Exploring The World of Animal Shelters: An Inside Look At Meowsquad NYC

/ Interviews, New York, New York City / By Emma

An interview with Meowsquad From Queens, New York City.

An oasis of hope and comfort. Step inside the cozy sanctuary where cats find temporary respite, waiting eagerly for their second chance at a forever home.

Table Of Content

Introducing Meowsquad NYC
How Did The Meowsquad NYC Started? What Are The Challenges Encountered Along The Way?
Tell Us About The Most “Unusual” Animal That Meowsquad NYC Has Ever Taken.
Tell Us About The Most Unique And Creative Fundraising Campaigns Your Rescue Has Done.
Tell Us About The Most Rewarding Part of Running An Animal Shelter.
What Do You Think Might Be The Greatest Challenge of Running an Animal Rescue?
Tell Us More About The Volunteers in Meowsquad NYC
Tell Us More About The Animals In Meowsquad NYC
What Are The Busiest Periods And How Does Meowsquad NYC Cope?
What Animals Does Meowsquad NYC Focus On?
Working With The Local Community
Tell Us More About Your Events
Programs And Services That Meowsquad NYC Offers.
How Was Meowsquad NYC Adapted To The Challenges Presented By The Pandemic?
Share With Us Some Of The Heartwarming Stories Of Animals Rehabilitated And Rehomed By Meowsquad NYC
What Are The Help Needed From The Local Community?
Connect With You Can Make A Difference, Inc.:

Introducing Meowsquad NYC

My name is Jeanette Ortiz and I’m the Adoptions Manager with Meowsquad NYC! I got involved with the organization in 2021 when they posted about needing someone to help with their adoptions. I had been working with rescues as a foster for over 10 years and was really excited to be involved in the adoption process.

How Did The Meowsquad NYC Started? What Are The Challenges Encountered Along The Way?

Stephanie Castro is our Founder and officially registered the organization in 2019. She had been rescuing at that point for 13 years and wanted to expand her reach and be able to qualify for much-needed grants, so filed the paperwork to become 501c3. She originally got involved with rescue while she was working at a funeral home in Hollis and noticed the large community of stray cats in the backyard that needed help. She became TNR certified and worked with another rescue to help trap, neuter, and release the cats in that area. Stephanie continued to help the strays in her community for the next 13 years, eventually launching Meowsquad with a very small team as a foster-based rescue. In 2020, there was an outbreak of FIP, which was one of the most difficult times financially and mentally for Meowsquad. It did give us an opportunity to educate people on FIP and helped us grow a social media following of supporters. Our next big hurdle was finding space so we could continue to expand as a rescue. In 2022 we finally secured a holding space so we could help even more animals. We are currently working out the kinks of having a holding space, which includes needing enough volunteers to run it successfully and managing protocols for any illnesses or quarantines, but have seen a lot of progress this year. We’re excited to continue to grow our team, and space and get more cats adopted!

Tell Us About The Most “Unusual” Animal That Meowsquad NYC Has Ever Taken.

We once rescued a pig that was found with its tail cut off in Howard Beach. It had been part of some ritualistic practice that he luckily escaped. We were able to rehome him to a sanctuary where he is now happy, healthy, and free! We also help rehabilitated raccoons on occasion that show up injured or malnourished.

Meet Mr. Beans, the purr-fect companion, striking a pose and stealing hearts with his irresistible charm.

Tell Us About The Most Unique And Creative Fundraising Campaigns Your Rescue Has Done.

We try to do a lot of local events to help with fundraising. We find that paint-and-sip events with donated items have worked really for us in the past. We also had a Mystic Night where we had fortune tellers, fun performances, tarot readers, and more come together for a super fun event where we were able to sell tickets and merch.

Tell Us About The Most Rewarding Part of Running An Animal Shelter.

We rescue cats in different states of health, some very ill and others just hungry and needing socializing, and it’s always such a gift to see them eventually thriving in their forever homes. Getting cats adopted into loving homes is always the goal and makes the work we do feel very worth it. In some cases, for the cats that are too far gone, we do take solace in the fact that they don’t pass away on the streets alone, but in a warm, loving environment, with full bellies and people who care by their side.

Love is in the air at our Cat Adoption Event!

What Do You Think Might Be The Greatest Challenge of Running an Animal Rescue?

The biggest challenge for running a rescue will always be funding. There is always an animal that needs to be helped, and for the ones in really poor condition, it can be difficult to cover the high vet bills they have while maintaining finances for our holding space, other animals in our rescue, food, litter and all of that. We find ourselves asking for donations often, but it is really the only way shelters can keep helping the animals in the community.

Tell Us More About The Volunteers in Meowsquad NYC

We have a small team and they are all extremely dedicated and passionate about what we do. Aside from Stephanie, our Founder, our little team is made up of Diana, Kathryn, Kassandra, Nicole, Mildred, and Paul who keep us running as smoothly as possible! We also have quite a few volunteers who help out remotely with medical records, social media, and more, as well as those who come into our holding space to clean, feed, medicate, and play with our kitties. We really couldn’t do any of this without them!

Curiosity captured! This black-and-white beauty captivates us as they gaze up, forever curious about the world around them

Tell Us More About The Animals In Meowsquad NYC

We rescue mostly from the streets of Queens. There is no shortage of animals who need help, so trapping cats in need is a huge part of our work. We are contacted about strays through social media, email, and word of mouth. Once we hear about a cat in need, we send someone to set up a trap to get them. Sometimes it can take a few tries, but once we have them trapped they head straight to the vet. We get them assessed for health, and age and do blood testing before they are able to join our holding space or go to foster. Once they are deemed healthy, we will post them for a foster or send them to our holding space. Then we list them on our site for adoption and hope for applications!

What Are The Busiest Periods And How Does Meowsquad NYC Cope?

Kitten season is always very busy and overwhelming. We get a ton of requests and the kittens are often in very bad shape when we take them in. We try some adoption promos prior to kitten season to help get more cats adopted to make some room for the inevitable rush, but there really isn’t much we can do to prepare outside of that.

A picture-perfect moment of feline serenity as these two cats peacefully slumber, blissfully unaware of the world around them

What Animals Does Meowsquad NYC Focus On?

We specialize in cat rescue. One of the biggest challenges with cats is socialization. They can be very shy and anxious in new environments, so it’s important to find fosters and adopters who understand that and will give them time to decompress and adjust to their new home.

Working With The Local Community

We frequently team up with other shelters for our community cats. We recently had a hoarder case where over 20 cats were recovered and several rescues in the community came together to get all of the cats vet care and fosters.

Tell Us More About Your Events

Everyone should get out there and get TNR certified! We need more people out there trapping and neutering cats so that we can avoid the sad reality of all of the sickly kittens every kitten season. We need to take responsibility for the animals in our area that need help and TNR is a great way to do it. We are also always looking for fosters and volunteers if anyone in NY is interested!

Guardians of compassion. These incredible animal shelter volunteers selflessly dedicate their time and hearts to providing love, care, and a brighter future for our furry friends in need

Programs And Services That Meowsquad NYC Offers.

We do work with local schools by giving the kids an opportunity to volunteer at our holding space. It’s a great way to get them involved with animals and teach them compassion and responsibility.

How Was Meowsquad NYC Adapted To The Challenges Presented By The Pandemic?

Since the ASPCA was closed during the pandemic, we had to use other vet clinics that were more expensive and less accessible. It was a lot harder to intake new animals during the pandemic. We now have affiliations with several vet clinics in NY that accept rescues and offer rescue rates, which gives us a wider range of appointment availability as well.

Volunteer Kas assists during a thorough vet check-up, ensuring the well-being of our furry friends.

One of our longest-stay shelter cats was Mr.Beans. We had him for a year and a half and he went through quite a lot during that time. He had FIP and had to deal with a long treatment and isolation. Once he finished treatment he had regressed socially and we were worried he would be difficult to place. After a very long time, we got an application for him and the person had a resident cat that was also an FIP survivor. He was adopted about a month ago and is now living his best life with his new best bud and has come out of his shell. He is much more playful and social in his forever home and we are so happy for him!

What Are The Help Needed From The Local Community?

We would love for more people to get TNR certified, to volunteer as fosters, event organizers, fundraisers and holding space volunteers. We are always looking for people to join our team to help us grow and help even more animals!