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Become a monthly donor by January 23 and unlock a bonus gift in your honor!
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LAST DAY! Become a monthly donor and unlock a bonus gift in your honor!

For every new monthly donor who joins us by January 23, a generous supporter will make an additional $300 gift in their honor — and for the first time ever, there is NO LIMIT to this match! That’s right, the sky’s the limit: this donor will give $300 for every monthly donor sign-up. When you commit to a monthly gift, you enable us to commit to the homeless animals, beloved pets, and community members who depend on us, all year long.

Give Monthly

Help PAWS win the 2025 Shelter Showdown!

Support the Philadelphia Eagles and help PAWS win the 2025 Shelter Showdown!

This friendly Super Bowl-inspired competition pits shelters from the final four teams’ cities against each other to raise the most funds. Every donation fuels lifesaving work, and the winning city earns ultimate bragging rights. Make a gift to show your PAWS and Eagles pride today!

SHOW YOUR PAWS PRIDE

Fosters needed: help save lives!

Foster homes are at the heart of PAWS’ ability to save lives. When you foster one animal, we rescue the life of another. With a brief commitment, you can be a hero for cats, dogs, and small animals. We provide supplies and support; you provide love and care!

Start fostering

Adopt Cletus

Meet Cletus, a lovable and energetic 9-month-old pup ready to bring endless fun and affection to your life! This goofball adores games like fetch and tug of war and never misses a chance for a cuddle. Cletus is crate trained and working on his manners, so he’ll thrive with a patient, active family eager to help him grow into his full potential.

Meet Cletus

Adopt Passie

Looking for top-notch rodent control? Meet Passie, a five-star professional hunter ready for the job! Passie is part of our Working Cat Program and is eager to patrol your property. She would thrive in a country setting where she can stay stimulated and active. If you have space for a dedicated mouser, Passie is your perfect match!

Meet Passie

PAWS is Hiring: Join our team!

Join PAWS for a meaningful career in animal welfare! Work alongside passionate animal lovers and help us fulfill our mission of saving lives and building a better future for Philadelphia’s pets and people.

VIEW JOBS

Meet your new best friend!

Reggie
Foster Care

I'm a short, stout, and beefy boy with a heart as big as my underbite! I've lived with other dogs and at 7-years-old, I enjoy the couch potato life.
Ace of Spades
Foster Care

If you're looking for an adventure buddy, look no further! I'm a sweet, fun-loving dog who’s ready to find a family that shares my enthusiasm for the great outdoors.
Kona
Foster Care

I'm a loving, smart, and snuggly 6-year-old pup looking for a cat-free home where I can be your BFF and maybe share life with another dog!
Lucy
Foster Care

I love being the center of attention in any room, and I even enjoy belly rubs (it's not a trap, I swear!).
Choco Taco
Foster Care

I'm a sweet treat who just wants to relax, befriend everyone I meet, and be near my people where I'm happiest!
Dr. Tom
Foster Care

I'm an expert birdwatcher and devoted companion who loves to be near my people and even enjoys rocking snazzy bow-ties at home!
All Available Dogs
All Available Cats

PAWS is the city's largest rescue partner.

We are working to make Philadelphia a place where every healthy and treatable pet is guaranteed a home. We do so through rescue, foster care, adoption, and preventing pet homelessness in the first place by offering low-cost spay/neuter and basic vet care.

Support Our Lifesaving Efforts

Donate Today


Make a one-time gift or commit to monthly support. Give in honor or memory of someone special.

Donate

Create a Fundraiser


Raise support from family and friends for your birthday, in honor of your pet, or for any occasion.

Get Started

More ways to give


Donate needed supplies, provide for the animals in your planned giving, plan an event, and more.

Learn More

Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinics


Keeping pets and families together through low-cost basic veterinary services. Our clinics in Grays Ferry and the Northeast serve tens of thousands of pets every year whose caretakers may not afford care elsewhere.

Get Care

Recent News

12.18.24

Lori and Bella: A Lifelong Journey of Rescue and Care with PAWS


It all began with a simple online search. Lori, a musician and lifelong animal lover, discovered a stray kitten in Brewerytown and turned to the internet for help. That search led her to PAWS. As a West Philadelphia resident, Lori initially became involved in animal rescue through her work with Project Meow, a fellow rescue […]
Read More
12.17.24

Gateway Book Club: Teaching Compassion and Change


Sometimes, life gives us unexpected opportunities to make a difference — not just for ourselves, but for others, too. For Elizabeth, a dedicated Philadelphia-based teacher and animal lover, that opportunity came in the summer of 2011 when her scheduled class was canceled. Instead of viewing it as a setback, she embraced it as a chance […]
Read More
View All

41,324 animals saved


We rescue animals, primarily from the city shelter, almost daily with a focus on the most vulnerable: adult dogs, kittens, cats recovering from illnesses, and small animals. Once safe at PAWS, they receive everything they need to become ready for adoption, then are matched with loving homes.

178,607 volunteer hours served


PAWS’ dedicated and caring volunteers are essential in every aspect of our lifesaving efforts.

381,725 clinic patients served


Our low-cost Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinics prevent pet homelessness and provide a needed resource in our community, enabling loving pet owners to care for and keep their dogs and cats as family.

154,819 spay/neuters performed


PAWS provides low-cost spay/neuter surgery for owned pets, rescues and community cats to prevent the birth of unwanted litters. Our efforts are working: since our clinics opened their doors, the number of homeless animals entering Philadelphia’s city shelter has declined year over year.

PAWS Partners

Our lifesaving work is possible with the meaningful support of business and community partners.

See our Partners

Current Partners

PAWS' impact grows as our services expand & progress continues

By rescuing, rehabilitating, and finding loving adopters for homeless animals with nowhere else to go, and providing affordable vet care and other services so pets can stay in their homes where they are loved, PAWS provides a vital and growing safety net for Philadelphia's most vulnerable cats and dogs. The pandemic has prompted a shift toward more intensive, individualized care for more complex needs.
2010
7154
2012
16160
2014
26188
2016
36510
2018
40455
2020
33840
2021
34528
2023
34801
Pets Served 100 100
More Shelter Statistics

Join us on social media

Larry just arrived at PAWS after suffering frostbite and malnourishment during his time outside. If you’d like to help this sweet boy right now while ensuring we’re ready to support pets like him all year long, consider joining our Constant Companion Challenge: a supporter is donating $300 for every new monthly donor who joins us by midnight tomorrow, with NO LIMIT to the match! Your support will be a lifeline to Larry and thousands more pets in the year to come.

This sweet boy was trying to survive in below-freezing temperatures when a community cat caretaker found him and brought him to PAWS. His time on the street had taken its toll: in addition to being severely emaciated, this friendly boy had suffered frostbite that left him with permanent tissue damage on both ears.

Because of supporters like you, PAWS was ready to give Larry the second chance he deserved. We welcomed him with gentle pets and a tasty meal, started him on a special feeding plan, and matched him with a foster home where he’ll have a full tummy, a warm bed, and all the love he could ask for.

Please help sustain our work for Larry and thousands more by starting your gift now. This incredible matching opportunity will only last through midnight tomorrow, so join today and unlock an extra $300 for PAWS at our #linkinbio!
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Wanted: ringworm fosters! We have four very friendly felines who are currently being treated for this common fungal infection, and they’re desperate to find loving homes where they can finish their treatment 🏡 ❤️

Because ringworm is so easy to spread at the shelter, cats and kittens who test positive for this skin infection have to be fully isolated until they test negative, which can be very lonely for them 🥺 But when they do get to go home, they’re beside themselves with happiness and brimming with affection!

Fosters and adopters who open their homes to ringworm kitties can attest that they’re some of the most friendly and loving cats you’ll meet, and all it takes to change a life is a separate space in your home and a few weeks of TLC!

If you’d like to help, email foster@phillypaws.org with the subject “ringworm kittens”!⁠⁠⁠⁠

Some ringworm fast facts:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠

🔹 It’s not a worm — it’s a fungal infection of the skin that usually shows up as small patches of hair loss in pets⁠⁠. ⁠⁠

🔹 It’s a mild infection, but contagious to people and pets, so a separate room for fosters is the best way to prevent it from spreading during treatment.

🔹 It usually takes 4-8 weeks to clear up (and many of these babies are already a few weeks into their treatment)! ⁠

🔹 We have twice weekly “dip days” at our Grays Ferry clinics for ringworm fosters/adopters to drop their kitties off for medicated baths — no need to do it at home!
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Do you want to help pets like Judy all year long while having a BIG impact today? If the answer is yes, we have exciting news! For every new monthly donor who joins us by January 23, a generous supporter will make an additional $300 gift in their honor — and for the first time ever, there is NO LIMIT to this match!

🐾 50 new monthly donors = $15,000
🐾 100 new monthly donors = $30,000
🐾 200 new monthly donors = $60,000

The possibilities are endless! All it takes is a commitment of $10/month or more to be a part of this incredible matching opportunity, or an increase of $10/month to an existing monthly donation.

Your support as a Constant Companion provides steady, crucial funding for our rescue and prevention programs, ensuring we can continue to be there for vulnerable animals like Judy. She was found fending for herself in the cold but is now safe, warm, and looking forward to a lifetime of love. When you commit to a monthly gift, you enable us to commit to the homeless animals, beloved pets, and community members who depend on us.

Please join us and ensure we can say YES to the pets and people who will need our help in the year to come. Start your gift and unlock a $300 donation right now at our #linkinbio!
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Together, we will make Philadelphia a no-kill city.

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