There’s a cat in the window. She’s curled up into a ball with a paw over her face, half-asleep behind the glass. Her furry tummy subtely rises and falls as she gently breathes a restful sleep. But as comfortable as this kitty may be, the cozy nook she’s found to lie in is only temporary. In fact, she’s here to find a new permanent home.

This kitten is just one of thousands of cats and dogs given refuge over the years at Bideawee—an animal welfare organization that provides temporary homes to cats and dogs before matching the animals to loving, responsible owners and families.

“It’s about finding a match that will be forever,” says Nancy Taylor, President and Chief Executive Officer at Bideawee, while stroking a black cat named Opie on her desk. “Our goal is to get them adopted and keep them adopted.”

This notion of finding “forever homes” and saving animals from cruelty is the same principle Flora Kibbe founded Bideawee upon in 1903 when she was saving dogs and keeping them in her Manhattan apartment. It was 1915 when she moved Bideawee—which means “stay awhile” in Scottish—to its current home in Murray Hill, where she could save unwanted animals from being drowned in the East River.

Today, Bideawee has grown to encompass three locations, including Westhampton and Wantagh centers on Long Island. The organization adopts about 1,000 pets each year and saves animals from municipal shelters and from families that can no longer care for their pets. While based in New York City, Bideawee rescues cats and dogs from across the country and even Puerto Rico.

The Manhattan offices are warm and friendly, which may have something to do with all the happy animals roaming the space. Pickles the cat is snuggled up in the corner of an office. And Asha, a puppy who’s been on TV, is affectionate when you come out of the elevator. Wonka, the cat downstairs, is eager to meet new visitors.

In this five-story building, Bideawee is doing much more than simply providing accommodations to unwanted pets. “The thing that sets us apart is that we’re able to stay with the pet and the owner. We love them through their entire life,” says Taylor.

She’s referring to the plethora of services that Bideawee provides: adoption, training, veterinary care, dog runs, accreditation for therapy dogs, pet memorials and even Doga (that’s yoga for dogs!). These practices allow pets and owners to remain a part of the Bideawee family long after they’ve been paired up and settled in at home.

Take Candice Alustiza and her three-legged dog, Joey, who have been with Bideawee every step of the way—from adoption to vet services.

“For anyone who’s looking for a vet practice or a place to adopt a dog, I always say come to Bideawee,” says Alustiza who found Joey after searching for pets online. Despite missing Joey’s television debut on LX New York with Ashley Judd, Alustiza found the puppy-in-need and fell in love soon after. Since then, she’s taken Joey back to Bideawee for a number of X-rays and tests to find that he’s perfectly healthy despite his three-legged status.

Alustiza and Joey went through the typical adoption process, which includes playing with the animals in interaction rooms and having all members of the family meet the cat or dog before adopting.

“It’s all about finding the right pet for the right family,” says Taylor, who refers to Bideawee’s adoption associates as matchmakers. “For instance, if we know that a person is a couch potato, we’re not going to adopt a border collie that wants to run all day to that person. Conversely, if somebody is a tri-athlete, we’re probably not going to match him with an overweight dachshund.”

The successful results of the matchmaking process yield an extremely low return rate—only 4.5%--compared to the national shelter rate which can vary between 15-20% of adopted pets. Usually, owners return pets because there’s an unforeseen health or behavioral problem. That’s why Bideawee guarantees that every pet is spayed, neutered, micro-chipped and immunized. They also receive dentistry attention and are treated for every medical condition that their veterinary offices can identify, amidst a fully- functional operating room and a cozy waiting area. Not to mention—Bideawee never euthanizes a pet unless it’s an incurable situation. And when an animal is put down or passes away, Bideawee is still there to support the mourning family.

“We want the whole end of life encounter to be dignified, to be respectful, to enable family members ample opportunity to grieve the loss of their family member,” says Taylor, who notes that Bideawee employees are given bereavement days for loss of pets. They also provide plots, cremation, viewings and grief counseling.

And the guidance doesn’t end there. Many Bideawee volunteers receive training for various tasks, like infection control while working with animals in isolation that have been picked up from municipals and are often sick. The organization has nearly 400 such volunteers who walk dogs, socialize cats, help at fundraising events or work as pet therapy assistants at schools, nursing homes and hospitals.

“This is such a cohesive community. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a shelter environment with such a strong human-animal bond,” says Suzi Soloway-Andres, a third- year volunteer who cleans kennels and socializes cats. In fact, Soloway-Andres had experienced the loss of her own cats and volunteered to help her through the mourning process. Since her time at Bideawee she’s adopted a new cat and found a home at the facility.

After all, owning a pet is a full commitment, a “lifetime commitment,” according to Taylor, who notes that cats often live 20-plus years. Before adopting a cat or dog, a potential owner needs to be ready for a decades-long commitment to animal care. And it’s more than just walking and feeding your pet. According to Taylor, a healthy cat or dog can cost between $1,000 and $1,400 annually.

But it’s clear at Bideawee that the benefits of loving and being loved by an animal are priceless. “It brings so much warmth,” says Solloway-Andres who feels like she can make a difference through her volunteer work in a very pet-friendly town.

“We see people every day who meet new people because of their animals,” says Taylor about NYC pet owners. “There’s a wonderful subculture that grows up around [owning a pet] that makes people resources to each other about where to find a great vet, a great groomer, a great place to board your animals.”

As Taylor points out, owning a pet and going to pet hot spots around the city allows one to encounter all sorts of people they wouldn’t normally meet. But there’s more than just people and pets socializing. According to three-legged Joey’s adopter, Candice Alustiza, we may have found the best part of owning a pet in New York City.

“Everyone in New York is so busy, but it’s so nice to come home at the end of the day, open the door and see this little guy’s face,” says Alustiza as Joey is wagging his tail and licking her fingers. “That’s my favorite part of the day—coming home to him.”

For more information, visit bideawee.org.