Frederick Friends of Our County Animal Shelter
Our Mission
Our mission is to support and facilitate the lifesaving work of our local county shelter (Frederick County Animal Control) by providing the resources to:
- treat and rehabilitate animals with medical and behavioral needs who might otherwise have to be humanely euthanized;
- enrich the shelter environment and reduce the amount of time any animal stays in the shelter, minimizing the chance for new behavior or health problems to develop;
- recruit volunteers and foster care providers who are able to work with special needs animals; and
- help families keep the pets they have and avoid surrendering pets to the shelter.
We serve as a safety net for the homeless pets of Frederick County. To help achieve our mission, we have a rescue program (Cats with Character) as well as a shelter intake prevention program (Project Hope). We work closely with our shelter's barn cat program, Barn Cat Buddies. Through Project Hope, we are sometimes asked to help rehome animals who are still living with their owners.
On our Petfinder page, you will find our available cats and kittens, kitties who came through Barn Cat Buddies but who would do well in an indoor home, and animals coming through Project Hope who are looking for a new home.
Adoption Policy
Our adoption process for FFOCAS and Barn Cat Buddies cats and kittens consists of the following steps:
1. Applicant requests application (from ffocas4pets@gmail.com).
2. Our volunteers process the application. Our screening process includes calling your personal reference, your current vet (if any), and your landlord (for renters) as well as a search on a publicly accessible database of criminal court cases to ensure an absence of animal cruelty or violent crimes.
3. Conversation/interview. This is a chance for both parties (rescue volunteer and applicant) to ask questions and discuss any concerns.
4. Virtual home visit. We may conduct this via zoom simultaneously with the interview/conversation, but if this is not feasible, we will figure out something that works for the applicant. The home visit is meant to help us point out any potential safety issues and to make suggestions to help the pet adjust to the new home.
5. The applicant may request a virtual meet n greet with the pet(s) of interest and we will do our best to accommodate. In some cases, cats/kittens may be brought to an in-person adoption event to meet potential adopters, though we caution adopters that most cats and kittens do not show their true personalities at such events.
6. Once the application is approved and we and the applicant agree on a cat(s) or kitten(s) that are likely to be a good fit for the adopter, we will arrange for delivery of the pet(s) to the adopter or the adopter may pick up their new pet(s) at an adoption event.
7. We do not require updates but we LOVE to get them; please send us pictures and updates. Often. :-)
8. If at any time, an adopter determines that they cannot keep the animal, we ask that they contact us (ffocas4pets@gmail.com) so that we may take the animal back or help to safely rehome the animal.
Project Hope animals (designated by "Courtesy Post" on their listings) do not belong to FFOCAS or Barn Cat Buddies; they are still in the custody and care of the owners wishing to rehome them. For these pets, the process starts with an application but the remaining steps may vary according to the wishes of the rehoming owner. We facilitate, advise, conduct our criminal background check, and we do our best to help answer adopters' questions, but we do not dictate to the animal's current owner which steps they should follow or which applicant they should choose.