three different cats for us that fit what we were looking for in a cat, and we fell in love. We adopted our cat, Choo Choo, on the same day we visited. They let us borrow a cat carrier to bring her home because I forgot ours. Choo Choo has been a great fit for our family so far. Thank you guys for everything you do for our furry friends!

Just arrived home from adopting a beautiful tabby named Rosebud! So far, so good. Iris at Gifford was extremely helpful during the adoption process and answered all my questions. She made the process way easier than I expected. 😊 I’m looking forward to seeing Rose get more and more comfortable!

Shelter staff were very kind and friendly, and they clearly care about the health and happiness of their cats. Also this was the cleanest cat shelter I have ever been to - I have a mild cat allergy and had zero symptoms while there, despite being in a room with lots of cats. Overall a great experience. And, they introduced me to my beautiful girl, and I'm very grateful to them!