Friends of Felines Animal rescue service in Halstead, Essex

Helen Roberts

"I contacted FOF regarding a 3 year old cat I had seen on a Facebook post that they shared. They stated they had not had any interest in him despite him looking for a home since September. I was told he was being fostered, due to the owners ill health and that the owner could no longer keep him. I was asked to send a video of my home, send across my address etc. I was then put in touch with the foster family, where it became clear that this was in fact the owner. I was told the cat was not vaccinated because of the owners ill health, despite FOF stating all of their cats are vaccinated, chipped and neutered, and stating that if you foster a cat with them, they pay for everything. The "foster family" told me they could not afford the usual food that cat eats the week before. They also asked me if I had a cat carrier for him, as theirs was broken. Why would I not have one, if they were only fostering? I also discovered the cat was in fact 5 years old, not 3, which would have caused an issue with insurance. The post stated the cat was a "fair weather" cat who only ventured outside in the summer months, and could live with children. Arranged to view and potentially pick up the cat on the Thursday, but 20 minutes before leaving was phoned by the family to say he had gone out the night before and usually did not return until the following evening so I could not come, and needed to rearrange. I later found a post from FOF that stated the cat could only live with children 10+, despite me making it very clear I had a child who was 4.5 years old. I'm unsure what changed for the cat in a month that meant he was now ok with young children. On the Friday, I messaged to say I would no longer be going ahead with this, as I was uncomfortable with being lied to, and that I felt it was not a good fit. It seems they may have a history of placing animals in the wrong homes, with the premise that when placements don't work, you have to return the animals to them so they can repeat the process and ask for another adoption fee from the next person. By the next day, he had been rehomed to someone else, so who knows if I would ever have been able to pick him up, or if I would have got another phone call to say he had gone out. Obviously they had been contacting multiple people, promising him to multiple families at the same time, or they failed to carry out required checks with the next family and between Friday and Saturday they managed to find another family, and agree for them to take him, quite how they established suitability in less than 24 hours I don't know. I feel sorry for the animals here, and I am not surprised I have seen other reviews stating that placements fail to work, when not enough goes in to making sure animals are the right fit for the homes they are going in to. It seems they care more about the money than the animal welfare."

David Ursell

"Really caring people looking after lonely cats needing love. Please consider adopting or fostering their cats.We were looking to take one cat but took two in the end as they had a lot that needed homes"

Kat Katski

"A wonderful cat shelter looking for fosters and homes for the cats. They took in a beautiful stray I rescued and are doing all they can to help find him a foster and most importantly a forever home. Lovely kind staff. The cats are well looked after whilst they await rehoming but they need more kind people to adopt so they can help more cats and kittens. A god send to find them and I couldn’t find anywhere else to take this little cat and sadly I couldn’t due to living circumstances. Some great reviews on here and I agree having been there this week."

Melanie Polak

"My husband and I have a friend in Cambridge who has been supporting an abandoned tabby cat for around 6 months. Try as we may none of the multi million pound charities could or indeed would offer him a safe place as he was a very shy cat even though our friend had helped him over his worst fears. Then up stepped Friends of Felines and what a difference. Nothing was too much trouble and even though they were busy my friend was given assurances that when a place was available it would belong to Sonny. And they were true to their word. We drove from Yorkshire and picked up our friend and floof delivering him to a welcoming, and safe environment with extremely caring volunteers. Sam and Sophie were fantastic and listened to Sonny's story. They have already featured him on their social media and are giving updates on his progress. We were very impressed with their dedication and we cannot thank them and the other volunteers, supporters etc enough. Please consider helping with donations, fostering, volunteering etc. A very worthwhile cause."

Michaella Miska

"I am immensely grateful to Ally and Alice of Friends of Felines Cat Rescue for allowing us to adopt our precious cat, Boo. Alice's dedication and patience in helping Boo regain his confidence are truly remarkable. She spent countless hours nurturing him and ensuring his well-being, and it's evident in the transformation we've seen in Boo since bringing him home. Boo holds a special place in our hearts, and we owe it all to the tireless efforts of Alice and the entire team at Friends of Felines. Their commitment to the welfare of cats, like Boo, is truly inspiring, and we feel incredibly fortunate to have crossed paths with such compassionate individuals. Thanks to Ally and Alice, Boo has found his forever home where he is cherished and loved beyond measure. We cannot thank them enough for their kindness, dedication, and the incredible work they do for cats in need."