Claws Grand Junction, Colorado

I want to get a kitty so when i come home or stay home i have company and something to cuddle with :)

Yesterday I went with my children to this store for snacks for my dogs and my youngest daughter wanted to adopt a kitten and the adoption process was a bit stupid since there are many people who do not live there in Junction and you have to do one application and wait at least 3 days for a response. I think yes, you have to protect the animals but there are many more ways to do this correctly so that your daughter does not go away sad and crying because she cannot adopt a kitten and especially that one as a parent knows that she would be in better conditions than there. In my opinion they need to change their adoption assessment since it is funny but like us, another family also wanted to do the same and they laughed when they heard the steps of the process.

I went to the Spook-tacular adoption event today and Chow Down in Grand Junction, CO, and was IMMEDIATELY drawn to the “Adoptable kittens” signs! I soon saw the kitties and was concerned that all three kittens were very sick. I put in an application to adopt one, Yoda, since I was already told I could not adopt the other ones due to their health. I waited all day only to be lied to, belittled, and insulted. Once given the phone from an employee to try and civilly solve this issue, Val Mazrin, the FOUNDER, the PRESIDENT, had the AUDACITY to tell me “well if you are a veterinary technician, then you should know better than to travel with a sick kitten”. NO, VAL, if you were a reputable rescue employee, you would not place extremely sick kittens up for adoption. You would not have left them there for 3 weeks to see if they got better. Do not try to tell me they hadn’t been there that long or hadn’t been sick the whole time. It was confirmed by various employees that the kittens were present and continuously worsening. It was also confirmed that the kittens received an antibiotic injection 2 days prior to this event. So, Val, do not tell me that you just found out they were sick when you removed them from their cage and took them away without contacting me. There were other constraints in place surrounding the adoption. I am leaving to go home tomorrow, via plane, and I know that 1) it is very short notice, and 2) I would be taking the kitten out of state to receive veterinary care. If I had been contacted promptly and had been told what was going on or what Val’s concerns were in a professional and polite way, I would have understood more. All I wanted was to help these kittens in any way I could, because they clearly were not receiving the proper care they need to mend. This is a horrible “rescue” and is absolutely neglecting these animals.

Our family has adopted pets for years, and all of our fur babies have been rescues. I have to say the experience my daughters and I had today with Val in Grand Junction was absolutely abysmal, and she in NO way represents the professionalism and dedication it takes to find loving homes for the cats she says she wants to adopt out. After attending an event held at a local pet supply store, my older daughter--a professional veterinary technician with plenty of references and outstanding feedback from all of her peers--was insulted and berated by this woman. My daughter filled out an application, and we waited an entire day...after speaking to the store manager and explaining that we were under personal time constraints. The manager assured us it should be no problem and that she would contact Val herself and ensure the process moved forward. We spent the day with NO word from Val. My daughter spent upwards of $200 on new supplies to care for a kitten that was put on display at an adoption event, along with other kittens--all of them visibly sick. In fact, one of the kittens sneezed so violently that the poor animal sprayed blood all over the cage and its own white paws. My daughter wanted very badly to rescue one of these obviously ill kittens and take it to her veterinary clinic, and we were told it was fine. However, upon returning to the store after HOURS with no update from either the store manager or Val, the contact from CLAWS, we stopped back by the store before closing, only to find that ALL the kittens had been removed. The store manager on duty got Val on the phone, and she was instantly hostile and had my daughter in tears within a minute of beginning the conversation. She accused her of not being a veterinary technician and said that if she knew anything she would know this wasn't going to happen. What a TERRIBLE way for a supposed animal lover to treat another animal lover who only wants to help those in need. The woman was downright vile, rude, and didn't even give my daughter a chance to explain, talk about her references, or work out an alternative plan. She told us she removed the kittens as soon as she knew they were ill, but this is NOT THE TRUTH, because several store employees where the adoption event was held told us the kittens had been there for WEEKS, had been showing signs of illness and coughing for quite some time, AND had recently received antibiotic treatments. Val KNEW they were sick! Val was hoping to farm out the kittens before anyone recognized or knew they were sick. Unfortunately for her, a professional, certified vet tech walked in, saw kittens sneezing blood, coughing, and with weeping eyes and was compelled to help. How many other sick animals are you trying to farm out? And how to you participate in an adoption event with ONLY sick kittens? How do you treat people the way she did...in the span of a minute? I support numerous rescues, and I can honestly say I feel sorry for the animals in Val's care. I hope CLAWS has other, more professional, caring, and empathetic individuals willing to help those that need it. This is a rescue I would avoid at all costs.

They were totally full and I had three of my kids away because of domestic issues. It was extremely difficult cause I had all of them from the time they could be given away..... I know they will go to a good home and hopefully they stay together

Not sure if all staff is rude and inconsiderate to kids feelings, but I brought my son in to drop off a kitten we found and was rudely greeted by a short old woman with white hair that insulted the way we took care of said found kitten and then continued to say they couldn’t take the kitten without at least $100 donation. This rescue is a joke and money hungry and the workers there are not out to help animals. She made my son cry and when I contacted the manager she didn’t seem to care

I love and respect the mission. Staff is friendly. I donated food and money and will regularly in the future.

Great place, lovely people and great cats

They are doing very good work

Awesome humane and loving place for bunches of almost forgotten cats. An absolutely no-kill shelter. They live on donations so pick up some cat chow, litter, and cleaning supplies and drop 'em off for instant good karma. While there, find your next best friend for life. Lots to choose from.

Great people doing great work.

Awesome place. Please adopt if you can!

Love all the furbabies!! Homes needed

A beautiful shelter providing care for kitties needing homes and a sanctuary for those who can't be rehomed. I loved hearing each kitties story and petting them in an open environment. The love for these cats is heartwarming. If I lived closer I'd volunteer here. Thanks to Jill and Connie for all their help!

Great place, the crazy cat lady fill-up station. Meet all the best friends you didn't know you had. Never sleep or eat alone again. They live, literally, on donations so pick up some cat chow and cleaning supplies next time at the store and drop them off.

This is a wonderful shelter. I have volunteered, fostered, and adopted cats with them. This is the place I recommend. If you need to surrender, adopt, or offer your time, go to CLAWS!

They kidnapped our cat. They promised we would get him back and went off and sold him

Very nice people taking taking care of homeless cats.

Everyone here loves cats and does everything they can for them. The owner is an awesome person and will work with u to help take care of any cat.

Wonderful people who truly care for cats. The majority of the cats are free roam in the shelter unless there is a medical reason to keep them seperate. They can't always get to the phone while caring for the animals and the wait list is often long bit that speaks more to the over population in the area. A full shelter is a full shelter! These are people who are passionate about what they do.

Got a 3 year old cat from Claws via PetSmart and took him immediately to the vet. Vet said if he was within days of dying and had multiple problems that anyone should have noticed. Heck the cat only weighed 6 pounds. I think it would have been more humane to put him down instead of the neglect he received through this place. I won't use them again. The good news is that after 4 months he is 11 pounds and doing well.

I adopted a kitty, who was named "Missy" from here about 4 years ago. She's a seal point Siamese & my baby. CLAWS people care about cats & take care of them. Glad there is this shelter for cats here especially since the homeless cat population is quite large here in Mesa County. They do a wonderful job helping all these homeless kitties!!

They save so many cats work so hard to keep the kitties healthy and happy!

Called for director Val and phone call was never returned

Amazing what the staff do to take care of homeless cats. They can’t be thanked enough. The care the cats get here is truly from compassionate hearts. I have seen it as an occasional volunteer myself.

I’ve been to their facility and they truly care about the kitties

Said the cat I adopted was fixed, yet within a week you could tell she was pregnant!

I'm so in love with the cat I'm fostering, I've been looking for a part Maine Coon to replace my older kitty that passed away several years ago. The people here are very nice and compassionate, the place is clean and all the cats seem to get along well. They all mingle in the one general area in front, you wish you could take more home!

CLAWS is truly an amazing place! They are doing a wonderful job for the cats and for the community!

Thank you claws and volunteers for all the great deeds you do daily.♡