A New York City kitten rescue is facing backlash over a social media message stating that MAGA supporters, conservatives and even apolitical applicants should not apply to adopt. The organization is now defending its screening standards after PETA urged it to remove what the animal rights group described as an ideological restriction.
“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,” PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk told Fox News Digital.
Newkirk added, “We hope this policy, which is humancentric, is reconsidered and abolished.”
The controversy involves Itty Bitty City Kitties, a Rockaway Beach rescue that identifies itself as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The group focuses on orphaned and neonatal kittens, feral-cat welfare and animal adoptions.
Itty Bitty City Kitties also appears on New York state’s list of registered pet rescue organizations.
In a social media post reviewed by Fox News Digital, the rescue listed several political identities it suggested could make someone ineligible to adopt.
“MAGA? Nope.”
“Conservative? Nope.”
“‘I’m not political’? Nice loophole. Still nope.”
The post featured a kitten alongside the emphatic message, “NO. F–KING. MAGA.”
The statement gained broader exposure after Libs of TikTok shared it on X, leading users to question whether the language reflected the rescue’s formal adoption policy.
Fox News Digital asked Itty Bitty City Kitties whether applicants could be denied solely for identifying as MAGA, conservative or politically unaffiliated.
Samantha Knox, who has described herself publicly as the organization’s director, defended the rescue’s approach. She said its central obligation is protecting the welfare of the kittens and cats under its care.
“As an animal welfare rescue, our primary responsibility is ensuring the animals in our care go to safe, compassionate homes,” Knox told Fox News Digital.
Knox said the group reviews an applicant’s “public conduct and demonstrated values.” She argued that a person’s history of “celebrat[ing] cruelty” may raise questions about whether that individual can provide a safe and caring home.
“A history of celebrating harm or abuse, be it toward people or animals, is one of the biggest red flags in animal rescue,” Knox said. “We stand by our mission and will never place a vulnerable animal with anyone, ever, who we feel is a danger to the welfare of the animal.”
Fox News Digital then posed a more specific scenario: Would a MAGA or conservative applicant with no documented history of animal cruelty, threats, neglect or violence still be considered for adoption?
“Itty Bitty City Kitties does not screen or reject applicants based on registered political party affiliation,” Knox replied. “MAGA is a political movement and ideology, not a recognized political party.”
According to Knox, the rescue’s adoption decisions are instead based on “conduct, ethical alignment and animal safety.”
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She said the organization retains the authority to deny an application when an individual’s stated beliefs, public comments or behavior indicate that the group’s safety and animal-welfare requirements have not been met.
Asked again whether a MAGA or conservative applicant without a history of cruelty, threats, neglect or violence could adopt from the organization, Knox did not provide a yes-or-no answer.
“Media-driven requests to force complex animal welfare evaluations into a binary ‘yes or no’ premise fundamentally misrepresent how responsible adoption screenings operate,” she said.
Knox added that “active support for or alignment with social movements” the rescue believes normalizes or promotes cruelty can be treated as “actionable conduct” and said adoption decisions are made “holistically under these welfare and safety standards.”
Knox also provided Fox News Digital with screenshots she said showed explicit, hostile messages directed at the rescue after its political posts.
Knox said messages of that nature illustrated the kind of conduct the rescue considers relevant when evaluating prospective homes. PETA, however, drew a different line.
“Political affiliation is not a reliable measure of whether someone will be a good guardian,” the organization told Fox News Digital, adding that a person’s actions and statements, along with demonstrated treatment of people and animals, can be relevant to an adoption decision.
PETA 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.
“Shelters and rescues exist to protect animals, not to serve as political gatekeepers,” PETA said.
Itty Bitty City Kitties’ public adoption page describes what the organization calls 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.
The rescue’s published “MUST LIST” says adopters must keep animals up to date on veterinary care; keep them indoors or leashed outside; never declaw them; maintain a plan for travel, illness or death; not simply give away an animal they can no longer care for; and be financially able to provide for its welfare.
The public-facing requirements reviewed by Fox News Digital do not mention MAGA, conservatism, political affiliation or political ideology.
The organization has also used its social media account for other political messaging.
On Sept. 10, Itty Bitty City Kitties posted an image of a kitten carrying the words, “Kittens. Don’t. Mourn. Nazis.”
“For absolutely no reason at all on this day one year later…” text on the image stated.
“Just a little kitten making sure we all know where we stand,” the accompanying caption read, followed by hashtags including “#kitten,” “#cat,” “#politics” and “#iykyk.”
While the post did not name late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, it was published exactly one year after his assassination at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025.
Knox also invoked the rescue’s nonprofit status in defending its ability to take positions on political and social issues, saying 501(c)(3) organizations are permitted to maintain issue-based standards aligned with their missions as long as they do not engage in partisan political campaigning.
PETA, while objecting to the use of political affiliation as a measure of adoption suitability, said an applicant’s actual behavior toward animals can, and should, matter regardless of ideology.
“More broadly, anyone who condones, celebrates or participates in harming animals demonstrates a troubling lack of empathy,” PETA said.