A Brooklyn nonprofit will lead a new pilot program that looks to expand affordable spray and neuter services to reduce the city's cat population.
The New York City Council on Thursday voted to allocate $500,000 to Flatbush Cats, a Brooklyn nonprofit dedicated to ending overcrowded animal shelters by making veterinary care accessible and affordable for more New Yorkers.
The program will support 3,500 surgeries for both rescue and Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) volunteers and pet owners, reducing the financial burden of care that can help tackle the city’s cat overpopulation crisis. It is a model for a program that could be implemented citywide and marks the first time the City Council is funding an initiative dedicated to animals.
“Every pet deserves to see a vet - and today we take one step closer to making that a reality in New York City,” said Will Zweigart, executive director of Flatbush Cats.
In addition to creating thousands of new appointments, the initiative will free up capacity for Trap-Neuter-Return volunteers to utilize American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) facilities in the Bronx, Queens and East New York.
More than half of all New Yorkers – over 4.7 million people – live in households that cannot afford a basic vet visit, according to the City Council. Free-roaming cats can create challenges for communities, including threats to other animals, the spread of illnesses and noise pollution from fighting and mating. Humane and effective TNR programs are essential to improving conditions for both cats and neighborhoods, the Council said.
Flatbush Cats will design a measurement program to evaluate the impact of these targeted investments, creating a scalable model to demonstrate the value of increased citywide funding in the years to come.
“Providing affordable spay and neuter services is critical to making veterinary care more accessible for cat owners and easing the growing challenges of cat overpopulation and overcrowded animal shelters,” Speaker Adrienne Adams said in a statement. “With this new City Council funding, we are making cat veterinary services affordable for New Yorkers to support more humane conditions and strengthen the quality of life in our neighborhoods."
