This place is so great for cat lovers who are looking to change the life of a sweet kitty ❤️ They do not do same-day adoption, so be sure you talk to them and get a form that you can complete at a later time. They charge a $95 fee for adoptions and though they do not spay/neuter your cat themselves, they make arrangements for you for when your cat is ready and take him/her in until after the surgery. The staff is great and will welcome your kids even if they tend to be a bit wild around so many beautiful kitties! Anyway, this is a perfect spot for adopting cuddly and everlasting furry friends 😻

Smittys is a very special place. They go above and beyond every day to help cats and kittens in need. They have a very strict vetting policy for perspective adopters that ensures all the cats in their shelter go to loving caring families. They are a shining star in a dark world where so many cats go unloved and uncared for. Their dedication in making sure all the cats in their care get the love, attention, and medical care they need until they are ready for their forever home is in my opinion unmatched. I am also a rescuer and they have gone out of their way, no matter how overwhelmed they might be, to help me. Best...cat...shelter...on Earth... Period.

Too many sick cats and kittens were adopted out with FIP, fleas, and ticks. Smittys doesnt have the room or the resources to adequately separate so many cats. Smittys runs as a communal cat shelter, but so many cats living in close proximity to each other creates a prime petri dish for disease. Its great that they want to help cats, but if you cannot effectively keep cats from spreading disease to each other, youre clearly doing way more harm than good. Smittys also runs a very flagrant Facebook page where the owner takes out her frustrations with anyone who disagrees with what she is doing. Its unprofessional. If they were really doing good things, I wouldnt be hearing about so many sick cats and kittens getting adopted out. I nearly considered making an appointment, but after hearing so many horror stories, I decided against it. Supposedly, the owner takes these cats to a private veterinarian, but people who have adopted from her say that its really a free PETA clinic, which makes me wonder what this lady is really doing with all the donations she gets. Its sketchy.Its also important to note that the owner (Lynne Layton) was on Facebook saying that she had no cases of FIP in two years. Thats a complete lie. She should not be allowed to adopt out sick cats. Adopting out diseased cats is pure animal abuse.

I have known Lynne for many years. She loves each animal she gets but mostly cats. She takes them to the vet for check up and keeps them as healthy as possible. If I could have a cat I would get one from Lynne. She is very careful who adopts them to make sure that they we will take care of them properly. I love her and all she does.

Lynne Layton, the owner and operator of Smittys Cat Rescue Shelter in Chester, VA has an amazing group of kittens and cats of various ages. She has taken in and saved so many with diligent tending and love. She goes to every length of vet care to save a life. Shes sung to many a passing kitten/cat as they snuggle close to her heart so they will know that they mattered and they were loved by her. Our kitten that we adopted from Smittys Cat Rescue actually chose us one Caturday (Cat adoption day on Saturday) and we could not be more in love. Thank you, Lynne Layton, for your love that you put into your shelter and your fur babies. If any of you reading this review have room in your home and your heart for a sweet fur baby that needs both, Smittys Cat Rescue Shelter on Jeff Davis Hwy in Chester, VA is a great place to inquire and fill out an application for adoption.

Lynne Layton, the owner of Smittys Cat Rescue came to my rescue when I had to find a new home for my mothers cat as my Mom was in Assisted Living after a stroke and we were having to sell her house. My cat at the time would not allow another cat in the house so Lynne kindly agreed to take her and ultimately adopted the cat herself. After my cat passed away I adopted my current cat from Smittys. The adoption was a smooth process and my cat was and is happy and healthy. The shelter is cleaned every day and the cats are well taken care of. The shelter will pay for any medical care required for the first 30 days (for adults) or until an adopted kitten is spayed/neutered. Lynne herself is an angel on earth to step up and provide a sorely needed service to the community.

I know Lynne somewhat casually but I have visited her shelter many times and talked with her. She is a kind, big-hearted person who does everything humanly possible to rescue cats, and other animals at times....and even humans! Her shelter is well-run and the cats are so loved. I recommend her shelter to anyone looking to adopt, and also anyone looking to support a worthy, charitable cause. Thank you Lynne and helpers for all that you do!

Called to ask some questions about their service and the woman was so rude she wouldn’t even let me speak. She accused me of “not doing my research” like how dare I have questions. Her attitude was so bad it made me speechless. I will never call here again. Steer clear of this place. I hope they treat the animals better than they treat other people.

Lynn is amazing!Thank you for your care and commitment to all the wild felines that need an advocate.

Lynn has a heart of gold. She rescues all the kitties and has offered help to me when I’ve rescued Feral cats. She is picky about who gets one of these precious babies to ensure they get a wonderful second chance in life. She respects these kitties no matter how long she has themOr how sick they may be. She cries at each loss and names each ones and shows them love till the very end and she has saved soooo many of them. If you know Lynn you know her heart and if you wrote a bad review it’s likely because you weren’t deed worthy for one of the cats who need a great home. So don’t be sour be better!!! Lynn is amazing and she runs one of the best shelters I’ve ever encountered! She has so much love for the fur babies that are helpless. If you need a kitty come see her!

I have been to Smittys Cat Rescue. Lynne has a heart of gold, and she and the other volunteers take good care of the kitties in their care. They have an application process to ensure the cats are going to a good home. The staff goes above and beyond to help cats that need it, finding reputable fosters, spending time at the ER vet, etc.

I’ve been in a bind a couple of times after some stray cats found me. I didn’t know what to do or who to turn to. Then a good friend said “call Smitty’s”! After finding out who smitty was, I called and without hesitation this very nice woman asked where we could meet so she could take the newborn kittens back to a nursing mom. That’s when I met Lynne Layton. She’s an Angel on earth. She’ll help anyone if she has the room. She don’t judge who you are or why you can or can’t, she just does. God Bless her!

My MIL adopted a cat from Smittys and we had a great experience. I love how the owner helps you find the right cat for you. I also see how she goes above and beyond to save all the kitties she can. I admire her dedication.

This place is beautiful. Adopt dont buy

This is an amazing cat rescue. Always ready to step up when other, bigger and better funded groups cannot or will not. If you want to support an amazing cat loving, hard working rescue, donate here.

For those rating 1 stars etc.. these people were going to put kittens and cats in harms way. This is an extremely caring facility that goes far and beyond for the safety of animals. If you really want the truth, go see them, and you will find false ratings. A decision was made on the kits safety which 99 % of any true animal lover will back!

Very very disappointed in this individual and the way she conducts business and her “rescue”. The conditions are horrendous, which only causes the animals to suffer in the end. I know a few individuals that have adopted from her and later found out their cats had health problems directly related to unsanitary conditions. Her online presence is very rude and snarky. She disrespects customers that have a genuine concern for the cats she houses... and the concern is for good reason. No rescue ANYWHERE should have so many complaints, issues and unprofessional encounters with people. I’m honestly confused as to why it’s still in operation

This is one of the best cat rescues out there right now. She takes wonderful care of her babies and does the proper checks to make sure all of her babies get a good stable home.

Ms. Lynne at Smittys is the most caring and compassionate person around. She almost single handedly takes care of the facility and cats and kittens in the shelter. The shelter has only flourished since she has taken over after the original Smitty passed away. We have adopted 3 kittens from Smittys and they have all been the best babies around!

Would give them 0 stars if I could. We have 2 cats that are son is highly allergic too. So we saw a post that said if you leave them here after hours text a number that was listed to questions asked. So i messaged them because I thought that would be more appropriate than just dropping them off. Replied saying they had no room. Literally 5 hours after said post they said they had no room. So I gave them some time and asked again. Same response. No advice on what to with them. So now we’re stuck with 2 cats that we can’t touch or be near because of my sons allergies. So thanks for the non helpful advice smittys.

They have cats. Lots of them. Need I say more?

Very unprofessional online presence, would not expect from a business that is reputable. Seems like owner is using business page to air out personal dramas and seek validation.

Wonderful people! Helped us adopt the perfect cat!

Smittys took these two tiny babies from me this morning after their feral Momma was tragically killed by two dogs running loose through my neighborhood.

VERY DIRTY KITTENS CANT EVEN BE KEPT THERE BECAUSE THE CONDITIONS ARE SO BAD ! Would NOT recommend to anyone!

It stunk and had feral cats in the shelter running around. Also many cats were sick.

I adopted a kitten 2 months ago that had fleas and ear mites after being told it had passed the vet inspection. Now my kitten has ringworm that I was told had been treated and was fine. The foster family who i know did a good job but my kitten spent the last night before i picked him up at an employees house that had 5 dogs and gosh knows what else and that is where the fleas came from. When I called and complained I was told I could bring my kitten back which was not an option. I love him but beware before you bring your home that it is not infected with fleas and other things. I have spent hundreds of dollars in trying to get him healthy and the fleas out of my house.Jennifer Cubitt

Lynne is phenomenal.We have had the pleasure of working with Lynne for some time now. She is so dedicated and loves each cat dearly.All of the cats are taken to the vet for an initial eval, shots are made up to date, and any illness or injury is addressed immediately.Lynne is loving, honest and upfront. All of the cats in her care could not ask for a stronger champion.Smittys is a wonderful Rescue and Shelter.

Very very dirty and unkept here . They have feral cats running loose in the shelter while the friendly cats are kept in the cage . Very unresponsive, unreliable, and rude !

Owners are absolutely lovely 💙

I visited Smittys and was appalled at the filthy conditions. I wanted to let all the cats free. When I got to my car, I had to use antibacterial cleaner to wash myself off. I didnt want to bring anything home to my cats. I would NOT recommend Smittys to anyone.Ive worked with a couple of shelters in other states and I can tell you, this place is the pits. Ive adopted from these other shelters and even used their vets for my cats. (the vets were on the premises) I have 5 cats now. I have recently taken in 2 female feral mommies and one baby. I also have 2 older cats. They are all inside cats now. They are all fixed and getting along wonderfully.

I’m only giving one star because I can’t give zero.

Remember that old saying, Its whats inside that counts? Well you can say that about Smittys. Long story short, I rescued a rescue that was in absolute urgent need of care and I called Lynn at Smittys. She told me to bring the cat to her ASAP, which I did. When I pulled up I tought I may have been at the wrong place because its being ran out of a house/make shift office. But it doesnt matter because the love, concern and care Lynn and her staff had for the cat I brought to her and the ones that were already there was undeniable. She has a serious love and passion for cats and animals in general. We hardly had time to speak because the moment she saw the cat, she took her to a veterinarian immediately. Unfortunately the cat passed but Lynn did what she could and we had a wonderful conversation about animals afterwards. Shes awesome.

I called to ask a question and wasnt even finished speaking when the lady that answered the phone cut me off with a snippy attitude. Wont be going there. Rude.

Very clean and friendly

They are over packed please if anybody can help them please do..Great people just a little facility

I called to get help with kittens that were 1 to 2 days old...the mother got spooked and I needed help getting them taken care of. What I got was an automatic judgement of my character from an individual who knew nothing about me, nor did she have the proper perspective of my situation. Plus, as she abruptly stated, she had 94 kittens at the present. My advice is to seek help elsewhere !!!!!!

They had piles of stuff here and there that looked very unkept.

I had some kittens just show up at my house. Lynn was great and met us to take these cuties. She really has a passion for these kitties 😊

Smittys cat rescue is doing us all a great service please if you have the ability they do accept donations in both food litter and money.

A-W-S-O-M-E first off our cat we adopted is amazing.Second the woman who owns the shelter is so nice.Third they an amazing variety of cats and kittens.adopted a second one today!

Lynn runs a very small rescue, she is a no-nonsense woman. She loves what she does and she loves the kitties and very knowledgeable.

We currently cant have a car, but my daughter loves to visit here and pet all the cats

I had an incredibly negative experience today. I called after bringing a 4 month old kitten I found to my local vet. The kitten tested positive for feline leukemia. My veterinarian said to retest in 3-4 months as 33% of cats are able to clear the virus and another 33% are asymptomatic and can live relatively normal lives. She DID NOT advise to euthanize. I called two other veterinary hospitals in the Richmond area looking for someone to foster as I already have a cat and they also confirmed that they would try to help and not to euthanize. I called Smittys and the first thing the woman who answered the phone said is Youre going to euthanize, right? After I shared information I learned from my veterinarian who is very reputable, she said well Ive never heard that. I was extremely offended by her attitude, response, and lack of empathy. Im sure they do wonderful things for lots of cats and kittens, but feline leukemia especially an initial diagnosis in a kitten is NOT a reason to euthanize and that should certainly not be the first thing you say to someone who is trying to help a kitten have a happy life.

A fantastic place to get a new pet.

She is awesome definitely a jewel go see about adopting a kitty from them they are truly the best.

Very dirty and overwhelming for the lady trying so hard to help those cats. Her heart is in the right place, but she needs funding

Wonderful rescue! True cat lovers. Lynn Layton is outstanding

When you visit Smittys, you know beyond a doubt, these cats are loved. Every one we encountered was friendly and social. A testament to owner Lynnes, commitment. You wont find a better place to adopt your next (or first) family member. 😻

I was so amazed at the amount of furbabys and people willing to help with the event All the love these babies are being showed It moved me now I need to step up and help when ever I can Thank you Smittys Cat Rescue

Great place. Find lovely kitties there

The best!!!! Please share to get these great cats a home!❤

Lots of cats! 😁 Very friendly and well taken care of. The only thing is it was a little hard to find.

These employees are friendly and knowlegable about cats and cat care

Great rescue center go adopt s cat .

The place is small and barely advertised, but the women that runs the place is great. She is doing good things there.

Amazing cat rescue that works hard to find your forever friend

Wonderful lady with a big heart 💗

They will help fully

Many many many cute cats.

Friendly staff

Could he help me with a stray cat female .Will keep if fixed

Such an imviting place. The owner is such a sweetheart and you can tell she has a passion for rescuing cats

Very helpful and quick!

Nice place

Good place

Kitty Kitty!