I first learned about this location from an Instagram post about them advertising their Staycation…read moreprogram over the holidays where you can foster a cat or dog over the holidays for a few days. Super conveniently located off the ACE line too at Canal St. They provide all the materials and your preference and they help match you with a furry friend. They were advertising a specific pick up and drop off date for the animals for this program, but i wanted to participate for a bit longer so I called a few days before to see if they're able to accommodate. The staff who answered didn't know the answer so they took down my info and told me someone would call me back. Days passed and I didn't hear back so I had to make a trek down there to ask in-person so that was a bit inconvenient. I wanted some time to prep my home. Anyway when I let them know that I'm a beginner foster and would prefer a cat that is generally friendly with no behavior problems, they helped me match with an adorable adult cream kitty. I picked her up with no issues. They provided me with all the supplies (and more) that I'd need for my week-long foster commitment. They also provided a number that I could text with any concerns should any issues come up. My whole experience was very positive. I'm glad to see that they have now expanded their program with allowing folks to take a dog out for a walk. I've seen further Instagram posts posting about these excursion experiences, but I think you have to come early during the day as only a limited number of dogs are eligible candidates daily. I've done similar excursions at Sean Casey in Brooklyn (no appointment necessary) and ACC (booking required a few days in advance online) so I'm excited this opportunity exists here in a more centrally located place in Manhattan. The shelter also allows visitors to come and view and play with their cats. You just need to make sure you wash your hands before interacting with them. I love this but also hope this doesn't overwhelm the cats too much.

I wanted to share my lovely experience a Best Friends!! It's been one whole month since we brought…read moreour kitten, Juni (short for Juniper) home. We were looking for a cat for our cat. We wanted a playmate for our sweet 1 year old cat, and a friend recommended Best Friends. I came by and the staff were all so sweet and welcoming. They were super informative and encouraged me to play with the cats. During my first visit, I came across the cutest orange female (RARE!) kitten. I had dinner plans and couldn't bring her with me. I came back an hour or so later and she was in the process of getting adopted :,) happy for her but sad for me. It's ok! I just thought that maybe it wasn't meant to be. A week later, I came back to Best Friends with my boyfriend on a mission to adopt a cat. They had an additional room towards the back that housed kittens!!! There were so many to choose from. We chose Juni because she was very cuddly and had a little quirky mustache. The staff made the adoption process so quick and easy. They even provided us a care package with all the necessities (kitten litter, wet and dry food). I expressed my concerns about introducing Juni to our cat at home, and they provided a step by step guide. They even followed up 2 weeks later with our progress. The employees and volunteers here really love what they do.

UPDATE: 3:27am Mar 2, 2026 I ENDED UP WITH A KITTEN. LOL…read moreI don't know how, but one minute I was just the moral support, hours layer I call ba k for the little fella, then 3 days later I'm picking up a little black kitten. The last week has been a whirlwind and as I write this I am sitting in a rest stop off 85 with my kitten in tow. He's amazing. I've managed to train him so he loves riding in cars. He's our official "road dawg" lol.

The whole experience was a walk in the park. I adopted a cat named Flip 4 weeks ago. He had alot of…read moreissues. They explained everything to me & gave me his medicine. Flip is doing really well & has flourished.

Jeff is the real deal - the man is in the trenches confronting the most horrific cruelty and…read morerefusing to turn away. Those of us who support Jeff understand that extraordinarily few people could undertake this kind of rescue effort under the most dire of circumstances and maintain their sanity. But Jeff emerges intact and more committed than ever to ending the dog-meat trade once and for all. He is made of better stuff, as is his team. Not all heroes wear capes.

This organization is absolutely fantastic! They brought our girl Eden to us last summer, and we…read morecould not have asked for a more perfect dog! She adores my son and keeps an eye on him. She's wonderful with our other pups. Jeff Berri and his team are incredibly compassionate. He has an enormous heart for all these pups! We will be rescuing another survivor (or possibly two) from them. We are so excited! If you are seeking a truly honest and caring rescue, NDLB is the one for you. They have so many babies in need of homes.

We had a fantastic experience adopting our puppy Mavis from Sean Casey Animal Rescue. They took…read moregreat care of her before we got her, helping her with an issue she had as a very young puppy. And they were very happy to see Mavis again when we brought her for an occasional quick visit and reunion with Sean. Mavis was extremely sociable, happily meeting countless people and dogs on our walks. And also a very avid swimmer -- we took her on many adventures at a lake, a bay, and a pool. We'll always be grateful to this shelter for helping us adopt Mavis, and enjoy 13 great years with this beloved dog.

I visited SCAR looking for a cat to adopt. I fell in love with a tripod darling that was in a cage…read morenear the back of the store. I was told he had just come in and was not ready to be adopted yet he had to be vetted. I kept going back to look at him was truly love at first site for me and he was so cute. After leaving and arriving home I looked at the website and there was the kitten I wanted - up for adoption!!!! I live far enough away to not go back same day. Was planning on going back today (Sunday) Well he is no longer on the website so I suppose he was adopted. Very disappointed.

I don't understand this rescue group. My cat passed away, so I have 2 boxes from Chewy with about…read more40 cans of renal cat food. I called 3 times and no one ever got back to me. Do you not accept donations? Or is it just rudeness?

I met Keri when I was looking for a house and we immediately bonded over our love of animals. As…read moretime went on and we remained in contact, she would show me the new rescues and keep me up to date on them as well as checking on how my own cats were doing. I eventually adopted a kitten (Diana Ross) and she matched our personalities perfectly. Unfortunately, one of my cats unexpectedly passed away around the time the litter was getting fixed and she let me meet love bug Smokey Robinson where I immediately fell in love. We let him heal and my house to calm down before she brought him over and we immediately bonded, another perfect match and it was great to keep a brother and sister together (for better or worse because they are crazy now). You can tell seconds within meeting these two that their love for animals is immense and they are willing to do so much for them. They provide the best care and only have the animal's beat intentions in mind. It's not about the adopter, it's more about the adoptee as it should be. I highly recommend them whether you're ready to provide a fur-ever home or get a new home.

The entire event (Union Square Petco Adoption Event 6/7/26) was amazing. Every interaction with the…read moreMuddy Paws Team was simply flawless. I appreciate how they were so attentive to the people and the pets! Even escorted me to an uber and helped with my packages! I can not say enough how great full I am to the staff and how I have a new best friend to make new memories with...you all Rock!

We rescued Cheesecake from Muddypaws this summer. Cheesy is the BEST senior pup!…read more Cheesecake is the HAPPIEST BOY! He bounces, skips and dances to express his happiness! Cheesecake is 10 years old and had never been neutered. The Vet team at Muddypaws are terrific! Cheesy kept getting UTIs because his prostate gland was inflamed. He went on antibiotics several times and we had to reschedule his procedure 3 times! Dr. Miller was great! He understood and accommodated our situation. Dr. Miller neutered Cheesecake on 11/13. Everything went well.

Went there on a Saturday and waited 20 minutes to be screened by intake . Didn't adopt on that day…read morebut will return

I escorted my daughter and her fiancé to Animal Haven for a cat adoption. I was very pleasantly…read moresurprised on the care and knowledge of each individual cat they have . You can enter each room with gloves on and then after a thorough interview and veterinary boosters , a two week foster and another appointment we got to bring our little cutie Enoki home. Highly recommend.

STEPH JUDGEMENT: Adorable cat cafe with adoptable cats and cat merch…read more Totally stumbled upon this place after leaving the Clockwork Bar next door! Can't believe we didn't notice this place on the way to the bar, but perhaps their sandwich board wasn't out yet? Anyhoo, the hubby and I are crazy cat people so of course we had to go in. Apparently this is the first cat cafe in NYC! All the kitties are rescues and adoptable, and there was quite a crowd in the visiting room, visible through a window from the lobby. We were short on time so we didn't play with the kitties, but we chatted with one of the super-friendly staffers for a bit and bought some merch to support. So glad we found out about this place--long may they live!

Cute cafe where you can book 50 min spots to play with kitties. Was super excited for this session…read moreas I have a cat back home and have grown up around a lot of cats but was a little disappointed because these cats weren't as friendly or are just sleeping. Makes sense since there are so many people coming in and out throughout the day.

Amazing people! Life saver and caring!!! I took my dog to…read moreget spayed and they were so pleasant very organized. Informative, were always contacting me during the day. Then called me when to pick her up, prices are affordable they work with you. It's amazing. When I was on my way to pick up my dog I encountered a loose dog about to get hit by traffic! Long story short I managed to drive after him and run out to grab him by his leash, the poor dogs paws were bleeding everywhere he was lost. I brought him to the Humane society since I was going there anyway, they helped us without thinking twice. Scanned him in hopes he was microchipped and he was !!! They contacted the owner and he was in an Uber immediately to the humane society. If that's not a story to show how they are here to help animals and the universe bringing me to them I don't know what is!!!! So thank you soo sooo much for this experience, it was my first time here and I feel so blessed and grateful for people like these to help in this crazy world we live in. I'm also happy the dog and his owner were reunited. You guys are amazing !!!!! Thank you ! P.s: the lady at the front, she comes out to talk to you at the door, maybe front desk, is such a sweetheart !!!!! Thank you guys for your huge hearts and for your help.

This place is superb!!! The place is more small- medium sized but the facility is so clean and…read moreorganized!! I took my 6.5 month old kitty in to get neutered and chipped the check in process was insanely smooth and quick the staff was super friendly kind and helpful during the whole process and with helping me understand everything that was being done and to know what steps I had to take next for aftercare and what to do if I needed any assistance after that I highly recommend this place!!

I'm a former in shelter volunteer turned foster (at least for now) for AMA. They have the sweetest…read morecats/kittens that I've dealt with in a long time, besides my own adopted cat. AMA works strictly with sick, abused, and neglected cats and dogs (although I'm completely a cat person), which is more up my alley than working with perfectly healthy animals (my cat is special needs - he's three legged, so that's how I got into working with sick/special needs animals). I've been with AMA for about six months now, and while I wish I had discovered this rescue first, I unfortunately came across Animal Haven first (AMA all the way - AMA is much cleaner and nicer than Animal Haven). AMA is my favorite Brooklyn shelter, and I know people who have adopted from or volunteer/work at other Brooklyn shelters and have somewhat of an attitude when it should be about the animals in need and not about one's ego. Yeah the adoption fees here at AMA are mandatory (unlike the ASPCA where I also foster - they have voluntary adoption fees based on what you can afford; nothing is required besides being a good quality adopter in the eyes of the adoption team there) and higher than you'll see elsewhere, but the animals are genuinely cared for and loved here. The adoption fees aren't the highest in the NYC area for cats and dogs, but they're higher than most other shelters that I know of. It's hard to not get attached to some of the animals there, and I can name a handful of cats that I've grown attached to since the end of March when I came into the shelter for my first shift: Chewy, Spring, Autumn, Tiny, Puff, Kiki, Sushi, Chili, Maple, and my foster, Muffin. It's hard watching them get adopted, but it's also super exciting to see them find where they belong. Here are some final words - if you like cleaning, socializing, meeting new people in person, having some form of structure to your week, and getting out of the house, then you should volunteer in person at the shelter. If working with too many animals at once is overwhelming to you but you still want to help out, consider fostering - AMA covers 100% of costs (including vet visits which any animal lover knows can get expensive), and Mariya is always available to talk to if you need help.

I was looking to foster a second cat and decided to work with AMA in December. I had the pleasure…read moreof working mainly with Jovanna who was so incredibly thorough in the interview and chats to identify what would work best for me and my cat and who the current cat residents were at the shelter. We decided to foster Alfafa over the holidays to potentially adopt if he was a good fit for the household. It's very clear from my interactions with them that they value every animal dearly and take the extra effort to make sure every potential adopter/foster is the best fit possible. Their application is thorough, they take their time to make sure there's a good match, and it was clear the cats were well taken care of at the shelter. I highly highly recommend anyone considering to adopt or foster to work with AMA, I can't overstate how much respect I have for their work, mission, and the people there.