The New York City-based kitten rescue known as Itty Bitty City Kitties has put up a direct notice telling MAGA supporters, conservatives and those who do not hold political views to stay away from applying. The organization identifies itself as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on helping orphaned and newborn kittens, caring for feral cats and arranging adoptions. It also appears on the list of New York state’s registered pet rescues.
The Libs of TikTok posted the content on X, which raised questions about whether the language reflected the rescue’s actual adoption practices. Samantha Knox, who is the director of Itty Bitty City Kitties, defended the screening approach, saying: “As an animal welfare rescue, our primary responsibility is ensuring the animals in our care go to safe, compassionate homes.”
NO F—ING MAGA Posts
The rescue’s social media post said: “MAGA? Nope.” “Conservative? Nope.” “‘I’m not political’? Nice loophole. Still nope.” An accompanying image of a kitten bore the message “NO. F—ING. MAGA.”
On Sept. 10, Itty Bitty City Kitties posted an image of a kitten carrying the words, “Kittens. Don’t. Mourn. Nazis.”
The organization regards “public conduct and demonstrated values”, Knox explained, and she argued that keeping a record of “celebrat[ing] cruelty” could raise concerns about whether an applicant is suitable to care for an animal. She said a history of “celebrating harm or abuse, be it toward people or animals, is one of the biggest red flags in animal rescue.”
Knox answered that the review process focuses on behavior, not who someone identifies as. She explained that the group does not look into registered political party affiliation when deciding. She pointed out that MAGA is a political movement and set of beliefs, not a recognized political party.
PETA’s Push to Abolish the Policy
Fox News Digital spoke with PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk, who said: “Homeless animals don’t care which side of abortion you are on or whether you believe in global warming or support Palestine or Israel or if you don’t vote at all, ever. They care if you love them and will give them a good home.”
Newkirk added: “We hope this policy, which is humancentric, is reconsidered and abolished.”
PETA told Fox News Digital: “Political affiliation is not a reliable measure of whether someone will be a good guardian.” The group said rescues should focus on “objective animal welfare factors,” including an applicant’s history of animal care, ability to meet an animal’s needs and evidence of cruelty, neglect or violence.
PETA said: “Shelters and rescues exist to protect animals, not to serve as political gatekeepers.”
The Screening Process
Itty Bitty City Kitties’ public adoption page describes a “Fully Supported Adoption Model,” under which prospective owners submit an application, references, employment and living information, participate in a phone interview and complete a FaceTime or Zoom interview in lieu of a home visit.
To qualify as an adopter, someone must agree to keep rescued animals current with their veterinary care, confine them inside or keep them leashed outdoors, refrain from declawing them, devise plans for travel, illness or death, and commit to not giving them away when they can no longer manage their care. They must also show the financial means to cover the animal’s welfare. These terms appear in the published “MUST LIST”, which lays out the conditions in full detail.
The public-facing requirements do not mention MAGA, conservatism or political ideology.
Knox said adoption evaluations instead concern “conduct, ethical alignment and animal safety.” She said: “We reserve the right to reject any application where an applicant’s expressed values, public statements or actions demonstrate a failure to meet our safety and welfare standards.”
Knox was asked once more about a MAGA or conservative applicant who had no record of cruelty, threats, neglect or violence. To that question, Knox responded with these words: “Media-driven requests to force complex animal welfare evaluations into a binary ‘yes or no’ premise fundamentally misrepresent how responsible adoption screenings operate.”
She added that “active support for or alignment with social movements” the rescue believes normalize or promote cruelty can be treated as “actionable conduct” and said adoption decisions are made “holistically under these welfare and safety standards.”
Fox News Digital received screenshots from Knox showing what she described as explicit, hostile messages aimed at the rescue following its political posts. Those messages, she said, demonstrated the type of behavior the rescue takes into account when assessing potential new homes for animals.
Itty Bitty City Kitties is a registered rescue in New York state run by the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Itty Bitty City Kitties, which operates in NYC. The organization is listed among New York state’s registered pet rescues, and its posts include “NO. F—ING. MAGA” and “Kittens. Don’t. Mourn. Nazis”. Its adoption process is fully supported, including FaceTime/Zoom interviews. Samantha Knox directs the group, which was founded by Ingrid Newkirk. The public-facing requirements for the organization do not include any mention of MAGA, conservatism or politics.
Key facts box
– Rescue: Itty Bitty City Kitties (NYC-based kitten rescue)
– Nonprofit status: 501(c)(3)
– Registered: On New York state’s list of registered pet rescues
– Founding: Founded by Ingrid Newkirk
– Posts: “NO. F—ING. MAGA” and “Kittens. Don’t. Mourn. Nazis”
– Adoption model: Fully supported, including FaceTime/Zoom interviews
Itty Bitty City Kitties’ stated commitment to animal welfare and PETA’s campaign to get rid of the policy is what the whole argument revolves around. The rescue has stated its case. PETA has responded with opposition. Now the disagreement is out in the open, and the cats themselves are the ones who will suffer the consequences.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs none of the positions in this story, as it involves a private group’s internal screening policy, which falls outside the paper’s stated positions on culture, cannabis, and small business. The paper’s position on culture is that what consenting adults do that harms no one else is nobody’s business, least of all the government’s, and it supports whichever side is leaving people alone. On cannabis, the paper backs medical use and is against blocking patients from it, but it does not cheer recreational legalization or the commercial marijuana industry.
What the story shows is a private organization making a private decision about who gets to adopt its animals, and that is not a matter for the paper’s editorial judgment.
The paper would want readers to note that the rescue’s public-facing requirements do not mention MAGA, conservatism or politics, and that the organization’s founder, Ingrid Newkirk, is quoted opposing the very policy her own rescue has adopted. The paper would also want readers to watch for claims that the policy is based on objective animal welfare criteria, since the story itself quotes the rescue director describing “active support for or alignment with social movements” as actionable conduct and adoption decisions as made “holistically under these welfare and safety standards.”
Source material: “NYC kitten rescue defends ‘NO F—ING MAGA’ adoption policy as PETA calls for it to be abolished,” Fox News.
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