Serving our community since 2007

History

How we started

A group of rescuers founded Brooklyn Bridge Animal Welfare Coalition (BBAWC) in 2007 with the goal of improving the lives of the many homeless animals of Brooklyn through low-cost veterinary services and adoption support. Finding foster homes for cats rescued from the street or pulled from the overcrowded city shelter became the organization’s top priority, but it was a major struggle without a central meeting place for foster families, potential adopters, and rescuers. The Brooklyn Cat Cafe was launched to be this very special place.

Creating a community headquarters

The cafe opened in May 2016 at a storefront location in historic Brooklyn Heights. Since then, we have welcomed an average of over 35,000 visitors during a normal year. Brooklyn Cat Cafe is primarily volunteer-run, managed by the BBAWC directors who oversee the business affairs, cat care and daily operations. We also operate as a resource center for animal rescuers, providing educational workshops and holding space for newly-rescued cats and we began conducting Trap-Neuter-Release (TNR) services in December 2016.

Our mission expands

During the COVID pandemic, we turned our attention to growing our foster program. We now house around 200 cats in foster homes at any given time, massively increasing our life-saving capacity through the generosity of our community of cat lovers. In 2020, we began a low-cost medical clinic, providing vaccinations, exams, and other services to recent rescues. In 2021 our spay/neuter clinic started offering low-cost options to rescuers and low-income community members.

Expanding outreach out for evolving needs

As our focus broadens to provide more access to low-cost veterinary care for both rescuers and low-income pet owners, we’re able to help even more animals stay with their loving families, on their journey to adoptive homes, or continue their lives as healthier, happier community cats.

Our reach

Since BBAWC began in 2007, we have rescued almost 7,000 cats and more than 100 other animals including dogs, guinea pigs, rats, rabbits, mice and a chicken. Nearly 6,000 animals have been placed in permanent adoptive homes and over 1,000 cats have been TNRed. We started the BBAWC rescue clinic in 2020, and since then have done over 1,200 spay/neuter surgeries and examined over 2,000 cats (and also many rabbits and rats).

The Brooklyn Cat Cafe is made possible by support from GS Humane.