We only adopt within the Phoenix metropolitan area. If you are out of the area, we recommend searching Petfinder for a pet waiting in a shelter near you, by clicking here.

All of our animals are homeless when they come to us. We don't know their history or pedigree. Breed and descriptions are our best guess, based on appearance and sometimes personality traits. We cannot guarantee their information.

Adopting from Animal Loving Friends starts with a questionnaire to help us to get to know you. If you'd like to be considered for one of our Adoptable Pets, click the Online Adoption Application link in the pet's bio.

Completing the application does not guarantee that you will be selected to adopt an animal from ALF. Adopters are not considered on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you are not selected, it doesn't mean that we don't approve of you as a pet owner. We make every effort to place our animals into the home best suited to each pet. We try hard to give them the best possible chance at staying forever in their new home, and only having to make that change once more after they've come to us.

We will require a home visit by appointment as part of our application process.

We think that if people really understood what declawing is, fewer would do it. Our rescue has decided that we won't adopt to people who declaw and here's why we feel so strongly about it.

Many of us have had declawed cats in rescue because they're urinating outside the box, biting, spraying, hiding, etc. When you compare the damage that can be done by claws, to the damage that can be done by bites, results are often far worse after a declaw. Declawing a cat often causes chronic pain, but because cats are designed to hide their pain, many owners never realize their cat spends its entire life hurting. What the owner does realize is that the cat shows a change in behavior. Many owners choose to relinquish their cat to a shelter, rather than deal with the behaviors that were caused by the irreversible decision to declaw. Worse, some people simply banish the cat to the outdoors, where it is unable to protect itself because it can't climb a tree to escape a predator, and has no claws to defend itself.

We want our pets to remain in their adoptive homes forever, because they are happy, and the adopter is happy.

There are several safe and effective alternatives to declawing, which can be found at your local pet supply store:

• Soft Paws are nail covers that are applied with adhesive and stay on for up to 6 weeks.
• Sticky Paws are adhesive strips that are placed on furniture and other surfaces to keep a cat off.
• Feliway Comfort Zone or other sprays can be administered to furniture as a repellant.
• Ssscat is a motion-activated spray to train your cat to stay away from counters and other locations.
• Scratching posts and pads provide an outlet for cats to claw, a completely natural behavior, a means of marking and communication.
• And plain, old-fashioned trimming of the nails will keep them from damaging "stuff".

For more information, see these educational web sites:

• Declawing.com
• Alternatives to Declawing Your Cat or Kitten.

While we strongly urge you to keep your pet, we will help you to find him another home by offering you a Courtesy Posting. You must meet certain requirements:

• All animals must be tested, vaccinated, and spayed or neutered, at the owner's expense, prior to posting.


• You do not give the animal away for free. A fee of at least $50 is required to ensure that the adopting individual will not bring harm to the animal.


• You must keep the pet safely indoors while it is posted with ALF, screen all interested parties, and select a safe and loving home.


• You must provide us weekly status, and notify us immediately if the animal is adopted or no longer available. If we don't hear from you, we may remove your posting without verification of the current status.

To request a courtesy post, follow the instructions on our FAQ page.

Often an abandoned or homeless animal is seen wandering the streets, trying to survive on its own. It doesn't take long before the animal is fearful, and runs from would-be guardians. In this case, a humane trap can help. Animal Loving Friends owns one of the few humane dog traps in the area. We do make it available for rent with a $300 security deposit, payable in cash only. We are not a business and are unable to accept credit cards or checks. The deposit will be refunded upon return of the trap in the same condition it was when rented.

In addition to the deposit, a rental fee of $10 per day will be charged, to cover wear and tear. Each time the trap comes back to us, it's a little bit more worn, perhaps slightly bent, and eventually will need to be replaced so that we can continue to save more lives.

If you prefer not to rent our trap, you may purchase Model 48F Tru-Catch Folding Dog Trap 48x20x26 from Aces at http://www.animal-care.com/48f.aspx.

We are not an adoption group, and cannot accept animals from the public. You will be responsible for all arrangements for the rescued animal, including transportation, medical treatment, and care of the animal until it is placed into rescue or an adoptive home.

If you rent the trap, it must be for the sole purpose of saving an animal's life. We will not provide a trap for any other reason. Saving a life includes TNR (Trap/Neuter/Return) of a feral animal.

If the trap is not returned on the agreed upon date, we may use the deposit to purchase a replacement trap. We'll attempt to contact you, but cannot wait for a response longer than 3 days after the missed return date. If you don't return our messages, and we have replaced the trap, you agree that the deposit is forfeited.

Animal Loving Friends assumes no liability or responsibility for any injuries or damages that occur while using our trap.

The humane dog trap is heavy when empty, and although it collapses, it is still large. A truck or SUV will be needed to pick up the trap. We don't deliver. When the dog is trapped, it will take two people to pick up the trap, with the dog still inside, and load into the rear of a truck or SUV. The dog should not be taken from the trap until you are in an enclosed area (a vet's office, garage, home, etc.), to prevent escape or injury.

You may contact us for more details, at alfrescue@hotmail.com.

Our cat traps are almost always in use and are therefore not available for rent to the public. Please contact the Spay Neuter Hotline if you need humane cat traps for the TNR (Trap/Neuter/Return) of feral cats. Both their organization and ours only support TNR and will not assist with trapping for any purpose other than to save an animal's life and prevent breeding. We do not support catch and kill or relocation of feral cats.

You may hear many things from different people about how to care for a feral cat colony.

Some say they spay and neuter as early as 13 oz. We've heard claims that a maintained colony will eventually die out and then the vaccuum affect no longer applies. Many believe that relocating a colony is preferred, rather than an absolute last resort. Some say the feral cats come running and beg for food, or that the local business people are feeding them table scraps. We've even heard about people feeding only once per week and doing TNR only twice per year.

Well, we urge you to consider that there are many people doing many things, but not everyone is an expert. And nearly anything can become a controversy. There are as many opinions as there are... well, you know how the saying goes. Everyone's got one.

We urge you to consult the experts, Alley Cat Allies or the Spay Neuter Hotline, and do some research. Become enlightened. Perhaps to you that means meditation, or prayer. Perhaps it's searching the Internet or reading books at the library. Perhaps you ask your own vet, or get a third opinion. Whatever method you choose, at least, please, educate yourself before just simply taking someone else's word for it.

We think it's important to let you know our position. We at Animal Loving Friends do not support relocating ferals. We do believe in removing tame cats from feral colonies, and working to tame kittens so that they too can be placed in loving homes. We have learned from our experts the difference between a feral cat, who is rarely seen and avoids humans at all costs, and a stray cat, who does not have a conventional home but lives in plain sight, interacting with humans for food and other needs. We believe that kittens under the age of 10 weeks can still be tamed, usually pretty easily, and that no animal smaller than 2 lbs or younger than 8 weeks should be altered. Period. We consider the health and well-being of each animal, not just the number of cats in a colony. If that sounds critical or judgemental, well, perhaps it is. We pledge allegiance to the cats first. We are their caretakers, their voices. We do what we believe is the right thing to do, the humane, caring choice for the animals. We don't believe a 13 oz kitten stands much of a chance of survival or health good enough to sustain it through adulthood, if it is surgically altered at that age. And we don't believe the population is being controlled if you don't know how much is being eaten every day, and you're allowing breeding to occur for 6 months at a time.

Again, this is the way we do things, and what we believe is in the best interest of the animals. We ask that every one of you take the time to learn by asking the experts, Alley Cat Allies and the Spay Neuter Hotline, and then decide what you think is best.

You often hear that an organization is funded solely by donations. We would love to be able to state that, but the fact is, ours is almost exclusively funded by ourselves. We care for many feral cat colonies and a handful of special needs, permanent fosters.

Donations mean so very much to us. We acknowledge donations by way of a Thank-You page when payment is made via Paypal, and a thank-you card when sent through the mail. You may receive something from your own financial institution.

Animal Loving Friends is an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) charity. The full amount of your donation is tax-deductible, as allowed by law. Your gift could not be more appreciated!

Rest assured that 100% of all donations we receive go toward altering, treating, and caring for the animals in our charge, and we are very appreciative of each and every cent. When you make a donation to ALF, please be aware that no goods or services can be expected in exchange, and that all donations are final - no refunds will be issued. While we're sure that's your intent, we find it necessary to state it in our policies. We hope that you don't find this offensive in any way.

We thank you for your support and understanding.