How to Adopt a Cat or Kitten from The Chilliwack Animal Safe Haven

The Chilliwack Animal Safe Haven handles adoptions by appointment only, and the process starts online. You begin by filling out the adoption application on their website; the shelter then reviews it and contacts you by email to book an appointment. Adoptable cats and kittens are posted on their Petfinder page, but the shelter notes that it often receives several applications per cat, so the one you want may already be adopted by the time you apply.

Before You Apply

• Check the current cats first. Adoptable cats and kittens are listed on the Safe Haven's Petfinder page. Browse there to see who is available before starting an application.
• Expect competition. The shelter states plainly that it often receives several applications for each cat. A cat you are interested in may have just been adopted.
• Keep an open mind. The same notice encourages applicants not to despair, since many other cats are waiting to meet people.
• Understand what the shelter is. The Chilliwack Animal Safe Haven Society is a registered Canadian charity and animal welfare organization, supported solely by donations, grants, and sponsorships. It focuses on saving homeless cats and kittens, adopting pets into loving homes, and helping pets stay in loving homes.

The Adoption Process, Step by Step

1. Fill out the online application

The appointment booking and the adoption process both begin with the online application form on the shelter's website. This is the required first step — nothing is scheduled until the application is submitted.

2. Wait for review and an email

Once your application has been submitted, the shelter reviews it and contacts you via email to book an appointment. The next move is theirs, so watch the email address you provided.

3. Book and attend your appointment

Adoptions and visits happen by appointment only. Come at your scheduled time.

4. Do not contact the shelter outside the process

The shelter's instructions are explicit: please don't call, email, or show up without an appointment. Submitting the application is what starts the process, not a phone call or a drop-in visit.

Hours of Operation

These hours are listed as by appointment only, so treat them as the window in which appointments are scheduled rather than as drop-in visiting times.

Common Sticking Points

• Applying for a cat that's already taken. Because multiple applications arrive for the same cat, your application may not lead to that particular match. The shelter's own advice is to look at the other cats available.
• Trying to call or visit first. The shelter asks people not to call, email, or arrive without an appointment. If you skip the application, you skip the step that triggers everything else.
• Missing the email reply. Since appointment booking happens by email, a filtered or unmonitored inbox can stall your application.
• Forgetting the stray hold. The site maintains a "Cats Currently on Stray Hold in Shelter" page, powered by Shelterluv, which reflects cats being held rather than cats ready for adoption — worth knowing if a cat you saw elsewhere isn't on the adoptable list.

If You Want to Help Without Adopting

The Safe Haven also lists volunteer opportunities and fundraising, and notes that it is grateful for assistance from people who want to volunteer or help in other ways. Donation options are listed on the site. Community businesses that donate are thanked on the page as well.