Animal Rescue League of Boston

I had a terrible time at the shelter. As someone who has visited the shelter from time to time and is actively looking to adopt a cat, my 2 most recent visits were terrible! I would like to preface that I respect all the volunteers there. They clearly know their stuff and only want the best for the animals there (and volunteering in their free time, no less). But, after dealing with one of the volunteers, Betsy, I am feeling ever more hesitant to adopt here. Every cat I expressed interest in was “not the right fit for me" or "I need more experience before adopting this one." And while maybe one or two comments held merit, the majority of them were clear shut-downs. It was also the manner in which she spoke to me and my family. She spoke down to us, as if my family and I knew nothing of cats. It was almost as if she didn’t want us to adopt any! Even cats that were playful, had no health issues, and were overall a good fit, she would find something like, “Oh, that one will not let you touch them.” Meanwhile, here’s my family rubbing the cat with no aggression. Also, all cats have personalities and will get overwhelmed with pets at some points — it’s almost as if all pets are like that in general (/sarcasm)! And while that may have been a short visit compared to the “many months they had them,” her attitude and shutting us down were so unnecessary. I don’t know why she would speak to us as if we were children who didn’t understand the responsibilities a cat would bring. My family and I may not have had a cat before (we’ve had a pug before, though), but we’ve cat-sitted and have been around cats from extended family members growing up. Riddle me this: when you go into a job interview, does the company expect you to know everything about the job? No, they don't! You may know the general idea, but you mostly learn through training, through other co-workers, and through self-improvement. It's almost as if it's very similar to raising a cat! I have friends and family members who own/have owned cats and are willing to help and teach my family and me. I have this amazing, cool thing called the Internet to learn from, too! I also have experience from raising a pug and growing up around cats! So, pardon me for being a bit frustrated being talked down to and being treated as if I dared to ask to adopt a cat here. Betsy will give you every negative reason possible to not even want to see the animal you came in for. Betsy would make these snide, quick comments to quickly shut down our interest so that whatever cat we expressed interest in adopting was dismissed. It made it so difficult to want to stay and keep looking because every. Single. Cat. was, according to her, “not the right fit for me.” We understand that these cats aren’t just “play things” and require a lot of attention, time, and money. Betsy acted as if we were dumb and mindless children who just wanted a furry pet. Absolutely terrible attitude, uninviting, and she did a great job in making my family and me feel uncomfortable. I do not see myself coming back to this shelter to adopt as long as Betsy is still there. I never had any problems with any of the other staff. The only self-soothing hypothesis I’m holding onto as to why her attitude was so bitter and negative is that she wants to adopt all the cats for herself. Awful experience.

We adopted 2 boy kittens Buzball & Genoa and they're the life of the party,running chasing each other like wild ponies,we're loving every moment! Both are now just over 1 year and still entertaining each other and us as well. Sweet boys,we changed their names to Mango & Merlin✨️🦋🌿💙💙Shout out to MAGIC✨️⚘️🌿

Thank you so much to the crew at the rescue league! I recently adopted Arwen (formerly Abby) and they made the whole process as easy and painless as possible. It's clear these people care deeply and devote themselves fully to these animals in need.

The absolute best place if you’re looking to adopt a kitten!! They make the process super easy and quick, plus they’re super friendly. Very grateful for them! Thanks to them I adopted my new kitten who was originally named “Jimmy Pesto” and is now named “Bluey”. Special thanks to the person who spoke Spanish and explained everything twice (Spanish for my parent) would 100% recommend this place to anyone!

This is a fantastic shelter! The facilities are spotless, and the staff are incredibly kind and knowledgeable. Their dedication to the animals is obvious—everyone is well-cared for and happy. A wonderful, loving place.