bestfriendsfelines.com Anmeldelser 3

Absolutely the same experience as the previous review from GI Clancy. We applied with the best of intentions to keep the kittens safe, but selected the indoor but with supervised outdoor time option. Meaning on leash. Our application was declined based on our selection of that one criteria, with a self-righteous, condescending email outlining how unsafe it was for cats to go outside. Below is an extract:
‘We understand that backyard time or supervised outdoor time may not seem dangerous to you, however not only would it be overwhelming for an indoor cat to be taken outside but we have heard the hundreds of heartbreaking stories of cats escaping backyards and decks, picking up deadly ticks and other unexpected circumstances. This is because while they might start off staying close by or in their yard, they can get startled and run off or their curiosity leads them to exploring/escaping their yard leading to the risks of being outside.

A fenced yard might seem secure, but cats are agile and most are able to jump to the top of normal height fencing, or higher fences if there are trees or items nearby they could use to jump from. Wooden fencing of any height is not cat proof because cats can climb it even if they can't jump to the top.

There are many ways of giving a cat safe outside time and securing your yard, such as by getting or building a cat enclosure, using netting to enclose a patio or small yard area, or by having netting on angled brackets at the top of fences if there's nothing near your fences that a cat could use to get over the netting. There are several companies online that can help you with building an enclosure and/or sell free-standing enclosures, or we've also seen many great DIY enclosed spaces with supplies from online/Bunnings that can be more affordable, however careful research is needed as most cheap playpen or similar enclosures are not actually safe or secure for outside use.
We are happy to discuss this and offer tips or advice on providing a secure outside area for your cat.
If you were to cat proof your outside area or build/buy a safe and secure enclosure, we'd be happy to reconsider your inquiries for our felines.

At BFF we have a strict indoor only policy, as in this day and age it is just not safe to have outside cats. By keeping them indoors only, we know they are safe.

Safe from dogs.
Safe from other cats.
Safe from nasty cat-hating people that target any they see.
Safe from cars.
Safe from ticks.
Safe from snakes.
Safe from dog fighting rings that will take cats and dogs from peoples yards and yes, this happens in Brisbane.
Safe from the government who has declared a war on cats and laying 1080 down to kill as many as they can.
Safe from people trapping cats, which your next door neighbour is legally allowed to do if your cat goes on their property and then they can take them to the pound.
Safe is the native wildlife that cats can harm with their natural born prey.’

We emailed back to assure them that we had only ticked that option to give the cats an opportunity for sunlight outdoors but were very happy to keep them indoors, and that our last adopted cat of ten years was very safe in the same house/backyard. We received a reply saying that they would not reconsider unless we provided evidence of a safe outdoor structure and that they essentially did not trust us to keep the cat safe.

Our young children had their hopes set on these kitties, and we are feeling disheartened by the experience. Rather than encouraging people to adopt not shop, they mess them about making them jump through hoops (whilst taking 2 days to reply to each correspondence with another request for information) and then undermine their confidence in their ability to look after an animal.

Brb I’m going to go look up cat breeders.

Our family submitted a Meet’n’Greet / adoption enquiry for a kitten from Best Friends Felines in good faith and we were fully prepared to provide a safe, loving indoor home.

On their Meet’n’Greet / enquiry form, applicants must select where the cat will be housed, and multiple acceptable-looking options are presented:

Indoor / Outdoor – free roaming
Indoor / Outdoor – on leash
Indoor / Outdoor – purpose built enclosure
Indoor / Supervised outdoor time
Indoor Only
Outdoor Only

We selected “Indoor / Supervised outdoor time” because our sincere understanding of “supervised” meant controlled, safe exposure (e.g., brief sunlight time in a secure enclosure or escape-proof setup), not free roaming. Our family’s intention from the beginning was always safety-first and predominantly indoors. We genuinely understood “supervised outdoor time” to mean safe sunlight in a controlled, escape-proof setup, not roaming.

A few days after submitting the form, Best Friends Felines emailed us requesting photographs of the back of our property. We complied fully and provided clear photos of our paved backyard courtyard (fully enclosed fencing) and explained that any outdoor time would be short and always supervised. We also provided evidence that we had already purchased a secure cat playpen/enclosure (including receipt/confirmation), proactively, to ensure the kitten would be safe.

However, our enquiry/application was later declined solely based on the original form selection, despite our written clarification that we were fully willing to comply with their policy. We were then informed that they do not reconsider enquiries/applications once that initial selection is made, even if applicants clarify their willingness to comply.

The concern here is procedural transparency. If the true requirement is strictly indoor-only with no supervised outdoor access permitted, then options such as “Indoor / Supervised outdoor time” or “Indoor / Outdoor with enclosure” should not be selectable on the form, or the consequences of selecting them should be explicitly stated before submission.

This experience was deeply disheartening for our family. We approached the process sincerely, and were fully committed to providing a safe and loving environment. This was meant to be a companion for our teenage daughter, who had already bought items for the kitten and was emotionally invested in the process. The lack of transparency throughout the process left us feeling discouraged and significantly reduced our confidence in the experience.

We fully respect the importance of strict safety policies. However, transparency at the application stage is essential so applicants can make informed decisions before investing time, emotional commitment, and resources.

We hope this feedback helps improve clarity for future adopters and prevents others from experiencing the same confusion.

We approached this charity to adopt a cat. They do not make their adoption policy public, so, sadly we were rejected on the type of apartment we live in. If we'd known this up-front, we wouldn't have gone through with a meet and greet and put our application in.
The policy includes: apartments/houses or townhouses that have windows or doors above ground-floor level without screens or a terrace that can't be cat-proofed will be rejected.