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48 hours only: all gifts TRIPLED for Philly’s outdoor cats

Through midnight on Thursday, April 9, our leading TNR supporters are offering an incredible incentive: all donations to PAWS’ TNR program will be triple matched, up to $50,000! Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is a lifeline for the thousands of stray & feral cats in Philadelphia, which is why PAWS partners with community cat caretakers to provide accessible, lifesaving TNR support. Help us safeguard the future of Philly’s most vulnerable cats—your support will go three times as far!

TRIPLE MY GIFT

Raise a glass and save lives at Pours for PAWS!

Join the Young Friends of PAWS for the fourth annual Pours for PAWS on April 23 at Positano Coast. Sip, savor, and celebrate alongside fellow animal lovers while supporting PAWS’ mission to make Philadelphia a safe place for pets and the people who love them. This 21+ event helps power PAWS’ lifesaving work across our city.

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Be their bridge to a brighter future: foster with PAWS

When you open your home to a PAWS foster, you’re giving a pet a safe place to land when they need it most. With more animals arriving every day, even a short foster stay can be truly life-changing — offering comfort, healing, and hope while making space for another pet in need. We’ll provide everything you need…all you have to bring is the love!

Shop our wishlist to help shelter pets today

With our kennels at capacity, our most-needed items run out quickly. From nutritious wet food to keep pets of all ages nourished, to paper towels and cleaning supplies that help us maintain safe, comfortable spaces, every item makes a direct difference. Shop our most-needed items and make sure pets have the essentials they rely on every day.

SEND SHELTER SUPPLIES

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.

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Meet your new best friend!

Meet the PAWS animals who are most in need of homes! Whether they have special needs or simply have been waiting longer than others, they need your help to find loving families. Every animal we adopt out creates room in our shelters to save another, so each adoption truly saves a life.

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View all adoptable pets

VIEW ALL AVAILABLE CATS

All PAWS pets are spayed/neutered, given age-appropriate vaccines, microchipped, and examined by a veterinarian before adoption. Click the button below to browse cats currently available by location. Our thorough matchmaking process allows us to find the best fit for you and your family.

VIEW CATS

VIEW ALL AVAILABLE DOGS

All PAWS pets are spayed/neutered, given age-appropriate vaccines, microchipped, and examined by a veterinarian before adoption. Click the button below to browse dogs currently available by location. Our thorough matchmaking process allows us to find the best fit for you and your family.

VIEW DOGS

VIEW ALL AVAILABLE SMALL ANIMALS

All PAWS pets are spayed/neutered, given age-appropriate vaccines, microchipped, and examined by a veterinarian before adoption. Click the button below to browse small animals currently available by location. Our thorough matchmaking process allows us to find the best fit for you and your family.

VIEW SMALL ANIMALS

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.

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Create a Fundraiser

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

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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.

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Recent News

04.07.26

Fourth anniversary of PAWS’ Safety Net Foster Program

03.17.26

Goose, the dog we “never knew we needed”

The Cannon family’s favorite PAWS story doesn’t begin with a perfect meet and greet…it begins with a bulldog named Goose. Before coming into PAWS’ care, a dog named Business Bear had been left outside of the city shelter. Like so many animals who arrive at PAWS, his story was about to change thanks to the […]

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43,902 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.

413,449 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.

167,998 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

More Shelter Statistics

Join us on social media

View Instagram post by phillypaws

Apr 8

Open post by phillypaws with ID 18093966587137879

Dearest, gentle, house hippo lovers ✍️ Queen Charlotte is looking for a royal suitor....Could it be you? 👑 Qualifications include sparkling banter to narrate her antics, exquisite taste in canine companionship, and a loving heart that sees her for the true diamond she is – not just for the season, but always.

Charlotte is the talk of the ton for her squishy face, short legs, and gentle, loving demeanor. She lives for petting, attention, and general adoration from royal subjects of all ages, and will give a polite press of her paw against you to ask for more. If you oblige, she’ll happily climb into your lap and bestow you with kisses to rival the most ardent suitor!

Don’t let her royal portraits fool you — Charlotte is positively petite at 34 pounds, and a perfectly society-ready 3 years old. Her potty training journey is still ongoing, but in her defense, chamber pots were all the rage in the Regency era. And while she carries herself with regal charm when it matters, she has a playful, silly side that comes out when she’s feeling especially joyful.

Charlotte is looking for an adopter with a big heart who is especially open to catering to her royal needs, of which she has several (we suspect her queenly lineage could put the Habsburgs to shame). She had a mass removed that will require monitoring with her medical vizier (aka your vet), will likely benefit from future surgery to correct a condition in two of her kneecaps (patellar luxations), and prefers an estate with minimal stairs.

Charlotte’s love is as special as she is, so you’re looking for a queen for your castle, Charlotte is waiting for you to sweep her off her feet! ...

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View Instagram post by phillypaws

Apr 7

Open post by phillypaws with ID 18098844508986837

This week marks the fourth anniversary of PAWS’ Safety Net Foster Program. Created in 2022, this vital program provides temporary foster care for pets whose devoted owners are determined to keep them, but need a safe place for them to stay during a period of transition.

Hope, shown here, is one of those pets. When her mom Audraya was facing a loss of housing and couldn’t find pet-friendly options, she also faced losing her best friend. Luckily, she reached out to PAWS for support and found a lifeline for Hope through our Safety Net foster program.

During her stay in a temporary PAWS foster home, Hope didn’t just have a safe and comfortable place to land, she also received the senior medical support she needed, including a dental procedure that transformed her quality of life.

While Hope healed and waited in foster care, our team stayed closely connected with her owner, sharing updates and working toward a happy reunion. This past January, their long-awaited reunion finally became a reality, and Hope was right back where she belongs: with her mom! The smiles on both their faces say it all.

This is what PAWS` Safety Net Foster Program makes possible. It keeps families together, prevents unnecessary surrenders, and ensures pets have a safe place to land during life’s most challenging moments. We are incredibly grateful to the dedicated Safety Net foster parents who open their hearts homes to pets like Hope. This program simply would not be possible without them.

Many of our fellow Philadelphians are navigating housing instability and other hardships. You can help preserve a precious bond and make more reunions like Hope’s possible by becoming a Safety Net foster today. PAWS provides all supplies and medical care. Learn more and get started at our #linkinbio. ...

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View Instagram post by phillypaws

Apr 7

Open post by phillypaws with ID 17901155667410042

They say black cats have a harder time finding a home. Hazel says, let’s prove them wrong together! 13-years-young with plenty of pep, this sweet senior is a petite 7.5 pounds and brimming with love and affection.

Hazel is a glutton for attention from her humans, and will let you know it with her cute pigeon-coo purring. She adores being pet and brushed and will flop down next to you or put herself on your lap to demand more. Though she’s a total cuddle bug who also enjoys playtime with her people, she can also be independent when the mood strikes her and is happy to hang on her own when you’re busy,

Hazel has hyperthyroidism, which is easily managed with a twice-daily medication applied topically to her ear. She’d be thrilled to join a home where she can be adored as your only pet, and will reward you with all of the snuggly love and companionship you could ask for!

Ps. Hazel’s adoption fee is name your price if you apply before midnight 😉 ...

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View Instagram post by phillypaws

Apr 6

Open post by phillypaws with ID 18088145291209795

PAWS` Match Madness Adoption promo ends today — but name-your-price adoptions don`t have to! If you apply for a qualifying pet before midnight, you can still pick your fee even if you don`t take them home today.

All of these pups are ready to be drafted to your team, with dozens more qualifying pets waiting to bring some love, purrs, and tail wags into your lineup. Some are seniors, some have easy-to-manage medical conditions, and some have just been waiting longer than usual to find their special someone — but ALL of them will make amazing companions once they find their match!

It only takes a few minutes to apply, and PAWS` team specializes in incredible matchmaking to land you an MVP like no other. See who`s waiting at our adoptions page (link in bio)! ...

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Together, we will make Philadelphia a no-kill city.

Get Involved

48 hours only: all gifts TRIPLED for Philly’s outdoor cats

Raise a glass and save lives at Pours for PAWS!

Be their bridge to a brighter future: foster with PAWS

Shop our wishlist to help shelter pets today

PAWS is hiring: join our team!

Meet your new best friend!

View all adoptable pets

VIEW ALL AVAILABLE CATS

VIEW ALL AVAILABLE DOGS

VIEW ALL AVAILABLE SMALL ANIMALS

PAWS is the city's largest rescue partner.

Support Our Lifesaving Efforts

Donate Today

Create a Fundraiser

More ways to give

Spay/Neuter and Wellness Clinics

Recent News

Fourth anniversary of PAWS’ Safety Net Foster Program

Goose, the dog we “never knew we needed”

43,902 animals saved

178,607 volunteer hours served

413,449 clinic patients served

167,998 spay/neuters performed

PAWS Partners

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

Current Partners

PAWS' impact grows as our services expand & progress continues

Join us on social media

Stay up-to-date on lives saved and happy beginnings or maybe even find your new best friend!

#phillypaws

Together, we will make Philadelphia a no-kill city.