Who We Are

Founded in 2013, Little Wanderers NYC is a volunteer and community-based organization dedicated to improving the lives of neglected, abandoned, critically ill or feral cats in New York. While our life saving efforts are focused on sick and injured cats that require urgent rescue and medical care, our army of courageous and dedicated volunteers never stop working to help end the suffering and starvation of animals on the streets of New York.

 Our organization works with our network of veterinarians and fosters to support rehabilitation and care until our ultimate mission is met by securing a loving home for adoptable cats. We support feeders as well as manage numerous feral cat colonies to ensure the ongoing health and safety of those animals are met, along with the proper TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) care is provided to help stop the overpopulation issues we face throughout New York. In addition, we will re-home feral cats unfit for street living to healthy barn or sanctuary environments.

We work to never turn away any animal in need. The challenges are enormous, but we do not stop.

Our Mission

Little Wanderers provides critical rescue services to the neediest cats in the toughest neighborhoods of NYC.

We educate the public about the importance of TNR (trap-neuter-return) as the most humane and effective way to combat the cat overpopulation, and engage community members to practice TNR in their neighborhoods. 

What We Do

Little Wanderers NYC rescues sick and injured cats, primarily focusing on the most underserved areas of NYC: the Bronx, Northern Manhattan, and Harlem.

Since we don’t have a shelter or physical location, we operate an extensive foster network to house our rescues. Once vetted and medical attention has been given, cats move from foster homes into adoptive homes.

Little Wanderers also partners with NYC’s municipal shelter to rescue “at-risk” cats. New York City’s underfunded shelters often cannot help cats with contagious diseases or in critical condition, but treatable illness and injury should not be a barrier to adoption or a cat living out the rest of its life. Little Wanderers covers veterinary services, medications, surgeries, and supplies to treat medical conditions that exist on intake from the shelter, such as upper respiratory infections, ringworm, dental disease, or broken bones. We stabilize these cats and kittens and help them find adopters who can handle their needs.

Little Wanderers engages the public and other rescue organizations across NY to help break down the stigma for street cats who appear unadoptable in a cage. We reach tens of thousands of people each year through our public outreach, dispelling common misunderstandings around cat behavior and health.

On top of tirelessly working to rescue cats in need of medical attention, we manage over 400 colony cats around NY to which we provide food and TNR services, as well as medical attention. As a small volunteer group, we are constantly overwhelmed with requests and endless cats that need help, but to see the way these cats' lives change for the better makes it all worth the hard work.

Our Impact

Source: Shelter Animals Count