At-Risk Animals

Thank you for your interest in adopting from Animal Care Centers of NYC. Our At-Risk List is posted three times a week, on the evenings of Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 6:00PM and remains viewable for 42 hours.

Schedule overview:
Animals posted at 6:00PM on Sunday evening will be viewable until Tuesday at 12:00PM noon.
Animals posted at 6:00PM on Tuesday evening will be viewable until Thursday at 12:00PM noon.
Animals posted at 6:00PM on Thursday evening will be viewable until Saturday at 12:00PM noon.

To find out the status of at-risk animals, please visit the At-Risk Outcomes page.

If this is your first time visiting this site, please read the below information carefully.

For anyone who wishes to adopt, there is a mandatory deposit fee of $200 plus a transaction fee per animal to place an adoption reservation. The $200 covers $50 toward the adoption fee and $150 for the spay/neuter deposit. If the animal has already been spayed or neutered or is permanently waived by one of our veterinarians, the $150 deposit will be refunded at the time of the adoption. If the animal does need to leave without being spayed or neutered due to his/her medical condition, the $150 deposit will be refunded at the time they are brought back for the spay/neuter surgery or when proof of sterilization being done elsewhere is provided to ACC. If you do not follow through with the adoption, the entire $200 deposit will be considered a charitable donation to ACC's Special Treatment and Recovery Fund (STAR). Also, if the adoption fee for an animal is less than $50, the difference will be considered a charitable donation to the STAR Fund. Similarly, in-shelter pricing promotions do not apply to at-risk animals.

To complete an adoption, please click reserve on the animal of your choice. That animal will be loaded in your cart and you will have 15 minutes to complete the adoption process. In order to complete your reservation, you need to check out (top right corner). At this point, you will enter in your credit card information and a receipt will be emailed to you as confirmation of your reservation. If you have any issues, please email adopt@nycacc.org for help navigating the website.

If you are interested in fostering/adopting through one of our New Hope partners, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/ozHex3uqvNkQt2dq9

At-Risk Animals

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Bello
Bello is on the at-risk list for medical care. Bello has acute vestibular/neurologic signs, including generalized ataxia, horizontal nystagmus, and head tilt. Bello has been treated for otitis externa. Differentials for his vestibular signs include middle/inner ear disease, idiopathic peripheral vestibular disease, trauma, or central neurologic disease. Bello also has a history of significant suspected head/facial trauma in June, although those signs subsequently resolved and its relevance to his current condition is uncertain. Further diagnostics, including a sedated aural exam, advanced imaging, and/or neurology consultation, may be indicated if signs persist or worsen after placement. Bello can be handling-sensitive during medical care, including growling, and requires a muzzle for most medical handling and sedation for thorough care. Outside of medical handling, he has been active and engaged with his environment, though he has also displayed some kennel reactivity toward other dogs.
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Sabby
Sabby is at-risk for behavioral reasons. While Sabby is a sweet cat that allows all petting and handling, her self-mutilation behaviors are persistent and not manageable in a shelter setting. Her self-mutilating behaviors were pre-existing before she came into the shelter and have continued through her initial tail amputation that occurred while still with her previous owner, as well as the revision while in shelter care. Her behavior concern points to a likely neurological pathology that will require a neurological workup, consultation with a behavior certified vet, as well as a multimodal approach (anxiolytic/psychotropic & pain meds, behavior mod., and environmental alteration) to manage her likely compulsive self-mutilation. Should no pathologies be identified, further behavioral workups should also be sought out. She will require an experienced adopter/rescue group capable of managing daily care and diagnostics to ensure that Sabby's condition and self-mutilation be controlled to manage further trauma.
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Bionica
Bionica is on the at-risk list due to behavior. He is not thriving in the care center and continues to display distance-increasing behavior when approached for interactions. He has not warmed up despite staff using treats to build a positive association. Due to his stress levels, it is in his best interest to move out of the kennel environment and into a stable home as quickly as possible. He would do best in a home with adopters who are willing to give him plenty of time and space to adjust, and who have experience with helping a fearful cat adjust to strangers.
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Mia
Mia is on the At Risk list due to behavior. While social in the care center, she is not thriving in the care center and continues to display challenging behavior during interactions. She is extremely intelligent and high energy, and needs to expend energy constructively with interactive play sessions 3-4X/day. In addition to playtime, this cat would also benefit from mental exercise from activities such as puzzle toys/games, lick mats, or clicker training. Without providing activity for her mind and body, the cat may react with rough play, potentially resulting in bite/scratch incidents. It is in her best interest to move out of the kennel environment and into a stable home as quickly as possible. She would do best in a home with adopters who are willing to give her plenty of time and space to adjust, and who have experience with feline body language, overstimulation, rough play, and who have the time to invest in managing these behaviors on a consistent basis to avoid further bite/scratch incidents.
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Purse
Purse is on the At Risk list due to behavior. He is not thriving in the care center and is deteriorating in the Adoptions room. He is now displaying signs of defensive aggression. Due to his stress levels, it is in his best interest to move out of the kennel environment and into a stable home as quickly as possible. He would do best in a home with adopters who are willing to give him plenty of time and space and who have experience with helping a fearful cat adjust to strangers.
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Casa
Casa is on the at-risk list due to behavior. He is not thriving in the care center and continues to display distance-increasing behavior when approached for interactions. He has not warmed up despite staff using treats to build a positive association. Due to his stress levels, it is in his best interest to move out of the kennel environment and into a stable home as quickly as possible. He would do best in a home with adopters who are willing to give him plenty of time and space to adjust, and who have experience with helping a fearful cat adjust to strangers.
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Catson
Catson is on the at-risk list due to behavior. He has improved throughout his stay and has begun exhibiting social behaviors with handlers, soliciting attention and enjoying positive reinforcement such as treats and play times, but he is still not open to handling and continues to display distance-increasing behaviors when handling is attempted. Due to his stress levels, it is in his best interest to move out of the kennel environment and into a stable home as quickly as possible. He would do best in a home with adopters who are willing to give him plenty of time and space to adjust, and who have experience with helping a fearful cat adjust to strangers.
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Kobi
Kobi is on the at risk for medical reasons. Kobi was diagnosed with asthma prior to surrender and is on an inhaler. This is typically a chronic disease in cats. Kobi will need continued care throughout his life. Clinically, Kobi is stable at this time and allows handling.
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Mae
Mae is on the at-risk list due to behavior. She is not thriving in the care center and continues to display distance-increasing behavior when approached for interactions. She has not warmed up despite staff using treats to build a positive association. Due to her stress levels, it is in her best interest to move out of the kennel environment and into a stable home as quickly as possible. She would do best in a home with adopters who are willing to give her plenty of time and space to adjust, and who have experience with helping a fearful cat adjust to strangers.
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Waffle Fry
Waffly fry in on the at-risk list for medical concerns. He is a young cat and is not eating in shelter due to an upper respiratory tract infection and high stress. He has not allowed much handling for treatment purposes while in care. He needs placement in a quiet home to recover.
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Polo
Polo is on the at-risk list due to behavior concerns. In the care center, Polo has shown significant kennel stress and high arousal, including persistent barking and screeching, jumping repeatedly on handlers, and kennel fighting when exiting the kennel room. His jumping has been difficult to redirect at times and has left bruising on a handler. Polo has shown improvement over time and responds well to pattern games, allowing him to disengage from other kennels and refocus on handlers. He has also been observed walking with a loose leash, checking in frequently, and remaining social with handlers but is struggling to acclimate at times. Medically, Polo is apparently healthy.
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Queen Hera
Queen Hera is on the at-risk list due to behavior concerns. In the care center, Queen Hera has shown significant kennel stress, including jumping and slamming her body against the kennel while vocalizing, heavy panting, dilated pupils, excessive salivation, chewing and licking the kennel lock, and consistently chewing her bed. She has also been reported to growl at other dogs in the hallway. Outside of her kennel, Queen Hera is social with handlers, seeks petting, engages well in training, and is generally easy to leash and return to kennel. Medically, Queen Hera has dental disease and dermatitis.
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Magneto

Magneto is at risk for behavior concerns. Magneto has been observed to be dog reactive and to pull hard on the leash. He has been noted to fixate on dogs with a tense body and raised hackles, at times being difficult to redirect with treats or squeakers and requiring leash pressure to maintain distance. He also pulls hard toward dogs in crates. He is responsive to handlers, accepts treats. Medically, Magneto was recently treated for diarrhea and is otherwise healthy.
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Zoe Zoe
Zoe Zoe is on the At Risk list for medical reasons. He has developed a severe URI and is not eating well. He is finding the shelter environment highly stressful and does not allow for treatments. His fear and anxiety are high, and he needs a low stress place to convalesce.
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Raven
Raven is on the at risk list for medical reasons. Raven came to us with severe chronic pododermatitis and other signs of allergies. Her paws have improved with treatment, but are are still far from being resolved. Most recently, they have flared up again and are causing pain and lameness. We suspect underlying allergies as Raven also has recurring ear infections. These issues need more individualized care than can be provided in shelter, and she especially needs a clean and soft environment so her paws can heal. Raven would ideally be on a hypoallergenic diet and will likely also need long term medications for her allergies. She should see a vet to come up with a long-term plan. Behaviorally, Raven is very sweet, but can sometimes be exuberant and mouthy during medical exams.
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Pepper
Recommend at risk list for medical reasons. Pepper is a cat with a large, ruptured mass at her left hind leg. This mass will need to be removed or debulked and a biopsy performed to determine its cause/origin. Pepper is currently stable (very bright and eating well) and is very friendly, she has allowed all handling and seeks out interactions.
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Layla
Layla is at risk due to behavioral reasons. While in care, Layla has been observed to be highly fearful. Noted to growl at handlers when they approach and retreat to the back of the kennel with a tense body and dodge the leash. Recently Layla allowed contact from a familiar handler on her head and back. Medically, Layla has CIRDC.
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Tommy
Tommy is at risk for behavior concerns. Tommy has been observed to quickly escalate to growling, baring teeth, snarling, lunges, and charges towards the handler while in the possession of a toy. During his intake he was noted to growl at handlers and hard stare at them. During his medical exam he was noted to growl at handlers when they approached his kennel, he escalated to snapping and baring teeth. He is noted to enjoy sunbathing and when greeting familiar handlers will be social. Medically, Tommy has CIRDC and Otitis Externa.
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Gramps
Gramps is at risk due to behavioral concerns. Gramps is noted to have significant kennel related defensive behavior and handling sensitivity. He has been reported lunging, snapping, growling, and hard barking when handlers approach or attempt to leash him, including teeth baring and snapping at the leash. His behavior has improved with slow, low pressure interactions, and he can be social with familiar handlers once outside of kennel. Medically, Gramps has CIRDC, Cataracts, Collapsing Trachea, Dental Disease, and a Heart Murmur.
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Baby
Baby is on the At Risk list due to behavior. He is not thriving in the care center and continues to display challenging behavior during interactions. He is extremely intelligent and high energy, and needs to expend energy constructively with interactive play sessions 3-4X/day. In addition to playtime, this cat would also benefit from mental exercise from activities such as puzzle toys/games, lick mats, or clicker training. Without providing activity for his mind and body, the cat may react with rough play, potentially resulting in bite/scratch incidents. It is in his best interest to move out of the kennel environment and into a stable home as quickly as possible. He would do best in a home with adopters who are willing to give him plenty of time and space to adjust, and who have experience with feline body language, overstimulation, rough play, and who have the time to invest in managing these behaviors on a consistent basis to avoid further bite/scratch incidents.
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Milo
Milo is on the at-risk list due to behavior concerns. In the care center, Milo has shown fearful behavior and difficulty walking outside, including persistent barking, balking, refusing to move forward, and attempting to return to the building or to take out for a walk. Milo can only be walked up a certain path in the shelter due to thism Milo responds well to training and has shown improvement with pattern games and familiar cues and is very social with staff and volunteers, but is struggling to acclimate. Medically, Milo has a mass.
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Dusk
Dusk is on the at-risk list due to behavior. He is not thriving in the care center and continues to display distance-increasing behavior when approached for interactions. He has not warmed up despite staff using treats to build a positive association. Due to his stress levels, it is in his best interest to move out of the kennel environment and into a stable home as quickly as possible. He would do best in a home with adopters who are willing to give him plenty of time and space to adjust, and who have experience with helping a fearful cat adjust to strangers.
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Luca
Luca is on the at-risk list for medical concerns. Luca is a senior cat that has been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. He has clinical signs consistent with uncontrolled diabetes (muscle wasting, abnormal stance/gait), but he is eating well and very bright. He will need lifelong care and regular veterinary visits to manage this chronic disease. Behaviorally, Luca is very sweet and allows all handling.
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Peanut Butter
Peanut is at risk due to behavioral reasons. His previous owner states that he will hard bark, growl, lunge, and snap at strangers and children. While in care, Peanut has displayed similar behaviors. Noted to lunge to the front of the kennel and bare teeth when handlers attempt to handle him. Peanut's previous owner states that he is very loving. With a slow approach Peanut has been receptive to treats from the handler. Medically, Peanut is apparently healthy.
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Yami Asta
Yami Asta is at risk due to behavioral concerns. Yami Asta is not acclimating to the shelter environment despite best efforts to keep him comfortable. In quiet settings, Yami has shown social and anxious behaviors with familiar handlers, leaning into pets, occasionally taking treats, while panting heavily, pacing, and not able to settle on his own. Yami Asta does engage in play with other select dogs when attending playgroup. He remains fearful and reluctant to walk when out of the kennel, persistently hugging the walls, balking and refusing to move at times, and will not take treats when handlers attempt to coax him along. Medically, Yami Asta is apparently healthy.
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