About Savage Cats

If you know us at Brewing Good Coffee, you know we are animal lovers. One of our owner’s previous career was animal rescue, so when we discovered that our shop’s neighborhood (Savage, Maryland) has a stray cat population that no one else was helping, 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. 

-

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. 

-

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.

_______________________________________________

 

Sourdough & Brioche (bonded pair) 

 

Sourdough (male) and Brioche (female)

Age: 11-12 months (approximate)

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

Their story: We rescued Sourdough and Brioche from the woods behind Foxborough apartment complex in Savage in August 2025. They were only 2-3 months old, but they had already learned to live in constant survival mode. Once they were inside and safe, their initial instinct was still to hide from humans. After months of socialization (and reliable food!), they learned to trust and relax into their new lives. They have had impeccable litter box habits from day one. Sourdough and Brioche's sisters have been adopted and are thriving. This brother/sister pair deserve the same! 

Personality and ideal home: It is important for most kittens' socialization and their daily quality of life that they have another cat around. Sourdough and Brioche like playing together and grooming one another. We'd like to keep them together so they can be friends for life.

Sourdough and Brioche are both happy cats who love the indoor life. Brioche is so cuddly with her foster mom - snuggling up next to her on the couch, and sleeping in bed with her at night. She loves to play with her foster mom too, and even learned fetch!

Sourdough is shyer with people, but he's happy to live with us and hang out with and play with his sister. He gets comfort and confidence from having her around, and Brioche likes to play with and groom her brother.

They take care of each other and are pretty easy-going cats.

Dogs: maybe 

Sourdough and Brioche might be nervous around a young, active dog. An older dog or a calmer dog who ignores them would likely be ok!

Other cats: yes 

They love playing with other cats and find comfort in their company. They would also be perfectly happy being the only two cats in the house since they have each other. 

Kids: 6+, cat-savvy kids only 

Sourdough and Brioche would be nervous around younger children who haven't learned about cat interactions yet. Children should be old enough to let Sourdough and Brioche come to them on their own terms.

Apply to adopt Brioche and Sourdough!

_______________________________________________

Cami (female)

Age: 6 years (estimate)

Medical: spayed, received rabies and FVRCP vaccines, de-wormed, tested negative for FIV/FeLV, microchipped, see her story below for more info

Cami's story: Cami's story is one of second chances and survival. She is gentle, calm, playful, and affectionate. She's a little shy and can take some time to trust, but you wouldn't blame her once you know what she's been through... 

Cami was found as a stray in Savage with her front right leg stuck through her collar. It was so tight and had been like that for so long that the collar had embedded into her skin. She was ear-tipped, so we knew she was spayed already. We found out she was even microchipped but the person who "lost" her didn't want her back and didn't care about the poor state Cami was in when we found her.

We were so relieved she was in our care.

Cami got stitches, which helped get the wound smaller and it is currently continuing to shrink and heal on its own. Her veterinarian is very impressed! It doesn't affect her quality of life and she doesn't bother it. She just needs time and an antibiotic ointment once a week - she is a very patient patient! 

Personality and ideal home: Cami's ideal home would be quiet, with one person or a couple, and no other animals. We have had her in three different foster homes and she absolutely blossomed once she has her person/people all to herself. She's been through a lot and benefits from peace, quiet, and stability/predictability. Her ideal adopter(s) work from home or are retired. 

Cami loves being petted and has been cuddling up next to her current foster mom on the couch and in bed. She usually doesn't stay still for too long, because she loves looking out the window and making sure she's keeping a watch on the neighbors, be they humans or birds.

Cami taught her foster mom a game, where she sits on the stairs and catches toys, then lets them fall down the stairs to be tossed back up again. She will also entertain herself and play with toys on her own - or even watch YouTube if you pull up some interesting bird videos for her!

She has good litter box habits and hasn't shown an interest in knocking things over or scratching things she shouldn't. 

Dogs: maybe

Cami could live with an older, lazy dog who ignores her. A high-energy dog who is interested in her would overwhelm her. 

Other cats: maybe

Cami has lived peacefully with other cats. She doesn't choose to interact with them and doesn't seem to benefit from having another cat around. She never hissed or ran when other cats approached her though, so she could be adopted into a home where there is already a cat or cats, as long as they are a good personality fit for her. 

Kids: older kids only 

Cami is very gentle and would be ok around older children, but she would be overwhelmed by lots of activity, noise, and visitors coming and going. 

Apply to adopt Cami!

_______________________________________________

 

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!