Last Hope Cat Kingdom

Today we adopted a beautiful puppy named Tank. He is happy in our home now. The awesome people working there were very loving. They wanted to make sure that he was going to a good home. After I jumped in the pen and played with the pups, they were reassured. The process was painless and they evem micro chipped him. Thank you!

In response to the negative comments here, I am very closely involved with LHCK and Renate and can say that you obviously have some personal vendetta. Renate is one of the hardest working, most dedicated women I have ever known and I have never seen anyone sacrafice as much as she does to help animals AND people. For over a decade, she has done more for the animals here than ANYONE else and people have always loved and respected her for it. There are those who are jealous of that and wish to take her down… which only takes time and resources away from the animals.
I have seen the vet bills for Last Hope and they are in the tens of thousands. Animals who need medical attention get it. Period. You can’t hold Renate responsible for something she didnt know about and that didnt surface until MONTHS after the adoption. Those things do happen, as tragic as it is.
To suggest that LH should not be in operation is ridiculous on a level so high I do not even have time to go there. The only crime Renate ever committed is to try and help too much. for which she has learned her lesson. No good deed ever goes unpunished.
Jaysen forgets to mention that the cats he was trying to convince Renate to take were cats he took in on his own from the neighborhood and not cats that Renate agreed to take into the rescue. He is upset because she could not take them.
From someone who is deeply involved with Last Hope and truly knows Renate, you will not find a group of people more committed to rescuing the animals that no one wants. the sick ones, the injured ones, the old ones… This is why I am absolutely committed to and supportive of Last Hope.

I am writing a review because it would appear the previous ones from my husband have gone missing. We worked as volunteers with Last Hope. We also adopted our baby girl from them. Unknown to us she has a genetic disorder and died a few months later. We visited the site a few times and discontinued volunteering with them after seeing the conditions. It sadden my heart when we lost our pup. The vet even stated that this was something we should have been made aware of prior to adoption. We cared for several animals that came in with flea infestations, ear mites, dissociative behaviors, and the list goes on and on. I can’t imagine having hundreds of animals with these conditions. Please be aware and choose your fur babies carefully.

It appears that after receiving a number of negative reviews previously, including from me, those negative reviews have all been removed in order to make room to improve the façade that is the LHCK image. So, allow me to repost and reiterate why you should avoid Last Hope at all costs.
My wife and I were recruited to volunteer by Jodi at the Petco there in Atwater off of 99 back in 2010, where we adopted our first dog, a female Chihuahua/​Dachshund mix. Long story short, after the adoption, we were asked to volunteer with them as there had been an epidemic of «unwanted» kittens in the Merced/​Atwater area. We jumped at the opportunity!
Fast-​forward a few months. Our pup had fallen ill, and so we consulted with Renate and Jodi about her. She looked her over, gave her a shot for pain, and sent us home… said it was related to her breaking her leg. We took our pup into a clinic in Merced for a second opinion, who told us that she suffered from what appeared to be a genetic condition that causes brittle bones and stomach issues, and that anyone who actually had done their research would have picked up on it. She died a few weeks later, at which point Renate said «these things happen» as if someone had just stolen a bicycle. Very callous.
Fast-​forward again, to the time we were asked to foster stray and «unwanted» kittens for Last Hope, from the above mentioned epidemic. We enthusiastically jumped at the chance to help. We were told by Renate that she needed our help through our fostering them up until adoption age, at which point Last Hope would take them in and put them up for adoption. We meticulously bathed, over time, more than two dozen of them and removed all traces of fleas and other parasites, sometimes staying up all hours to care for these precious creatures as though they were our own.
Well, when it came time for Renate to make good on her end of the commitment, we were told flat-​out «I can’t take these kittens!» When we pressed her further, she very callously said to me «I never told you I would take them! You volunteered on your own, I never promised support!» They ended up going to Merced County Animal Control, where they most likely were euthanized.
It now appears that there is vastly more to LHCK than their supporters are willing to acknowledge. PETA, with whom I usually have little in common, is going after them, and Merced County NEEDS to file charges against Renate Schmitz. Read the PETA article for yourself.
How many more of these sweet, innocent creatures have to die before they get shut down?! Last Hope needs to be shut down until a REAL, legitimate shelter can be opened in its place.

Update: ²⁄₁ — Although this is a «no kill shelter» that receives donations to help the with food and other necessities I heard they also can help in certain cases with vet bills. The only thing I was offered was a «sorry to hear, hope she gets better». Definitely –1 star. I do however applaud them for taking in the animals they do, hopefully they find a new spay/​neuter clinic.
This place might be good for a «no kill» shelter which is great BUT dont take your animal there for their low cost spay and neutering. They use an awful place that doesn’t care about the animals. My 9 month old puppy is in dire health and close to dying, $ 530 later she is still on her death bed. PLEASE DO NOT UTILIZE LOW COST SURGERY unless you do a full, complete review search and find out good things! Pay a little (or a lot) extra for a reputable, local vet. I only gave them 1 star because I am very unhappy with my whole experience with them and their «vet» as of this point and time.