Second Hand Purrs Cat Shelter Milwaukee, Wisconsin

This cat shelter does outstanding work. We fostered two kittens (brothers) when the Covid pandemic began. We had never done it before but they coached us thoroughly on how to foster the kittens. It was amazing to watch their growth from being feral and fearful kittens to loving, affectionate, and adoptable kittens. They do all they can to make sure siblings are adopted together, and the kittens (now cats) are doing very well in their new home together. They even share updates with the foster parent when available. It's amazing to watch the person who runs the shelter do her work -- you can tell she's passionate and knows her stuff. Though we currently can't foster, we donate to them when we can. Keep up the amazing work!

My happy place ❤️ even when I stop by to drop off donations, I need to give some love to a couple of sweet kitty's. Everyone there is so helpful and friendly. Warms my heart seeing adoption pending on the cage. Please stop by and adopt or donate. It's a great cause.

They do a lot with a little, I’m sure. However, I stopped by during their open house today and asked to see a cat. The gentleman volunteer went to her cage and was practically fighting with the poor thing to get her out. I had to tell him to please stop and let her settle for a bit. He said sure and left her cage open for me to pet her. First impression, not great. This guy should not be handling cats. The cat settled and while I gently pet and spoke to her, this same volunteer was ‘assisting’ a family looking at kittens. They were going in and out of another room and kept asking to see different kittens. This volunteer just kept switching kittens out and leaving the family in the room alone- with kids. I saw no hand sanitizing between cats. I did not see any of the volunteers there acting as actual adoption counselors. I was floored they let kittens alone in a room without someone in there to answer questions, advise on kitten care, how to interact. At one point the mom came out and said ‘ that one is misbehaving, can we see this one’. ITS A KITTEN!! again, this gentleman volunteer said sure, and switched kittens. No sanitizing between cats. THERE WAS NO COUNSELING GOING ON. Kittens don’t misbehave! Three stars only because I know they’ve been around for a bit, and as stated, do a lot with a little. 0-1 stars for how the volunteers acted.

Great shelter and caring staff

We are grateful for Second Hand Purrs, we found a wonderful Cat. They also checked back round on potential adopting people. They really have the animals best interest. At heart ❤

Awesome people working there. Very informative to with any questions we had

Place looks like a Tavern. Are you open or what?

Disappointed I have been on their website plenty of times and found many kittens i have been interested in. On the website it states if you are interested in adopting, you must schedule an appointment beforehand, (obviously by email I am assuming) since that is all they have provided. I have emailed several times when they post new kittens and not a single response back. Even though i check everyday and email even when they post NEW kittens. I have family friends who have also tried emailing to schedule an appointment, but they respond back with “in order to see the cat, you must make an appointment 2 weeks in advance” even though we check their page everyday and they have new kittens posted so it cannot be possible for me to know 2 weeks in advance? Just doesn’t make sense. Terrible communication. Not sure who’s in charge of responding to their emails. Seems like picking and choosing for me.

Extremely caring, dedicated staff that truly love what they do and love and care not only about their cats but people too. I can barley put into words how happy they made my daughter and I with our recent adoption of the most perfect kitten. Second hand purrs forever changed our lives and our family is complete.

I’ve adopted three cats from SHP. I’m continually impressed by the volunteers and their care for the cats.

Staff were helpful and friendly, cats seemed very well cared for.

In the past I had fostered for Second Hand Purrs and it was a really great experience! It was hard to give the kittens back, but seeing the entire process made me feel so much better. The volunteers are amazing and quite a few have been there for years. I know first hand that they keep it very clean inside, with cages, floors, kitten room and constant laundry. Their adoption process really eased my mind. They charge a fee because the cats are spayed/neutered and up to date on shots. This also helps fund the shelter and all of the medical expenses. I believe it helps determine if someone is really ready to take on the commitment of adopting a cat or kitten. They do a home check, and determine if adopting is going to be a good fit or not for someone. I think this is wonderful because they are looking out for the care and safety of their cats. With a humane society it always worries me if an animal will get a good home or not with no background checking. I turned out to be a foster failure, but highly recommend Second Hand Purrs!! If you are able to foster or adopt, this enables them to rescue more cats/kittens.

Not really dislike. They don't have what I need at this time.

I traveled past Second Hand Purrs on Howell Avenue many times until finally I decided to stop in to see what it is all about.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that it is an all-volunteer, non-profit shelter for cats.  Important to me--  it is also a no-kill shelter. All cats there--  kittens, older cats and even "senior" cats-- are available for adoption.  The facilities are very clean, and the cats are well cared for--  thanks to all the volunteers who do the daily chores of feeding, grooming and cleaning/sanitation.  The facilities are open to the public on Thursdays and Saturdays for you to check out the many cats.  If you have an interest in adopting a cat--  like I did--  stop in at Second Hand Purrs. Yes, I adopted my cat--  thank you Second Hand Purrs.

Adopt from madacc. I reached out hoping to set up an appointment for a kitten listed on their site and never received any response back. I understand this is mostly volunteer run, but this is unprofessional for a shelter who claims its mission is to find forever homes for its animals. Don't waste your time with this shelter. *Edit- reply to response from owner: I most certainly did contact Second Hand Purrs regarding a cat you had listed. Please don't blame your poor correspondence on me. I'm sure all of your volunteers are wonderful, but management/owners/"the board" has no business running a shelter this way. Either way, I ended up with a very sweet kitten from madacc and I do not regret choosing to adopt from them.

Love the fact that this shelter is so clean and spacious. The cats look healthy and happy as they can be living in a cage. From what I've seen the volunteers are very dedicated to the animal's well being. Pay a visit to Second Hand Purrs and see for yourself.

We adopted our beloved cat Banjo from Second Hand Purrs in the summer of 2018. They clearly care very much about their cats and work to keep them happy and healthy. Banjo is very well-behaved and was obviously given a lot of attention before we got him. He loves to play fight but never too hard. He makes every day better and we are endlessly thankful to Second Hand Purrs for bringing Banjo into our lives!

This place is truly wonderful! My family and I have adopted 2 kitties from here and each one has been a perfect, sweet, little bundle of absolute love and joy! Thank you for rescuing all the kitties that you do! Had it not been for your shelter and loving work done there we would not know these precious boys! Thank you again so much! If you’re searching for a kitty please don’t count this place out!

My hubby and I have adopted two wonderful cats from this shelter. They are dedicated to keeping all their cats and kittens healthy and supported and finding them the right forever homes.

I got the best kitty ever from this shelter. The volunteers really get to know the cats and make sure they go to homes they will be happiest in ❤️

Traveled out of my way to this adoption place, terrible service workers were rude, never received a call whether I was eligible to adopt or not. Will go somewhere else

They took in a stray mama and 2 kittens I found. They fostered and found them forever homes and I am so grateful for everything they do!

Second Hand Purrs is a no-kill shelter in Milwaukee and the volunteers there really care about the kittens and cats they place. They make sure that the home is the right fit for their personality and needs. The number of older cats that they have placed into homes is really impressive and people often share pictures of the cats in their forever homes! I have adopted two cats from there and am very happy to have them in my family.

The volunteers at Second Hand Purrs are tireless workers whose dedication is beyond what most people could imagine. Those who criticize have no idea how much work it is to run an animal shelter and have obviously never walked in their shoes. This shelter does their best to make sure cats and kittens go to loving forever homes. I appreciate them very much!

Awesome place! I can't say enough of the staff, the cleanliness and care these animals receive. If I get a 2nd cat, I will definitely come here as they do a thorough job examining the cat/kitten and give the necessary care. I sometimes stop in to ask questions and the staff has always been patient and knowledgeable which is important to me as I do a lot of research on cat issues and behavior. My recent experience was the best possible. I've had a friendly stray visit me (became daily) and I was able to put him on a waiting list - something another no-kill cat shelter could not do. I was preparing myself for a long wait to get this little guy a foster home. I even considered fostering him until then if winter came because I know the staff would support me. Michelle always makes herself available. Beyond all hope, I got a call a short time later as there was an opening. He now has a forever home because of the dedication and hard work of the staff and all volunteers/fosters. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I cried when I left because I was so happy! This experience has made me consider either become a volunteer or become a foster parent myself....we'll see! I know how well they take care of these animals and I would be proud to be a part of their mission. Please visit them...even if you're just curious about having a cat. Bring your questions. They really do take the best care of cats that I have seen (based on my past experience with larger organizations).

I have never met a more caring dedicating place where people will spend there time taking good care of these cats. Without this place kittens and cats out there would not have another 2nd chance of life. A very beautiful place! Just amazing.

Great shelter with dedicated volunteers. I adopted my cats from Second Hand Purrs and they were all well cared for. Highly recommend!

Second Hand Purrs is amazing. They’re a no kill shelter that truly care about the cats. They thoroughly review potential homes, are volunteer run, shelter is clean and just plain a great place. We got two cats from them many years ago. They are the real deal, truly care about the cats and do the right thing.

I can't thank Michelle and second hand purrs enough for their help!! I was taking care of some stray kittens and their mom. The kittens were feral, and I found out too late that a neighbor had trapped and had their mom taken away. I was going to be moving. I contacted second hand purrs for help for them, because they relied on me for food. Michelle reached out and was able to connect me to someone with a farm. The kittens now have a forever home, in a heated room with food. They will also remain together. She also followed up with me throughout this process. I really appreciate the help, the care and concern of these kittens lives. Second hand purrs went above and beyond!!

This business is not for cats it's about the money. You would think they would want to get the cats adopted out, but unless you come up with their rediculous adoption fee your not even a contender. So in the long run getting animals into loving homes isnt the goal. Avoid avoid avoid! Additional info: on top of that if you cared for animals then you wouldn't have directed me to Craigslist! Horrible business.