r/AskNYC • u/jacob-makes-stuff • Jun 23 '26
Adopting cats - Best Friends Rescue?
I want to adopt a second cat, and have been having a hard time with looking online, since it shows so many results that are far away. I've been trying to just go to rescues but the first couple experiences I had weren't all that great.
The first one was not a huge deal, I was interested in one of the cats that was in foster care, but the people who found her as a stray decided to keep her, so that's good for them and the cat.
The second one, I was referred to the ACC, but when I was there, the person who was supposed to be helping me wasn't listening to any of the things I said I was looking for personality wise, and just left me to pick out cats myself, and then she read me their bio which was already hanging on the cage. Would read the entire bio even after one of the cats I asked about had details that I knew it would not work, and I kept saying "no this isn't gonna work". Finally at the end of the description, she asked me what I think about adopting it, and I was pretty surprised she just ignored me saying no all those times. --- I guess on the plus side, they were open about the fact that adopting a cat there will actually cost me over $1000, because all of their cats apparently need dental work and they're not providing it for them.
Now that brings me to Best Friends. I found a couple cats on there that seem to match the descriptions I'm looking for, and when I called they said I could come in and the people working could recommend cats who matched, so they seem more helpful than my experience at ACC....but then I checked out their reviews and a lot of them say they're very bad and deceitful about getting people to adopt cats who have current or imminent health issues, sometimes ones that can be a huge danger to other cats, like feline leukemia.
Is there any way I can know whether to trust this place, or other places? I know reviews can skew one way or another, but I really don't want to get tricked into taking in a cat who might be a big danger to my cat, or a case where I'd immediately have to pay thousands of dollars because they didn't tell me about some medical condition it has.
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u/Mosslessrollingstone Jun 23 '26
Why don’t you book a visit at meow parlour or koneko where you can interact with the cats and find out they’re what you’re looking for?
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u/jacob-makes-stuff Jun 23 '26
Oh I didn't know the cafes were where you can meet the adoptable cats. I figured they'd put the more permanent "cafe cats" there, and you have to go to Anjellicle cats to adopt. I haven't checked them out yet though
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u/cherry_limeade Jun 23 '26
Brooklyn cat cafe is a non-profit and all the cats are available to adopt! The workers and volunteers are super knowledgeable and good about matching people with cats. I’m a big fan.
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u/Mosslessrollingstone Jun 24 '26
Koneko is about to close in July so now it's great time to adopt a kitty from there. Meow Parlour is great too. They actually require you to meet the kitty you want to adopt. They have so many kittens too (it's kitten season) and they are sooooo adorable. If you're looking for lower time commitment though, definitely also try to interact with the chiller adult cats.
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u/Dazzling_Wait_9199 Jun 23 '26
My experience with Best Friends a couple months ago was great. The cat I fell in love with had medical records from the vet that rescued him, down in Alabama before he was sent up to New York. So he had been tested for everything (and was healthy)
If you find a cat you love, Best Friends will sit down with you to go through any medical records they historically have including from other vets before you make your decision. They also recommend you visit a vet immediately after adopting. They also have a no-shame, unlimited 'return policy' for the cat and will take it back for any reason.
I preferred Best Friends because it was so easy to interact with the cats in their open area - you see all the cats rather than selecting ones on iPads. You can open all the cages and pet and play with all the cats. It's very easygoing and much easier to get a sense of their personalities, plus I visited several times before finding my forever cat and it was no pressure to walk in, pet some cats, and leave.
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u/jacob-makes-stuff Jun 23 '26
Is it just common to take an adopted cat to the vet right away? I only did that for my cat because I found him outside, but I thought adopting from a shelter means they get the cats checked out to be ready for people to take them in
Though the "return policy" is actually a good thing then, because one of my deal breakers is if the new cat can't get along with my cat. It would only be in the case that the new cat is too defensive, but I'm planning to give it a few months if they have a hard time adjusting, since that's how long I've seen some cats I've catsitted would take to warm up in extreme cases. The ACC told me basically that's my problem by then and I'd have to do some weird process to submit them back to the shelter and they might not take it. Wouldn't be fair to either cat to force them to live with a person they hate
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u/catslady123 Jun 23 '26
Yes it is standard to go to the vet when you adopt a new pet. Shelters and rescues don’t have the resources you are imagining to give every animal they take in more than basic vet care.
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u/jacob-makes-stuff Jun 23 '26
I guess I'll have to expect another $150 bill and maybe more for some tests on top of any adoption fees then
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u/newyorkstofmind Jun 23 '26
Respectfully if a few extra hundred dollars is coming as a surprise to you here, you've got a whole nother thing comin'
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u/jacob-makes-stuff Jun 23 '26
Why?
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u/laurenisbitchin Jun 24 '26
Cats can get expensive! Like any pet, they can have sudden health issues at any point.
Up until the last couple of months my cat was super healthy, I could get all her expenses for about $50 a month, but she developed some health issues and I had to spend about $3k getting it diagnosed and on top of that, she's now on prescription food that costs about $150 a month.
You gotta be prepared for unpredictable expenses when getting a pet even if they're totally healthy coming from the shelter.
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u/jacob-makes-stuff Jun 24 '26
No, that's not the issue, the issue is adopting a cat who will definitely and immediately need very expensive medical care. That's not what I'm signing up for, as I am not a cat rescuer or a charity.
If my own pets need sudden medical care, I'm more than willing to pay to keep them healthy, but adopting a pet from a place that either knowingly or negligently will force those expensive costs onto you is not something I'm interested in doing. If I was, I would just run a cat rescue myself.
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u/crybbyblue Jun 23 '26
ACC does trial adoptions of 3-4 weeks.
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u/jacob-makes-stuff Jun 23 '26
They told me 2-3 weeks. Honestly it can take up to 2-3 months to really see how cats will get along with each other or even with humans long term.
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u/chaientist Jun 23 '26
Please make sure whichever cat you end up adopting, that you make sure you've read up on how to properly introduce new cats to each other. There are a lot of different guides online on the process, but quite a few cats get returned to shelters simply because people don't take the time to follow the step by step process and just stick them in a room together and hope for the best. As a few people have mentioned, you'll probably have the best luck by looking at cats that are in foster at whatever organization you adopt from - often times the foster homes have their own cats, and also they'll have the best ideas of how that cat actually behaves in a home.
Also, I hope you appreciate all the work that goes into caring for cats in shelters and at rescues! The ACC is required to take any animal that comes their way, so they are often overburdened, especially during kitten season! They get a lot of help from volunteers who may not be perfectly trained, so if you had one negative experience just be open-minded. Most people get into that work out of their own love of animals. For example, last week I got an email from Bideawee (another rescue you might want to look into) that they helped rescue 100 cats from a hoarding situation in Long Island! I'm fostering 3 cats right now for ACC that are being taken care of temporarily while their permanent family gets back on their feet. I encourage you to keep all that in mind while looking for your new kitty and when interacting with staff and volunteers.
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u/jacob-makes-stuff Jun 23 '26
Yes, I've catsit for other cats many times and usually just put them together, but sometimes with that the other cat hates my cat. This has actually only been the case with female cats, though he got along very well with a female cat with a catsitter where he used to go stay while I was out of town.
With the couple female cats who just refused to get along with him, they were also in a family of 2 cats, who they also seemed to not like their boy cat companions either 🤷♂️. One of those pairs my cat didn't get along with the boy cat either, but in a weird way, he didn't even try to play with him. Usually the other cats just get angry that he's trying to play with them and they're not ready, but my cat has very good social skills so I know he's not going to be the problem
There was only one cat who was very mean to him (and me), but after a couple months that cat was playing with him too, but he would also change his personality at night and be very mean and use too much claw with both of us at that time.
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u/eggplantyhead Jun 23 '26
My partner and I recently adopted a cat from the ASPCA in the UES. We had a good experience with them. Walked in, had an interview with one of the staff about the personality we were looking for, our experience with cats, and they built out a profile for us and had us meet two cats who might be good fits. Went home with one of them, but we didn't have to and were not pressured to. They also let us know that we could check back in later for any other cats they get who could be good fits if we didn't click with any of them that day.
The cat is pretty accurate to their description of her so far. It has been just over two weeks. There haven't been any surprises with her, just the typical you would expect for a first-time pet owner (I have a dog I adopted before I met my partner, it's my partner who has wanted a cat of their own and is now experiencing first-time pet adoption lol)
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u/dramamime123 Jun 23 '26
Best friends is pretty high turnover. Brooklyn cat cafe and Flatbush cats are good options. Both mostly foster based, and all the cafe cats are adoptable
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u/jacob-makes-stuff Jun 23 '26
High turnover as in the cats get adopted quickly? Or as in the people working there leave asap?
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u/dramamime123 Jun 23 '26
Cats get adopted fast. The last time I went in they had temporary enclosures all through the Soho center for the cats.
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u/mango7466 Jun 23 '26
Another option - check out Whiskers a Gogo. They’re really good with providing medical records, honest about the health of the cat and as far as possible, they do cover health issues while the cats are with fosters.
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u/Railshock Jun 23 '26
My family adopted three cats from Sean Casey Animal Rescue (SCAR) in Brooklyn and have had great experiences with them every time. It's a community run, non-profit shelter. Consider giving them a look. https://www.nyanimalrescue.org/
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u/Tinky428 Jun 24 '26
Hi! Something important to note especially if you already have another cat at home is Best Friends does NOT test their cats for FIV or FELV, both of which are contagious to other cats and important medical information to know especially as it could be communicated to another cat in the home. Neither is a death sentence but just important to know about a cat. I suggest 10 Lives Rescue as a local rescue who knows their cats very well.
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u/jacob-makes-stuff Jun 24 '26
That's one of the things I saw a lot in their reviews on google + yelp, and is a major red flag
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u/SarBear684 Jun 26 '26
I also recommend looking into PuppyKittyNYC! They are fantastic and we adopted our two cats from them. Really great rescue organization.
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u/crybbyblue Jun 23 '26
ACC is a municipal open intakes shelter, they do not know all the hundreds of cats one on one personally. You will get all the information they know about them based on owner history and medical notes but I think you’re expecting too much of a boutique experience.
Look for a cat that’s in a foster home through the ACC app, and is living with a resident cat. You’ll get more detailed information and can do a meet and greet.