Home > Out of the Cage! > October 2004 > Featured Alliance Participating Organization: Mighty Mutts Establishes "Ollie's Place": Manhattan's Newest Cat Adoption Center

Featured Alliance Participating Organization

Mighty Mutts Establishes "Ollie's Place": Manhattan's Newest Cat Adoption Center

For years, Mighty Mutts has rescued strays from the streets of New York City. They are found sick, abused, and wary of people. Mighty Mutts rehabilitates and cares for them until they can be adopted into the right homes.

You've probably seen them on a Saturday afternoon along the Fourteenth Street border of Union Square Park in Manhattan — dogs, dogs, and more dogs (and their caring volunteer handlers) — capturing the hearts of New Yorkers rushing about their weekend errands or strolling to the city's weekend tempo.

You also might have noticed the Mighty Mutts cats, too, tucked inside their crates in the Mighty Mutts van, parked alongside the curb. Not as in-your-face as the dogs, perhaps, but equally anxious to win the hearts of potential adopters.

Now Mighty Mutts cats and kittens have their own adoption center, custom-made for felines: Ollie's Place, billed as "a new breed of pet retail."

Since February 2004, Ollie's Place, located at 203 East 26th Street, just steps from bustling Third Avenue in Manhattan's Gramercy Park neighborhood, has been the meeting place for amazing cats and amazed adopters. Visitors are treated to two floors of animal paradise.

At street-level is an inviting pet supply store, chock-full of healthy pet foods and treats, and a wide array of supplies for cats and dogs, including pet beds, toys, leashes, feeding dishes, grooming products, and the famous Mighty Mutts T-shirts. Profits from the sale of merchandise are used to care for all Mighty Mutts cats and dogs.

Upstairs, nestled in the bright, sunny, and relaxed ambiance of cozy cushions and soft music, some of the most adorable cats you'll ever meet await their forever families.

John Contino, Mighty Mutts founder and the guiding force behind the Brooklyn-based rescue group's success, hopes that Ollie's Place will greatly increase the group's cat adoptions. He explained, "While our dogs generally show well on the street — they're usually relaxed and acclimated to being out in public, around people — the cats become distressed when surrounded by noise and crowds. We created Ollie's Place to provide a more comfortable and comforting environment for the cats and potential adopters."

As a rule, not more than 20 cats are in residence at Ollie's Place at one time. "We keep the numbers low to maintain a calm and comfortable environment for the cats," explained Thomas Ho, one of Mighty Mutts' core volunteers who staff the adoption center.

According to Thomas, orange cats are the first to be adopted. "It's the Garfield syndrome," he explains. And while Ollie's Place sometimes features pedigreed cats and kittens, "the majority of our cats are tabbies — short and medium hair — and black-and-whites."

Among the recent residents at Ollie's Place were two young cats rescued by Mighty Mutts from a local deli that went out of business. "They bolted the doors and just left the cats inside," said Thomas. Two Mighty Mutts volunteers managed to rescue the cats, one of which was pregnant, in time to save their lives. They are currently at Ollie's Place and available for adoption.

Ollie's Place is open from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., seven days a week. Mighty Mutts invites you to:

To learn about other Alliance Participating Organizations, please visit the Mayor's Alliance Web site.