Program:
Wheels of Hope for NYC's Homeless Pets
- Budget:
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- Category:
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Animal-Related
- Population Served:
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Other Named Groups
Program Description:
Each year, Wheels of
Hope for NYC's Homeless Pets, the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals transport van program, picks up thousands of animals from Animal Care & Control of NYC (AC&C) shelters and transports them to non-profit shelters and rescue groups that participate in the Mayor's Alliance and have the resources to find new homes for them.
<p>Our transport program
allows AC&C to move animals out of the cages at their shelters more quickly — reducing both the numbers of cats and dogs euthanized for lack of space and
the chance that these pets contract upper respiratory infection and kennel
cough. (This is important to lessen both the suffering of the animals and the
vet bills of the non-profit rescue groups that care for them as they wait for a
new home.)</p>
<p>A major function of
our transport program is to supplement the resources of the Mayor’s Alliance
groups and shelters — allowing them to focus on what they do best:
finding caring, permanent homes for pets. Transport costs, including the
vehicle (often operating seven days a week), insurance, gas, and the salaries of
our dedicated drivers, are paid for by the Mayor’s Alliance. </p>
Program Long-Term Success:
Wheels of Hope is among our most effective initiatives in reducing euthanasia at AC&C. As a result, we have designated the transport program as a central focus of our efforts, critical to achieving our goal: the day when no New York City dog or cat of reasonable health and temperament is killed merely because he or she does not have a home.
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Program:
Picasso Veterinary Fund
- Budget:
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- Category:
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Animal-Related
- Population Served:
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Other Named Groups
Program Description:
The Picasso Veterinary Fund provides financial
assistance to help pay for medical care for homeless animals
taken in by Animal Care & Control of NYC (AC&C), who are then transferred for adoption to groups and
shelters participating in the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC's Animals.
<p>Many of the animals
benefiting from medical care paid for by the Fund are brought to our attention
by the AC&C staff, the people who get to know and often fall in
love with these dogs and cats while they are at the city shelter. Pets selected for this help face a
variety of medical conditions, but otherwise are adoptable.</p>
<p>In addition to providing life-saving care, the
Picasso Veterinary Fund serves a second key role in helping to achieve the goal
of the Mayor’s Alliance: the day
when no New York City dog or cat of reasonable health and temperament is killed
merely because he or she does not have a home. </p>
<p>All of the groups participating in the Mayor’s
Alliance are non-profit rescue groups and shelters, and many cannot afford to
pay significant vet bills. By
assisting with these costs, the Picasso Veterinary Fund helps these rescue groups
and shelters focus on their core
mission: finding caring, permanent homes for pets.</p>
<div>As an umbrella organization, the Alliance also has
had the ability to negotiate discounted fees with the veterinarians we work
with, allowing contributions to the Fund to help more pets get the vet care
they need and start a new life.</div>
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Program:
New York City Feral Cat Initiative
- Budget:
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- Category:
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Animal-Related
- Population Served:
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Other Named Groups
Program Description:
The New York City Feral Cat Initiative is a joint program of the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals and Neighborhood Cats, two private non-profit organizations. Our mission is to solve the feral cat overpopulation crisis in New York City through the humane, non-lethal method of Trap-Neuter-Return, or TNR for short.<br />
<br />
The Problem: Too Many Cats Living on the Streets<br />
<br />
Tens of thousands of street cats live in the alleyways, backyards, and outdoor spaces of New York City. They are the offspring of lost or abandoned pet cats and, unneutered, they go on to spawn new generations. The cats group themselves together in packs called colonies. Many of their nuisance behaviors can be attributed to mating behaviors that would likely cease if they were sterilized. These behaviors include noise from fighting and mating, and the smell from the spraying of pheromone-laced urine.<br />
<br />
Because these cats are not socialized to humans, they are not candidates for adoption. The breeding of these street cats results in more kittens entering the shelters — taking away homes that would otherwise go to the adult cats already there. Most adult feral cats taken in at city shelters are euthanized (killed) because they are not adoptable as house pets. As a result, the city must shoulder higher costs for municipal animal control.<br />
<br />
The Solution: Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)<br />
<br />
Our New York City Feral Cat Database shows that in neighborhoods throughout New York City, TNR is proving effective in humanely managing feral cat colonies and reducing their numbers over time. TNR is a two-step approach to feral cat overpopulation:<br />
<br />
Step One: TNR<br />
<br />
Stray and feral (wild) cats are humanely trapped, evaluated, given a rabies vaccination, left eartipped, and spayed or neutered (sterilized) by a veterinarian, and then returned to the familiar habitat of their original colony. Tame (friendly) cats and kittens young enough to be socialized are removed for adoption placement in permanent indoor homes.<br />
<br />
Step Two: Ongoing Feral Cat Colony Management<br />
<br />
Volunteers called colony caretakers provide ongoing care of the cats, including daily food, water, and clean-up of the area, shelter, and monitoring of the cats' health. This ongoing surveillance ensures that any new cats that find their way into the colony will be removed if they are tame, or TNRed (rabies vaccinated, left eartipped, and sterilized) if they are feral. This allows the number of cats in the colony to diminish over time through natural attrition, as cats get old and die from natural causes.
Program Long-Term Success:
Our New York City Feral Cat Database shows that in neighborhoods throughout New York City, TNR is proving effective in humanely managing feral cat colonies and reducing their numbers over time.
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Program:
Helping Pets and People in Crisis
- Budget:
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- Category:
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Animal-Related
- Population Served:
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General Public/Unspecified
Program Description:
<div>
A pilot program of the Mayor's Alliance, Helping Pets and People in Crisis relies on volunteers who care for pets in their homes while the pet's family is experiencing difficult times (including domestic violence, eviction, or illness).</div><div> </div>
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