Injured, Sick, or Orphaned Animals

When domestic pets or wildlife are injured, ill, or orphaned, they often need human assistance to survive. These organizations and resources can help you help them.

Orphaned kitten. Photo by Victor Grigas
Photo by Victor Grigas

To report an injured or ill animal (cat, dog, rabbit, or other pet) who needs to be picked up, please call Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC) at (212) 788-4000 and press option 8. Between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. you may leave a message. If you can safely pick up and transport the injured animal yourself, you can bring him/her to the nearest full-service Animal Care Centers located in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island.

If you need to speak with someone about what to do if you encounter an injured, ill, or orphaned bird or other wild animal, please contact:

Wild Bird Fund
565 Columbus Avenue (at 87th Street), New York, NY 10024
Phone: (646) 306-2862 (If you get voicemail, please leave a message.)
Website: wildbirdfund.org

If you can safely pick up and transport the injured animal, you can take him/her to the Wild Bird Fund’s Rehabilitation Center. Please call ahead to make sure the facility is open.

Friends of the Feathered and Furry Wildlife Center
10846 Route 23A, Hunter, NY 12442
Phone: (518) 989-6534
Text: (518) 965-1864
Website: fffwildlifecenter.com

Located in Upstate New York, this organization is a wealth of knowledge and can make referrals to other resources if they can’t help directly.

Animal Help Now
The Animal Help Now service, available at AHNow.org and through free iPhone and Android apps, connects people involved with wildlife emergencies and conflicts with the most appropriate time- and location-specific resources and services. Animal Help Now serves the entire United States. Animal Help Now does NOT respond to emergencies, but is a resource to help individuals seeking help find appropriate services and resources.

It’s not unusual to discover a nest of unattended kittens or a single kitten seemingly abandoned by the mother — especially during high “kitten season” in the spring and summer. You want to help, right? Before jumping to the rescue, please consider these recommendations from Bidawee’s Feral Cat Initiative.

If you’ve found a stray dog, cat, rabbit, or other pet, please visit our Pet Lost & Found Resources page for information on what you can do to help him/her make it back home.