Adopt, never shop.  Learn more about bringing a rat into your home and helping to save a life.

You can now become a monthly donor and help Empty Cages Collective continue our live saving work. It's as easy as clicking the button below!

Ally : $10.00 USD - monthly Advocate : $25.00 USD - monthly Friend : $50.00 USD - monthly Sustainer : $100.00 USD - monthly Hero : $250.00 USD - monthly Savior : $500.00 USD - monthly

Acorn is a nine-month old cutie who was rescued as a sick stray from the streets of Crown Heights. He's feisty and funny, he loves the culinary arts, and he's as healthy as can be... but he's still a little shy around strangers. Acorn needs a patient guardian and a quiet home to warm up to the good things life has to offer. Can you bring Acorn out of his shell?

Her name is Basketball, and she's ready to play... and win your heart. Basketball is a beautiful orange tabby - a healthy, voluptuous young lady who was pulled from NYC Animal Care & Control's kill list. She's energetic yet laid-back, she's a slam-dunk mouser, and she loves to cuddle. In short, Basketball is the perfect house cat - she just doesn't have a house to call her own. Can you adopt Basketball?

Please print out our new adoption poster for our friend Clinton and widely distribute. Help us find him a home.

 

Molly is one of the first human-socialized cats rescued by Empty Cages Collective nearly two years ago. While she is feline leukemia positive, she is currently the picture of health and happiness. She has - and probably always will be - a favorite among volunteers and visitors.

Molly was found in Canarsie, Brooklyn in a front yard where dozens of cats were breeding out of control (Thanks to ECC's efforts, the vast majority of these cats are now spayed or neutered, and we continue to offer ongoing support to the cats on this block). Molly is available for adoption (as are all of our asymptomatic feline leukemia-positive cats) to a home that can deal with her special status and needs. If you might be interested in adopting Molly or an of the other feline leukemia positive cats rescued by ECC, please contact us at 1 (800) 880-2684 or EmptyCagesCollective@gmail.com.

If you can't adopt a feline leukemia positive cat, you can still help by printing and distributing (widely) our adoption poster for our special needs cats. Download it Here!

Tonya took this goofy photo at the last adoption event. Although it would be wonderful if Cleo and Caesar were adopted together, I don't think they would object to being separated! See their flickr photoset with some baby pics HERE. If you are interested in emptying Cleo and Caesars' cage, please send an email to: emptycagescollective (at) gmail.com

Ginny's mugshot from Animal Care & Control didn't capture her beauty or her tragic story


Ginny's slept deeply on her first night out of animal control

Ginny, a petite brown tabby who is about four years old, entered NYC Animal Care & Control under extremely sad circumstance. Her and her fellow companion animals were left alone when their guardian died in their apartment, unbeknownst to anyone else.

Eventually, the New York Police Department contacted Animal Care & Control to come pick up the animals when the deceased man was found. Soon Ginny found her way into the Animal Care & Control system - terrified and separated from the only other animals and people she knew. Stressed and underweight from being improperly fed, she quickly picked up a (easily treatable) cold and was unceremoniously relegated to the kill list.

We knew we had to help Ginny get out of the shelter before being killed. We felt a very strong need to give her the opportunity for life's tide to turn... so she too may be given a chance for a good life, in a stable home, with people who love her.

Ginny was taken to one of ECC's volunteers home where she could recover from her stuffy nose and sore throat and get some much need love and rest. If you're interested in adopting her after she is spayed and recovered, please contact us at: 1 (800) 880-2684 or EmptyCagesCollective@gmail.com Ginny is worth second, third, and fourth chances. Help us make it so she only needs one more chance to get to the good life.

Clancy was called Winky when we first rescued him due to his condition!




With veterinary assistance, Clancy could live without chronic discomfort

Clancy is a wonderful, tuxedo short haired cat who first met the Empty Cages Collective when we were participating in a routine Trap-Neuter-Return effort in a backyard in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn. We knew from the minute we met him he was a very special cat. Not a fearful feral like some of the other cats we trapped in that particular backyard. Unlike the feral felines who simply needed some veterinary care, vaccinations and spay or neuter surgery, Clancy was not only friendly and funny, but in desperate need of some TLC.

Clancy was in pain when one of ECC's friends trapped him that fateful night in January. He had a bite wound on his face that was turning into an ugly abscess and he had been enduring a birth defect involving his eyelids that caused sensitivity to light and discomfort in general. Due to his birth defect he tried to keep his eyes closed most of the time, making avoiding dangers even a little more difficult. Apart from his struggles to find food on the street and somewhere dry to rest, Clancy also knew humans in a more friendly way then many street cats - and was desperately searching for someone to take him in.

Fast forward to the present, Clancy has healed from his abscess, tested negative for feline leukemia and FIV, and has been vaccinated and neutered. He also has a promising adoption applicant interested in giving him the home he deserves. Recently, Clancy was examined by a veterinary opthamologist who can help Clancy live without chronic discomfort and irritation through surgical intervention. The intervention is relatively non-invasive, but expensive when compared to ECC's modest budget.

Some kind donors (special thanks to Faith Popcorn for her generosity for Clancy's veterinary care) have helped us pay for some of Clancy's care - but the bill still needs to be paid in full, and future visits are inevitable. Please help us insure that Clancy gets everything he needs medically so he can hurry to his new home! Donations can be made through Paypal (emptycagescollective@gmail.com) or to our mailing address: Empty Cages Collective, 302 Bedford Avenue, PMB#: 301, Brooklyn, NY 11211. Please earmark your donation "for Clancy".

Rabina awaiting death or rescue at ACC


Rabina relaxing at the ECC Shelter Space

Rabina, while an individual with a unique personality and distinct biography, is typical of the cats who face death at animal control facilities nationwide. Rabina was a healthy adult stray cat surviving on the streets and in backyards in the Borough of Queens. Prior to entering into the NYC Animal Care & Control (ACC) system, she was your typical beautiful solid gray shorthaired cat. Her brush with unnecessary and premature death epitomizes the need for change in society in general, and the shelter establishment in particular.

She was trapped in a live trap on January 10th by a member of the public. The woman had seen Rabina stalking birds at her bird feeder and watched on as she killed a bird. The woman decided that allowing Rabina to continue on eking out a living in "her" neighborhood (and killing birds to survive) was unacceptable. She took her to ACC knowing it was likely she would be killed.

Don't get us wrong. Life wasn't always perfect for Rabina (as it isn't perfect for any of us), but it was hers: freedom, foraging, finding and hunting food, and living with her feral cat fellows in colonies. And a chance at a risk-filled life beats the guarantee of premature and unwanted death in the form of lethal injections.

In any case, after entering NYC Animal Care & Control, Rabina soon found herself on the New Hope List - a list showcasing the animals who would be killed the next morning for a variety of questionable reasons (space, suckling, treatable illness, behavior, etc.) We opted to rescue her to spare her unnecessary death. We decided to show her the compassion and understanding that the woman in Queens and the shelter system who would kill her had failed to. The goal for Rabina would be one of two outcomes: relocation to a protected, sterilized feral cat colony where a kind caretaker feeds and looks after the cats or an adopted home to call her own.

Lo and behold, Rabina ended up not being the un-socialized, "behavioral problem" feral cat she was reported to be, but a shy stray who enjoys sleeping in hammocks, pats on the head, eating canned food and quietly snoozing through the days awaiting her opportunity to find lasting love and a happy home. Let us know if you're interested or know someone who might be in giving Rabina the stable home all companion animals deserve.

Eartha maintains a positive mental attitude


Heath grows bigger everyday

On Christmas Eve 2008, Empty Cages Collective (ECC) gave a very special gift to Eartha and her kitten, Heath. Eartha and her two kittens (who were only a week old) were scheduled to be killed at Animal Care & Control's Manhattan shelter by the end of the week. As is often the case, no rescue organization or individual had stepped up to help the little family by fostering or adopting them.

Eartha had tested positive for feline leukemia - a virus that causes a compromised immune system. Cats with feline leukemia can enjoy months and - not uncommonly - years of good health and happiness, before succumbing to the virus. The reality is, many FELV-positive cats live for extended periods of time with no symptoms of their condition. When FELV-positive cats receive nutritious food, good veterinary care, and love, the sky is truly the limit on what the future holds. We at ECC believe all companion animals deserve a chance at a loving home and a decent life. We recognize that "euthanasia" should be reserved for animals who are irreparably suffering and untreatable - not as preemptive action attempting to foresee and respond to suffering that may not come to fruition for years - if ever.

While one of Eartha's kittens didn't survive (rest in peace, little friend), Eartha and Heath not only continue to survive, but thrive. Nearly two months since we rescued this special family, Eartha and her other baby, Heath remain in excellent health: energetically playful, with hardy appetites and love to spare. For anyone who knows this duo, they epitomize gratefulness at being alive. They might be feline leukemia positive, but what is more apparent is they are positive about their lives in the present. They truly value their lives, even in the face of uncertain futures. We all could learn much from them.

If life should turn, and Eartha or Heath stop enjoying their lives and become untreatably ill, we will make the difficult decision to give them the gift of euthanasia.

However, until such a time arrives, Eartha and Heath are entitled to their lives, as are all asymptomatic feline leukemia and FIV-positive cats and kittens.

If you're interested in adopting, fostering or financially supporting Eartha, Heath, Harlem, Brook, Molly or any of our other asymptomatic feline leukemia positive cats, please contact us at 1 (800) 880-2684 or EmptyCagesCollective@gmail.com

Theresa was trapped as part of a Trap-Neuter-Return project of feral and free-roaming cats in an abandoned, dirty lot in Jamaica, Queens. While most of the cats from the project were feral and were happy to be returned to their homeland, Theresa was definitely not! In fact, she seemed to have had her fill living on the mean streets, struggling to find food, and avoiding the cruelty and indifference of some of the locals. The Empty Cages Collective (ECC) opted not to release her and instead would work to find her a home.

Unfortunately, Theresa has waited for months to be adopted and has been passed over time and time again.

Theresa is a beautiful, chubby calico shorthaired cat with a strong will and a love of all things food-related: crunchy and canned (we suspect this is because she remembers the difficulty in finding food in her former life!). She is sweet, but bored with her current situation. She is up-to-date on vaccinations, tested NEGATIVE for feline leukemia and FIV (good thing!), dewormed, and spayed. She loves boxes for napping and will often speak in soft little mews trying to inform you of her intentions.

Theresa deserves more then a cage - so she would like nothing more then for you to help her find a wonderful home, and free up needed space so we can help other cats and kittens who are in trouble or at risk of cruelty or death. Please give Theresa something to finally be thankful for!

Life hasn't always been fair to Ocean. He lived on the streets (Ocean Avenue) for years... surviving on the food he could find or was given and making the best of a bad situation. Eventually he was "rescued" by someone who decided he shouldn't live on the streets, but instead took him to NYC Animal Care & Control. At Animal Care & Control he quickly picked up an Upper Respiratory Infection and ended up on the "New Hope List" - a list of all the animals NYC Animal Care & Control plans on killing the next day. Luckily for Ocean, the Empty Cages Collective (ECC) pulled him from Animal Care & Control just before he was going to be killed. The other kitten ECC tried to pull that day wasn't so lucky - she had already been killed. 

Ocean is a wonderful light orange tabby domestic short haired cat who is approximately 6-7 years old. He is affectionate, friendly and grateful to be alive. 

He would like nothing more then a life-long home with comfy places to nap and lots of wet and dry food! Ocean is vaccinated, treated for parasites, microchipped, and is neutered. He has also tested negative for feline leukemia. Unfortunately, he has tested positive for FIV - a virus similar to HIV but that only affect cats. The truth is, many positive cats live for years with no symptoms of their health condition. When FIV-positive cats receive nutritious food, good veterinary care, and love, the sky is truly the limit on what the future holds. It is important to mention that FIV-positive cats do not require special daily medication to treat their FIV. 

Please be a hero for Ocean and help him find a home to finally call his own! Be the one to show him the compassion that most people haven't yet afforded him! Please remember that by adopting Ocean, you're not just helping him - you will be saving another cat, freeing up space so another at-risk feline can be saved!

Lucy gets some loving


Hodgepodge on the mend

When ECC is working in communities with large populations of stray and feral cats, we can never be quite sure what we're going to find when we start a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) project. One person who contacted us recently needed help with three kittens in Bushwick an older woman was feeding. We knew that it was going to be more than just three kittens, since only a few weeks before, those same kittens had an unsterilized and unvaccinated mother and father. When we arrived it became clear the project was going to take longer than we initially thought. Very quickly eleven humane traps and carriers were filled with stray and feral cats. But we were still seeing cats that needed to be spayed or neutered, and we were out of traps for that day! While the TNR project in question is ongoing, we wanted to talk about two of the special cats we met while working on that block.

Lucy's mother and three siblings were caught, spayed or neutered, and vaccinated. They were held a few days after surgery to recover, then returned to their colony to be monitored and fed by the woman who owns the property where the cats reside. Lucy, on the other hand, was destined to have a TNR experience that was anything but routine.

After trapping Lucy and her mother using a drop trap, we realized Lucy was sickly and had a huge gaping hole in her lower jaw, filled with rotting food and tissue. She was skinny and lethargic and needed some specialized veterinary care if she was going to get better. Kittens as young as Lucy usually become socialized when they have medical problems where treatment is going to require constant handling. Therefore, we knew immediately that Lucy was going to find a home rather then be returned to her colony, and we were going to help her find a great one.

Since then, Lucy has had several procedures that have exceeded $2000 in cost. She is recovering beautifully, eats very well, and is becoming more comfortable in her new surroundings. It is likely she will need additional intervention in the future as her injury has caused damage to her gums and teeth. Luckily, she is already in her new home in New Jersey, living a life of luxury.

Also, since many have asked, and since she was found in the same one block radius, we wanted to update everyone about our little friend Hodgepodge. Hodgepodge is doing very well and has recovered significantly since we found her near death. She is now eating ravenously on her own, has become playful, is quite the character, and can SEE! Her eyes have not completely healed, but are well on their way with the eye treatments she is receiving. It is important to remember that, for the most part, small and sick, but treatable kittens like Hodgepodge STILL don't stand a chance at NYC Animal Care & Control. Furthermore, feral parents like hers are left behind unsterilized by the traditional animal control system to produce litter after litter of other Hodgepodge's... future victims of an often indifferent culture and an antiquated animal sheltering system that prioritizes "cures" over prevention and killing masquerading as kindness.

For Lucy and Hodgepodge, and the thousands of others who we cannot help single-handedly, please see what a more progressive policy regarding feral cats looks like CLICK HERE. Also, if you can, please donate to the Empty Cages Collective to help injured and ill strays and feral cats and kittens get the veterinary care they need, and contribute to our important spay/neuter work! With your financial help, we can continue providing an alternative to both inaction and unnecessary killing posing as true euthanasia. To make a Paypal donation go to our Petfinder page HERE, or contact ECC HERE.