Click to meet our adoptables!!!

OUR NEXT TNR WORKSHOP ON SI WILL BE HELD :
Saturday, February 27, 1 pm to 4:30 pm
Port Richmond High School
85 St. Joseph's Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10302
(NOTE: Please enter through the main door on St. Joseph's Avenue)
To register: email your name, address and phone number to lois@nycferalcat.org or call 212-662-5761 and leave your name, address and phone number on the voicemail.
$15 requested donation, payable at the door.
PLEASE BE PROMPT
"BE the change you want to see in the world."

Our Featured Pet...

Who We Are

The SI Feral Initiative is NOT a shelter. Rather, we are a group of volunteers and pet owners just like you who respect animals, and are trying to do our part to make a better world for them. We are a self-funded initiative based in Staten Island, NY. Our major focus as an organization is TNR* (trap, neuter, return) in an effort to reduce the feral cat population on SI. Our efforts, and our own love for animals has inevitably led to the rescue aspect of our group as well. All of the animals listed for adoption with our initiative have at one time been either strays or were rescued from the city shelters, some of them within hours of impending euthanasia. Our goal is to both prevent the birth of more homeless animals and to find families for all those who want them. Please note: WE DO NOT BREED KITTENS!!! If there are kittens listed for adoption at any time on this page, they are also rescues themselves. We maintain a widespread foster network throughout the five boroughs of NYC and in NJ. We work closely with our fosters, other rescues, and various shelters to place these rescued cats and dogs in loving forever homes.

*To find out how to become a certified TNR rescuer, please visit:
http://www.neighborhoodcats.org/EVENTS_NYC_WORKSHOPS
to view workshop dates and times in your borough. This course is a one-time, 3.5 hour workshop and will give you access to the FREE Spay/Neuter services provided by the ASPCA and Humane Society of NYC.

The Rescue Advantage

Many people ask us how adopting from a rescue is different than adopting directly from a shelter like Animal Care and Control (CACC). Many more tell us that while they want to save a life, they don't have the "stomach" to visit a kill shelter or that they are nervous about taking a shelter animal into their home. All too often, an animal who is healthy when they enter the shelter will become sick within a few days...the unfortunate but inevitable result of housing so many animals in close quarters. Most of the animals we pull from the shelter come to us very ill - and often it is something as simple as a URI...a common cold...simple but when left untreated, can lead to Pneumonia and dehydration, both of which can prove fatal to a cat. When we pull a cat from the shelter, we act as the buffer zone...that is, they are kept separate until we determine they are healthy enough to be integrated with other cats...in the time they are with us, they receive whatever vet care they need, as well as love and attention that they wouldn't get at the shelter...there are simply too many animals and not enough shelter staff or volunteers to tend to the emotional and physical needs of every animal in the facility. Your cat will come to you spayed or neutered, healthy, UTD on vaccinations, thoroughly vetted, and ready to make a smooth transition into being a part of your family.

Adopting a friend

Most, if not all, of the animals listed within are being fostered in various homes around NY, and some in NJ. We believe that caring for an animal in a home environment allows us to understand each pet's unique needs and characteristics, and helps us find them the perfect match in a human family. This also provides for a more relaxed environment for the animal himself, and a smoother transition into your home. If you would like further info on our organization or a pet listed here, please contact us any time at Opt2Adopt@animail.net.
(PLEASE NOTE: we do NOT do same-day adoptions.)
Depending on where you are located, and your own schedule, the adoption process will typically take anywhere between a few days to two weeks to complete.
The basic steps are as follows:
We ask that you submit an application in complete a form as possible - if anything is unclear, or you have any questions, we're always here to help...then we ask that you visit the particular cat/s or kitten/s that you have in mind. If after this visit you feel confident they are right for you, we will then check the references you have provided for us in your application, and will arrange to deliver them to you when both you and they are ready. We will complete a home visit either before the delivery date if possible, or concurrently with bringing your "new arrival/s." Upon delivery, you will be asked to sign a copy of our adoption agreement, and will retain a copy for your own records. All your new companion's medical records will come with them so you may bring them to your own Vet upon your first visit.
Our adoption fees are listed here:
adult cat: $75
kitten (under 1 year): $100
2 kittens: $150
Please take into account that this includes the cat or kitten being neutered, vetted, and brought UTD on all vaccines prior to adoption. Adoption fees are non-refundable, and 100% of those fees go toward defraying the cost of our next rescue. All adoptions include a 100% return guarantee - if you are unable to keep the animal for ANY reason, the animal comes back to us. This clause is included in our adoption contract.

***In order to be considered as an adopter you must:***

* Be 21 years of age or older
* Provide identification showing your present address
* Have the consent of your landlord if you do not own your current residence
* Be able and willing to spend the time and money necessary to provide training, medical treatment and proper care for a pet
IMPORTANT:
if you do not find who you are looking for on our adoptables page, but are interested in working with us to find your true love, please contact us with a brief description of the animal you are searching for...we would be thrilled to assist you in your search. Because we are a volunteer-based group, we rely solely on our fosters and the space in our own home to accommodate our rescues. Therefore, we can only save as many animals as we have room for at any one time. However, we are in constant contact with other Rescuers and shelter staff here in NY and in NJ about animals currently in foster with other Rescues and those housed in the shelter. All city shelter animals face euthanasia if they are not placed within a very short time period...and intake numbers at the shelter far exceed any possible adoption rates they can hope to maintain. The sad result (and the little-known truth) is that it is NOT only sick, behaviorally unadoptable, or severely injured animals that are euthanized at these facilities. The reality is that too many healthy, sweet, highly adoptable animals are put to sleep in city shelters every day. Our ONLY goal in Rescue is to save lives and give each animal the promise of a better future with a loving family. This means that if we do not already have the right animal for you, we will get you to whoever does. We will be MORE than happy to facilitate an adoption from the shelter, or put you directly in touch with shelter staff if they have an animal available that fits your description. PLEASE do not hesitate to contact us for help with your search for a pet. Thank you for saving a life.

How You Can Help!

FOSTER:

Are you trying to decide if you are ready to adopt? Do you love animals, but you are away from home too often to own a pet? Have you recently lost a pet and are missing having a cat in the house, but feel that it's too soon to commit to another? Perhaps you just haven't found the perfect cat yet, but would still like to help? Consider becoming a foster parent!!! Fostering is a great way not only to assist us in our rescue efforts, but to find out more about the kind of cat that is right for you and your family. Fostering provides a temporary safe haven for a cat in need...you could also foster with the option to adopt should you decide that the particular animal you are fostering is the right fit for your home. If this sounds like something you would be interested in, please contact us for more info...together we can save so many more lives!!!
............................................................................

DONATE:

Monetary donations may be sent in the form of checks made out to: "SI Feral Initiative Inc." and mailed to:
Staten Island Feral Initiative
1324 Forest Ave. Suite 250
Staten Island, NY 10302
or sent by PayPal to: SIFI.NYC@gmail.com.
We are currently Incorporated in the state of NY a/o Sept. 24th, 2009, and are awaiting Federal 501(c)3 status with the IRS. Once our 501 status is active, all donations made after Sept. 24, 2009 will be retro-actively tax deductible at the next filing.
There are several other ways to contribute directly to the care of our rescues.
1. While we do not accept donations of food (many of our rescued animals are on special diets, and changing foods too often can lead to stomach upset), we do hold an account at Pet Food City located on Staten Island at 477 N Burgher Ave (718.273.2900). You may donate directly toward our monthly pet-food costs, which exceed our own grocery bills by far.
2. You may contribute to our vetting costs by contacting our vet directly and making a donation toward our account - that info is:
Bay Street Animal Hospital
999 Bay Street
Staten Island, NY 10305
contact person is Cheryl Augustine, Customer Service manager
3. Gift certificates to any pet-supply facility are always appreciated
4. we do accept material donations of sheets, towels, and occasionally beds or carriers. Please contact us to make arrangements for any such donations.

click to see our happy tails, some of our Rescues who have found their forever homes!

Regarding T.N.R.

The Staten Island Feral Initiative is not a business, nor do we maintain a physical facility to house our rescued animals - we do not provide trapping services, nor do we take in cats from the general public...
for more info on no-kill shelters, please visit the following:
www.ASPCA.org
www.nsalamerica.org
www.bideawee.org
www.barcshelter.org
Our major focus and function as an active group is promoting the practice of TNR on Staten Island. As an organization, we provide the training and tools to enable caretakers to limit the growth of the feral colonies in their neighborhoods. TNR, or trap-neuter-return, is the most effective and humane method for controlling the stray and feral cat populations. In this process, the cats are humanely trapped, spayed/neutered at no cost on the ASPCA mobile clinic or at the Humane Society of NY, left-ear tipped to indicate they are neutered and belong to a managed colony (this ear tip will also save their life should they ever end up at Animal Care and Control), and vaccinated for Rabies. They are then returned to their colony, protected against sickness, and unable to churn out more kittens. Thus, a healthier, smaller feral cat population rather than an overrun population subject to starvation and disease. For more information on TNR and the Feral Cat situation in NYC, as well as resources available to the public, please visit any of the following websites:

www.aspca.org/aspca-nyc/animal-rescuers/trap-neuter-return
www.urbancatleague.org
www.neighborhoodcats.org
www.animalalliancenyc.org/nycfci
www.alleycat.org
www.tobyproject.org

You may also call 877.SPAY.NYC and select option "4"
Our program begins with YOUR attendance at a TNR training workshop.
For times/dates/location and registration info, please go to:
http://www.neighborhoodcats.org/EVENTS_NYC_WORKSHOPS
if there is a workshop sched in SI in the near future, the info will appear at the top of this page

together we can make our corner better!!!

Staten Island Feral Initiative
1324 Forest Ave. Suite 250
Staten Island, NY 10302

Email
ADOPTIONS: Opt2Adopt@animail.net
TNR info: SIFI.NYC@gmail.com

Click here for a list of our available pets in need of homes!
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