A New York City kitten rescue is standing by a policy that blocks Trump supporters and conservatives from adopting its animals, even as PETA calls on the group to drop the rule entirely.
Itty Bitty City Kitties, a Rockaway Beach-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that specializes in orphaned and neonatal kittens, posted a message online telling prospective adopters that identifying as MAGA is disqualifying. An image of a kitten carried the words, “NO. F–KING. MAGA.” The post also closed a loophole for people trying to dodge the screening by staying neutral: “‘I’m not political’? Nice loophole. Still nope.”
The post spread after Libs of TikTok shared it on X, prompting Fox News Digital to ask the rescue directly whether someone who identifies as MAGA or conservative would be turned away.
Samantha Knox, who has publicly identified herself as the rescue’s director, did not deny the policy but framed it as a matter of animal safety. “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. She said the group evaluates “public conduct and demonstrated values,” arguing that a history of “celebrat[ing] cruelty” is a red flag regardless of what movement someone belongs to.
Pressed a second time on whether a MAGA or conservative applicant with no documented history of cruelty, threats, neglect or violence could adopt, Knox would not give a straight 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. She added that “active support for or alignment with social movements” the rescue considers cruelty-normalizing can count as “actionable conduct,” with decisions made “holistically.”
Knox insisted the rescue does not screen by registered political party, saying MAGA is “a political movement and ideology, not a recognized political party” — a distinction that leaves the actual adoption bar for conservative applicants unresolved.
PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk rejected the whole premise. “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 told Fox News Digital. “We hope this policy, which is humancentric, is reconsidered and abolished.”
PETA said rescues should stick to “objective animal welfare factors” — an applicant’s history of animal care, ability to meet the animal’s needs, and any evidence of cruelty, neglect or violence — rather than political litmus tests. “Shelters and rescues exist to protect animals, not to serve as political gatekeepers,” the organization said, while also noting that “anyone who condones, celebrates or participates in harming animals demonstrates a troubling lack of empathy.”
The rescue’s public adoption page makes no mention of political ideology. It describes a “Fully Supported Adoption Model” requiring an application, references, an employment and living check, a phone interview and a video interview in place of a home visit. Its published “MUST LIST” covers veterinary care, keeping cats indoors or leashed, a ban on declawing, a plan for what happens to the animal in emergencies, and proof of financial ability to care for it. None of it references MAGA, conservatism or political affiliation.
This is not the rescue’s only foray into politics. On Sept. 10, exactly one year after the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, the group posted an image of a kitten reading “Kittens. Don’t. Mourn. Nazis.” The caption read: “Just a little kitten making sure we all know where we stand,” tagged with hashtags including “#politics” and “#iykyk.” Kirk was not named in the post.
Knox defended the rescue’s right to take political stances by pointing to its nonprofit status, saying 501(c)(3) groups may maintain issue-based standards tied to their mission as long as they avoid partisan campaigning.
Knox also gave Fox News Digital screenshots she said showed hostile, explicit messages sent to the rescue after its political posts went public, which she said reflect the kind of conduct the group weighs when evaluating potential adopters.
