About Savage Cats

If you know us at Brewing Good Coffee, you know we are animal lovers. One of our owner’s background is in animal rescue, so when we discovered that our shop’s neighborhood (Savage, Maryland) has a stray cat population, we got to work. 

What happens with the friendly cats and kittens?

We rescue friendly stray cats from the street, provide them veterinary care, including testing, vaccines, microchip, and spay/neuter, and house them in foster homes until they are adopted. Our adoption process is outlined below. 

What happens with the unsocialized cats?

We TNR unsocialized adult cats. TNR (trap-neuter-return) is the process of humanely trapping unsocialized community cats (sometimes called “feral” cats), providing them testing, vaccines, and spay/neuter, returning them to the location they were trapped, and then continuing to manage the colony by regularly feeding and monitoring for illness. Unsocialized cats who have been TNR’d are “ear-tipped”; the tip of one ear (usually the left) is painlessly removed while the cat is under anesthesia during their sterilization surgery. This has no impact on the use of their ear or quality of life and is an important signal that the cat is fixed. 

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Adoption Process

Step 1: Get to know the adoptable Savage Cats

Step 1 of our adoption process is an applicant reviewing the profiles of our adoptable cats and considering who might be a good fit for your family. 

Do you live alone, have cat experience, and enjoy earning a cat’s trust and seeing them blossom? 

One of our shy cats would love to come home with you! 

Do you have an active household with children? 

A confident, playful cat or kitten would fit right in! 

Unless a specific cat’s profile says otherwise, we encourage adopting pairs of cats, especially if no other cats are present in the home. In their first year, kittens are learning lifelong socialization skills from other cats, not to mention expending some of that kitten energy with each other! The companionship of another cat is also a beneficial form of enrichment throughout their lives; they’ll always have a playmate and cuddle-buddy, even if you’re busy or away. Sometimes our Savage Cats will be a bonded pair, and must be adopted together.

Step 2: Fill out an adoption application

You can apply to adopt a specific Savage Cat or you can describe the kind of personality, etc. you’re looking for and we will match-make with one of our current fosters or hang onto your application until we have a good fit for you. 

The three major conditions of adoption are:

(1) All human members of the household must be enthusiastic about the addition of a new cat. All non-human members of the household might not be on-board initially and proper introductions can take time, skill, and patience, but the quality of life of any existing animals in the home is our priority. If they are experiencing undue stress and/or ultimately don’t thrive or at least peacefully coexist with your new addition, we would initiate the return of the Savage Cat to their foster home. 

(2) Adopted Savage Cats must live inside exclusively and never be allowed outdoors unmonitored and/or unrestrained.

(3) Applicants must be able to provide veterinary records showing a minimum of once yearly check-ups for any current or previous animals and must be able to provide veterinary records showing any current or recent animals were or are spayed/neutered and up-to-date on preventatives and "core" vaccinations. 

Yearly check-ups give your veterinarian the chance to examine the things that we can't check (like the sound of our animal's heart, lungs) or don't look super closely at regularly (their teeth, inside their ears) to ensure they are in good shape or that we are catching any problems early. This is especially important with cats because they actively hide that they aren't feeling well as self-protection. 

"Core" vaccines are those that are recommended or required for both dogs and cats. Dogs: heart worm prevention, rabies and DAPP - Distemper, Adenovirus, Parainfluenza, and Parvovirus - vaccines / Cats: rabies and FVRCP - Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Feline Calicivirus, and Feline Panleukopenia - vaccines. Additional vaccines, such as leptospirosis or kennel cough for dogs and FeLV for cats, may be recommended based on an animal's risk of exposure. 

We will call your veterinarian’s office to confirm an applicant is in good standing. If an applicant is a first-time adopter, they must have a veterinary check up scheduled for their new companion prior to adoption, provide us with documentation of that visit, and update us if they change veterinary offices within the first year.

Note: Processing applications takes up to seven days. 

Apply to adopt a Savage Cat!

Step 3: Meet the Savage Cat(s)

All of our adoptable Savage Cats are in foster homes. We host meet-and-greets at the shop once a month, during which time anyone can meet the attending cats and apply to adopt. Cats do not go home same-day at these events, unless an applicant has been pre-approved prior to the event. All human members of a household must meet the cat before adoption is finalized.

Follow us on Instagram @BrewingGoodCoffeeCo or @SavageCatsMD for event announcements.

We also schedule private meetings at the shop with approved applicants any time. We will arrange this with you once your application is received and approved. 

Step 4: Adoption Agreement

We do not have adoption fees, but we do have adoption requirements. These are outlined in our adoption agreement, which is signed on the day a Savage Cat goes to their new home. The agreement covers the requirements of basic daily care, a minimum of yearly veterinary care, and that the cat stays under the care of the signing adopter for the rest of that cat’s life. 

If an adopter is unable or unwilling to continue caring for their adopted cat at any time for any reason, we require that the cat is returned to us. We do not allow the cat to be surrendered to another rescue or shelter or re-homed to an adopter that has not been through our application process. Because we make this lifetime commitment to all our Savage Cats, their microchips are and remain registered to us as the primary contact. 

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Adoptable Cats

All of our adoptable Savage Cats are in foster homes. Get to know them through their profiles and our posts on Instagram (@BrewingGoodCoffeeCo or @SavageCatsMD) and follow us for meet-and-greet event announcements! We will arrange for approved applicants to meet the cat(s) they are interested in. 

Apply to adopt a Savage Cat!

Hoagie

Female

Birthday: May 18, 2024 (approximate)

Medical: spayed, received rabies and FVRCP vaccines, de-wormed, tested negative for FIV/FeLV, microchipped, we are currently investigating why Hoagie has gingivitis and should have an answer in early May 2025 (this is important especially if she is going to live with another cat)

Personality:

Dogs: yes

Other cats: yes

Kids: yes

Her story: We rescued Hoagie from behind The Flats apartment complex in Savage in September 2024. She captured our hearts immediately. She was interested in us and affectionate but it took us a few days to catch her because she kept getting distracted by chasing bugs! Such a sweet, silly girl. She was also about a foot-long and the perfect toasty color, so we started calling her Hoagie. She is immensely gentle with her cat siblings. She will wrestle and play with toys sometimes, but she'd rather cuddle with them. Ideally she would live with another cat so she can continue to share this wonderful aspect of her personality. She's also incredibly affectionate with people and would do well in a quiet or moderately-active home with all ages of equally gentle, cat-savvy people. She currently lives with a moderately-active, cat-friendly large dog.

This is what her foster mom says about her: Hoagie is one of the easiest cats I've ever fostered. She just perfection in every way. I love her sweet, calm personality and her black and white whiskers. A little bit of shyness still exists within her, revealing that she spent the first few months of her life outside with little to no human interaction. For example, if I pet her when she hasn't explicitly approached me for pets, she gets startled, but she turns around and comes right back for more. It is very endearing and I'm eager for her to have a person all to herself. She loves to be held like a baby. She'll come up to me when I'm on the couch and I can just tell that it's "baby time". I'm starting to teach her forehead kisses, which she loves. She likes to cuddle with her foster cat siblings and doesn't mind the dog (who leaves her alone, but they do occasionally boop their noses to each other's). She's not the most playful cat - she's pretty calm - but she does sometimes entertain herself with a fuzzy chirping ball toy and will play if someone else (person or cat) initiates. She has so much love to give and is destined to be someone's soul cat. 

Apply to adopt Hoagie!

 

Tiramisu

Female

Birthday: November 21, 2022 (approximate)

Medical: spayed, received rabies and FVRCP vaccines, de-wormed, tested negative for FIV/FeLV, microchipped

Her story: We rescued Tiramisu and her kitten from The Flats apartment complex in Savage in November 2024. The kitten was already old enough to be adopted and he was. Tiramisu did a great job protecting him until we could rescue them, but they were not bonded and she does not actually like being around other cats! Now she's ready to be adopted into a home with no other animals and be queen of your castle.

Personality and ideal home: Tiramisu was very shut down at first; she was terrified of humans, but she was never aggressive, so we gave her time and she has turned into a different cat! She purrs and makes biscuits whenever she sees me (her foster mom) and loves full-body scritches, including her belly! She is still coming out of her shell and has some boundaries - she doesn't like your face near her face - but she's making progress every day. She's not into toys yet, but she likes her cardboard scratch pads and she has fun with catnip. She mostly likes relaxing in the window in her cat tree. Her ideal home would be on the quiet side, and super ideal would be just one or two cat-experienced adults who have the patience to let her settle in and then be rewarded with her trust.

Dogs: no

Other cats: no 

Kids: 13-year-old+, cat-savvy kids only - she needs all the people in her adoptive family to have the maturity to give her the space she needs

Apply to adopt Tiramisu!

 

Cheesecake

Female

Birthday: September 8, 2023 (approximate)

Medical: spayed, received rabies and FVRCP vaccines, de-wormed, tested negative for FIV/FeLV, microchipped, we are currently investigating why Cheesecake's kittens have gingivitis and should have an answer in early May 2025 (this is important because she likely has whatever underlying issue is causing the gingivitis and it will affect whether she can live with another cat)

Her story: We rescued a heavily pregnant Cheesecake from The Flats apartment complex in Savage in September 2024. Just days later, she gave birth to four healthy kittens who have all been adopted. She was very scared of people after giving birth and defensive of her babies, but after they were weaned and she was spayed, she has calmed down a lot and appreciates the relaxed indoor life. 

Personality and ideal home: Cheesecake likes to be admired from afar. She isn't scared of humans, but doesn't care to play with us and only shows affection when she knows it's mealtime! She will play with small stuffed toys by herself - she likes to carry them around! She mostly likes lounging on plush blankets or in the window/sunshine. Her ideal home would be on the quiet side, because she's a shy girl, and her ideal family would like to have a roommate who doesn't necessarily contribute, but is lovely to look at. 

Dogs: yes - as long as they leave her alone

Other cats: yes (depending on medical results) - she likes hanging out with other cats and gives them sweet head butts of affection 

Kids: 13-year-old+, cat-savvy kids only - she needs all the people in her adoptive family to have the maturity to give her the space she needs

Apply to adopt Cheesecake!

 

Cami

Female

Birthday: September 16, 2022 (approximate)

Medical: spayed, received rabies and FVRCP vaccines, de-wormed, tested negative for FIV/FeLV, microchipped, undergoing recovery from an embedded collar

Her story: Cami showed up on a friend’s doorstep on Washington Street in Savage in early fall 2024. This was beyond serendipitous because, in addition to being dangerously underweight, she was wearing an inappropriate collar that had gotten stuck around her neck and one of her front legs and had caused a severe wound. We got her emergency medical care and identified her former owners, who surrendered her to us. Cami has thrived ever since, warming up to her foster family, being gentle and curious with her cat foster siblings, and starting to show her playful side by batting around toys. 

Personality and ideal home: Cami is very shy with new people and needs a quiet home with a patient family (older kids or no kids) willing to go slow and let her take her time settling into a new home while her body and heart continue to heal and she can settle in on her own timeline. She could live with another calm, friendly cat who isn't interested in playing but just want to hang out and chill together. She could also happily be an only cat. Though she may never be a lap cat, she like to be petted once she trusts you. 

Dogs: prefer not - a dog would likely be too rambunctious a presence for this shy soul

Other cats: yes - one who want to peacefully co-exist, but not play

Kids: 13-year-old+, cat-savvy kids only - she needs all the people in her adoptive family to have the maturity to give her the space she needs

Apply to adopt Cami!

 

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Other Ways You Can Help

Foster

If you aren't in a position to adopt a cat, consider fostering! Savage Cats covers all veterinary and daily care expenses. Please email Karla at karla@brewinggoodcoffeecompany.com to inquire about becoming a foster home for Savage Cats.

Donate

We have an Amazon Wishlist that helps us with daily care supplies for our Savage Cats in foster. In addition to our ten adoptable Savage Cats, we have two more in longer-term foster while we work on their socialization. 

You can also donate to our daily care and veterinary costs via Venmo.

It costs about $55/month in food and litter to care for one cat. Initial veterinary costs for each cat, including spay/neuter, tests, basic treatments (like deworming and flea/tick treatment/prevention), vaccines, and microchip cost $225-$300. 

Spread the Word

All of our Savage Cats have been adopted by Brewing Good Coffee regulars and their friends and family. Let people know who we are and what we do, even if you aren't sure whether they are looking to adopt. You never know when you might have an opportunity to save a life with us!