nicole

When a game of telephone thankfully goes right! ☎️ When @gabi_lamontagne , a contact of @danaandthecats , reached out because she heard on the grapevine there was a mom and kittens born in a basement in Bed Stuy that may need some help, we were able to connect the dots that this was a pregnant cat that @backyardcatsofbedstuy had been trying to rescue via a different neighbor before she gave birth. While we are very glad that mama Gyoza and her 5 baby dumplings are here and that they’re healthy, lord KNOWS we already have too many kittens to worry about in this world! Once these babies are weaned, mom will be spayed, never to be pregnant again. She’ll find a home and her babies will be adopted in pairs (or to a home that already has a young cat for them to befriend!). That’s a long way off though, and for now we’re just focusing on getting them fat and doughy! Thank you so much to @pharmdfelines for stepping up to foster this family and giving them a safe landing pad 🥰 More to come on these little ones, just you wait! 🥟

!! Big news !!: the first baby Backyardigans of 2026 are officially ready for their forever homes! They are now 8 weeks old, and about as perfect as any little ladies could ever hope to be. The girls will still have ongoing vetting through June, but are available to loving homes in the NYC area! If you don’t have any other cats at home, two (or all 3?!) must be adopted together. Ask me about single kitten syndrome (or just go watch @heidiwranglescats ’s pinned video!) if you’d like more info on why. Adoption app is linked in my bio, and DMs are open for any questions 🥰

Just popping by on this absolutely gorgeous day in NYC to share a happy update: it’s been one whole year since Kuma and her mama Charms were adopted by their papa @trippers81 , and the three have been absolutely inseparable ever since! There are few things I love more than getting to see a mama and baby bonded pair spend their happily ever after together 🩶🩶 Shoutout to @dorrelmatad for taking them in, to @yaelelmatad for being such a wonderful foster for them, and to Yuya for being their forever family (and for these adorable photos!)

Today I find myself in a bit of a pickle: too many long-haul cats, too few adoptions… and now, too few fosters. I’ll keep it short: I’m pretty desperate for foster (or adoptive) homes right now. Ron, Frida, and Astrid are all losing their temporary homes this week — with absolutely no hard feelings to their wonderful caretakers, who have been incredible — and I’ve got nowhere to them to go. If you’ve ever fostered before (for me or elsewhere) or have ever considered it, please reach out (or fill out a foster app). Rescue is always community effort and I cannot do it alone. TY 🙏🏻

Back in January, I lost my most beloved colony cat, Stella, to a senseless dog attack. In my grief and my panic, I made the decision to bring in Astrid, a very feeder-friendly cat who I am extremely fond of and who has been an excellent companion for the past several years. I could not risk her meeting the same fate. Since then, Astrid been with a foster who has tried to work with her, but sadly they haven’t made much progress together. Astrid is not thriving, and I really need to find someone to work with her properly. (Unfortunately, me fostering her myself is not an option.) If anyone has any leads on a socializer, I would appreciate it so, so much. I still think she deserves a chance at an indoor life; she was not doing well outdoors with the arrival of some newer colony members who have set up shop here, and I am afraid if I relocate her back to the yard she will be pushed out… and I could lose her, too. And I can’t bear that. If you’ve ever felt inspired to help a cat who deserves a better life, please reach out to me. It would involve a slow burn process (@socializationsaveslives ) with Astrid living in a playpen. All supplies would be provided. I would be there with you every step of the way. Thank you 🖤🤍

Yesterday I got to visit with these six little peanuts: bbs Maya, Lilybeth, Cleo, Dee, and Frida, and mama Vivienne for their first round of vaccines and dewormer! The whole family is growing up so beautifully, and I am so, so grateful to @_ladyliz_ for rescuing and fostering them. Maya and Frida (void/tux) are spoken for, but we’re taking applications for the rest of the family, who will be adoption-ready at the end of this month! Kittens go in pairs or to families with playful, existing resident cat, but mom can be a solo girl. Application link in bio 🩶

I am so, so proud of the progress Frida has made in cementing her future as an indoor girl, and yet she’s been overlooked for far, far too long. So I’m asking you, my wonderful community: help me find Frida’s forever family. This sweet, playful, spunky girl deserves stability, comfort, and folks who will love her for the rest of her days on Earth. 🩶🤍

An update from Rachel and I on sweet Ruth 🫶🏻 Ruth made it through her surgery on Tuesday and did very well! She is now spayed, which is a big deal! Unspayed female cats are more likely to develop mammary cancer, so it’s important to spay cats at any age — and of course, no more kittens! The vet also removed as much of the mass in her ear as possible and we’ll get the lab results in the next week or two and determine next steps from there. For now, she gets to wear a cone of shame for 2 weeks, so she doesn’t scratch it and make it worse. She’s also getting daily ear drops. Ruth’s bloodwork showed that she’s anemic, and we’re treating her for that too. The cause of her anemia is TBD, but we’ll bring her in for a followup appointment next week to both check her blood and examine her ear. It’s a lot for one little lady, but with your support and that of her amazing caretakers @kelseystrand17 and @marcusplusdogs she’s in great hands. We’ll continue to keep you posted. We’re about $1000 away from our fundraising goal; if you’ve got any spare change or can help share Ruth’s story, we’d be so grateful. 🩷

It’s been an eventful and expensive week in cat rescue, but I did want to take a moment in between updating you on Ruth and Snufkin to tell you that this absolutely perfect man, Ron, is officially on the market after almost six months of socialization boot camp with my good good bud @bradencampbellalso . When Ron’s colony was being poisoned last fall, my friends and all-around amazing human beings @reluctant_catlady and @genuinely_happy_4u jumped into action to save as many of these poor souls as they could — even though it meant intaking a whole bunch of feral cats. I couldn’t be more grateful to them and to Braden for making sure Ron didn’t meet a truly terrible end. Are you interested in giving a loving home to our second-chance guy? Please reach out! 🖤

Good morning, friends of the Backyardigans. I am sharing an uncommon carousel of photos of my face because… today is my 36th birthday. My 35th year has been… well, it’s been a lot of things. It’s been incredibly joyful, it’s been devastating, it’s been eye-opening, it’s been a year of learning and immense growth. And through it all, as most of my 30s have, it’s been filled with cats 🥲 Although it is seldom simple, this work is so important to me in so many ways. Being able to help end suffering is a privilege I do my best not to take for granted. The friendships I have made, the tears I have shed, the love I have felt — all have made me who I am today. I am proud of the lady I see staring back at me when I look in the mirror. Whether she’s cuddling a floof on the couch or piloting a caravan full of stinky toms, she is learning and growing in ways that little Nicole could never even have dreamed of. If you want to give me a birthday present, I am fundraising for two cats who are both having surgery within the next week (links in my bio on IG, in comments on FB): Snufkin, a former tom who is now enjoying life indoors but needs a dental to extract broken teeth, and Ruth, a sweet senior lady who needs a spay and a mass removed from her ear. Thank you all for helping to make my rescue work possible! 🙏🏻

Today my best girl turned 15, and I swear that second photo was taken just heartbeats ago. I couldn’t ask for a better companion, confidant, and friend.

Friends, meet the newest Backyardigan: Snufkin! Snufkin is a feral community cat loved and cared for by my new friends, @emmalhenderson and @__sam__jh . When Snufkin showed up at their back door last week with a wounded paw, they wasted no time getting him help. Was it a bite, an abscess? Was it broken? Either way, it wasn’t fair for Snufkin would suffer. He needed help — which is where I come in. Snufkin trusts Emma and Sam. They make sure he gets fed breakfast and dinner every day. They set him up with a cozy heated shelter to get him through the harsh winter. They are the only family he knows, which made getting him inside actually quite easy. Snufkin wasted no time at all scurrying under the drop trap for his dinner, and in mere minutes this guy was on his way to recovery. We started Snufkin on antibiotics and painkillers right away while we waited for his vet appointment, and slowly but surely, his paw started to look better. Even still, we made the call to bring him in for a sedated exam with our friends @parkslopevet . This way, we could be sure his paw would heal, he wouldn’t be overly stressed, and Dr. S could examine him properly and run any diagnostics needed. Luckily for Snufkin, the vet agreed: his paw was healing nicely. She was even able to re-up his antibiotics and give him his core vaccines. But unluckily for Snufkin, she also found that he has several painful, broken teeth which will need to be taken out. So, here we are, once again raising funds so one lucky/unlucky feral tomcat can live a happier, healthier life. He’ll be neutered this week, and while we wait for his dental surgery, Emma and Sam will see how this sweet buddy feels about the indoor life — where there will be no more broken teeth and no injured paws for this guy. If you’ve got any spare change, Snufkin’s GFM is linked in my bio 🩷