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Make fostering your best New Year's resolution

What better way to kick off the new year than by saving lives? Foster homes make it possible for PAWS to help pets when they need it most. As we see more animals arrive, opening your home can be truly life-changing. Even a short foster stay gives a homeless pet safety and comfort while making room for another animal in need. We provide the supplies and support; you provide the love and care!

SIGN UP TO FOSTER

Shop our wishlist to help 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

Adopt Cardi

How can you say no to this face?! Cardi is a 13-year-old lovebug who’s happiest when she’s on your lap or gently head-butting you for attention. She’s not big on playtime but adores her scratching board and will chat to remind you it’s time for cuddles. She takes a daily steroid and GI diet to keep her tummy happy—and she’ll go home with a three-month care package to get you started!

Meet Cardi

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!

Bingo
Old City Adoption Center
I'm a social, affectionate, hilarious charmer who loves other cats and is looking for a special home!
Meet Me >
Barbie Dreamhouse
Foster Care
Barbie’s my name, abd being your future dreamboat is my game! I’m a gentle house hippo who loves nothing more than playing with toys, soaking up attention, and even hanging with other pups.
Meet Me >
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!
Meet Me >
Andre
Foster Care
I'm a gentle and mellow senior who loves to rock a bow tie and gets along with dogs and cats!
Meet Me >
Johnny Cash
Foster Care
"Hey there, I'm Johnny Cash" — a sweet, squishy homebody. If you need a relaxation coach for naps, toy time, and guilt-free TV binges, I’m your guy!
Meet Me >
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

12.29.25

PAWS New Years Hours

As we celebrate the New Year, please note adjusted hours at all PAWS locations: Wednesday, December 31 Closing early at 3:00 PM Thursday, January 1: Closed Friday, January 2: Regular hours resume We encourage community members to plan visits and appointments accordingly. Our team is grateful for the chance to recharge so we can continue […]
Read More
12.24.25

PAWS Holiday Hours

As we celebrate the holiday season, please note adjusted hours at all PAWS locations: Wednesday, December 24: Closing early at 3:00 PM Thursday, December 25: Closed Friday, December 26: Regular hours resume We encourage community members to plan visits and appointments accordingly. Our team is grateful for the chance to recharge so we can continue […]
Read More
View All

43,452 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.

406,999 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.

165,085 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

View Instagram post by phillypaws

Jan 6

Open post by phillypaws with ID 18108110503734232
Make PAWS a Philly favorite! The @phillyinquirer’s 2026 Philly Favorites are here, an annual celebration highlighting the region’s top businesses, services, and organizations. Last year, PAWS was proud to be nominated in two categories, and we need your help securing a nomination again! If you’d like to raise awareness of PAWS’ lifesaving work, making a nomination is easy: 1. Visit the Philly Favorites page at our #linkinbio 2. Enter PAWS’ info (our adoption center or either of our clinics) 3. Nominate PAWS under Best Veterinarian, Best Nonprofit or both! Thank you for helping us build more visibility so we can save more lives together in 2026!

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View Instagram post by phillypaws

Jan 6

Open post by phillypaws with ID 18051252242678232
Need a stress reset after a rough day back at work? Pound Cake’s purrs are just what the doctor ordered! This beefcake is medically proven to lower your blood pressure (as long as you don’t fact check that). Pound Cake has been melting hearts since he landed at PAWS, but he’s unfortunately not feeling his best due to a mouth full of bad teeth and a painful eyelid condition that will require surgery (hence why he’s so squinty). He’d really love to find a foster home where he can get his own stress reset away from the shelter, and have a cozy place to recover after his dental and eyelid surgeries. In return, you’ll get all the purrs, trills, and sweet head bonks you could ask for! Pound Cake is 6 years old and would love to join a mellow home with teens and up. If you’d like to learn more about this lovable guy, email foster@phillypaws.org for more info!

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View Instagram post by phillypaws

Jan 5

Open post by phillypaws with ID 18106432546672276
Pantry supplies needed: help provide meals and more to pets for 2026! The holiday season was an especially difficult time for pet owners facing financial challenges, and PAWS’ pet pantry is very depleted as we enter the new year. Our most needed items are dry cat and dog food as well as litter. If you’d like to ensure pets and neighbors in our community have the support they need in 2026, there are a few ways to help! 🐾 Send through either of our wishlists at our #linkinbio 🐾 Drop off supplies at any PAWS location during regular hours. 🐾 Ship items through the online retailer of your choice to: PAWS 2900 Grays Ferry Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19146

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View Instagram post by phillypaws

Jan 5

Open post by phillypaws with ID 18023836823610189
This sweet, perfect, snuggly bean is Baby Girl! If your love languages are cuddling and quality time, she just might be the wobbly little soulmate you’ve been looking for. Baby Girl is an incredibly loving, affectionate cat who wants to be wherever her humans are. She follows you from room to room, purrs nonstop, and loves curling up beside you for snuggles — couch, bed, you name it! Her holiday foster was none other than @nbcphiladelphia’s @sheilawatko , who called her “an ANGEL!” who was curled up in bed with her by day 3. Baby Girl’s balance is wobbly because of a condition called cerebellar hypoplasia, but don’t let that fool you — she’s determined, adaptable, and full of charm. She carefully climbs onto couches and beds (“like a little rock climber,” says Sheila), can manage small amounts of stairs (albeit slowly), and when she falls over, she always pops right back up. Baby Girl is about 7 years old, and has a medical condition that causes anemia but is currently well managed with medication she takes very easily. Because this prevents her from safely getting her spay surgery, she’s seeking an indoors-only home where she can be the only cat — which suits her perfectly, since she loves having all the attention to herself! If you’re looking for a devoted companion with a huge heart, gentle soul, and endless affection to give, Baby Girl is ready to get the lovefest started!

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

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