Cedar Rapids Animal Care and Control

Kayla Mathews

2023-12

This shelter is very clean and well kept, the staff was also very friendly, even though I showed up last second with my other dog so he could meet Finn, the husky we adopted. That staff wasn't super knowledgeable about every question I asked, but that's okay because it can be tricky to know all of a dogs quirks without them living in your home.I had a great experience meeting Finn, he was SUPER hyper at first and didn't care about me or the kiddos but I don't blame him! We took him home after he meet my other dog and never looked back! He's the sweetest guy ever though he may look intimidating because of the marks on his face, he's got a mushy heart that just wants to be loved.

Nina

2023-12

My experience with Cedar Rapids Animal Control and Care was absolutely fantastic. We have been looking to add to our fur family for months, checking shelters every single day. One Wednesday afternoon, I refreshed PetFinder and saw two blue eyed beauties named Wonton and Rangoon, presumably sisters. I sent in my application immediately, having missed out on many animals in the past I knew I had to act fast, and called the shelter to confirm they received it. I had the pleasure of speaking with Kelly, who was so professional and knowledgeable. She notified me that she just needed my current cats' rabies vaccine information, but they were about to close for the day and my current vet was already closed so they could not get that sent over in that moment. The next morning, I sent over all the necessary information first thing in the morning and waited for confirmation from Kelly. Once I received that confirmation, I was on the road to Cedar Rapids, Iowa.Upon arrival, almost 4 hours later, I was amazed by the facility. It is modern, clean, and spacious. You can tell that all of the animals are very well taken care of. At the welcome counter, I spoke with Crisstin and she is who walked me through the entire process. Crisstin was very friendly, professional, and knowledgable. She was also so patient with all the questions I had. After meeting Wonton and Rangoon (now Aspen and Alaska), I finished the process with Crisstin, received their paper work (which Crisstin was very thorough in explaining) and some kitten food and toys. Then I was officially on my way home with two little angels.I just want to say a big thank you to the staff of Cedar Rapids Animal Control and Care, especially Kelly and Crisstin. Thank you for accepting out of state adoptions. Thank you for allowing me to adopt these sweet kitty sisters together, they really love each other so much. They chase each other, they sleep cuddled up next to each other, and are overall so happy to have each other's company.And a HUGE thank you for all that you do in saving so many precious animal's lives and giving them the opportunity to have a fresh start in loving homes. It is truly inspiring.If anyone reading this is contemplating adopting from CRACC, please know you will be in fabulous hands.

Peggy Herdlicka

2024-01

Employees were so helpful. The building and rooms for the fur babies were very clean. The adoption of my fur baby went so smoothly Now I am the proud Momma to Pfeiffer Selina my orange/white domestic short hair kitty 🧡💜 She is an absolute joy. Thank you Cedar Rapids Animal Shelter for all you do.

Krisy Coverdill

2024-04

I had to put down my long time fur baby. I must praise their compassion in helping me get through one of the toughest moments in my life. Heck, we had even got him through them a brief 16 years earlier.

Critter Crusaders

2024-02

This is a top quality city shelter that takes in thousands of animals each year... from dogs And cats to exotics, birds and everything in between! An amazing group of advocate professionals saving the most vulnerable pets.

Laurie Bien

2024-01

My friend's daughter up and left her with 9 kitten's. Also her 2 daughters. We went up there and was told they would take them for a 50 dollar each fee. My friend is on social security and can't afford that. So they then told us that they were at capacity. Now 50 dollars each we will take them, just to help a lady out of a situation no room.She even took kitten food.She had 9 and we got it down to 5.

Rachelle Siechert

2024-04

Very helpful staff, clean building, and the animals were taken care of . They had information about them. Would recommend anyone to get a pet from there..

Jen Hamilton

2024-01

I took advantage of the pet adoption special!! I surprised my son with a new kitten!! ( Early Xmas present) The staff was very helpful and the adoption process went very smoothly! The facility is clean and organized!

Autumn Raevyn

2023-10

The center is clean and the animals are well cared for. Staff is friendly. I just wish I could take them all home.

Tamra Crank

2023-05

My husband and I have two cats from these fine folks. They are very nice and friendly people! I definitely would recommend them to anyone looking for an animal. Annie is the bigger one and Lily is the smaller one. 😊💜

Shelby Eipperle

2023-11

Staff is unprofessional and the policy of first come first serve is flippant and arbitrary. At the center of the issue seems to be Kelly, the shelter director.There were two cats posted as available on the morning of the 26th. At 10 am the shelter confirmed on Facebook that the cats were at the shelter and available. At 11:30, myself and one other person were at door waiting for the shelter to open because we were SO excited about adopting these cats. At noon, the doors opened and when we inquired about seeing the respective cats we were interested in and were told that wouldn't be possible despite us both being the first in the door with approved applications.We were told that these cats were being held for a purchaser from Illinois. The director had evidently promised these cats to someone the day before they were formally made available on the shelter's website. Despite the application saying that all adoptions are first COME, first serve. Meanwhile, I had just driven an hour and a half and was the first in the door. Additionally, a 3rd person comes in right behind us who had just driven over 2 hours to get there and informs that she TOO was told that she had an approved application and that she could have the cats.We were told that we could wait two hours to see whether or not this person from Illinois would show and only if she did not would we be able to even see the cats. And we did. We waited until 2 pm. The person from Illinois walked in the door at 1:45. We were not offered an apology, calls to the director have been unreturned, and grievances on the original Facebook post have been hidden from the shelter's timeline.I’m sorry, but conducting your adoptions this way is not in the best interest of the animals, nor is this the practice of an earnest animal shelter. Having policies that are so arbitrary that all it takes to adopt is a lucky-friendly phone call to Kelly and she'll promise you a cat site unseen.

Stephanie King

2024-02

Dirty animals looked in happy staff vary rude feel sorry for anyone that has to deal with them dogs were skinny sick

Integrity

2024-01

The real heros of cedar rapids keeping people and animals safe are animal control. Its a tough job! Thank you for doing it!

Aiden Rohwer-Nutter

2022-05

A huge thank you to the staff and volunteers who helped me find Charlie (aka Dublin)! He is the absolutely sweetest little guy, and his foster mom did a fabulous job socializing him. I am so blessed to have this new addition to my home, and he's getting along great with his new brothers. <3

Melanie Cullinan

2023-10

Awesome experience!! Amazing staff, beautiful facility. Couldn't have asked for a better experience. We drove from Illinois to adopt a persian cat. Great experience, thank you all so much!

Tanja Tirado

2023-06

So, I have only had dealings with one woman at this facility and she was so amazing. My dog is very food aggressive and we are now working with his vet and a behavioralist, but he bit me and was supposed to be quarantined for 10 days. When I called to surrender him, I was extremely sad and upset. She was very caring and supportive. It was nice to have someone understand.

Maureen Nolan

2023-05

We loved our experience of adopting our dog here. The center is clean, bright and inviting. All of the animals seem exceptionally well cared for. Our dog loved her caregivers and was sad to leave them but excited to go to her forever home!

Meghan Oglesby

2023-08

Hi. I hope this message finds it's way to you. I just wanted to give you a month post adoption update. Who would have thought when we got Jackson out of the adoption center area what a cool, fun and interesting cat he turned out to be. He has really opened up to us and has certainly found the cozy spots he loves. Kids call him 'couch potato' because he is always sleeping there. He's greets us when we come home and is very affectionate. I had my doubts about what kind of cat he would be but we are so happy with him.We call him Jack now.Snickers, velcro cat, was move in ready. He made himself at home like he's lived here for years in the first few days. He has also really helped Jack open up to be a cat. They play, clean each other and play again. They both sit on the cat tower and watch birds and rabbit. We call him Chad. Chad is ridiculously silly.My only issue has been them exploring the unfinished part by the HVAC system and getting into the ceiling..hmm cats. So they are banned from that bathroom.I wanted to thank you all for knowing the behaviors of the cats you had on hand so we could adopt cats that would fit in our home.Thank you againMeghan Teesdale and family

emily tillotson

2023-05

This shelter is nice and well kept so it’s a shame the employees are so rude. I went with my dad to adopt a kitten and we talked to a gentleman who said we could pay for the kitty and then come back later that day after getting supplies (litter box, bed, toys, etc.) to pick her up. Everything sounded great so we waited a few minutes for an employee to bring us into a room for a meet and greet with the kitten I chose. Right off the bat this lady was rude. This was our first time adopting a pet so naturally my dad had questions. He was asking about the breed and the age of the kitten to which the employee responded, “How am I supposed to know? I don’t know who the cats parents are.” Umm ok? After a few minutes and several more passive aggressive comments from the employee we decided to go ahead with the adoption. We went up front to do paperwork and my dad let the lady know that we had been told we could leave and then come back to pick up the kitten. She said that was against their policy and that we could leave but they wouldn’t hold the cat and she could be adopted if someone else came in while we were gone. My dad said that a male employee told us otherwise and that we didn’t want someone else to take her because I loved her so much. The woman shrugs and rolls her eyes before saying, “Well that’s just the way it goes. I cant guarantee anything.” At this point we just wanted to take the kitty and get out of there. It clearly wasn’t worth arguing with this lady. I wasn’t upset that they couldn’t hold the cat, it was the fact that this woman was being so mean. Luckily they did give us a litter box and a bag of the food the cat was eating so we could leave her at home with my mom while the two of us got the rest of the supplies. The shelter itself is very nice and there are tons of cute animals but my experience with a rude staff member took away from what should have been a happy experience. I’m not the type of person to leave a bad review and I work in customer service so I understand that sometimes you have bad days. However, it seems like other people have had similar things happen. It really is a shame.

Dave Plehall

2020-05

Great facility & awesome staff. The animals are well cared for.

Jenna Sackett

2020-05

Nova and Chevy love their new home. Thank you so much CRACC

sheri brubaker

2022-05

Our family adopted Tesla! He's the sweetest kitty! The shelter staff were amazing and knowledgeable!! Very nice shelter, so clean. In the future if we need to adopt again we will use this shelter. Was well worth the drive :)

Paige Brown

2023-09

Really loving but customer service at the counter was slow. Granted they had just finished caring for the residents. 1pm plus 15 minutes!

K B

2023-05

We went for their microchip and rabies clinic in April - the low cost service was extremely helpful! The staff were so helpful and friendly and the overall process was very simple!

Molly Neenan

2017-05

We went through this facility to adopt a cat for my father. The experience was good. The facility is clean, the animals are well cared for and the paperwork on each is well organized and great to have to learn about the pet. The process to sit in the visiting room and get to know the cat was so helpful!When talking to the staff, they were a bit short in their response ...maybe too busy...but knew answers to all of the questions we asked. It felt like they are protective of the animals and want what is best for them.If you are looking for a well cared for pet with a history to tell you about it, I would recommend this facility.Take the time, try to work with the staff to understand each other, and give a needy animal a wonderful home.

Lori Willett

2023-05

Chatted with a volunteer. Very warm and knowledgeable. Easy adoption application process. Absolutely beautful, sparkling clean facility. Would give 10 stars if I could.

Amelia DeRynck

2019-05

Wonderful facility. Very nice and well maintained. The staff is friendly. We just adopted our second cat from here. The process was smooth and the woman that we worked with to find the right cat was super helpful. Very appreciative to have had a wonderful experience and such brilliant people fighting the good fight to keep pets off the streets and adopt them to good homes.

Samantha Kragel

2018-05

Had an incredible experience with the staff. They took the time to individually help me and get all of my questions answered. The staff member who helped me could talk about each one like it was a good friend of hers. She made an excellent recommendation and I'll be adopting her suggested cat tomorrow. Their love for the animals is very apparent!

CJ

2021-05

Their receiving / surrender process and staff are horrid.Found a cat, checked its chip and got ahold of the owners who wanted nothing to do with her. Spent 2-3 weeks trying to find a home for kitty among friends / family / coworkers rather than bringing straight to a shelter. Thought we were doing the right thing, and went to bring kitty here after nobody we knew could take her.It took days of calling and talking to different people and verifying info to even get an appointment set up to bring this cat in. We get there and all the doors are locked and there's nobody answering the phones. Leave a voicemail and start to leave, and get a call back that we were supposed to call upon arrival. No notes anywhere around the building stating that, but fine. Get in with kitty and start filling our the form and answering questions. Had stated over the phone we'd had her for 2-3 weeks trying to find a home ourselves, and were never told that was an issue. According to their staff, having an animal for 10 days or more makes it your legal responsibility, and we would need to fill out the surrender forms and pay their surrender fees. Got a "make sure you understand the responsibilities of caring for an animal before taking one in" lecture. Over a stray we were just trying to help.Was called a liar for stating the cat wasn't ours, despite giving them the microchip # and the original owner's phone # to verify for themselves. If you like jumping through hoops, being berated and treated poorly by staff, and getting lectured on animal responsibilities over stray animals... This is the place!

Richard Silva

2023-06

I don't know that much about the place I just took a cat there so it wouldn't get hurt out on the street the guy was nice that help me in the place is clean that's all I know.