As I read through the comments, I thought woahhhh.. lots of unhappy people. Did that stop me from stopping by? Nope! Upon arrival, the handsome Spike was snuggled up in the window section with his little tongue out. A young lady greeted me, informed me of the procedures that would take place prior to me entering. Sanitized and was ready for kitties! Now... I understand the frustration of many looking to adopt and being told no BUT these cats are LOVED by the staff and they are also feral cats. Without an understanding owner, all that TLC and patience put into the cats could lead to a stressful environment for the cats and potentially a new cat owner. Loved all the cats including the shy ones! Believe me when I say, I'll be back more often. Friendly and informative staff. Clean shelter and clean kitties. read more

See all

I have been calling them for weeks. Their phone number does not work and there seems to be no way to get in touch with them when you have a dire situation on your hands. read more

This is a place run entirely by wonderful volunteers. If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend stopping by to visit all the cute cats. Visiting is free, but donations are always welcome since they pretty much run on donations. I can't speak on the cat adoption process, but the volunteers care so much about the cats and the cats can roam freely as they wish for the most part. I really hope this shelter sticks around, since they had some issues with their lease and nearly had to close earlier this year. read more

See all

It's great that Ollie's is a no-kill shelter, and the people there seem nice, but this organization is incredibly flaky, poorly run, and difficult to communicate with. They will waste your time, not out of malice, but due to their lack of organization and mismanagement. On top of that, they charge extremely high fees. I definitely would recommend getting a cat somewhere else - there are more than enough shelters and cats in the city and you will be better served looking elsewhere. read more

Ollie's Place is a Cat Adoption Center that is totally run by volunteers. Their cats are Spayed / Neutered, negative for FIV/Feline Leukemia, and microchipped. The Center hours are 6 to 8pm on Monday to Friday and noon to 5pm in the weekends. Ollie's Place runs on $donations so any Un-Opened Cat food and Supplies are greatly appreciated or Venmo@MightyMutts. read more

Ollie's Place - Ollie's Place - a non-profit Cat Adoption Center - Animal Shelters Near Me - New York, New York

A friend of mine has volunteered here and I came in with her one day to play with the cats. It's like a cat cafe, but with no cafe. The cats were pretty friendly, most wanted to be left alone but a few were up for pets. They have a board with the names and physical descriptions of each cat, along with a bit about their personality. Once we found Harry, the lapcat that purrs like a muscle car, we were very happy. The cats seem to be happy and well cared for, very comfortable around people and each other. The place does smell very strongly of cat/cat pee, but seemed clean. You kinda get used to it after about 10 minutes or so, don't give up! My friend was telling me they have very strict rules about who they adopt to (windows must have certain kinds of screens, a home cannot have a balcony whatsoever because the first animal the owner adopted out died by falling from one, etc.). One of the cats has been with them for four years. I can't speak to the issues some of the negative reviews have touched on, but as a place to go and play with cats it's absolutely great. read more

See all

The owner of Ollie's Place would much rather keep these cats in the shelter indefinitely, denying applicants unless they fit his *personal* ideal candidate. The volunteers, who spend more time with the cats than the owner (who lives in NJ), all maintain that their cats will do so much better outside of the shelter in forever homes, and are excited for the cats when they are adopted. Unfortunately, it seems like the owner's whims matter more. If you want to pay Ollie's Place a visit, luckily the volunteers on all days there are great, some more knowledgable than others, but all more than happy to help you meet the cats and answer your questions. read more

amazing, nothing short of amazing. very kind people run it. cats are well taken care of.

This is a wonderful safe haven for cats. The volunteers care deeply for each cat here, and it shows. The cats are not stressed and are well-cared for. They are all healthy as can be and have lots of enrichment. The adoption application and approval process can be rigorous, and it's because they really prioritize cats' welfare (it would be stressful for all cats and humans involved if the cat ended up in a worse situation than at the excellent shelter environment or had to be returned or rehomed--I used to volunteer here in 2011 when they were at a Gramercy location and I know they had a basically nonexistent number of cases of adoptions that didn't work out or returns/rehomes after approval). They have excellent volunteers and can always use more! Come meet their adoptable kitties and play with them for FREE (I encourage visitors to donate! They make excellent use of donations too and are a nonprofit) weeknights 6pm-8pm and weekends 12pm-5pm. You can't get a deal with value like that at any cat cafe. And the cats are sweet and happy. read more

These are the happiest shelter cats I've ever come across. These are good people. Good people good cats.

Literally do not waste your time. You will fall in love with a cat, come see him multiple times, put in an application, and then never hear from them again. As the other reviews echoed (which I tried to ignore), this place has 0 interest in adopting out their cats. They post about how they need their "forever homes" and beg for applicants, only to never respond - hence why these cats have been at Ollie's Place for years. Not sure why I was rejected (financially stable, no balcony, long time pet owner) but by the looks of the reviews, I am in good company. 2 stars for the amazing volunteers who have nothing to do with the completely ridiculous adoption process. read more

My sister volunteered at Ollie's place for years and always made me promise to adopt from them when I was ready. After years of waiting I finally decided I was ready to welcome a second cat into my home. I am a pediatric oncology nurse, live in a large apartment in Manhattan, have screens on all my windows-including the ones that open to the balcony, and my cat is well cared for. I thought after meeting the 8 year old cat in person at Ollie's place, my background, living situation, and letter of recommendation from my sister would make me a shoe in. The cat has been waiting for many months for a home. Instead I never heard back from them. I can only theorize the fact that I have a balcony played a factor. News flash- most high end apartments in nyc have balconies. I was extremely disappointed and feel sad for the cat who is now going to sit in a shelter for who knows how long. After reading the other reviews I now see this is common place. Something definitely seems off about this place and they look for any reason not to give cats to people. I ended up adopting from Anjellicle cats and am enjoying me adorable new Cat. If I were you I would not waste my time on Ollie's place. Only positive is that the volunteers clearly care about the cats and take good care of them read more

Recently, our beautiful orange Norwegian Forest cat passed suddenly. We were broken hearted. Of course, we were going to adopt. But being city people in the age of COVID: not that easy. And honestly, the reviews below, and comments from people made us think: are we wasting our time? The minute we got the call (after filing our application), we knew we weren't. The owner called us and apologized for taking so long (it had been less than a week). The cat we had wanted (from the website), wasn't available because no one had been able to update the site, but he invited us to come in, and look at the cats they had on site. He DID ask us a lot of questions which frankly, were reasonable: do you have screens on your windows? Do you have a regular vet? Who? What plans do you have in case you can't take care of the cat? Nothing out of the ordinary, and we chatted for a good hour. They held the place open for us when they should have been closed, so we could walk around, and everyone was amazingly helpful and knowledgeable. Every cat was well maintained, friendly, and well fed. We fell in love with not one, not two, but THREE. No, we didn't adopt all three, but we picked the one who had been there the longest. The volunteers had so much information for us about him, and someone came to check our apartment a couple of days later: a LOVELY woman who actually brought us wine to celebrate the adoption. On Halloween, their "Wilson" became our "Pete." And they've checked in at least three times to make sure that all is ok. They had great information that is VERY useful too. You know, I can understand how some people would feel that the questions are intrusive, that the review process is ridiculous, etc. Indeed, I said at one point "we're appointing a Supreme Court justice more simply than adopting a cat." But ya know, people have voices: they can say 'help me'. People notice a battered child or a malnourished one. Who sees the animals? No, I'm not an animal crazy, but cruelty is cruelty and these people are doing their level best to make sure that they're not a party to increasing it. Our experience was stellar. If I could give them ten stars, I would. read more

Came by to see what cats they had and the one thing I loved about this place was that they don't pressure you to adopt or donate. In fact, they encourage you to come back and play with the cats, because that's what the cats want - someone to play with. For that alone, I fell in love with this place and would likely come back again. After reading the reviews about how hard it is to adopt, I also sensed that vibe as well. They have a ton of cats to offer and they're all extremely friendly, so I'm pretty sure they take very good care of these cats and make sure they're socialized. I guess these are their babies and they want to make sure they're in good hands. Regardless, if you're looking to adopt a cat or just want to play with one, definitely check this place out! read more

Fell in love with a cat here and was hoping to adopt, but had an awful experience with an individual named John who was disrespectful and aggressive during a home visit. When he finally arrived at 3:30 for our 1pm scheduled visit, he said my application was strong, as I live alone and have no pets. I said I wanted to have an indoors-only cat. John became aggressive, saying, "What?? You're saying you'd NEVER allow a cat outdoors to breathe fresh air and play in the grass?" I replied that I really think it's safer for cats to be indoors, but maybe I could allow the cat out on a leash when visiting my mom in the countryside, but never in NYC. I was just trying to see things from his point of view, but it was a trap. He snapped, saying my application would be denied for considering letting a cat outdoors, then stormed out of my apartment. I felt hurt and offended by his rude manner and the way he twisted my words about my intentions of allowing a pet outdoors, when I was just trying to see things from a cat's perspective. I have always been treated well by the volunteers at Ollie's when I go in to play with the cats, so this was a super disappointing interaction and John's behavior reflects poorly on Ollie's / Mighty Paws as an organization. read more

Well, I'm not volunteering regularly here, but I stop in once in a while to visit with the cats. I particularly like Rapunzel, who's a gorgeous longhaired cat; one volunteer said she tried to take Rapunzel home to see if she got along with her cat, but they didn't get along, so Rapunzel went back to Ollie's. I'm not able to add to my menagerie at this time, but I do love to visit the kitties. I often bring them a catnip mouse or other toy to play with. One important thing to remember is Ollie's Place/Mighty Mutts survives on donations, so I often slip a dollar or two in the metal box that's welded to the fence outside. Every little bit helps. read more

Ollie's Place - A sweet tortie at Ollie's Place - Animal Shelters Near Me - New York, New York

This review is for Ollie's Place & sister organization Mighty Mutts. One Saturday in the Fall of 2016, by happenstance, an adorable puppy was given to me by her owner by the Westside Pier. It was my understanding AT THAT TIME that I wasn't allowed to have a second dog where I live. The puppy was predominantly Pitbull. I didn't want her to end up in the wrong hands. The founder of Mighty Mutts came to mind cause of his reputation for thoroughly inspecting applicants. Also, I met him years ago. I fell in love with the puppy while walking her to Petco Union Square. At Petco I was directed to Union Square W. where I met the Dir. of Mighty Mutts, who phoned the aforementioned Founder, who gave her the OK to take the dog. I handed the puppy to a volunteer, and left in tears. Soon after, I saw the puppy's photo on the Mighty Mutts website. They named her "Chewy." I saw the puppy in person at least 6 months later at Petco Union Square. The Mighty Mutts Dir. was with her. I was so surprised -- no one had adopted THAT cute cute puppy! The Dir. told me, "All the wrong people applied for the dog." Strange that not one worthy person applied. Every few months I checked M.M.'s website to see if the dog had been adopted. No change, except they changed her name to "Jazzy." Next I saw Jazzy in person, in the spring 2018. Still not adopted, Jazzy was outside at Union Square W. with other dogs and M.M. volunteers. It was early afternoon. I noticed three round bald spots the size of a quarter on parts of Jazzy's body. They made Jazzy sit on the sidewalk in the sun for at least 4 hours that day, which was typical. I phoned the founder of M.M. to let him know about Jazzy's bald spots in case he wasn't aware. He knew about it. He said "they come and go." I expressed concern of cancer from the sun. He thanked me, causing me to assume he would rectify this screwed up practice. My assumption was incorrect! I tried to appeal to the M.M volunteers outside at Union Square W.. I spoke to them civilly, and briefly. In response, I was lied to, and lied about. One volunteer, a nondescript middle aged fellow, didn't want pedestrians to hear what I was saying, so he accused me of harassment, to try and silence me. When he saw that didn't work he'd threaten to call the cops on me, which I urged him to do, and which he of course didn't. On June 16, 2018 I witnessed Jazzy, who's bald spots were now sunburned, struggling in unequivocal discomfort, to get out of the sun, to no avail!!! It was like something out of an ASPCA TV commercial. She saw me and looked long, with serious sadness in her eyes. I walked away weeping. I then found out that I in fact could have two dogs in my apartment after all. I sent a missive offering M.M. $600.00 if Jazzy was given back to me. The following Sat. at U.S.W. I was confronted by the M.M. Dir. who yelled at me saying I can't have Jazzy. She called ME "demented," and said she could trace my address through my phone number! Last month I saw a post on the internet that said Jazzy had passed away from a "sudden illness." I was skeptical, and I went to Ollie's Place to inquire. A woman there nonchalantly said "The dog died from a stressful incident. The dog hemorrhaged and was put to sleep." My heart sunk, but later I thought why would someone tell that damaging information? Then right after that, the internet post about Jazzy's death was gone. A few weeks ago I saw a M.M. volunteer on the street and I asked him what happened to Jazzy. He said he saw Jazzy a couple weeks ago and didn't know anything. If true, and if that timeline was accurate then Jazzy was still alive. A Dear friend of mine who's also an acquaintance of the M.M. Founder, phoned him and told him that I wanted to know if Jazzy was alive or dead. She told me "he went into a BOOMING rage" filled with misogynist obscenities towards me, and refused to say whether Jazzy was alive or dead. What a man! My friend was shaken hearing him, and expressed concern for my safety and well being. She urged me not say anything bad about him or Mighty Mutts online. She said, "He has a lot of followers who will do anything for him Dee Dee." For two years, the Founder of Mighty Mutts in my opinion stressed Jazzy out by not allowing the dog to be adopted. Forcing the dog to bake in the sun for countless hours with exposed bald spots that became blistered was beyond despicable. I have this photo for proof. As far as my friend's fear for my safety --- I'm not afraid of you, Oh great Mighty Mutts Founder! I'm not afraid of you or anyone affiliated with Mighty Mutts. Nor am I afraid of anyone connected to you, no matter what their background in life may be. This review is dedicated to Jazzy. read more

Ollie's Place - Bald spot on Jazzy's leg. The Mighty Mutts donation box. Her other bald spots are being chafed on the cement at Union Square. - Animal Shelters Near Me - New York, New York

I tried to adopt from Ollie's and was rejected for owning a home out of state. I also own an apartment in NYC. I put both addresses on the adoption form and was told that they didn't adopt out of state because they couldn't do out of state home visits. I explained that I own and live in my apartment in Manhattan and have for 20 years. I thought that would clear up the problem, but was told that my application was rejected, period, and that I should respect their policy. What policy? Not adopting cats to loving homes? Other people are complaining about this very issue. Seriously, google it. I am far from the only person to complain about these people. Mighty Mutts and Ollie's place need to be investigated because obviously something is wrong here. Very wrong. I fear for these animals. Clearly the people in charge have their own agenda....this needs to be investigated. When a shelter that is supposed to adopt, doesn't adopt, that is a red flag. read more

Elitist adoption center. I'm a previous pet owner. A resident physician. In a stable relationship. In a good financial situation and have cared for cats previously. I really am not sure where I went wrong in life to be rejected by this place. For a place that poses to care for cats, I'm not sure why ollie's is so hesitant to reject so many decent people. I'm not the only one, read any of the other reviews that aren't from people who volunteer or work for ollie's. For an organization that truly care's about its cats I recommend "a tail at a time" based out of the cobble hill pet smart. I adopted a beautiful FIV/Feline Leukemia negative, vaccinated feline friend for $125. Their staff is responsive and knows how to guide first time cat owners. Something about Ollie's is VERY crooked and I would definitely, definitely avoid them. read more

Amazing, I am healed. I don't know what I did in life for it to gift me with this place, but I know I am loved.

ADOPT ADOPT ADOPT This place takes such good care of their rescue furbabies, it's really unbelievable to see how many they take in and know personally while still maintaining cleanliess and keeping it intimate with each kitty. All of the volunteers take as much time as you need to answer any questions about all of the cats, their habits, personality, age (as best they can), etc. They have a room for the young ones and then a back room for the older, more mellow lads and ladies. The process for adoption is definitely thorough, but that just means they want their pets to go to a good home. There's an application, phone call, and house visit. After that, if approved, you are able to do so. Adoption fee is applicable ($100-$200) which includes shots, vet visit, etc. Highly recommend coming here to bring home your new fluffball. read more

The volunteers who work there are awesome, they genuinely want to find the right cat for you. The higher ups, however do not. I was denied an adoption solely because of my age. Nevermind my personality, my lifelong dedication to animals, or financial support/stability. I thought long and hard about adopting, what kind of cat I could care for, and how it would alter my lifestyle and they deemed me unfit because of howany years I've been on this planet. Someone a few reivews ago called them 'adoption elitists' and it's entirely true. They also never responded to my application to volunteer for their mighty mutts adoption events in union square. It's not an adoption center, it's public housing for their cats. read more

The cats at this place a pretty cool, very nice sweet and you wish you could take them home. However that turns out to be a big obstacle. This place had recently had emailed us a cat that was left at their door step and was living in a carrier. We inquired a week earlier to see if we could pick her up. My fiancé finally went to pick her up today. She waited 1.5 hrs and when the older man... John.., the owner finally arrived he told my fiancé that he didn't know anything about her and couldn't trust her. He asked about screen windows, when she said we had a balcony he said "I'm not doing this." 2 hours later on a Saturday no home for this cat and very bad impression on a place that's supposed to be looking out for a cat confined to a carrier. Don't risk your time with this place. read more

So, I was pretty nervous about adopting from Ollie's after reading some of the reviews here. I carefully researched, visited the center a few times, got to know the kitties, and tried my best to make sure my home was ready for a new furry friend. The facility is extraordinary. The volunteers were able to tell me all about the cats' personalities and preferences; it's so clear that there is so much love there! The fact that the cats are constantly playing with walk-ins under careful supervision also ensures they are all relatively socialized, which helps when bringing them home to new people. Finally, once I got her home, the founder of Ollie's called me to personally thank me for my commitment to adopting a pet, and told me my little one's full story, from the moment he found her on the streets barely alive. What a reminder that I'd done the right thing! Since then I've also received a few texts from others at the center to see how my cat was adjusting in her new home. So while I can understand some peoples' frustrations about not being approved to take home a new friend, I now know that it really only comes from the best place in trying to give these guys the perfect home after the rough times they've seen! I highly recommend applying through Ollie's. read more

Really cool place for people that like cats or just want to play with them. Highly recommend this place over the cat cafes you see in city.

We visited this place about two weeks ago in our search for a companion cat as our older cat past away after 18 years. We now have a 7 year old child who has always had cats in the house and was excited about adopting a new one. We were happy when she bonded and played with a cat at Ollie's. We were told by staff that this particular cat would work with our cat currently in our home. We quickly put an application in and waited. After not hearing anything we went back to Ollie's to ask. The cat we wanted to adopt was still there and our child again played with her. We asked why we have not heard from anybody about our application. A staff member said she would text the person in charge of this and get back to us that day. That day past and we never heard from anyone. We then went to another adoption shelter and quickly found another loving cat that was adopted that day and we took her home. Ollie's place does not seem like they have the animals in mind as they clearly have many reviews like this one. We were told that we were the perfect family to adopt a cat by the other adoption shelter as we have a cat in our home who is used to other cats and have been a family with cats for 20 plus years. Either this place is not run properly or they have unfair reasons for not letting loving families adopt there cats either way it's cruel to the animals that need forever homes. read more

We looked at many places to adopt a cat before finding this place. I loved that the cats had an area to play in and you were able to interact with them. I fell in love with Chloe the moment I saw her. The volunteers were great and I took my husband the next day to meet her and fill in an application. We were accepted quickly and had a home visit to check things out. We live on a high floor and one of their requirements was a screen on the window. This was a problem at first but we were able to come to an agreement and we screwed our windows shut. Once this was done we arranged a day to pick Chloe up. Only downside is when we got Chloe home she had lots of matted hair and sadly had worms and a small ear infection. Not sure how often the cats there see a vet but after a good brush/wash and a vet visit with us she was all good and is now a beautiful, happy, healthy cat. read more

I am very hesitant to write a negative review about any kind of organization that seeks to help animals, but I feel that Ollie's Place/Mighty Mutts is a borderline scam. To start off, it's impossible to review just "Mighty Mutts" on Yelp- you have to seek out Ollie's Place, which has an understandably high rating as it is a sort of cat cafe. An easy way to get high ratings, because who doesn't love petting cats. My experience is similar to other reviewers in that I was not rejected but flat-out ignored by this agency after putting in an application. I e-mailed back and forth a few times about potentially adopting a dog named Buddha, but the line went cold when I actually put in an application. I tried to greet the organizers at their Union Sq event and was met with a vague "Oh uh, Buddha? Yeah, he's gotten TONS of applications..." and then promptly ignored in the interest of garnering "sponsorships" from passers-by. This dog has, at the time of writing this, been "available" for 5 or 6 months- he's a shiba inu (crazy popular breed), who is supposedly getting "tons of applications," and yet a home for him can't be found?? For real? Not a single decent home has come forward? In New York City? A city full of stupidly rich people in myriad living situations? Not a single one that fits? Absolutely not. They seemed far more interested in parading the dogs in the heat as lures for these pledges and sponsorship and donations than talking to actual prospective adopters, which is wild- there are so many (SO. MANY.) dogs in New York City that are euthanized every day. Wouldn't you, as a RESCUE organization, want to actually adopt your dogs out so that you can rescue more? But I guess when you have a few really good-looking dogs on your roster, it's easier to get all those donations at your weekly in-person event. I think it's a racket, and not only would I not waste your time with these people, I wouldn't pledge any money to them. You're basically funding an endless foster situation at best. I'm not in any way bitter I didn't get the dog- like I said, there are tons of dogs out there that I'm more than ready to adopt, and at first I assumed "I'm just not the right fit for this boy!" But having seen the dog today, again, being paraded at Union Square for attention and donations, I just got the worst feeling about this place. read more

Ollie's Place is an exceptional organization because of all the amazing people who work there. I'm not one to write reviews, especially not this long. However, I think it's important for people to understand that Ollie's Place is run by volunteers and they do a thorough vetting of potential adopters. In my case it was well justified. Based on my personal experience over the last several months of working with several people at Ollie's Place I do not believe they are a scam. They take great care to adopt to people they think will be able to provide a good, safe, loving environment for their animals. Without reservation I will adopt my next cat from Ollie's Place. It can feel arduous and unfair to those waiting or those who do not get approved for adoption. I spent several months visiting websites, various shelters and cat adoption events, but couldn't get a sense of the cats when they were in cages in strange environments and couldn't find anyone willing to help me adopt one of their pets. I visited Ollie's Place 5 times spending hours observing the cats and how loving the volunteers are with them. I have a 16 year old male tabby and needed to get to know the cat who I would be bringing home to make sure s/he would be a good fit. At Ollie's not only could I spend time with the cats, but I could also see how they interacted with other cats and other people. I had my eye on Toto, the volunteers knew lots of details about her personality + her preferences, as if she was their pet. The cats are in a social environment with other cats, toys, they are very well cared for and can roam freely. After spending hours with the cats and volunteers I submitted an application for Toto confident that I would be easily approved. John and Michelle did a home visit (on the weekend). I have pre-war casement windows and my retractable screens were old and stretched out, something I've been meaning to replace, but hadn't due to the hassle and the expense. I've had cats for 30 years with these windows and never had a problem, but John was concerned and Toto seemed a bit more feisty than the 4 cats I've had in the past. His concern about a small window high up in my bathroom that only opened a couple of inches seemed a bit extreme, but since it did not require a custom screen I covered it. John and Michelle said they would hold Toto if I was serious about getting screens done. I worked with Tony at B&H FRAMES in Inwood who did a very professional rush job installing pet proof screens for my casement windows. I put up a tension rod over a small screen in the bathroom although IMHO it seemed a bit unnecessary ... John and Michelle returned to do a second home visit, again, on a Saturday and assessed that the screens were now safe. The very FIRST thing Toto did was fly out of the carrier darted and leapt up on the small high perch in the bathroom (as if she had wings) extending her reach to see how she could get out the window. She's a 1.5 year old cat, not a kitten. In 30 years none of my 9mo old cats did anything like this!! I realized at that moment that all the time and expense and hassle of dealing with the screens were worthwhile. I'm very grateful for John's concern and insistence on getting proper screes particularly because I live on the 16th floor and have 5 windows. Michelle and Jocelyn have been incredibly responsive to all my questions every step of the way. I'm happy to say Toto arrived a few weeks ago and has settled in -- prowling, hunting, darting, leaping, goofing around, stealing things (occasionally breaking things), and getting into all kinds of mischief. She continues to leap + 'fly' unexpectedly like a professional acrobat. She's had so much contact with other cats and with all the loving volunteers that she is well socialized and adjusting quite easily. I've been in touch with several staff and volunteers with questions and providing photos, videos and updates on her busy new life. If you are serious about adopting a cat and understand the responsibility of pet ownership I would highly recommend visiting Ollie's Place. It is an exceptional organization run by people who donate their time and care deeply for the animals they rescue. read more

This is for the mighty mutts outside petco on union sq. Seems like some of the negative reviews are truthful. Whoever got rejected for having 2 homes, or having a standard 1BD in Manhattan I hope you find success somewhere else. Boggles my mind they'd reject a NYC native that's affluent enough to have TWO HOMES to pay rent and mortgage. That means they can afford a emergency vet bill, food, and everything a cat needs, wow. Do you want the cat to have a hundred acres of catnip or something? They put dogs out in the heat, pander for donations on the speakerphone on the corner, and then never reply or acknowledge your app has been denied. They say they take up to 14 days to look at an app but I've got responses from bigger shelters and smaller shelters that took 72 hours. Look, I get you all are busy and volunteering, but if you have dogs that have been there for 6 months, 1yr, or more, you're not doing a good job. The point of being a rescue is to adopt dogs OUT not to be picky because you have a too perfect idea of a forever home. 9 million people in NYC and you cannot adopt out some of your dogs. Really? This is why people just go to ACC or buy a puppy. Because of crazy animal lovers who get too attached to adopt out. Just check out reddit for all the "crazy uptight shelter" stories out there... We went with another rescue that took our app seriously, called us back, did a home visit, answered our every question and finalized everything in 2 weeks. AVOID ADOPTING FROM HERE, don't donate any money unless they actually make efforts to place dogs and cats. Please go to ACC or another place, you all have better options as long as you have time space and resources to keep a pet for 10+ yrs. Also messed up they have dogs outside on weekends in the SUMMER HEAT. Doesn't matter if they have water or not, you all can't even do the sensible thing and keep the dogs inside...only 1 older dog was in petco. read more

I had a pet care company for 12 years. I do animal rescue myself. If I were running a shelter, it would look like Ollie's Place. The space is very clean, the animals are well cared for, and they all get time out of their cages every day, even the unfriendly ones who can't be in the "play groups." The volunteers truly love animals, and they know the animals very well, so you can have a pretty good idea what you're getting ahead of time (unlike places such as CACC and the ASPCA, where the personalities and histories of the animals are largely unknown). They pay attention to things like which cats get along with which other cats, and who would be good with children, and who would not. Starting in late 2010, I spent about 3 months off and on looking for my new cats, after my last one died. I went to a few places, sometimes twice, and in the end, I adopted from Ollie's Place. I specifically wanted two cats who would get along with each other, so rather than just picking two cats who appealed to me, I picked one cat myself, then with the help of the volunteers, selected another cat who they thought would be a good match for him. Well they adore each other, and spend hours each day sleeping together, grooming each other, wrestling, etc -- exactly what I'd hoped for. People on Yelp have complained about their adoption standards. I think in the past they may have had someone who was not releasing cats. My understanding is that that person has been gone for some time, and that now they simply have high standards, with which I have no problem. The organization I work with here in Brooklyn has high standards, too. There are shelters and rescue orgs that release animals to just about anyone, and then there is the other end of the spectrum. I had a very good experience with Ollie's Place and continue to recommend and support them. read more

Would have given one star but the volunteers were lovely. Animals are well cared for and so I was not dissuaded by several reviews that they seem reluctant to adopt. Turns out those reviews were right. I have worked with animals in many capacities over the years including training dogs and socializing cats at a shelter in my former city. I have 1 cat currently, and was looking for a (generally less adoptable) adult/senior. They would not consider me because my apartment has a balcony and was considered too risky. Pretty sure adopting a cat to me and making room for one less animal to be euthanized makes a lot more sense ... Rates of euthanasia vs. rates of accidental balcony deaths are in my favor. My cat isn't even allowed on the balcony, for obvious reasons. This was so disappointing. read more

After visiting I thought the cats seemed well cared for but most are aloof and do not want to interact with humans. Two out of about two dozen reacted in a friendly manner. I was ready to adopt one and even put in an application but was turned off by silly questions and rules like do I have full screens or hardware store screens in my windows. Of course they were happy to refer me to someone to install full,screens ina lol ten of my windows. I wonder if they get a kickback. In the end just two days later I withdrew my application feeling sorry for the cat I was considering. I got the feeling that they really didn't want to get their cats adopted which is based on how many long term older cats they have there. It is not a cat shelter. It is a cat home. Fortunately we found a wonderful cat through City Critters and he is now enjoying the life he deserves.. read more

Loving caring people who rovide love and care in every way for orphaned cats...donations of cat food desperately needed. You will feel much better for donating money or cat food to Ollies Place Than buying a hat at bloomingdales! read more

I visited ollies the other day with a friend after not being able to get into the new york city pop up event. They have an amazing organization that really does something great for the community. I loved playing with the cats, some were rather feisty but that is pretty much expected when dealing with cats. I spoke briefly to the lady in charge and must say that I can see the love and care that thy have for the cats at their place. Again I cant stress enough how amazing their organization truly is and they even got me thinking about adopting read more

Found this awesome place while walking around the area. The staff is great and friendly. Great place to just relax and play with the cats and kitty's. At no charge too! Leave a donation! read more

I am an ex-volunteer and want as many people as possible to know how fantastic I gave up my lazy Sundays for are. It's not much to look at from the outside, but these people care about these cats and (unlike at many shelters) they're out for at least 4 hours a day, and so get *lots* of human contact. As well, because they're out so often, almost all the cats get along, or at least tolerate, each other. When I was there, two of the 20-something residents didn't like other cats. It was because of this across-the-board commitment to the place (many volunteers pay for things OOP when donations are low- the adoption fee barely covers the shots and neuter, let alone food or anything else) that I'd help out with the weekly deep cage cleaning. If I were looking to adopt a cat, Ollie's is the first place I'd go. read more

My roommate volunteers here and loves it! The place lets the cats roam freely around the space which is lovely to see. The place did smell a bit and could use a cleaning, but what do you expect with so many cats to take care of? read more

My roommate and I had a loving home and the strong desire to adopt a cat. We had support, a great apartment, and financial stability and yet got denied for the adoption. If they don't want their cats to be adopted they should just say so on the website or when someone comes in to adopt. Gorgeous and friendly cats at the facility. read more

I am a former volunteer, and I adopted a cat from Ollie's Place. They truly do a remarkable job with the kitties. When screening potential adopters they do not look for perfection, just for somebody who is trustworthy and as serious as they are about cats' welfare. When I adopted my cat I had been volunteering for less than three months, so they evaluated my application carefully. However, their thoroughness did not bother me at all. They know their job, and they act in the interest of the kitties. read more