Problem-plagued NYC animal shelters suspend intake of dogs and cats due to overcrowding — GOP's Sliwa calls to end $1.4B ‘mismanaged' contract

New York Post

a day ago

What a cat-astrophe.
The city's animal shelter operator halted its intake of Gotham's unwanted pets last week – for the first time in its nearly 30-year history – due to 'critical' overcrowding, prompting calls from Curtis Sliwa to cut its billion-dollar contract.
6 A Husky lying down in a kennel at the Manhattan Animal Care Centers of New York site.
Stephen Yang
'This is not a decision we take lightly, but we cannot take any more owner surrenders,' the Animal Care Centers of New York wrote on social media Friday, adding it is at a 'breaking point' with over 1,000 animals in its care across three sites.
Despite a city mandate requiring a shelter in each of the five boroughs, the Brooklyn ACC location is closed for renovations until 2026 and the Bronx Resource Center has been 'temporarily' closed since May.
6 A black and white cat inside a kennel at the East Harlem ACC location.
Stephen Yang
Another Bronx site is currently under construction, although the $92 million facility was supposed to open in the spring.
The ACC speculated that a cost-of-living crisis is prompting pet owners in the city to dump their four-legged family members in droves, a rep told The Post.
'We hear it every day: 'I just don't have time anymore … but your pet doesn't need all your time, just a little effort, a little care, and the chance to stay in the home they love,' the ACC added.
The shelter system now harbors 1,056 animals, according to Department of Health figures.
Sliwa, the GOP mayoral candidate, blasted the Manhattan adoption site in East Harlem at a press conference Monday, telling reporters he would immediately nix the 'mismanaged' contract if elected.
The ACC has a 34 year, $1.4 billion contract with the city.
'Animal welfare issues is a priority, and Animal Care and Control once again proves it's a compete catastrophe,' said Sliwa, who houses six senior cats he rescued. 'When I become mayor … this relationship ends.'
6 New York City mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa holds a press conference slamming ACC management on Monday afternoon.
Stephen Yang
This latest news comes after a Post investigation revealed the city's brand new Queens shelter is already operating at double capacity, and riddled with issues like understaffing and kennels filled with piles of excrement.
'There's more room for cars parking and for people,' Sliwa said of the Ridgewood site, which opened last year. 'All of this square footage and so few of these animals taken care of – and the smell and the barking?
'Most animals … get sick while inside because the ventilation is horrible.'
6 The Ridgewood, Queens ACC location is currently lodging double the number of dogs it has space for, a rep previously told The Post.
Nicole Rosenthal / NY Post
A staffer named Nikolaz at the Queens facility previously told The Post some dogs 'deteriorate' in the kennels, while many develop kennel cough.
A City Hall spokesperson defended the relationship with ACC and stressed that Mayor Eric Adams is 'dedicated to protecting pets in the city.'
'Which is why our administration is working with Animal Care Centers of New York to ensure they have the resources needed to support the animals in their care,' the spokesperson told The Post.
'We are also addressing the broader issues that contribute to shelter overpopulation and encourage all New Yorkers to help if they can, by adopting, fostering, or spreading the word about these wonderful animals looking for a home.'
6 Potential adopters peruse the dogs up for adoption at the Manhattan ACC location.
Stephen Yang
The shelter system currently euthanizes roughly 100 animals per month – often due to medical or behavioral issues, ACC rep Katy Hansen said.
'Healthy' dogs allegedly remain untouched — one canine has been under the city's care for over 400 days — but activists believe some are euthanized too quickly, like an elderly dog killed mere hours after wandering off from its devastated family.
Sliwa slammed the organization's 'death row' list, which publicizes pets at risk of being put down.
6 A dog at the Ridgewood ACC animal shelter.
Nicole Rosenthal / NY Post
'How could you have a 'death row' list, with a $57 million dollar budget and lots of retail space?' Sliwa said, moments before suggesting abandoned Rite Aid sites be converted into adoption centers.
But Hansen questioned how many staffers would be able to man such sites.
The GOP headliner also floated plans for a city-run shelter overhaul that would include a 'quasi-private public partnership' to shift the cost of the system from taxpayers to animal-loving philanthropists, and the creation of an animal welfare agency in the 'basement' of City Hall.
All shelters, under a Sliwa administration, would be no-kill, and offer free spay and neuter programs, he said.