House of Mews

A Gaither

2024-01

Please be cautious of The House of Mews!Leaving my review here since it has been deleted from Facebook by the business. I have also been blocked following the review and it seems to follow the trend of “you’ll be blocked over a review that is not up to their liking.”The review:“I was trying to help my aunt, who completed the form and was emailed back on the excitement of her interest, and we were met with disappointment in The House of Mews.We visited on the OPEN adoption day, 12/30/2023, and was left speechless. The helper wouldn't even look at the email or the adoption form we mentioned was sent prior to our visit. After being recommended this place we are shocked to have been met with a place that shows no intention of finding'furbabies' a forever home. Will not be recommending to others in their search after this stunned experience.”This review was met with retaliation from the company with the threat of letting other rescues in the area know to not initiate adoptions with us because we were apparently traumatizing and tried to force an adoption which is not what occurred on the open adoption day. We are just shocked and saddened from our experience and hope the best for the animals in their care as the place reeked of urine and other animal smells which just seemed unsanitary.

S. B.

2018-05

I just love watching the Cats sleeping and climbing through the windows! They have the coolest cat poster on the wall of a cat in full Fisherman's gear with a fish on its hook:)It's open at different times so call first if you want to go in! And they always have need of monetary and non monetary gifts^:^ *************** UPDATE ******1st time actually in the place, and the odor that wafts through the mail opening hits you with full force, The blonde lady @ the counter was snippy and bordeline rude, I made a comment about the hours, and that it was the 1st time we found it open when we're on that end of town and she made a snarky, toned comment about the hours being posted on the door. I believe their hours have changed within the last year. I've since learned she is the founder. Kudos to her for the work that's being done to protect and rehouse those beautiful Cats, but customer service training and some fabuloso might be in order.

Oshane Clarke

2024-05

They be holding on to cats and never let u adopt them, they have old pictures of when there kittens but when u visit they are adults.

anahita molavi

2023-05

Cute cats, social and friendly ☺️ the owners are also very welcoming. I didn't adopt any cat though today.

Gemmie U

2023-05

I emailed the owner ahead of time for a lovely cat by the name of Tuesday that i had seen the night before on a petfinder website. I get there and could tell the owner did not think i was good enough. She has me fill out another application because the one i filled out online was confusing according to her(I admit that was my mistake). Once im done she has a volunteer come and ask me questions and she completely ignores me the whole time im there until it was time to leave. I stayed there from 2:26 to closing and didn’t get to adopt her. I thought finding a kitty was supposed to be a surreal and happy moment and it wasn’t. I was sad, uncomfortable and felt alienated the whole time. I don’t think I’ll be coming back ever, and i hope those kitties don’t have to stay there for much longer. The only time she really engaged with me was when my sister left a donation for the cats. My advice? Go to another adoption center

Carolyn Peepall

2023-10

Stopped by during the Cooper Young festival, paid the requested donation at the door and the smell was so overwhelming I had to leave!Please reach out to the shelter folks to assist with cleaning protocols and hygiene maintenance.

Katherine Greene

2020-05

This place has not changed in over a decade. The cats are treated pretty well, and have a pretty cool place to explore and lounge around in until they MIGHT be adopted. The owner of this place has been consistently rude. She is more like a cat hoarder than a rescuer and this place is just where she can keep them. She consistently ignores part of the whole rescue mission which is education. Instead of vetting potential adopters and volunteers for their potential to be a good home, she just decides whether or not you are up to her standards. And chances are, even if you are a good cat owner, you will not meet her arbitrarily high standards. I see a lot of people on here commenting about rude workers, and chances are they have actually dealt with the owner herself. If this place really cared about re-homing rescued cats and not just sheltering them for as long as possible, they would work to improve in their capacity to educate potential adopters without immediate judgement. Plenty of people out there make WONDERFUL homes for rescued animals even beginners. Everyone has to start somewhere and working towards the goals of an actual rescue would include pairing people with a cat that is a good fit for their home, EVEN if they are first time cat owners. Rejecting people at every opportunity simply because they need some guidance and direction is not the way rescue should work.

Amanda Ashe

2020-05

Absolutely wonderful place. Miss Elain was sweet and knowledgeable. We were given time to explore the personalities of different cats until one lovely kitty chose my daughter. The adoption was quick and easy but very thorough. She really loves her cats and they love her, too. The building was clean and the kitties were healthy. All around great experience.

Jessica Van Gurp

2014-05

I walked into this place and was delighted, I loved all the cats roaming around and they all looked healthy and well groomed. I started looking around at the cats and found one that I particularly loved! I continued to ask the owner if I could take her out of her cage to pet her and she just stared me down and ignored me...after about 10 minutes of her conversing with one of the other shop owners she finally said that I had to fill out some application before I was allowed to. I filled out the application and she continued to ask me all kinds of questions. She thinks she is a know it all about cats but, quite frankly, a lot of the things she was telling me was incorrect. After the 21 questions were over she let me hold the cat I had been looking at. She was a beautiful cat and I instantly fell in love. She had the perfect personality that I was wanting and it just seemed the perfect match. After the woman let me hold her for about 20 minutes she then continues to tell me that she isn't going to let me have that cat. Seriously?! For a business owner she sure doesn't have ANY customer service skills. I would have loved to have adopted a cat from her business but I doubt I will ever step foot in there again after the way she treated me. I think someone needs to tell her what a rude and heartless person she is and to let someone else run the counter.

Laura Littles

2017-05

Wow. The woman that runs the place is crazy! I called to ask if it were possible for her to take in a kitten that I found in my A/C ducts. Her immediate response in a very mean tone was "Why don't you keep it!" I tried explaining to her that I have seven already, three of which are kittens that I have rescued and am trying to find homes. This baby needs more attention and has to be bottle fed. I am not able to be home all day to feed it and look after it. She immediately got an attitude and started talking about irresponsible pet owners and how its not the cats fault it was born..People are horrible and don't spay and neuter... The cat can't do surgery on itself! Just the way she was talking to me like I was dirt made me wonder how this woman even had the compassion in her to take care of these animals. I would never recommend this place to anyone!

Danielle

2013-05

My husband and I go look at the kitties at House of Mews every time we are in the area. However, it is usually closed and the times posted on the door are not up to date. We were delighted when we finally went by and it was open so we could go in. The cats were all friendly and well-groomed. The place is gorgeous and whimsical.Unfortunately, the owner is extremely rude and acts like her customers are an inconvenience. When I asked if they had any sort of plan to help one of the overweight cats become more healthy, she snapped at me "And how would we do that?". I understand that they do not have the time and resources to do so, but there was no reason for a rude answer. Everytime I asked a question she acted like she was annoyed. My husband and I were thinking about adopting a cat and talked about how everyone wanted a kitten and the older cats tend to get ignored. For this reason, I sought out the oldest cat in the store and started petting him and talking to him. He was wonderful and very friendly. I said to the owner, "I assume he's fixed." and she responded "He's running loose with other cats, of course he's fixed." Again, bad customer service. A simple "Yes, of course." would have sufficed. Then I asked if he got along well with the other cats. We have a cat at home already, so this is important. She was quiet for a few minutes, then raised her eyebrows and said "What do you think? He's out here on the floor, he gets along with the other cats". At this point, I couldn't take anymore and I immediately turned around and left. I understand that he is not aggressive to the other cats or he would not be running loose, but I wanted to know more details, such as if he was outgoing, playful, if he was bonded to any of the other cats, etc. I think these are important things to know before you adopt a cat. Shame on me for trying to be a responsible pet owner.Because of this woman's rudeness, my husband and I left with no cat and no cat toys (they have a cool bird toy that we were considering getting for our cat). I will not recommend this place to anyone, I will not volunteer for them, I will not donate to them, and I will not participate in any of their fundraisers. The owner needs to hire someone with a soul to interact with prospective customers while she stays in the back room.

Emelia Hawk

2021-05

I appreciate all the effort and care Elain puts into talking care of her kitties to make certain they go to good, safe homes. I adopted a kitty from HOM seven years ago. When the time came to find another kitty as a companion to the first one, I approached HOM, even though it was closed due to Covid-19. Since I wasn't certain how long it would take to make contact I made inquiries about another couple of kittens elsewhere. I happened to be chosen to take a kitten from another location. As I drove home after having picked the little boy up, Elain called to set up a meeting at HOM. When she found out I had a kitten from another place she did not disconnect or become irritated with me. She spent the next 2.5 hours texting with me, giving me advice and answering my questions on how best to take care of the kitten I had just brought to my home that was not from HOM. I have read these negative comments. Elain reads people well and knows if she feels she can trust you to take proper care of a kitty. If she knows it doesn't feel right, she will decide in the best interest of the kitty. That is her calling.

Joshua First

2019-05

My family and I walk by this place all the time and look at all the cats. Once, we went in, and my son who loves cats had a question about one of them, and the woman there was on her phone and said, "I'm busy" rather than answering his question. My immediate thought was that she doesn't like children, but then I read the rest of the reviews and its seems that perhaps she doesn't like people more generally. :)

Lorie Robison

2020-05

I’ve tried reaching out to them.I have a stray Cat, I’ve named Rio who’s very sweet, but unpredictable at times.I’d like to get her spayed, but I’m afraid to pick her up as she scratched my hand once and it swelled up.She has babies and brings them to me.One I adopted, two I had a friend in Georgia who adopted them and a few weeks ago she came to my house with one baby. A white kitten who’s eyes just opened.He’s got beautiful blue eyes.I reached out to them last year and they never responded to me.I get that they are probably overloaded, but as cat lovers, I’d expect them to reach out to help one who’s just trying to get help for the stray and help me try to find a loving home for her kitten.I can’t find anyone in Memphis who cares.I have a job that takes me out of the Country every week.I’d think the House of Mews would at least reach out to help.

Lia Yakumithis

2017-05

The smell was HORRIFYING. We were there for a grand total of 5 minutes and our clothes and hair wreaked of cats the rest of the day. The lady's response was that there were 30 litter boxes, so of course there will be some smell. Really? Because no cat shelter or boarding facility that I've been to has ever smelled like that. Also, there has to be a better system to get people in and out without kitties escaping other than yelling at them as they walk in.

Peggy Copen

2014-05

My husband and I just returned from the House of Mews. Our cat of 18 years died last week and we have started a search for a kitten. We were totally shocked and unprepared for the cold, rude, and accusatory response to our questions by the woman in the shop. As I filled out the form, My husband when over to look at the caged kittens. When he lifted his hand to touch the kitten who was sticking his paw from the bars, the woman barked "Can't you read signs - use the Purell - the kittens are sick. My husband inquired what was the matter and she said sharply, " Are you a Doctor?" When I finished filling out the form, she said that they couldn't let us adopt because I had marked on the sheet that the cat could be an indoor and outdoor cat. "We don"t let people adopt who let their cats outside." Our hearts were heavy going in and were even heavier leaving. I feel sorry for the cats in there with such a mean and arrogant person in charge. The public should know.

Alex Klatt

2018-05

I have had 8 cats throughout my life, and am proud to say that they all have had very healthy and happy lives. I went here not to adopt, but to play with all the loving cats. As anyone would expect, I couldn't help but fall in love with one of the kittens. As I was filling out the application, and throughout the process in general I had horrible service. After a while of not hearing from them, I called to check on the status of the application. Come to find out I had been declined because my cats are "inside and outside cats". No wonder this place is overflowing with cats, they refuse to adopt them out. Good luck to anyone trying to adopt here.

Anje Gip

2018-05

Visiting from Nashville, and a lover of cats, I decided to pop in here when I noticed the shop across the street from Burke's bookstore. I didn't stay a single minute. The odor singed my nose hairs. Will not come back unless the smell is fixed. There is no excuse for the place to smell of pure ammonia secondary to cat urine. If a litter box is cleaned every day, then there is no smell. It's quite simple.

Lauren Storm

2019-05

Those cats look like they haven’t been brushed or washed in months, smelled like it to. Almost left because of the smell alone. Cat fur was everywhere and the woman there was on her phone the whole time. I wasn’t even bothered that she didn’t greet me, but at least do more than look at who comes in and go back to your phone.

Peter Pablo

2017-05

The owner is a mean and nasty woman. I was there looking at the cats and a woman came in and told her that her kids wanted to drop off a $10 donation and she scared them. The owner then proceeded to give this woman a lecture on how kids can't come in without parents instead of being grateful she came in regardless of how her children were treated. I asked her what did the collars on the cats mean and she snapped, you didn't hear me tell the other woman! I would strongly suggest you avoid the owner at at costs. She's a rude nasty, vile woman...poor cats.

Alfred Bryan

2020-05

My family and I stopped in because it seemed like a wonderful business and we were drawn in by the cats in the window. Upon entering, I noticed an older woman glaring at my children. Noticing that they were not doing anything inappropriate, I looked at her to say hi. Her immediate response was to say "hurry up and close the door, there are cats in here" - so I turned around to observe the closed door behind me, and we'd entered quite efficiently (we're cat people - we get doors!). I gestered to the closed nature of the door and she began ranting about how no one respects the need to close the door quickly. I realized quickly that she just wanted to be angry, and I was in an unfriendly, mentally ill environment. I suggest caution.

Missy Norber

2018-05

The owner Elain is very Rude and not helpful with adoptions. She is very impatient and judgemental and stated she would not get the cat for me. The place smelled so bad it was hard to breath and my cloths and hair still smells after leaving there an hour ago. I am surprised this place stays open with the poor customer service. We love animals and have rescued many in ours lives that lived long spoiled happy lives. Consider other places, but please don't buy. Adoption us the best way.

Colby

2021-05

Lived in midtown for years and always knew of House of Mews. Now that I’m an adult with my own place and finances I can now provide a forever home for a cat to help keep me company through this pandemic. When I emailed this owner initially their response was within 24 hours fast. Now, almost a week after sending my application, complete silence. Just unprofessional in my opinion. Seems like it’s very rare people get to adopt from this “organization.” If you’re looking to adopt don’t get your hopes up or waste any time here and just try somewhere else like Mewtopia

Ashley King

2012-05

The House of Mews is a very wonderful place which I very much enjoyed. My experience although with the service was absolutely terrifying. The lady in the store was elderly with gray hair. Seemed nice at first until she came up to the front. She was very very rude & cruel. She spoke to me with hate & questioned my knowledge on certain things. She told me that she felt sorry for me & was worried about my lack of knowledge on cats being nudered & spained. She belittled me & made me very sad that day. The place is too nice for someone of that nature to be working there or better yet even owning her own business. I'm still bothered by my experience there & even wanted to cry because of how poorly I was treated. She spoke to me like I was made of trash ready to be thrown away. My bf was with me & he couldn't take it anymore & started speaking up for me saying that she had been rude to us since we first walked in. We left but being treated that way made me realize that racism is real. That was my first racist experience I ever had & It changed my perception on a lot of things. I never got rude back with her I just left with a smile on my face because ppl like that don't have love in their life or a genuine heart & someone has to give it to them. I was really traumatized by this experience & don't even want to go near that side of town ever again. Then again I can't say that she was racist, maybe just a mean ole lady in general. If you go I hope your experience is better than mines because the cats are absolutely beautiful. Thanks for reading

Magic Mongoose

2016-05

Beware. The onwner is a bitchzilla. Crazy cat hoarders.... these poor animals are in prison. This is not a sanctuary for cats, it's a hell. I wanted to adopt a kitten the week before last and I was rudely interrupted by how ' You wouldn't be a good cat owner because you own a ferret, you are cruel to animals.' How am I cruel to animals if I own a ferret and want to keep him some company by adopting a kitten? Ferrets and cats get along just fine. These she devils just want to collect cash for riches. They don't care about the animals. It really breaks my heart. Someone need a to expose these evil women.

Eliz Holliday

2014-05

Just can't get over the owner Elaine's hostile attitude. You realize that people who set foot in your shop are cat lovers, right? They want the same thing you do - a happy loving and safe home for each one. Philosophy on how that is achieved my differ, but the wanted outcome is the same. Fine to firmly believe in your way, and choose not to adopt to those who differ - but why the hostility? Uncalled for. Makes me sad to know how many times that attitude has stomped all over potential donations, volunteer work, fund raising, etc. Makes me sad for the kitties. We fellow cat lovers are thankful to you for what you are doing. Hopefully you are doing well enough that you can continue to enjoy being so self-righteous.

A A

2017-05

Does anyone remember Seinfeld's Soup Nazi? This fictional proprietor of a restaurant had soup so good that he believed he could have a terrible attitude and still have customers lined up. Perhaps that's what's going on here? Remember, employees of an establishment such as this see themselves as primarily oriented towards helping animals. Therefore, they're not going to be as focused on customer service.That said come up my interactions with them have all been pleasant. I've been several times , although never to adopt a cat. I did notice on my last visit that they are currently hiring a new store manager. So soon, the place should be Under New Management.

Kayla T

2019-05

HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE!! I was looking into adopting two brother kittens, and I turned in an application. I was denied request due to the fact I am 18 and they do not adopt to anyone under 21. That’s fair, but I am married to a man who is 22. So he filled out an application. They sent HIM back and email with MY name on it and very rudely made a comment in the email falsely accusing me of faking my age, saying it was me who sent the second request and denying him as well. Very unprofessional and I would not recommend there services to anyone who is very serious in adopting, I feel very sorry for the pets left in there care, wondering if they will ever find there forever families😔

Ryan

2016-05

Cute cats. Owner will lecture you on how only people with large houses should be allowed to own cats, while keeping 40+ cats inside a VERY small shop. She is a cruel, animal hoarder. Someone really needs to report her to PETA.

cat Harris

2020-05

We live up the street an for the last past two weeks we have been going on the days the paper said today i got there we stood at the door a min lady even looked at us. Walking back to the car I called to see if they were open she had an attitude the whole time she was on the phone with me . They we're late which is understandable but there is no need to be upset with me . Lady you stood an looked at us not once did you say hold on or sorry we're running a little behind you rolled your eyes . Don't know if it's because my child was at the door or wat but you want people to make homes for your babies but you can't even get people threw the door.yall are never open the animal shelter open more than you.