Update June 13th: I am sorry to inform that Nana was killed. It is hard to know what the answer is, in a city of 8 million people – you would think these animals could be saved, more people would step up, that they would not be killed for bogus reasons, that they would not be brought there in the first place for all the wrong reasons, that all of us could do more for them. Sorry, Nana.
Updated 6:43 p.m. and July 11, updated links – see end of post. Nana in danger!
Do not hold this picture against lovely grey tabby cat, Nana! Read on!
In March, I attended a forum on animal & wildlife issues held by the NYCLA (New York County Lawyers Association) Animal Law Committee at which attorney Rachel Hirschfeld spoke about the importance of people setting up a Pet Trust for their animals in the event something happens to them. Even if the animal is provided for in a will, the reality is that this can be challenged, money in wills can take awhile to settle, and they do not account for what happens if someone gets sick or is unable to care for pets. Hirschfeld, who is based in Asbury Park (one of my long-time favorite places!), said that you don’t even really need funds to set one up and every animal guardian should have one.
Meet Nana
Cutie cat, Nana, and her owner-guardian lived in the Village. This grey tabby fur love is listed as coming from zip code 10014 so likely the West Village; when her guardian recently got sick, she ended up at the Manhattan Animal Care Center (ACC)* where she currently is – but she does not have a lot of time.
An animal termed “owner surrender” can be put on “Death Row” at any time for any reason. Once you “surrender” or abandon an animal, your cat is only protected for technically a couple of days. Older cats have a harder time getting adopted at the ACC — all the cats do there, no age is safe really. Nana has been there for almost two weeks already. She needs you now. Her Animal ID# is A1041852. e-mail: adoption@nycacc.org. Visit her Pet Harbor page this page and NYC ACC web site.
Do you have room in your home and heart for Nana? Can we save a Village gal? From the information listed, it sounds like a relative thought she was 18 but then a vet at the ACC checked her out and her age is now listed at around 10 years old. Either way, still a great life left! You can tell she is a gorgeous, lovely tabby cat!
I have written outlining criticism of the ACC here in the past. * Did you know the ACC changed its name recently and removed the word “control” from it? A welcome improvement. Some positive moves have been made of late but not quickly enough; there is a lot of room left for improvement. Good pictures of the animals are one of them — not that hard to correct — and also not killing adoptable cats and dogs that get a treatable cold there at the facility!
Can you help out former Village gal Nana today, get her out of the ACC and into a new home?
UPDATE 6:43 p.m.: Nana has been listed on tonight’s ‘At Risk’ list (which really means at risk). She has until tomorrow, Saturday, July 11th at 12 noon to be pulled/adopted or may be killed. (But it is always possible she might be given more time so double check!) Please consider fostering or adopting.
* * *
Rescue Nana! … If you need additional help, visit this Facebook page.
NYC Animal Care Centers of NYC Web site – If not Nana. consider adopting a cat, dog, or other animal from there.
Visit Rachel Hirschfeld’s site and contact her for additional information.
Read about Hirschfeld’s Pet Protection Agreement.
Thank you for highlighting Nana’s plight and the need for more fosters and adopters from AC&C. I admin on one of the pages networking these cats and see the kill listed numbers rising every day (from 10+ in the winter to up to 60+ in summer). NYC rescues are doing an amazing job pulling cats for fosters but they need more help and these cats need more adopters. More people surrendering cats need to know that there is a high chance they won’t be adopted from the shelter. Still too many pregnant cats out on the streets, no spay/neuter and too many cats taken into the shelter who should be free-roaming under TNR.
Hi Liz,
Thanks so much for the work you are doing and the addition of this important context. I agree there are too many people surrendering cats that should not be coming there. There are situations of *last resort* but too many people are using it as a first-resort and looking at their animal as sort of disposable. In addition, many of those coming in are, as you say, *free-roaming* and they are not used to people and less likely to be adopted, so then killed when they may be managing (and have someone looking out for them out there) on the *streets*.
There are so many spokes in the wheel, so to speak, that need to be addressed and there is no real overarching campaign doing so – which is a problem.
But spreading the word as much as possible is really important and people opening up their homes or wallets, where they can, helps so much.
Apparently, they do not operate this way in Europe and other countries, people from there are always astounded at the killing of these adoptable animals.
It will change, but needs to happen much more quickly.
Thanks again!!!
best,
Cathryn