Community Concern For Cats Walnut Creek, California

My partner and I went in a few months ago to adopt a cat. Immediately upon entering, two different women associated with the organization singled out my partner and I because of our perceived age to lecture us on the responsibility of owning a cat. When we found a cat that we bonded with, Gemma told us that he had to be adopted with the other cat he was sharing the cage with - even though they were not from the same litter or a bonded pair and did not appear to like each other.... When we reinforced that we only wanted this cat, Gemma proceeded to ignore us for over an hour and a half while processing paperwork for multiple people who came after us. I pulled up a chair and sat next to the cage until she could see we weren't going anywhere. When she finally started our paperwork, another foster came over to rudely ask if she was making the right choice in letting us adopt him (again, because of our perceived age). She then proceeded to insult my partner's profession and inform us that the cat had not been neutered (as is their stated policy for all cats they are adopting out) and is not up to date on his vaccines. We walked out over two hours later with our little boy who we love so much, but when the time comes to get him a sibling we will not be going back to them because of how rude and unprofessional they are.

Stay away from this place! Go to ARF instead. I went to Community Concern for cats with my friends because we are each looking to adopt a cat. The staff at CC4C are rude and were insistent that all the cats needed to be adopted in pairs. When we asked why we were rudely told “you can Google it”. I found a cat I would love to have adopted and did all the paper work only to be told that I needed to get two cats and that the cat I wanted would be adopted in a pair by someone else the same day so I couldn't take him. Even though we had a bad experience the first time, we went back a week later when we were looking at cats elsewhere and it was on our way home. To my surprise the cat I wanted was still there but 1 of his brothers was adopted by himself! I politely asked if they would consider adopting him out by himself and was rudely told “we resolved that last week”. This place is poorly ran and everyone we interacted with was rude. I feel bad for the poor cats that have to be stuck there because these people make up the rules as they go. We went do the street to ARF and the staff there were super friendly and helpful and you can tell they want to get the cats a good home. We found a great cat at ARF and I can’t recommend ARF enough. Don’t waste your time going to community concern for cats.

There was a lady who is a liar who works there. They were incredibly rude, not available, and lied about the availability for multiple cats. They try and FORCE you to adopt more than you’re comfortable adopting and they should be ashamed. Go somewhere else if you’re able.

Terrible people. DO NOT GO HERE. They will ignore you.

Just adopted our second cat through this organization (the first one was 15 years ago and she recently passed). We had a great experience with Marilyn and Stefanie. They were both extremely helpful, and provided support and recommendations as we navigated through getting our verrrrry scared new kitty settled. They were up front regarding challenges we faced with the cat we chose (former feral, super skittish) and genuinely cared that she was going to a home best suited for her. One month down with our little Poppy, and furever to go!

My experience with CC4C has been very positive so far. I did not adopted a kitten but a kitten and I found each other. I was waiting for my car at Express Smog in Pittsburg and a very shy "Roadie" introduced herself from behind a pile of used tires. 5 days later I was able to trap her and bring her home because Angela (a volunteer with CC4C) taught me how to trap a kitten and then loaned me a trap. It was easy, took me a total of 15 minutes because hungry Roadie couldn't resisted the tuna! 3 weeks later Roadie is doing very well and I just made her first Vet. appointment! The people at CC4C are very concerned for cats. Gemma was the only person kind enough to respond to my request for help via email. I tried contacting other animal rescue places and no one responded. Go easy on Gemma, she is really helping these beautiful furry little souls find there humans.

***WARNING*** This is no longer a legitimate rescue. Their non-profit status has been revoked on May 15, 2021 by the IRS and no taxes have been filed or paid since 2017 tax year. This is my experience; In June/July 2021 Northgate Kennels handed over approx. a dozen cats and kittens to Gemma Boyd claiming that they were abandoned. At least one or more of these cats were not abandoned, the one was my service animal Gracie. She is a 17 year old fully trained cat that can sense when my blood sugar drops too low. And last year she detected a tumor in my arm that turned out to be cancer. To say that she is a godsend would be an under statement. When I discovered that she had been given to this rescue I immediately called Gemma. I figured being a rescue she would do the right thing and return her to me. But after leaving two messages she didn't return my call so I called the Sheriff and before taking a formal complaint the Deputy said he would call and speak to her or leave a message. She did not answer her phone or call the Deputy back, but she did call me. She said she was returning my call which I knew was a lie, she was only calling because she received a message from the Sheriff's Deputy. In my conversation she was rude, condescending and judgemental and refused to return my cat/service animal. When she realized that I to rescue, foster and train cats and have been doing so for more than 30 years, she offered to replace Gracie with another untrained cat. Gemma clearly is ignorant in regards to the bond service animals have with their owners and training it takes to be a service animal. Not every dog or cat has what it takes to be a service animal and Gemma clearly lacks the experience to make this determination. I declined the "replacement" cat and called the Sheriff Deputy. This issue still isn't resolved and I still do not have Gracie back with me.

My girlfriend and I were told that only one kitten in the whole store was allowed to be adopted by itself, however another (older) couple who went in at the same time as us was able to take a different kitten by itself (they did not have an appointment and were just browsing). So after persuasion from multiple employees about this kitten that was there for 2 months, I decided that I wanted to bring him home. There was slight hesitation from one employee after I said I wanted the kitten, in which I was told that this kitten had a high chance of terminal illness. Not only were our options limited in contrast to other people, we were not told up front about the kitten's chances of illness until right before I was going to pay. I felt as if they did not want us to adopt any kittens at all. I will never return to this place again.

Thank you Venus for rescuing these cats!!!!

I adopted a half feral girl from you 5.5 years ago. First off I loved the thorough background checks to make sure it was the right fit. She is the most intelligent and fun cat I have had in five decades of multiple cats. Thank you for bringing Abbey into my life.

Holy moly. Had the worst experience with someone named Gemma there. Truly the definition of an entitled and rude narcissist. I guess I will go elsewhere to adopt a cat. I'm sure they will be thankful instead of insulting! Thanks for nothing.

Our experience with Lea was exceptional she cares so much about cats and it shows. We had a young cat living beside our pool with six kittens. We started feeding them and ran into Community Concern for Cats at pet express Lea told us what trap to buy and she came over and helped us trap. When the kittens got sick she helped us with that. Lea helped find the right people for our kitties. We ended up with the mom and one son. We now have four cats and two dogs. We have a happy household. Thank you Lea. Lea can be called a friend.

Very disappointed in agencies that go through the trouble of caring for these fur babies but don't take it the extra step to connect them with a permanent home. I emailed, texted, submitted an app and no response..at all. We ended up adopting our new fur baby from an agency that is genuinely interested placing the right family with the right animal. Communication was outstanding. CC4C needs to reconsider why they continue to get negative reviews.

I emailed & sent my application to adopt two cats. I followed up & asked if my application was received. Jill said she didn’t get it so I sent it again. She said she sent it to other volunteers & I haven’t heard anything. It’s been over a …

My wife and I have been actively involved with CC4C for about 7-8 years now. I've found the staff to be extremely helpful, kind, and compassionate. They are truly dedicated to the welfare, care, and adoption of the cats placed in their …

Had an excellent experience with Judy and Lea. Was looking for help with an injured cat which had been frequenting our yard for some time and seemed abandoned. We took him to emergency vet but he had to be taken to the shelter from there. …

PLEASE do not use this organization if you are interested in adopting a cat. Here’s the sad process we went through: For 11 days, starting December 22, 2020, we (my husband, adult daughter, and I) were in touch with a foster parent, Patricia, regarding a beautiful, male Siamese cat named Moose, whose picture was posted on PetFinder through CC4C. We had a long telephone conversation and many texts back and forth. I had submitted an application on the 22nd, and after our phone call on the 23rd, Patricia said she felt we “are wonderful pet owners”. Between Dec. 26-29, Patricia kept vacillating on what she was going to do with Moose – give him to us, give him to the original woman who rescued him, or keep him for her husband and daughter. On Dec. 29th, Patricia stated that she needed to adopt Moose out, and would bring Moose to our home on Dec. 31st as he was “meant’ for us and our home was the “best” place for him. We went out the next day and purchased $208.33 worth of supplies from Petco for our new little guy, including a special Royal Canin kibble that he was eating. Late on the 31st, Patricia texted that she couldn’t make it and said she would bring Moose to us on January 2, 2021. On Jan. 2nd, Patricia texted that she decided to keep Moose and not adopt him out at all, as her husband and daughter wanted the cat. We are devastated and have tried to appeal to Patricia, as well as, to another person (Kay) with CC4C, who said she would have Gemma, the director (?) give us a call. No phone call, so we asked if our email could be forwarded to Gemma. We still haven’t heard from Gemma to sort this mess out, and we have no cat.

Such a lousy experience with these people. They are incredible unorganized and unprofessional, especially Gemma. Honestly just super pretentious. Much better experience w Contra Costa Humane society. Do not waste your time, because they are sure to! Cute cats though.

Cc4c ???? are very welcome took my kitten's there and there wonderful, the employees are very nice ????????

Please listen to all the negative reviews. We wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt even though they got bad reviews. We were lied to about the health of our kitten, and we contacted them to let us know (so they were aware and that we were taking care of the kitten), only to have them berate us. I would not recommend them if you are looking to adopt a rescue kitten. Adopt elsewhere at a more reputable organization that actually cares.

Loving, caring and always goes the extra mile for cats and their families!!

I have been exchanging emails and phone calls with Marilyn to adopt a cat/kitten. Her daughter , Sara, was taking care of the young cat and she was busy getting ready to take an exam, so we couldn’t see the cat until 10 days after my inquiry . My family was really excited about getting a new cat and she resembles our cat that had passed away.For example, our cat had a horrible beginning, but with love and patience, she came around, and we loved her dearly. Finally, the day at come and my family was so excited, and I went to see the cat, but from the beginning, Sara was judgements, and short and I finally had to ask if I could see the cat. She was hiding in a corner and scared to come out and I finally asked to hold her, and she was scared, but I also had my mask on and Sara wasn’t making the situation any better, by not giving me any time to get to know her, and they have an indoor dog, which is horrible for this shy feral cat . Unfortunately, I didn’t have much time, but said I was available the next day, all day to pick her up, but Sara wouldn’t give an available time, so I knew at that point, she mis-judged me and we were not getting the cat. She didn’t offer more time to spend with her, nor did she offer to observe our home or environment . Of course, late in the day, I got a call from Marilyn, saying her daughter didn’t think we were a good fit . My reply was , we just experienced a feral cat situation and we were ready for the challenge , but it didn’t help ... The entire experience, was horrible, my children and husband were so excited , they knew what to expect and now I know what it feels like to be discriminated and judged, when she knew going in we were a family of four with an outdoor/indoor cat and I was told she would be better off with one person who lives in an apartment, rather than a warm loving family in a two - story home

We worked with Lea and Ann at Community Concern for Cats to find the newest addition to our family. Our first attempt to adopt (a few years ago from another group) didn’t work because we rushed the introduction period. Lea was very supportive and gave us a lot of information about how to introduce our new boy into our home and have it be successful. They even let us do a “foster to adopt” so it reduced our stress around making the lifelong commitment to Goose before we knew how the integration would work. We are thrilled to say that all the advice works and we officially adopted Goose into our family a few months ago. Thank you to Lea, Ann and all the wonderful people at Community Concern for Cats!

CC4C is an amazing organization staffed by volunteers who care about their animals. They take time to place cats and kittens into loving homes, and offer lots of advice based on their experiences! Would recommend visiting their website if you are looking for you next fur baby????????

It is a great place to find the unusual and vintage items. Rescued Treasures is dedicated to helping cats and kittens.

I always find something interesting/unusual in this big store. Love that the funds go to cat rescue ????

These people are rude. I’m 19 and about to go to boot camp and wanted to get my girlfriend a cat before I left but after being interagated by Lea, a woman running the adoption at pet food express, my girlfriend and I were deemed unfit …

Please do not adopt from these people! They will only adopt kittens out in pairs. They did not disclose this in their ad, nor on the cats' cages, nor to my face while I stood there with my three excited daughters, trying to choose the …

This place - or it's volunteers - have refused to help me find my beautiful cat,, even when it;s on it's own volunteer's property. Don't get involved with these people. This isn't how cats are supposed to be treated. Especiallky be …

I agree with the others. I seriously recommend adopting from another source.