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After posting an explicit warning that MAGA supporters, conservatives and apolitical applicants need not apply, a New York City kitten rescue is defending its screening process against mounting criticism, including from PETA, which called on the group to scrap the ideological ban.
“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 Digital.
“We hope this policy, which is humancentric, is reconsidered and abolished.”
The dispute centers on Itty Bitty City Kitties, a Rockaway Beach-based rescue that describes itself as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit specializing in orphaned and neonatal kittens, feral cat welfare and adoptions. The organization is also listed among New York state’s registered pet rescues.
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In an email from Itty Bitty City Kitties to Digital, Director Samantha Knox said, “Active support for or alignment with social movements that normalize, celebrate or promote systemic cruelty, human suffering, forced family separation or the abandonment of animals during forced family displacements is not treated as a theoretical opinion.” (Getty Images)
In a social media post reviewed by Digital, the rescue laid out a series of political positions it said could disqualify prospective adopters.
“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.”
The post drew wider attention after Libs of TikTok posted it on X, prompting questions about whether the language represented the rescue’s actual adoption practices.
Digital contacted Itty Bitty City Kitties and asked whether an applicant could be rejected for identifying as MAGA, conservative or apolitical.
Samantha Knox, who has publicly identified herself as the director of Itty Bitty City Kitties, defended the organization’s screening approach by saying its overriding responsibility is the welfare of the animals in its care.
“As an animal welfare rescue, our primary responsibility is ensuring the animals in our care go to safe, compassionate homes,” Knox told Digital.
She said the organization considers “public conduct and demonstrated values” and argued that a record of “celebrat[ing] cruelty” can raise concerns about an applicant’s suitability to care for an animal.
“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.”
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Itty Bitty City Kitties posted to its Facebook page, saying, “MAGA? Nope. Conservative? Nope.” (Getty Images)
Digital followed up with a narrower question, asking whether a person who identifies as MAGA or conservative, but has no documented history of animal cruelty, threats, neglect or violence, would be eligible to adopt.
“Itty Bitty City Kitties does not screen or reject applicants based on registered political party affiliation,” Knox responded. “MAGA is a political movement and ideology, not a recognized political party.”
Knox said adoption evaluations instead concern “conduct, ethical alignment and animal safety.”
“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,” she said.
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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 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 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 has supported cutting taxpayer funding for animal testing after President Donald Trump’s return to the White House. (Adam J. Dewey/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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 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.
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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.
