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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Page 1 of 2 (28 total records)

Misty
Misty 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 Misty is apparently healthy.
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Lucky Kentucky
Lucky Kentucky 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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Kairo

Reserved
Kairo is at risk due to behavioral reasons. Kairo arrived at the Care Center as an owner surrender due to housing concerns. Kairo's previous owner describes him as friendly and social with familiar people. Despite efforts to keep him comfortable, Kairo has remained highly fearful during his stay. During a handling assessment Kairo was noted to have a tense body and tucked tail; at times Kairo has been noted to resist returning to kennel. Recently, Kairo gas shown significant improvement, warming up to staff, allowing contact, and returning to kennel with verbal coaxing and treats. Medically, Kairo has started treatment for pneumonia.
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Luffy
Luffy is at risk due to behavior concerns. Luffy came into the care center as an owner surrender. During his time in the care center, it has been reported that Luffy is mouthy when seeking treats, will jump on handlers with a soft body and wagging tail and will mount handlers not easily being redirected. Owner has reported Luffy will bark and growl if startled. Luffy is social with handlers and is receptive to treats. Owner has reported Luffy knows verbal cues, is loving and playful. Luffy also enjoys car rides and is crate trained. Medically, Luffy has dermatitis - unspecified and otitis chronic.
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Yasuke
Yasuke is at risk due to behavior concerns. Yaskue came to our care center as a stray. During his stay in our care center, Yaskue charges the front of his kennel, bares teeth, growls and muzzle punches his door. At times can have a tense body and hard stares at staff. During his assessment Yasuke becomes tense while hovering over a toy and snaps, bites the assess-a-hand. Yasuke is receptive to treats which he takes firmly and is social with handlers on walks. He walks with mild pull and responds to verbal cues. Medically, Yasuke is apparently healthy.
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Calipso
Calipso 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. 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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Worthwhile
Worthwhile is at risk for behavior reasons. Worthwhile was returned to the care center for severe separation anxiety in the previous home environment. He has been friendly with staff and volunteers and is very food motivated however, he is highly stressed in the kennel hypersalivating, panting, pacing in kennel. Medically, he is apparently healthy.
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Snickers
Snickers is on the at-risk list due to behavior concerns in the care center and in his previous home. In the care center, Snickers has not allowed for much handling. At his kennel, he has growled, snapped toward the leash, and thrashed briefly once leashed, and has displayed pacing, lip licking, avoidance, and difficulty settling during interactions. In addition to in-care behaviors, Snickers has a history of resource guarding in the home, including growling, snapping, and biting when his food was touched, resulting in a bite to the wrist that broke skin, as well as reported bites when approached too quickly. Medically, Snickers is apparently healthy.
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Ralph
Ralph is on the at-risk list due to medical concerns. Ralph is a shy older male cat who has been gradually losing weight since arriving at the shelter. He would benefit from a quiet environment that would allow his to decompress and to be evaluating by a full service veterinary clinic.
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Mudpuppy
Mudpuppy is on at-risk due to behavior concerns. Mudpuppy came to the care center as a stray. During his stay in the care center has been observed to be highly fearful. It has been noted to be tense and was very reluctant to allow collaring. After a handler entered the room during the assessment, Mudpuppy approached them readily then jumped up and muzzle punched them in the face. Mudpuppy resources guard a toy during assessment, he becomes tense, bares teeth and bites at the assess-a-hand. During his walks he is social with handler, takes treats and checks in visually when verbally cued. Staff have also reported that Mudpuppy is very playful and high energy. Medically, Mudpuppy has otitis externa.
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Benji
Benji is at risk due behavior concerns. Benji came to our care center as an owner surrender. Her owner states that she will hard bark and growl towards strangers. During intake Benji was observed to hard bark, growl, and lunge towards handlers. It is reported that in her previous home there was a bite incident with the resident dog over resources. Owner also reported that Benji growls/ snaps when being startled. During her stay in our care center, Benji has growled with a tense body and hard bark at handlers with hackles raised when they attempt to leash. While on walks Benji is hypervigilant (moves away from loud noises, looking around) while walking on the street. She is social with familiar handlers and allows petting. Owner reported Benji is very affectionate when she warms up and loves playing with various toys and running around. Medically, Benji is underweight.
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Jolene
Jolene is on the at-risk list due to behavior concerns. In the care center, Jolene has shown sensitivity to handling pressure and environmental stressors, with rapid escalation when over threshold. She has thrashed on leash when moved toward unfamiliar or uncomfortable areas, and during a recent incident began leash biting, mounting, and grabbing a handler’s clothing when mild leash pressure was applied in the snow. In lower-stress contexts Jolene can be social and will lean into petting, but she shows low tolerance for pressure and has difficulty recovering once aroused or frustrated. Medically, Jolene has CIRDC.
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Bingo
Bingo is on the at-risk list due to behavior concerns. In the care center, Bingo has displayed significant kennel stress and arousal, including persistent jumping, rebounding off kennel walls, hard barking, growling, and baring teeth toward passing staff. He has also been reported to kennel fight when exiting his kennel and to jump toward staff when food is present, with low tolerance for stimulation and difficulty settling once aroused. Medically, Bingo is apparently healthy.
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Pepper
Pepper 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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Nocturne
Nocturne 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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Grace
Grace is at risk due to behavioral concerns. Grace arrived at the Care Center as an owner surrender due to reported behaviors the home. Grace's previous owner reported that she has been bitten six times in the past four years. All have been noted to be bite and release; none of the bites required medical attention. Grace's previous owner reported these bites seem to occur during contact such as giving her a bath or placing a harness on. Grace has also been kept separate from another resident dog due to previous altercations. Grace has been fearful at the Care Center, however did allow handling during a medical exam. Medically, Grace is apparently healthy.
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Colby

Colby is at risk due to behavioral concerns. Colby was returned from his adopteers due to not being the right fit. Colby is a high energy, "mouthy" young dog, who is struggling to acclimate. While highly social and affectionate with handlers,he demonstrates poor impulse control, and a low threshold for arousal. He has a history of jumping and mouthing occasionally hard enough to bruise and exhibits significant reactivity toward other dogs, including kennel fighting and hard-staring on walks. This treat motivated boy needs an experienced adopter capable of managing his reactivity and refining his manners. Medically, Colby is apparently healthy.
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Blackberry
Blackberry is at risk due to medical reasons. He is a mildly overweight adult male cat that had one episode of urethral obstruction. He was successfully unblocked on 1/2 and now his kidney values have normalized. However, he is still not eating and requires continued supportive veterinary care to help him recover. Behaviorally, he is timid but allows all handling. Previously, Blackberry was in foster and reported to be shy but social with a slow approach.
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Neda
Neda 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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Koda
Koda is on the at-risk list due to behavior concerns in care and in her previous home. Koda is a social dog with familiar people but becomes easily over aroused during interactions, leading to inappropriate behaviors like grabbing at handlers. She has a documented history of fearful and defensive reactions, including a bite that broke skin when she was startled by a person in her personal space. Koda is known to be highly affectionate with staff, rolling over for pets, is crate trained, and enjoys training with valuable treats. Medically, Koda has Dental disease but otherwise healthy.
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Daniels
Daniels is on the at-risk list due to behavior concerns. In the care center, Daniels has demonstrated low threshold for arousal and handling pressure, with rapid escalation when overstimulated. He has been reported to bark and lunge at strangers, and during interactions outside has quickly become highly aroused jumping repeatedly on handlers and mouthing with moderate pressure despite redirection attempts. In-kennel, Daniels has begun leash biting during leashing attempts, though he is currently able to be refocused with treats and toys inconsistently. Medically, Daniels has CIRDC.
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Jacob B
Jacob B. 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, and has a multiple bite/scratch history. 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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Achilles
Achilles is at risk due to behavioral concerns. Achilles arrived at the Care Center as an owner-surrender due to housing concerns. The previous owner stated within the past 6 months, Achilles had one bite and release incident and a separate attempted bite. The previous owner noted these incidents occur when someone approached him and their daughter too quickly. With staff, Achilles has become social, receptive to treats, and solicits contact. Medically, Achilles is noted to have Otitis Externa, but is otherwise apparently healthy.
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Keith
Keith is at risk due to behavioral concerns. Keith arrived at the Care Center as an owner surrender. It was reported during a family dispute Keith scratched and bit one of the people involved. Minimal information was provided and we have been unable to gather any more details. While in care, Keith has been observed to hard bark and growl towards handlers that approach his kennel, but is easily leashed for walks. Keith has been noted to be receptive to treats, allow handling for his medical exam and transport. Medically, Keith is apparently healthy.
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Lucy
Lucy is at risk due to behavioral reasons. Lucy was returned to the care center for persistent "mouthy" behavior, which includes nipping at ankles and jumping toward people to mouth their hands or clothing. These behaviors, including an incident where she nipped a person’s coat coming out of an elevator, have continued during her time at the center. Lucy is affectionate, responds well to training, and would succeed with positivie reinforcement training. Medically, Lucy is currently healthy,
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