If a rat skipped across the subway tracks, caked in soot, eyes burning red, splashing in the sewage, certain thoughts would most likely come to mind.

Cute would probably not be one of them, but Stephanie Dietz might disagree.

Last week, Ms. Dietz, 25, from Bushwick, Brooklyn, invited into her home two cousins of such creatures -- both spayed females rescued from possible death in a Queens laboratory two weeks ago.

Empty Cages Collective, an animal advocacy group, acquired these 2 -- and 39 more -- white rats and mice from an area college, which agreed to surrender them if the group promised not to reveal the school's identity, according to P. J. McKosky, the organization's coordinator.

Read the full article here.

About a month ago, the Williamsburg Courier covered our hugely successful and fun cat & kitten adoption event at 8 of Swords Tattoo Shop & Gallery in Williamsburg. Thanks for the coverage, friends!

In a dimly lighted warehouse in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, a handful of orphaned baby animals, no bigger than dormice, squinted and opened their tiny black eyes for the first time a week ago in cages the size of shoe boxes.

Baby squirrels.

Read the full article here.

The Williamsburg Greenpoint News + Arts newspaper featured Empty Cages Collective in a recent issue. Thanks to publisher Genia Gould for her support, and kudos to writer Athena Ponushis for getting PJ to stay in one place long enough for a quick interview! To read it click on the photo above. You'll need Adobe Reader, but kittens are optional!

Michele Howley, a friend to animals and adopter of one our bottle-baby kittens, visited the feral cat recovery space this past weekend and did a great write-up on her blog today. We've already gotten some donations and encouraging notes, and the cats and kittens are going to be thrilled with the toys and treats donated off the Amazon WISHLIST! Thank you everyone, we'll have lots of crazy kitten videos soon! To read the post and meet Murray, the magnificently goofy tiger click HERE.