Protectors of Animals East Hartford, Connecticut

Nice people down there we inherited a cat for free were not cat people but we knew wehad to get to cat spayed they turned act of Congress into a cakewalk $130 cat neutered rabies shot etc nails trimmed worked out well

They're very professional, empathetic, courteous, and informative when it comes to your pets. And prices are reasonable.

It’s been awhile but I will always be grateful for this place. I had a close friend that passed and she had two older cats and no one to leave them to, I called the Humane Society first and they said they didn’t have enough room to take on older cats. I have two big dogs already I couldn’t and Protector of Animals sent someone to even pick them up for me at the house. One of the cats didn’t want to eat at first and they called me asking what kind of food had he been eating, I thought that was very caring too.

I gave honest feedback to protect a puppy and my friend as a reference. This place broke my trust and ruined a friendship over me protecting a puppy. They need to work on their customer relations.

Look elsewhere. Would give 0 stars. Other low star reviews are accurate as I had a very similar experience. Shame on POA for being so awful and allowing their volunteers to be so miserable towards loving, caring people who have a loving home for any animal.

I can’t even begin to describe the amount of gratitude I have for this rescue. The help & support from all involved here, is incredible, I am beyond thankful my path lead me to POA. After contacting multiple rescues and shelters around the Hartford area & not receiving any response back, I felt there was no one out there that could help me with the little stray male cat I found and had been housing for the last week. POA respond right away and was able to provide Vet care the next day. To me that was more than half the battle as I didn’t want to put my 2 kitty’s at risk. I personally want to thank Martha, she kept telling me that I was doing a good thing by taking this little guy in but to me, anyone with compassion & a heart would of done the same thing & she’s the true angel, volunteering her spare time to help the community and our furry friends!

Friendly and knowledgeable. People who REALLY care.

I can't get to speak to a human being. I've been trying to connect with them about a puppy. I filled out application but, no response. I left messages, no response. To top it off they only open on Saturdays. They don't receive emails. I am so disappointed with these people.

Very caring, understanding place that will help any cat in need. I found a cat, in a closed box, and couldn't keep the poor cat, I called them, and the took her in, within 2 weeks. Very professional in an emotionally draining environment. I encourage everyone to donate anything that can, even a couple blankets, cat foods, cash, and if you must, use them to provide a a shelter for unwanted or unable to keep cats. I'm not sure if they take dogs at that location.

This is a no-kill shelter any donations of food toys especially your time is welcomed

We adopted our cat from PoA just about a month ago and they have been super helpful, from facilitating our visit to helping with post-adoption stuff like prescription food. They really, really care and they want the best for the animals.

I've never rescued/adopted a dog before. The application process was easy to fill out. Shortly after I received an email from a volunteer asking for more info,.vet records. We did our meeting and greet and then the home visit. Saturday will be a.week since we've had him. We are fully in love. The process was easy, and I've enjoyed working with them. I'd adopt here again in a heartbeat! Thank you! Our hearts are full.

The area was clean and didn't smell. Personnel was nice. I felt secure in leaving the kitten there.

I volunteer at POA and feel honored to say this. POA is always focused on creating the best possible future for all the animals in their care. Hands down incredible organization! Thank you POA!!

Got 2 wonderful cats here...people are friendly and trustworthy

I adopted a cat, Dexter, from Protectors of Animals in January 2021. Dexter was rescued from the outdoors and medically was a mess. All of his teeth needed to be removed and he had a nose bump that wouldn't go away. They took fantastic care of every medical detail and spent so much time and resources to get Dexter healthy. Despite his extensive medical care, his adoption fee was only a fraction of that price! The dedication that POA has to make sure every animal leaves their facilities healthy as can be is incredible. I can't wait to come back for a second cat someday!

Would give 0 stars if I could. This place seems like another "not for profit" scam. They make it impossible for perfectly good individuals to adopt the pets and they are deceitful at doing so, dont ever expect a straight answer. If you deal with them be prepared for a run around. Apparently the staff thinks their opinion is more qualified than the licensed and certified professionals. Like another reviewer said, they are right and you are wrong. One of the snippy remarks the organization said to another reviewer was that these pets come from homes of hoarders.......I wonder if the people mainly responsible for running the place are secretly hoarding the animals and calling it a rescue. They are rude, unprofessional and make it impossible to adopt a pet. If you really want a pet and dont need your privacy invaded, be poorly and unfairly judged, given the run around and waste a ton of time then just go to a pet store or breeder. In CT pet stores have requirements for what kind of breeders they can source from and you can get the info and do your research on that breeder before you buy. Or find a local breeder you can visit. Don't fall for the old "adopt a rescue" , they have made it impossible for perfectly good people to do so. In essence places like this force people to get pets elsewhere then claim that pet stores and breeders are the problem. I know there is going to be some snippy, snarky remark they make to my review. If what people here are saying were untrue they would not need to defend themselves. Most of the negative reviews say pretty much the same thing.....just think about it.

Approximately four and a half years ago we adopted a beautiful black cat from POA. Her foster mom named her Mina but we changed her name to Allie. I was looking for a young cat (she was 3.5) who might be an affectionate lap cat also. We got the young part but she is definitely not a lap cat. And much to my surprise it doesn’t matter at all. She’s sweet, talkative, and follows us around like a puppy. Won’t sleep with us, but sleeps in her bed on the floor next to our bed. We love her whole-heartedly. Until I saw the POA website I had never heard of POA. My experience with the volunteers was fantastic. Everyone was helpful and made the whole process a dream.

I was very specific with my needs with POA and was pleasantly surprised when I was told a cat would be a great fit as she is an open floor cat because she leaves others alone. This was not true and the official stance taken by POA is that they have no idea what their cats personalities are. POA later advised me that another cat might be a better fit and they would be willing to work with me in trying to find the right match or to better accommodate my pet without paying an additional rehoming fee. Update: POA has stolen my cat and refuses to return her. They have been employing deceitful tactics not only to rehome their pets, but to require them. They have been urging me to surrender her and after refusing they called my landlord and had him change his mind about allowing cats in the home. If you adopt from here, be sure to NEVER go back Update: contacted local authorities to attempt to retrieve my stolen pet. When they arrived PoA made false accusation of animal cruelty and lied to law enforcement by making false claims of statements I made. Currently pursuing a civil suit

We sponsor a cat from POA. We can't adopt till his healthy issues are resolved, but he is in his permanent home WITH US!

Update #2! I adopted a kitty in 2019 and left a review around that time. Sadly he had passed on from leukemia and I went back to POA because of the amazing experience I had there before. Mind you, I did try other shelters at first just to get a comparison, and no one matched POA’s cleanliness, organization, and professionalism. I still can’t believe this is run by all volunteers- you’d think they were getting paid with how thorough they are! Anyway, this was amid Covid precautions so things were very different than the last time I was there. All communication was done over email and was a bit slow. I don’t think I got in until about a month from my first email (maybe a little less?) but I was clear about the personality of cat I wanted and sent them the forms they needed to process. They got back to me about a cat they thought matched my needs and we set up a date. Not sure if they’re still doing it this way, but you are only allowed to visit with one cat when you visit... (not really sure why)! It was a quick and easy process, and I suppose if you don’t like the cat you can just set up another time to visit another cat. The good thing about this process is that the cat you choose is reserved for you! So I wasn’t anxious about this kitty being adopted before I got there! I also liked having my own appointment time, so pros and cons! Attached picture is the cat I adopted. He helped me in my grief of losing my first cat, Severus, and I named my new boy Lupin (can I get a shout out from my fellow Harry Potter fans?!). As an update for POA on Lupin (Kris was his name before), he is just as amazing as when I came to visit him. He gets so hyped when you pet him that he rolls over for BELLY rubs (didn’t know cats could even like that) and kneads the air as he purrs softly. Lupin still follows us around the house and has an absolute love for soft blankets and for some reason my husband’s clothes he leaves on the floor... I thought perhaps that would get my husband to stop this annoying habit but he thinks it’s adorable! :D Hehe! Some may find Lupin’s constant talking annoying, but we love that he’s so vocal because it means he’s talking to us! We are just so happy (including Lupin) and want to thank you for all that you do!

Completed an application and only heard back two times, once right after I applied for clarification on pet age, and once two weeks later when I asked for an update on the status on the application. The response was they were still reviewing. Three weeks after that still no update so I went with another agency and was able to adopt in a week. I would not recommend.

I ran a town-wide food and supply drive for POA in 2017 and 2018. I recently decided it was time to add a new kitty to my home, so naturally I reached out to POA, as I felt I already had some sort of connection with them. Boy was I wrong. No good deed goes unpunished I guess. Many MANY weeks ago I fell in love with a cat named Hemingway and filled out an application. I didn't hear back from POA for a little while so I reached out via email and asked what the status of my application was. I EVENTUALLY received a response (a pretty unprofessionally written one, at that) to the effect of: "we called your vet and your resident cat isn't up-to-date on vaccinations. Sorry" I asked them what clinic they called because they definitely didn't call my clinic.... so I re-provided the contact information for my veterinarian, as well as copies of my cat's rabies certificate, rabies number, and photo of her rabies tag... And the next email response I received said everything was in good order, and to come down to the shelter the upcoming Saturday when they were open. No "sorry we ghosted you on false pretenses". A couple of days before going to the shelter I get an email from POA stating that I cannot see him because he is sick with an upper respiratory infection. After that I emailed to check on him every couple of days, and every time they said he was still sick but they would let me know when he was better. The final time I emailed about him they told me that he was adopted out THE DAY BEFORE. They legitimately led me on and straight up lied about letting me know when he was better. I was a vet tech for 6 years and have worked for 7 different animal rescues (domestic, wild, and farm) in 4 different states over the last 11 years. This is the most unprofessional rescue I've ever dealt with. What a mess. Needless to say I have since rescued a beautiful little boy elsewhere, and with much less heartache and hassle.

Got my cat from here. Pretty sure he's the one featured in the photos. A sweet boy, I'm glad we got him. Don't worry, he looks fat in this photo but its all fur. He is a healthy weight.

Wonderful organization to volunteer for. Happy, well cared for cats in a very well kept building. Adopt, dont shop!

Some of the most caring people helping place wonderful animals. Highly recommend.

Amazing people that volunteer and help with any animal in need and helps owners of loving pets when they can. 100 recommend this place and people for any rescue needs

Hands down the best, most caring, well organized, clean, structured, meticulously maintained, with the absolute nicest, best in class staff and volunteers, rescue organization, period. I adopted my very first cat from Protectors of Animals back in 2002, and have continued to use them for more adoptions (3 more ????) over the years as I wouldn't trust anywhere else. They take their time to work with you, and find you a great cat that will fit into your home. All cats are completely vetted before they leave the shelter and go to their furever home. Which includes rabies vaccine, spay or neuter, tested for feline leukemia & FIV, given distemper vaccine, a dewormer, treated for fleas & ticks, and the super icing on the cake.... they're microchipped! All that would run you waaaaay over what they charge for a donation adoption fee. If you're looking to adopt, don't go anywhere else but Protectors of Animals.

0 stars they can't place animals because they are way too stringent!!! Their rules and coming to your home is ridiculous!!!

Can't say enough about how good POA is for helping homeless cats and dogs. We have adopted 2 cats from them and my daughter just adopted 2 kittens from them.