Very few things compare to the bliss of having a happy, purring cat in your lap. It’s a joy that everybody should experience at least once. When you welcome a cat from a rescue organization into your home, you gain a loyal, loving companion who will stick by your side for each of their nine lives!
Cat rescues in San Diego are on a mission to find happy homes and happy humans for the city’s abandoned and stray cats.
Why You Should Rescue Cats from Shelters
Every year, 3.2 million cats end up in shelters, according to data from the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). Sadly, some may never find a home and eventually be euthanized. Abandoned and stray kittens are especially vulnerable. The National Kitten Coalition, a non-profit organization, found that only 37% of cats in shelters are adopted, while as many as 41% are euthanized.
Rescue a Cat in San Diego
You can make a difference and open your home to a needy cat. These cat rescues and shelters around San Diego could be where you find the newest member of your family.
The Cat Lounge
At first glance, The Cat Lounge won’t strike you as a shelter for rescued cats. There are no cages or enclosures. Instead, a homely living room atmosphere creates the perfect indoor environment for the cats to roam freely. The Cat Lounge takes in cats from high-kill shelters across California and gives them a place to stay until they find their forever home. Visitors can even spend a day lounging about in the company of these cool cats at the attached cat cafe.
- Address: 1006 Torrey Pines Rd, La Jolla, CA 92037
- Phone Number: (858) 886-7083
- Email: Info@thecatlounge.org
- Website: https://thecatlounge.org/home
East County Animal Rescue
Hitting the streets of San Diego, East County Animal Rescue serves its local cat population by running a robust Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program. Its website proudly declares that it has spayed and neutered over 1,000 stray animals in a single year. As a no-kill shelter, East County Animal Rescue gives the unwanted cats of San Diego’s East County a place to call home.
- Address: PO Box 1754, El Cajon, CA 92022
- Phone Number: (858) 224-3227
- Email: info@eastcountyanimalrescue.org
- Website: https://www.eastcountyanimalrescue.org/
The Rescue House
In its 25th year of operations, The Rescue House is a long-lasting non-profit fighting for the rights of unwanted and abandoned cats in San Diego. Since being founded in 1999, the organization has rescued 18,000 cats. Every cat they rescue remains with The Rescue House until they find a proper home. Until then, some of The Rescue House’s cats also hang out at The Cat Cafe, San Diego’s oldest feline-themed coffee establishment.
- Address: 1150 Garden View Rd., #231336 Encinitas, CA 92023
- Phone Number: (760) 591-1211
- Email: mail@rescuehouse.org
- Website: https://rescuehouse.org/
Dirty Little Paws Rescue
Running a non-profit cat rescue organization is tough, and those who do it can’t be afraid of getting their paws…err, hands… a little dirty. Dirty Little Paws Rescue is a grassroots organization that rescues cats from high-kill shelters, conducts a TNR program for the local strays, and finds new homes for unwanted cats and kittens. It relies on a widespread network of volunteers and foster homes to carry out its mission of helping San Diego’s cats.
- Address: 3808-36 Vista Campana South, Oceanside, California 92057
- Phone Number: (760) 576-8702
- Email: dirtylittlepaws@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.dirtylittlepaws.org/
San Diego Humane Society
One of the biggest rescue organizations to adopt cats from is the San Diego Humane Society (SDHC). It’s also the oldest, with its history going back as far as 1880. The SDHC is now synonymous with rescuing animals from euthanasia and finding them loving homes. As an open-admission shelter, the SDHC takes in cats, dogs, and exotic pets and cares for them until they find a home.
- Address: 5500 Gaines St., San Diego, CA 92110
- Phone Number: (619) 299-7012
- Email: info@sdhumane.org
- Website: https://www.sdhumane.org/
Friends of Cats
Another long-standing institution that cares for San Diego’s cats is the non-profit Friends of Cats. This organization started in 1929, and its volunteers have worked tirelessly to provide abandoned cats with a sanctuary ever since. This no-kill shelter looks to find forever homes for its healthy animals while providing non-adoptable cats with a high quality of life.
- Address: 15587 Olde Highway 80, El Cajon, CA 92021
- Phone Number: (619) 561-0361
- Email: manager@friendsofcats.org
- Website: https://www.friendsofcats.org/
Helen Woodward Animal Center
The Helen Woodward Animal Center first came into being as the San Dieguito Animal Care and Education Center. Its current name, which honors the founder, Helen Woodward Whittier, was given after the campus was upgraded to include additional buildings in 1986. Set on a sprawling 12 acres outside San Diego, the Helen Woodward Animal Center houses cats, dogs, and even horses! Apart from the adoption program, the center also conducts pet therapy sessions, conducts educational outreach, and provides meals for low-income seniors and military members with service animals.
- Address: 6461 El Apajo Road, Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92067
- Phone Number: (858) 756-4117
- Email: info@animalcenter.org
- Website: https://animalcenter.org/
Community Cat Foundation
Cats go where they want. It’s what we love about them. And some felines are so adventurous they become community cats, belonging to the entire neighborhood rather than a single home. To ensure these cats were well taken care of, the Community Cat Foundation set up The Abbey, a building where they run a TNR program, a nursery for kittens, a shelter for adoptable cats, and a residence for feral cats.
Address: 3754 Main St, San Diego, CA 92113
Phone Number: (858) 609-9790
Email: ccf.the.abbey@gmail.com
Website: https://communitycatfoundation.org/
Orphan Kitten Club
The Orphan Kitten Club is a unique non-profit that seeks to use research and community education to improve the lives of cats in San Diego. Motherless kittens, the most vulnerable of all cats, are rescued, checked by vets, vaccinated, and made ready for adoption. They run a kitten nursery, conduct research studies, and carry out sterilization campaigns to fight the problem of stray overpopulation. Thanks to the Orphan Kitten Club’s tireless volunteers, the weakest and most vulnerable kittens finally have someone fighting for their cause.
Address: PO Box 633, Spring Valley, CA 91976
Email: info@orphankittenclub.org
Website: https://orphankittenclub.org/
Give Your Rescue Cat the Best Care
The bond between a cat and its human can never be erased. Still, that doesn’t mean you will be able to spend every waking moment with your cat. Cat owners in San Diego need not worry about their cats’ welfare even when traveling away from home. The Comforted Kitty offers professional in-house cat-sitting services in San Diego.
Rest assured that the professional sitters from The Comforted Kitty love cats just as much as you do. Your feline friend’s meal times, playtime, and overall supervision are all taken care of by The Comforted Kitty, giving cat owners the freedom to travel without worrying about how their cat will do without them.
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