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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Biscotti
Biscotti is on the at-risk list due to behavior. Although Biscotti has made improvements throughout his stay, he presents challenging behaviors during his decompression period and appears easily overstimulated. He has displayed the potential for behavioral escalation. 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 to a new home.
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Chillin
Chillin 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. Chillin has developed an upper respiratory infection; however, due to her behavior, thorough assessment and direct administration of oral or injectable medications cannot be safely performed, and medications must instead be provided in food. Chillin is currently stable, but consistent ingestion of the full prescribed medication doses cannot be assured in the shelter environment, which may limit effective treatment and negatively impact her clinical outcome.
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Splitzy
Splitzy 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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Pear
Pear 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. Medically Pear is apparently healthy.
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Rocky
Rocky 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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Sirius
Sirius 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/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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Zero
Zero is on the at-risk list due to medical concerns. Zero has severe dental/periodontal disease requiring a dental procedure, persistent low body condition/weight loss, and recent URI requiring treatment. His scheduled dental procedure was canceled due to his URI. He is also fearful and has limited tolerance for handling and oral examination, making ongoing medical assessment and treatment more challenging in the shelter environment. Placement is recommended for continued recovery, management of his medical needs, and eventual dental care. Behaviorally, he is not thriving in the care center and displays 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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Orlando
Orlando is on the at-risk list for behavior concerns. Orlando 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/her 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 bite/scratch incidents.
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Harley
Harley is on the At Risk list due to behavior. While she is social in shelter, she has a history of PICA (consuming plastic), 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. 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.
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Nym
Nym 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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Leopard
Leopard is on the at-risk list due to behavior concerns. In the care center, Leopard has shown significant kennel stress, including repeatedly throwing herself against the kennel door, lunging at the door when staff pass, barking, heavy panting, and difficulty settling while kenneled. Leopard when first entering the care center was initially highly fearful and displayed some amount of defensive aggression, but has improved and outside of her kennel, Leopard is generally loose and social with handlers, leaning into attention, playing with toys, and engaging well in training. Medically, Leopard is apparently healthy.
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Benz
Benz is on the at-risk list due to medical reasons. He has developed CIRDC with possible pneumonia. Due to his level of stress, fear and anxiety in the shelter, his medical care is difficult. He needs to recover in a low stress environment where his anxieties can be alleviated.
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Beau
Beau is on the at-risk list due to behavior. Although he is displaying social behaviors in the shelter, Beau does have a multiple bite and scratch history in his previous home. It would be 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 managing cats who rough play and may be prone to overstimulation.
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Sabby
Sabby is on the at-risk list for medical concerns. Sabby is a cat with a history of attacking her tail. She has now had two tail amputations and continues to self mutilate. Her most recent surgery is not healing properly because she was able to open it back up. She is on multiple pain medications, but will likely need a long-term anxiolytic medication and additional follow up veterinary care to manage the current tail amputation site. Behaviorally, Sabby is sweet and has allowed medical handling.
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Remi
Remi is on the At Risk list due to behavior. 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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Hazel
Hazel is on the At Risk list due to behavior. 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 bite/scratch incidents.
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Koba
Koba is at risk due to behavior concerns. Koba is noted to have a mild leash bite in the care center but is able to refocus with treats. Koba is noted to kennel fight with neighboring dogs in the kennel and is noted to thrash when being picked up.On walks, he has pulled hard enough to choke himself and has been observed to fixate, bark, and pull toward dogs and children. Koba is social and responsive to handlers when in calmer settings. He will accept treats and allow petting. Medically Koba is Apparently Healthy.
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Benicio
Benicio 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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Apple Bloom
Apple Bloom is on the at-risk list due to behavior concerns. In the care center, Apple Bloom has shown fearful behavior, including hard barking, growling, dodging the leash, keeping distance from handlers, and displaying a tense body with a tucked tail. Apple Bloom has shown improvement over time, becoming easier to leash and more comfortable around handlers, taking treats, engaging with enrichment, and participating in playgroups but is still struggling to acclimate. Medically, Apple Bloom is apparently healthy.
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Fionna
Fionna is at risk due to behavior concerns. In the care center, Fionna is noted to display arousal concerns, often jumping up on handlers and becoming mouthy. On one occasion, she is noted to have jumped up and mouthed a handler's PPE. She is also noted to bite the leash when coming out of her kennel or during her walks. When returning to her kennel she has become reluctant to go back, requiring a secondary handler to help use a sling to help her back into her kennel. Despite this, Fionna is noted to seek attention from her handler, allowing petting, and will perform "sit" and "paw" cues. Medically, Fionna has dental disease but is otherwise healthy.
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Silver Fox
Silver fox needs at risk placement for medical reasons. She is a sweet young cat and is not eating due to a severe upper respiratory tract infection. She needs supportive care in a veterinary clinic to recover.
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Lucky Lady

Lukcy Lady is at risk due to behavior concerns. Lucky Lady has been observed to show dog reactivity and resource guarding. Despite our best efforts to keep her comfortable while in the care center, she has now also begun to show kennel stress. Lucky Lady has been known to kennel fight with dogs walking by her kennel. She is affiliative with handlers and will lean in to solicit attention. Medically, Lucky Lady has alopecia and recently was treated for CIRDC.
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Decatur
Decatur is on the at-risk list due to behavior concerns. In the care center, Decatur has shown deterioration and is noted to bite at his kennel wall. Decatur is noted to become tense and freezes, and fixate when seeing another dog, he will sometimes look away or is noted to be difficult to redirect his focus. Difficult to redirect. Decatur is noted in a calmer setting to allow petting from handlers, taking treats, and engaging with enrichment, but is still struggling to acclimate. Medically, Decatur is apparently healthy.
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Lowkey Mischief

Lowkey Mischief is at risk due to behavioral concerns. In the Care Centers, Lowkey Mischief was noted to be inconsistent with kennel reactivity. He was reported to jump high up in kennel vocalizing, attempting to kennel fight as he exits. He was also noted to be inconsistent with mouthing on handlers. He has reportedly mouthed handlers sleeves and hands with various levels of pressures. At times he was able to be easily redirected with treats or cue. Lowkey is reported to be social with familiar staff, allowing for petting and gently taking treats. Medically, Lowkey Mischief is underweight.
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Sunflower Seeds
Sunflower Seeds is at risk due to behavior concerns. When Sunflower Seeds first arrived at the care center she was observed to be friendly and outgoing. Despite our best efforts at keeping Sunflower Seeds comfortable in care, she has begun to show signs of on leash reactivity and arousal. She has been reported to lunge and pull towards other dogs while also jumping up at handler. In training, she has been able to engage with place, basic commands and breath work. Medically, Sunflower Seeds is apparently healthy.
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