Empty Cages Collective (ECC) is a 100% volunteer-staffed, non-funded animal protection and rescue organization. It's only because of people like you that we are able to rescue animals from abuse and certain death and advocate on their behalf.
Since volunteers are our only means of achieving our goals on a modest budget, we ask our volunteers to make a serious commitment to our work: at least one weekly shift of a minimum of 5 hours a week for at least 6 months. Currently our biggest need is the daily cleaning, feeding and medicating of the rescued animals in our recovery center. However, we also need help with adoption events, outreach, transportation and fundraising.
We ask our volunteers to be at least 16 years of age. If you're under 18, we will need your legal guardian to sign a liability waiver.
Apply to Volunteer by clicking on the green button.
At Empty Cages Collective we can only rescue animals if we have a safe and stable place for them to stay until they are rehabilitated, adopted, released back into the environment or transferred to a sanctuary.
Opening your home to a foster animal is a temporary commitment that directly saves lives and alleviates suffering, while providing the animal with comfort and care at an often scary and lonely time for them. Cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, etc. living in foster homes are much happier, healthier, and better socialized than those forced to stay in cages or boarding situations while waiting for their forever homes. Recovering, injured or orphaned urban wildlife, like pigeons or squirrels, thrive with dedicated caregivers as we prepare them for release back into the wild.
Even gerbils, mice, hamsters, ferrets, snakes and turtles need foster homes!
Contact us at info@emptycagescollective.com for more info on fostering.
Apply to Foster by clicking on the green button, and choosing the animal you are interested in fostering.
The birds available for adoption through Empty Cages Collective (ECC) have been rescued from abandonment, injury, neglect and other forms of cruelty.
ECC recognizes that in a just world where animals are treated with compassion and respect, wild birds would not be kept imprisoned as "pets." Until this day arrives, ECC wants to ensure that the birds we rescue and place will receive quality, life-long care, as well as humane treatment.
We do our best to make certain that the highest quality home is found for the animals that have been entrusted into our care.
The domestic rats and mice available for adoption from Empty Cages Collective have been rescued from abandonment, neglect, abuse and other forms of cruelty. Some of these have been exploited in animal experimentation, while others have been neglected and abandoned by irresponsible guardians.
We want to ensure that mistreatment is a thing of the past for these wonderful beings. With that in mind, we are seeking serious, responsible forever adopters, committed to the humane treatment of animals. Adoption requires an approved adoption application, FaceTime interview and enclosure showing, and an adoption fee of $20 for each fancy rat. If spayed/neutered, the adoption fee is $150 for each. Adoption fee for the first mouse is $15 and $10 per mouse thereafter.
*Please note- it is ECC’s policy to adopt fancy rats in pairs or threes, or to homes that already have one or more, because rats are the most sociable rodents of them all. They thrive in groups, and immensely enjoy the companionship, and mental stimulation they get from others of their own species.
All of the dogs and puppies available from Empty Cages Collective have been rescued from the streets of New York City, or from centers like Animal Care & Control where they would be killed. Due to limited resources we attempt to help the dogs in the most need and who are at the greatest risk of abuse, neglect, or premature death at the hands of humans.
All of our dogs have been, or will be spayed or neutered prior to going to their new homes. They have been vaccinated, and vetted. Adoption requires an approved adoption application and an adoption donation of at least $200.
As part of our adoption application process, we ask for 3 references, and we will call your references. If you live in a rental property, it is helpful if one of your references is your landlord or you can provide proof of permission to have a companion animal through your written lease or landlord agreement.
The domestic rabbits available for adoption from Empty Cages Collective have been rescued from abandonment, neglect, abuse and other forms of cruelty. Some of these have been exploited in animal experimentation, while others have been neglected and abandoned by irresponsible guardians.
We want to ensure that mistreatment is a thing of the past for these little beings. With that in mind, we are seeking serious, responsible adopters committed to the humane treatment of animals. Adoption requires an approved adoption application, FaceTime interview and enclosure showing, and a minimum $100 adoption donation so that we can continue our important work of rescuing and protecting rodents, and other animals.
All of our bunnies have been, or will be spayed or neutered prior to going to their new homes.
Guinea Pigs available for adoption from Empty Cages Collective have been rescued from abandonment, neglect, abuse and other forms of cruelty. Some have been exploited in animal experimentation, while others have been neglected and abandoned by irresponsible guardians.
We want to ensure that mistreatment is a thing of the past for these little beings. With that in mind, we are seeking serious, responsible adopters committed to the humane treatment of animals. Adoption requires an approved adoption application, FaceTime interview and enclosure showing, and a minimum adoption donation of $30 for one, $50 for a pair, and $60 for a trio. This ensures we can continue our important work of rescuing and protecting guinea pigs, and other animals.
The reptiles and amphibians available for adoption from Empty Cages Collective have been rescued, in one manner or another, from the captive wild animal trade. Before coming to ECC, these shelled and scaled beings were exploited and imprisoned for food, "pets" or as curiosities. As with birds, in a just world that offered respect and just treatment for animals, reptiles and amphibians would be allowed to live freely in their native habitats. Until this day arrives, ECC wants to ensure that the reptiles and amphibians we rescue and place will receive quality, life-long care, as well as humane treatment.
We do our best to make certain that the highest quality home is found for the animals that have been entrusted into our care.
What to expect in the first few days after the adoption
How to introduce a newly adopted cat to a resident cat
Introducing newly adopted cat to children
Why Kittens Should Be Adopted In Pairs
All of the cats and kittens available from Empty Cages Collective have been rescued as socialized strays from the streets and our Trap-Neuter-Return projects, or pulled from New York City's Animal Care & Control where they would be killed. Due to limited resources we attempt to help the cats in the most need and who are at the greatest risk of abuse, neglect, or premature death at the hands of humans.
All of our cats and kittens have been, or will be spayed or neutered prior to going to their new homes. They have been vaccinated, treated for parasites, and tested for Felv and FIV. Many have been microchipped as well. Adoption requires an approved adoption application and an adoption donation of minimum $100 for an adult cat, $150 for a kitten or $200 for two kitten siblings.
As part of our adoption application process, we ask for 3 references, and we will call your references. If you live in a rental property, it is helpful if one of your references is your landlord or you can provide proof of permission to have a companion animal through your written lease or landlord agreement.
Hamsters available for adoption from Empty Cages Collective have been rescued from abandonment, neglect, abuse and other forms of cruelty. Some have been exploited in animal experimentation, while others have been neglected and abandoned by irresponsible guardians.
We want to ensure that mistreatment is a thing of the past for these little beings. With that in mind, we are seeking serious, responsible adopters committed to the humane treatment of animals. Adoption requires an approved adoption application, FaceTime interview, living and exercise enclosure showing. The minimum adoption donation for a hamster is $10, which is payable at the time of adoption by cash or check.
Click on each animal for more info.
Most of us think of ourselves as animal lovers. And why wouldn't we? We loved the dog, cat, rabbit, hamster, horse, or lizard we shared our homes with growing up or currently. Some of us had our worlds crushed when they died. The grief was overwhelming and it took a long time to allow ourselves to feel that deeply and unconditionally again. If still living, we may cringe at the thought of losing them. This sounds like the description of an animal lover, doesn’t it? But, it is time we revisit what it really means to love animals.
Animals are more than those childhood friends with whom we spent a chapter of our lives, or those we share or wish we shared our homes with as adults. Somehow we are blocking from our minds and hearts the many other species of animals with whom we may never have had personal relationships, yet who should have a right to live their lives just the same.
The chickens, cows, pigs and fish used and abused for food are animals too. So are the mice, rabbits and chimpanzees used for animal testing, as well as the elephants, lions, horses, dolphins and whales used for entertainment. The foxes, chinchillas and bobcats used for fur, and the ducks and geese used for down are also living, breathing, feeling animals. All of these creatures are sentient beings with their own personalities, their own set of values, and a continuing desire to live. None of them want to be someone else’s means to an end.
Most of us would never stand idly by listening to the cries of an animal. Something in us, an innate sense of compassion, objects to this suffering and empathizes deeply with the pain felt by another. But if we cannot stand to be around it, why should we support it? Tragically, we live in a world where we shield ourselves, and our loved ones, from the horrors that underlie our everyday choices; a place where innocents are tortured and slaughtered while we hide behind ignorance and blindness as our form of protection. Despite the blinders that we as a society and as individuals wear, many of us still know deep down that something is wrong.
Animals raised for Food
⁃ According to the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, humans kill more than 57 billion animals a year for food. This number does not take into account sea life, nor does it reflect the number of animals used in experiments, and entertainment. To put this in perspective, there are 7.1 billion people alive today with 108 billion being the number of people that have ever lived. The slaughter of 57 billion of our fellow earthlings every year for food alone is a staggering number of suffering and deaths.
⁃ Animals killed for food are slaughtered at a very young age. Pigs are slaughtered at about 5 months old even though their natural lifespan is about 15 years. Turkeys are usually killed between 12-26 weeks of age, when their natural lifespan is 10-12 years. Beef cattle are killed between 9-14 months of age and dairy cows are slaughtered at 4years of age. The average lifespan of a cow or bull is about 15 years and some can live to be 25. Chickens are often slaughtered as young as 3 weeks of age and all are killed by 10 weeks of age. Baby male chicks are killed within a day of hatching because they are of no use in the egg-laying industry and are not the correct breed to be raised for meat. Chickens naturally live up to 10 years. These numbers apply to animals raised both on or off factory farms.
*Source
⁃ All animals boldly and hopelessly fight for their lives. It is never humane to kill someone who does not want to die. Click here.
*Source
Depletion of Scarce Resources
⁃ One kg of animal protein requires about 100 times more water than does one kg of grain protein. It is estimated that it takes between 1000 to 2000 gallons of water to produce just one gallon of milk. *Source
⁃ Livestock in the US consumes 7 times as much grain as that consumed by the entire US population. *Source
⁃ The grain fed to livestock could instead feed 840 million humans, diminishing world hunger that otherwise will only continue to grow at an exponential rate. *Source
⁃ There is a limited amount of arable land that can support plants. Animal agriculture requires the growth of vast amounts of grains and soy to be used to feed animals. An acre of land can provide food for many more people who consume a vegan diet than for those who consume animal products. This holds true despite the efforts of modern intensive animal agriculture techniques, known as “factory farming,” which evolved in an effort to produce a large number of animals at a faster rate, at a lower cost, and using less space. *Source
⁃ An USDA study found that about 51 percent of the U.S. land base (including Alaska) is used for agricultural purposes, including cropping, grazing (on pasture, range, and in forests), and farmsteads/farm roads. *Source
Pollution and Global Warming
⁃ According to a report by the United Nations, animal agriculture contributes more greenhouse gases, which are linked directly to global warming and environmental destruction, than does burning fossil fuels for all human transportation. *Source
⁃ The Department of Agriculture reports that 1.37 billion tons of solid animal waste are produced annually in the US, which is 130 times greater than the human waste produced. *Source
⁃ According to the EPA, the waste from animal agriculture penetrates the ground and flows into the water, contaminating the drinking water of approximately 4.5 million people. *Source
⁃ To see more about the devastating environmental impact of animal agriculture on the planet, please check out the movie Cowspiracy, available on Netflix.
Antibiotic Use
⁃ Antibiotics are routinely fed to animals raised for food with the goal of warding off illness caused by stress, unsanitary conditions, or improper nutrition. *Source
⁃ The overuse of these drugs in the food system will inevitably lead to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria strains that can be transferred to the human population via food and environmental routes. *Source
⁃ Antibiotic-resistant infections now cost the U.S. health care system $50 billion per year, and infections once routinely treated with antibiotics are now requiring hospitalization and causing thousands of deaths annually –a number only expected to rise dramatically. *Source
⁃ Many mainstream physicians and nutritionists are now asserting that eating animal products is detrimental to our health. To see more on the topic, see this video.
Animal Testing
⁃ Worldwide, at least 22 animals die every second in labs. In the UK one animal dies every five seconds. *Source
⁃ 88% of doctors agree that animal experimentation can be misleading because of significant anatomical and physiological differences between animals and humans. *Source
⁃ 95% of drugs that pass in safety and efficacy animal studies are later deemed useless or dangerous to humans. *Source
⁃ Countless drugs that are found to be dangerous in animals are approved by the FDA because it is admitted that conclusions reached from animal testing are not relevant to human health. *Source
⁃ Rats are only 37% effective in identifying causes of cancer in humans. Flipping a coin would be more accurate. *Source
⁃ According to animal tests, lemon juice is deadly poison, but arsenic, hemlock and botulin are safe. *Source
⁃ Aspirin failed animal tests, as did digitalis (heart drug), numerous cancer treatments, insulin, penicillin and other medicines found to be safe and effective in humans. *Source
⁃ Scientifically accurate laboratory methods exist that could be effectively used to replace animal experiments. *Source
⁃ The majority of animal testing is not done by the healthcare industry, but for household supplies. *Source
⁃ More facts about the failures of animal testing can be found here.
Other Forms of Abuse
Terrible abuse occurs at the hands of the fashion industry for fur, down, and wool. Animals endure unspeakable mistreatment in circuses, zoos, aquariums, and on racetracks and movie sets. No one form of abuse is better or worse than any other. And no form of abuse is justified.
We have all been outraged by examples of animal cruelty in the news, such as Michael Vick’s dog fighting ring or Walter Palmer’s killing of Cecil the lion, to name only two. Why would these acts elicit such public outrage? Is it because we implicitly believe that imposing unnecessary suffering on animals is unethical? Most of us would, in fact, say that we have a moral obligation not to impose needless suffering. These horrible acts were condemned because the perpetrator in some way benefited or found joy in the suffering of innocent animals, but if we know that we do not NEED animal products as food, apparel, or for products to be tested on, then we are no different than those who commit animal abuse first-hand. Most of us would not enjoy doing these acts ourselves, but if we support and make a demand for them with our dollars, we become equally responsible.
Are the few seconds of our palate pleasure or entertainment, or following a certain fashion trend, really worth weeks, months, or years of exploitation and taking the life of another being? Are they worth the isolation, terror, and all around abuse of our fellow earthlings? Would we be fine with all of this if it was happening to another human?
*The extremely conservative Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has stated: "It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that appropriately planned vegan diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate... (next page)
and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Well planned vegan diets are appropriate for individuals during all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, childhood, and adolescence, and for athletes."
Reasons such as palate pleasure, amusement and convenience are NOT a necessity. It’s time that we reconsider our way of life so that it is consistent with our beliefs, and kind to those with whom we share this Earth.
Armed with the belief that we are all equal and deserve to live our lives to the fullest, without oppression by others, we will be motivated to treat everyone else with respect, and compassion. VEGANISM is a way of life that takes a stance of non-violence, acceptance and compassion. It is accepting that animals matter morally and should not be used as mere commodities.
Veganism incorporates the fight for all marginalized classes, encompassing the battle against racism, inequalities experienced by women, LGBTQ individuals and those with disabilities, and child exploitation. It recognizes the value of all sentient beings, no matter the gender or sexual identity, race, color, religion, age, class or species. We need to step up for the animals. They are not means to an end; they are an end in themselves.
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Pics by Mike Hrinewski
Donate online:
All donations to Empty Cages are safe and secure via PayPal.
Donate by Check:
Donations by check or money order payable to "Empty Cages Collective" can be mailed. Please ensure you include your full name and email OR mailing address for a tax receipt, otherwise we will have difficulty sending you this receipt.
Send your information and contribution to:
Empty Cages Collective
PO Box 220327
Brooklyn, New York
Other donations:
Pet supplies, old towels or sheets are all welcomed and appreciated donations. Get in touch with us via email (info@emptycagescollective.org) so we can organize pick up or drop off.
Donate via Amazon Wish List:
We put together a list of our most needed/used items, and you can help us in our daily care by donating an item, or a few, from our NYC Wish List, or our Hudson Valley Wish List.
As an all-volunteer 501©3 nonprofit organization working in Williamsburg, NYC, one of the most expensive cities in the US, we do our best to scrimp and save so that we can save as many animals as possible. Still we need your help to pay for the veterinary bills and medical supplies needed to keep going. Your donation of any amount is appreciated and supports the work we do for NYC's animals.
100% of every donation goes to help the animals. All contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. You can receive a tax deduction and make a difference in the lives of hundreds of animals.
Help us help them! Be a part of our forever promise- that every animal deserves a loving, caring forever home.
Empty Cages Needs You!
HELP US KEEP OUR FOREVER PROMISE
We rescue animals listed on the municipal shelter's kill list, victims of hoarding and neglect situations, escapees from slaughterhouses and live markets, and other animals suffering right on the city streets. We are a vegan rescue that values all animal life, and one of the only rescues in NYC to save 'farmed' animals, companion animals, animals used for research and urban wildlife such as pigeons.
Because of the generous support of our donors, we can show compassion for all life.
The Empty Cages Collective (ECC) is a New York-based animal rescue and advocacy organization. ECC aims to cultivate a culture where animals are recognized as fellow sentient beings worthy of respectful and compassionate treatment. Through advocacy, education, hands-on rescue and assistance, the ECC envisions a world free of animal exploitation, abuse, and ecologically destructive behavior.
To learn more about ECC, see our recent Kings River Life interview.
ECC is motivated by a belief in animal rights and we work to promote a culture of compassion and respect that extends to every animal. Apart from providing rescue to a diverse array of animal species, we advocate against all forms of animal exploitation. We are passionate about educating on Veganism- a lifestyle that seeks to exclude itself from all forms of animal use.
ECC subscribes to a No Kill philosophy when it comes to shelter animals - we strongly oppose the killing of healthy, treatable or rehabilitatable animals. New York City's Animal Care & Control is currently killing hundreds of animal every single week. We work to save as many of these animals as we can, while also working to reform what is a broken system failing the animals.
ECC consistently rescues companion animals from being killed at the municipal shelters, from hard lives as strays on the street, and from situations of neglect. These animals at a minimum need basic veterinary care, foster homes and food and supplies, but often also require extended hospital stays and intense socialization or training. Once ready for adoption, we place the animals into loving, permanent homes who can provide them with the care they need and deserve. Apart from companion animals including cats, dogs, rabbits and guinea pigs, we also assist with species that few other groups save. We take in mice and rats who would otherwise be killed when animal experimentation in laboratories has ceased. ECC rescues, rehabilitates, and releases the city's neglected and under-appreciated urban wildlife, including pigeons and also rescues and rehabilitates abandoned or escaped “farmed” animals and finds them lifelong placement in sanctuaries.
