The newly passed city budget will shell out $1.5 million in freebies for the Big Apple’s furry friends — including by creating a pet-food pantry.
City council-funded initiatives will increase spending on free and low-cost spay-and-neuter services for animals by 50%, or to $750,000, in fiscal year 2027, according to budget documents reviewed by The Post.
A separate $750,000 will be allocated to launch a first-of-its-kind pilot pet-food pantry, the council’s animal welfare caucus said in a social media post last week.
“These investments will help reduce animal overpopulation, ease pressure on the shelter system, and ensure that New Yorkers are not forced to choose between basic needs and feeding their pets,” the group wrote.
Flatbush Cats, a charity looking after stray and feral felines, will be a primary provider of the subsidized spay and neuter services funded by a $500,000 baseline grant.
The remaining funds will be spread out among additional animal-care centers and nonprofits.
The pilot-project yearlong pet-food pantry is being spearheaded by $250,000 in funding to the Department of Social Services.
The pet pantry’s total $750,000 in funding — which is being doled out through the city council’s discretionary funds — is still being sorted among organizations, said animal welfare caucus Chair Harvey Epstein to The Post.
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While the caucus initially sought upwards of $4 million in funding for animal-welfare causes, the group still celebrated landing a fraction of the city’s historic over $128.5 billion budget. It also applauded Council Speaker Julie Menin for championing its efforts.
“While more work remains, this investment is an important step toward a more compassionate and affordable city that keeps New Yorkers and their pets together,” the group wrote.
The ASPCA celebrated the funding boost for city pet owners.
“No New Yorker should have to choose between caring for themselves or keeping a beloved pet, and we are grateful to the Animal Welfare Caucus for championing this funding to help keep pets in loving homes,” said the animal nonprofit’s senior director of municipal affairs,m Michelle Villagomez, in a press release.
The Department of Social Services and City Hall did not respond to Post requests for comment.
