FAQs

O’Malley Alley puts much more than just money into our pets. They are treated as a member of their foster family. We want to ensure that the pet you want to adopt is the right fit for your family as well. We use the applications, vet reference check and in-home interview to ensure this.

Our organization is run by volunteers only. We do not have any paid staff. As such, applications are reviewed after 6 pm, and adoptions may take 2 to 5 days to complete. This may seem like a long time for you, however, we want to ensure our pets are going to the best home for them. Please be patient.

We will call to check all vet references. If your current pets are not current on their shots by more than two months, or are not spayed/neutered, we will deny the application. It is important for your pet’s lifetime health that they receive their annual shots. Additionally, it is a Texas state and Smith County law that all pets, dogs and cats, receive an annual rabies vaccination.

If the current pets in your home are not currently spayed or neutered, we will deny the application. Many territorial and behavior issues are related to unsterilization, and it can cause issues when a new pet is brought into the home. If you are interested in having your pet spayed/neutered so that you may adopt one of our pets, we will happily reconsider your application once proof of spay is provided. You may arrange for a low-cost surgery through the SNIPPET clinic or any other affordable spay/neuter mobile clinic.

If you intend to keep the pet as a yard pet, we will deny the application. Our pets are raised as indoor animals, and our foster homes spend a tremendous amount of time socializing them as such. In some cases, we receive pets that are conditioned for indoor/outdoor or outdoor living only. The information will be located in the pet’s profile. We also highly recommend you visit your local animal control facility to rescue an animal from there.

O’Malley Alley charges $125 for kitten adoptions (under the age of 1) and $85 for cat adoptions over the age of 1 year. The fee only covers a portion of our investment into the care of your adopted pet. Your pet has been part of a foster home environment where they have received love, socialization and training. In addition, pets are current on all vaccinations as needed for their age unless otherwise noted, microchipped, and spayed/neutered prior to adoption, which averages $350 per pet. Taking all the costs of feeding and other supplies as well, our adoption fee is really very minimal.

You are responsible for all medical care after the adoption agreement is signed, unless other arrangements have been made. If there are any health concerns with the pet you are adopting, the pet will remain in our care until our vet has given a clean bill of health. This may include upper respiratory infection, skin issues, and parasites. Additionally, if the cat is not spayed or neutered at the time of adoption, it will be returned to us for sterilization to be complete. This is in accordance with Texas state laws regarding sterilization of pets from animal shelters and rescues.

All pets that are rescued through O’Malley Alley are microchipped with HomeAgain technology. This is a special program for pets that provides information for your pet to be returned to you if he gets lost and ends up at animal control, a veterinary office or another rescue.

Per Texas state law and O’Malley Alley’s mission, all pets are spayed or neutered prior to adoption or returned to us for sterilization when age appropriate. Your adoption fee covers the cost of the spay or neuter.

A home visit is an in-home pre-adoption interview. You may be visited by an O’Malley Alley volunteer and usually the pet you want to adopt. This is to verify the information provided on the adoption application as well as explain our adoption policies. This also allows you to see how the pet may behave in the new environment.

O’Malley Alley does not have a shelter. Our pets are all in foster homes. Appointments for meet and greet will only be set after an adoption application has been completed and reviewed by our adoption coordinator. Pets appear at one to two public events per month.

Our adoptable pets page is updated daily. Pets that have adoptions pending will have a note at the top of their profile page. If you are interested in a pet with litter mates, please include a second choice as we review applications in the order they are received, and your choice may already have an application pending review. Even if an adoption is pending, we will still accept applications in the event that the first one falls through.