An animal rescue in New York is facing backlash after announcing that MAGA supporters, conservatives, and people who describe themselves as “not political” are not welcome to adopt its kittens.
Itty Bitty City Kitties, a nonprofit rescue based in Rockaway Beach, New York City, announced the policy in a Facebook post that quickly drew criticism online.
The rescue went on to state that it would not accept adoption requests from MAGA supporters, conservatives, or people who describe themselves as not political. “That’s it. That’s the policy. MAGA? Nope. Conservative Nope. ‘I’m not political’? Nice loophole. Still nope.”
They then described the type of adopters they were looking for. “These kittens are looking for homes with a tote bag collection, oat milk, an aggressively progressive group chat, a compost bin, NPR playing somewhere in the background, and someone who has rage-donated to mutual aid at least once,” they wrote.
The rescue also said it would reject applicants whose political views involve what it described as racism, bigotry, “dehumanizing immigrants,” or cruelty toward vulnerable people. “If your politics involve racism, bigotry, dehumanizing immigrants, or cheering on cruelty toward vulnerable people, please kindly [expletive] right off,” they added.
The rescue didn’t stop there, referring to MAGA supporters as “cult members.” They wrote in the post, “For those spouting about cats ‘not knowing about politics’… I actually asked the kittens if they’d be open to homes with Cult Members and the overwhelming response was, ‘absolutely the [expletive] not.’”
Finally, the rescue said that adoption applications are only open to people whose values align with its own. It also said that references would be checked to make sure applicants are not “a racist piece of [expletive].”
Itty Bitty City Kitties identifies itself as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and is listed among New York State’s registered pet rescues. That status led some critics to question whether the policy could create problems for the organization.
However, federal rules restricting political activity by 501(c)(3) organizations specifically prohibit participating or intervening in campaigns for or against candidates for public office. TNS has found no indication that the IRS, a court, or another government agency has determined that the rescue’s adoption policy violates the law or threatens its nonprofit status.
New York Rescue Defends Its Adoption Policy
Itty Bitty City Kitties has since defended its approach to screening potential adopters. Director Samantha Knox said the rescue’s main responsibility is to ensure its animals are placed in safe, compassionate homes. She said the organization considers an applicant’s public conduct and values and argued that a history of celebrating harm or abuse could raise concerns about whether someone is suitable to care for an animal.
Knox also said the rescue does not screen applicants based on registered political party affiliation, describing MAGA as a political movement and ideology rather than a political party. She said adoption decisions instead consider factors such as conduct, values, and animal safety.
PETA disagreed with the policy, arguing that political affiliation is not a reliable way to determine whether someone will be a responsible pet owner and urging the rescue to reconsider the restriction.
Viewers Slam New York Animal Rescue Over Adoption Policy
Many viewers criticized the New York animal rescue over its adoption policy. Some also called for the organization to face consequences. One person said, “As someone who has fostered kittens from the local shelter for nearly 10 years, I find this disgusting. Rescue and fostering are about the animals, not the people,” one viewer wrote, adding that the rescue was now on their “do not donate list.”
More people continued criticizing the rescue and its adoption policy. One person said, “you’d think these people would prioritize getting homes for stray animals – pets waiting to be adopted but they would rather prioritize themselves. Horrible human beings that think somehow they are good people.”
The rescue doesn’t appear to be backing away from its screening practices despite the backlash. While critics argue that finding safe homes for the kittens should come before politics, Itty Bitty City Kitties maintains that an applicant’s conduct and values can help determine whether an animal will be placed in a safe home.
