Connecticut Cat Connection

The staff was super friendly and patient as we picked out our kitty. We were able to take him home the same day, and the shelter even let us borrow a cat carrier since we were unprepared. They have a lot of cats, but they all seem happy and well cared for. I liked that many of them were roaming around the shelter, playing together. The cat we adopted is super adorable and we are grateful!

Went in to look at the kitties. A friend was looking for a cat and asked me to check this place out. Was pleasantly surprised that the air quality was very good and it was very clean in there. Some kitties wandering around outside of cages and very friendly. No one looked unhealthy except a few guys that appeared to have been injured but were on the mend. Recommend this place to anyone searching for a pet.

While their hearts are certainly in the right place, the CCC has lost perspective of their mission. The shelter is over-​crowded and under-​staffed, which leaves cats living in cages for years on end, often filthy, and constantly sick. I volunteered there for several months and cared for cats with chronic upper respiratory infections, bloody stool, and a ringworm epidemic like none I have ever seen (I have worked at two other shelters, one out of state).
After speaking with several other volunteers I can surmise that the root cause of the problem is that the owner insists on taking in new cats when there is no room, which includes picking up cats from NY shelters, even when the capacity at the CCC is more than exceeded. The intent is to save cats that would otherwise be euthanized in NY shelters — but the fate many of these animals face when they come to the Windsor shelter is, in my heartfelt opinion, much worse than euthanization.
I tried to rationalize with the non-​profit org’s founder, but to no avail. More and more cats keep coming to what is essentially a sick-​house. I finally took it upon myself, with a very heavy heart, to call Windsor animal control. They told me that I was the third or fourth person to call them about this shelter. Yet, every time they investigate, a miraculous clean-​up occurs the evening before and while they admit it is over-​crowded, their hands are tied by state bureaucracy.
I have seen cats suffer for months until one volunteer or another finally takes matters into his/​her own hands and brings the cat home, takes it to their personal vet, and gets it the treatment it needs. This is an unfair financial burden on the lovely people who dedicate their time and energy to the shelter.
I can’t say enough about the good *intent* of the majority of the volunteers who run the establishment. But I also cannot say enough about how poorly their mission is executed. Please, do whatever you can to encourage/​influence them to reduce their cat population, so the kitties they take in get the medical attention, love and care that they need while they wait for their forever homes.