My mom called Prairie Paws to ask if they had any de-clawed, older cats. They told her they had one declawed cat, Sequoia, she was between 5 or 6 years old. Mom asked if the cat was healthy and friendly, she was told yes and yes.Mom was told it'd be best for her to put the $20 deposit down to hold the animal until we got there.Mom asked if we do decide to adopt Sequoia will the $20 go towards the $50 adoption fee.She was told no, we would need to pay the $50 adoption fee plus the $20 deposit.Mom put down the $20 deposit.We got to the animal shelter under 2 hrs from the time she had called them.(from lawrence)We were taken back to where the cats that were ready and available for adoption were. The man that took us back opened the door to Sequoia's cage, I noticed that she didn't move when he open the door.(she had her back to us)When I commented on her not moving at all, we were told that she was a "little deaf" then he said "well actually she is completely deaf"... I immediately noticed something was very wrong with the top of the cat's head, so I asked about it.Very casually the man said, "oh I saw her scratching her head with her back feet a day or two ago." I knelt down for a closer look and saw that the space between the front of the cat's ears and the back of the cat's eyes had very little fur left and was covered in scabby bloody scratch marks. I said, "this looks really bad and it looks like it has to hurt!" The man took a second look at Sequoia and said, "oh yeah that does look pretty bad I'll call the vet in." The vet came in and we were then told the cat was currently on medication and that we were going to need to continue her meds for a few days if we adopt her. The vet then asked what type of food the cat was currently eating. After the man answered the vet told him to switch her back to a different brand, then left the room. Mom then stated that when she had called and inquired about Sequoia she wasn't told that Sequoia was deaf or sick or had any injuries. Mom then told him that unfortunately Sequoia wasn't going to be a good fit with her. As we were walking out of the cat playroom, I asked the man if mom would be getting her $20 deposit back due to the fact that she was lied to when she was told that yes Sequoia was healthy when clearly she isn't. As we reached the front desk where 2 other Prairie Paws employees we're setting, the man said oh yes absolutely you're going to get your deposit back because you came in the same day you put the deposit down. The only time people don't get their deposit back is when they take more than a day to come in putting the deposit down. I told the man that my mom and I were going to go outside and talk for a few minutes about possibly adopting a different cat from them. After Mom and I talked she decided she didn't want to adopt from Prairie Paws Animal Shelter. I stayed in the car while mom went back inside to get her $20 deposit back. She came back out to the car to get her purse and told me that now one of the two employees sitting at the front desk told her she had no choice, she was going to have to pay the $20 deposit.
If Prairie Paws had been honest with mom and told her the cat is sick is also completely deaf and had something else going on that's causing her to scratch her head so severely, the top of her head is now a bloody, scabby, furless mess... I would agree that mom should pay the $20 deposit. But Mom was told the cat was completely healthy with no issues! If you ask me and anybody else with a brain, a heart, and a conscience Prairie Paws needs to pay my mom her $20 back and most importantly pay closer attention to their animals.

Amazing dedicated staff who love the animals they care for. Beautiful facility that WAS NOT paid for by tax dollars. One individual donor built the building and the shelter runs on donations because it is a not for profit. They do not euthanize for space, which means you must make an appointment before surrendering an animal. Why? Because they need to adopt one out before taking one in and yes sometimes there is a wait list. Please spay and neuter your animals and for those of you looking for a place to "drop off" an animal please know that abandoning animals is against the law and they have cameras. :)