In January, Linda and Asher S. said goodbye to their 10-year-old cat, Boychik, who had developed multiple untreatable health problems.

“It was not a great start to the year,” says Linda. “But we decided that, instead of moping around, we’d look for another cat. We assumed it would take some time.” 

The couple applied to adopt an adult cat on the ASPCA website. Through Marissa Hernandez, an ASPCA Adoption Center Matchmaker, they arranged to meet Emerson, a five-year-old male.

“He was in an office, so we walked in very carefully,” Linda recalls. “He first jumped behind the computer monitor. A minute later, he jumped back out, interacting with us almost immediately.”

The couple spent time alone with Emerson, who divided his attention equally between Linda and Asher.

“That’s when Asher said, ‘We probably could look at other cats, but it’s not going to get better than this,’” says Linda. “Our instincts about adoptions have usually been pretty good.”

In December 2022, a fire destroyed an apartment in New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood. The New York Fire Department (FDNY) deemed the apartment uninhabitable, as well as an adjacent unit belonging to a woman with multiple cats who was also forced to vacate. 

The Animal Planning Task Force (APTF) put a call out to their participating agencies, and the ASPCA Community Engagement (CE) and Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC) responded, retrieving and transporting the cats for care. Mohamed “Mo” Khaled, ASPCA Manager of Community Engagement, who led the ASPCA effort with Lisa Kisiel, CE’s Manager of Casework, Training and Events, says the estimated 20 to 25 cats turned out to be more than 100. 

The owner relinquished most of her cats to the agencies called in to help. 

The successful rescue ultimately involved several partners, including New York City’s Animal Planning Task Force, NYC Emergency Management, the Red Cross, the FDNY, ACC and the ASPCA.

“We carefully coordinated multiple removals of cats in the weeks before and after Christmas,” says Mo. “The electricity in the building was out, so we worked with floodlights and assembled a team of four to five people on each visit to retrieve cats.”

“Thanks to our teams' collaborative efforts, we were able to turn on a dime, prioritizing the neediest cats,” says Delia Kurland, Senior Director of Operations, Adoption Center and Kitten Nursery. 

Emerson was one of 49 cats taken in by the ASPCA, arriving on December 28.

“Most cats were surprisingly well-adjusted and socialized,” says Cynthia Thrash, Director of Animal Welfare at the Adoption Center. “We fast-tracked the majority to adoptions or other shelters for adoption.” 

Emerson and seven other felines—named after philosophers—underwent medical and behavioral evaluations at the ASPCA Animal Recovery Center (ARC).

“Emerson was placed in a kennel in a large room with other cats from the same home,” says Samantha Mays, Manager of Feline Behavior. “Almost immediately, he began spraying, so our team moved him to a larger space away from other cats and upgraded him to unscented clumping litter, adding a product called ‘cat attract.’ His spraying ceased completely.”

Not long after, Emerson was ready for adoption.

Linda and Asher, who live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, sometimes refer to Emerson as “R.W.” or “Emmy.” 

“He’s a sweet boy, a real gem,” Linda says. “At first, he did not venture very far into the apartment, but now he is bolder, roams freely and even comes when called. He likes to engage and is very curious, making his presence known.”

“We’re his biggest fans,” Asher says.

Emerson fits nicely into the couple’s daily routine and recently moved his sleeping spot from under the dining table to the couple’s bed.

“He crept up, laid down next to me, and put his head in my hand,” she says. “That was the first time he got close to me.”

Linda and Asher often think about Emerson’s history—living with dozens of other cats in a cramped apartment ruined by fire.

“The poor guy’s been through a lot,” Linda says, adding, “We can’t thank the ASPCA enough for bringing him into our life.”