COVID-19 - MEOW Cat Rescue

COVID-19 Update

Current Policy for Masking – as of 4/17/2023

Our staff and volunteers are fully vaccinated. We are no longer requiring people to wear masks. However, we respect everyone’s right to do what makes them comfortable.

Our current open hours are Thursdays 1pm – 5pm, Saturdays 12:30pm – 5pm, and Sundays 1pm – 5pm, for walk-ins as well as appointments. We are happily taking walk-ins as allowed by our shelter’s capacity. However, we HIGHLY suggest appointments, as potential adopters with an appointment will receive priority whenever shelter capacity is an issue.

As they become available for adoption, cats and kittens are posted on Petfinder, which feeds to our website at https://meowcatrescue.org/adopt/available-cats. Please let us know who you’re interested in when you submit your application.

An approved Adoption Application is required to be invited to visit with the cats and kittens. Although you may fill out an application at the shelter, a pre-approved application will streamline your shelter experience.

To complete and submit an Adoption Application and schedule an appointment, click on our Adopt page, https://meowcatrescue.org/adopt. We hope you’ll explore throughout our website to learn more about MEOW.

Thank you for continuing to support us during this unprecedented time. If you have questions about our operations or need to reach us, please call 425-822-6369. We will be answering the phones as resources are available.

If you need to re-home your cat you may email us at intake@meowcatrescue.org for advice and recommendations.

Shelter Status During COVID-19

Changes in Our Animal Population
Public health guidance necessitated closing the shelter to the public in early March 2020 and moving a majority of our cat population into foster homes. During that time, we focused on implementing changes to protect the safety of staff, volunteers, and the public.

Anyone who has been following MEOW’s lifesaving work over the years knows that 2020 looked quite different from previous years, especially in terms of our animal population, due to multiple factors related to COVID-19.

Limited Capacity
The persistent threat of COVID-19 has required MEOW, and other shelters, to balance our mission of saving animal lives with our responsibility to provide a safe and healthy workplace for our dedicated staff.

We continue to rely on our network of foster parents to provide temporary homes for most of the cats in our care, not all of whom are currently available for adoption. We are thankful that we have been able to avoid the heartbreaking layoffs so many other nonprofits have faced because of the pandemic.

Proceeding with Caution
Science continues to inform the ways MEOW’s operations have evolved, as do CDC guidelines and Governor Jay Inslee’s Roadmap to Recovery approach to reopening the state. We are beginning to host weekend “soft openings”, with in-shelter adoptions by appointment, and we look forward to the day when we will be fully open, welcoming our volunteers back “home” and opening our doors to potential adopters. Thank you for your patience and your support.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How Can I Help MEOW During This Time?

First of all, a huge thank you to all of you who want to help. We are so grateful and appreciative that we live in a very generous and supportive community.

We have several staff members at the shelter each day, and thanks to their efforts are able to provide the required care of the cats needing special medical care at the shelter and the many cats and kittens currently in foster homes. Things can change day to day, so we will update our website and our Facebook page as needed.

Can I Volunteer?

Thank you for asking. We are currently accepting new applications for fosters and in-shelter volunteers. Learn more and apply to Volunteer.

Can I Foster?

Thank you for asking. Yes, we are currently accepting applications for new fosters. Learn more and apply to Foster.

Can I Donate Cleaning Supplies and/or Cat Food?

Thank you for asking. Donations are always appreciated and can be dropped off at the shelter or sent directly from our Amazon Wish List or our Chewy.com Wish List. Please no used litter boxes or cat trees/scratching posts.

Can I Adopt?

Thank you for asking. At this time we are offering both “contactless” adoptions and in-shelter adoptions on Saturdays and Sundays.

Each week we post a few cats and/or kittens on Facebook, Petfinder, and our Available Cats page.

If there is a cat in which you are interested, please review our policies on our Adoption Policies page and the step by step process on our Adoption Process page.

What does Contactless Adoption Mean?

Contactless adoptions became our method of placing cats and kittens in their forever homes with a minimal amount of face-to-face human interaction during the pandemic.

Here’s how it works. Once an adoption application has been received and reviewed, and an initial interview to review our policies has taken place, potential adopters interact via Zoom with the cat they wish to adopt and that cat’s foster family.

After a successful Zoom meet and greet, the adoption fee is payable online and arrangements are made to meet at the shelter where the cat will have his “ready to go home” checkup, and then be placed in a carrier and handed to his new family in the parking lot. We plan to continue offering this adoption method in some situations as we ease out of COVID.

Learn more about our adoption process and see our currently available cats and kittens.

How Can I Help Financially?

Thank you for asking. If you would like to support our work, you may do so on our Donate page or by sending a check to MEOW Cat Rescue, PO Box 58, Kirkland, WA 98083.

Now that our world is beginning to normalize, we are seeing the devastating effects of COVID on the homeless pet population. For most of 2020, high volume spay/neuter clinics had to close, for the sake of human safety and to spare PPE. Not only did this create a monumental backlog for the clinics, but also an unimaginable number of unexpected litters were born.

Your donation today, or whenever you feel you are able, will help us be there to provide a soft place to land for as many cats and kittens as possible.

What About Pets and COVID-19?

During the evolution of this pandemic, information can change quickly and we all want the most current facts and recommendations. Those of us whose lives include animals, in shelters and in our homes, have a special interest in their care throughout this time.

At MEOW, we turn to trusted sources such as the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) and the WSVMA (Washington State Veterinary Medical Association) to provide lead animal care and control organizations as well as pet owners with accurate and up to date information.

Please follow current coronavirus prevention guidelines to ensure your good health and that of your family, including your pets.