Our cats and kittens most urgently in need of foster are listed below. Every time an animal leaves into foster care, it opens a space in our shelters to save another in need. You are truly changing lives: not just for these cats, but also for others whose lives depend on a spot at PAWS.

If you are new to fostering with us, please apply here to get started. If you’ve fostered with PAWS before, you can email foster@phillypaw.org for the link to schedule a foster meet & pick-up appointment if you don’t have the link already. When you arrive to meet or pick up potential fosters, please bring a carrier with you (if you do not have a carrier, let us know). We will provide you with a sample of what the cat has been eating here in the shelter, along with the cat’s paperwork and any meds they may be on.

For a refresher on PAWS’s foster policies and procedures, view our online orientation here.

Read on to find your next foster cat!

(updated October 9th, 2025)

 

Urgent Medical & Behavior Cats

These cats need to finish their medical recovery to become healthy enough for adoption. They will heal faster and be much happier in a home than in the shelter.

	Name: Bingo *URGENT, special placement needed* Location: Old City Adoption Center Date of Arrival: 5/04/2025 Bingo was the name-O! ….of a cat needing foster. This sweet guy is in need of a special foster home! Unfortunately, he has some odd snacking habits- fabric, shoelaces, human food, blankets, rugs, etc.. We suspect he may have Pica, but would love to see how he is doing in a foster home that can house him in a restricted space with limited fabric options for him to chew, with folks who are Type A about tidyness, and who are able to still give Bingo the mental and physical enrichment he needs. (MINIMALISTS! We need you!!) We are hoping by greatly removing his options to chew and instead subbing in playtime, enrichment, and attention, Bingo will feel less inclined to get “creative” about how to keep himself busy. His previous owner also said he is the biggest love bug! Bingo is a little under a year old, already neutered, and while he has previously lived with cats, we think -for now- it may be a better option to have him in a pet-free foster space, to rule out stress from other animals as a contributing factor for his past behavior. We’re trying Bingo on a hypoallergenic diet (no treats, PAWS will provide the diet) to see if potential GI issues could contributing to his suspected Pica issue. The diet will be until further notice, but if it’s not making a difference in his ‘taste testing’ we will try him on anti-anxiety medication, to see what helps!
	Name: Pork Chop *URGENT* Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 9/29/25 Pork Chop is our oldest resident right now! She’s almost 16 years old and found abandoned at a partner rescue before it was discovered she was actually a PAWS alum. Pork Chop is a bit on the skinny side, possibly in part due to her very painful mouth that is high priority and is scheduled for 10/24 at our Grays Ferry Clinic. We’re giving her some nice pain meds until she can get surgery, and she can have some nice soft food that’s easier to chew if that helps her eat more consistently. One side note is that she also has some cysts around her lips that give them a blue look- this is just due to the cysts’ coloring, no need to panic over her blue lip liner! Pork Chop is a bit on the sensitive side, but she’s also really really affectionate and nice, and we think getting into a foster home that will be less stressful than being at our clinic will do a lot of good for her mental health.
	Name: Minx *URGENT* Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 10/05/25 Minx is such a regal super senior- like a fuzzy gray Dame Judy Dench but it’s Dame Minxy Minx. She’s around 14 years old, already spayed, and being treated for a couple things: short-term, she’s getting over a kitty cold; long-term she has a common senior condition called hyperthyroidism, for which she gets a TINY tab of medication in a bit of food (or water) twice daily for life, to keep her thyroid happy and regulated. She’s also a bit on the thin side, which could be due to a mix of her kitty cold +/- thyroid not yet being regulated. After 3-4 weeks of being on her current dose of thyroid medication, we’d like to recheck her bloodwork to ensure her dose doesn’t need tweaking!
	Name: Braye Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 9/28/25 We sense a glow-up in the making for Braye!! He’s looking a little scraggly right now we still think he’s handsome. His problem? Allergies!! We’ve started him on some medication to jumpstart his skin recovery, as well as Gabapentin in case anxiety/physical discomfort exacerbates his itching. Braye’s around 6ish years old and already neutered.
	Name: Marion **Long term resident** Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 9/07/25 Poor Marion has a broken leg! We suspect she was hit by a car, the poor nugget. Thankfully/luckily it’s a very tidy break, with the bone ends pretty close together, so we’re hoping we can save her leg via splinting it and changing the bandage at least once weekly. (If there is any noted swelling of the toes sticking out of her cast, though, she’d need to come back in sooner for a bandage change.) Ideally a foster with their own transportation and a relatively flexible schedule (or some helper drivers at home!) would be best, so she can come back to our clinic for drop off visits in the morning, with pick ups being around 4-4:30pm in the afternoons. Worst-case scenario if the leg doesn’t heal, Plan B is amputation, though we are very hopeful with strict “bed rest” (via a big dog crate or sturdy playpen, so she can’t run/jump/climb) and time her leg can heal. In the meantime we also have her on some easy pain medication, and since she’s a little ‘backed up’ from her leg ouchies right now, Marion’s also getting some Miralax as needed to help keep her GI gears greased, so to speak. This lovely gal is around 4ish years old and already spayed.
	Name: Walnut Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 10/07/25 Meet Walnut! He’s handsome! Walnut’s around 9 years old and already neutered, and his owner wasn’t logistically able to care for his medical needs alongside their own poor health. Walnut is a lovely lad but he’s got allergies! He’s got itchy skin with scabby bits we’re trying to heal. Full disclosure: getting allergies under control can be a marathon, not a sprint usually. We’ve started Walnut on a course of steroids and Gabapentin to jumpstart his recovery and keep him comfy so he can get some relief from his symptoms. If steroids aren’t enough, we’ll try something different! Walnut also really needs a good dental cleaning, so his Gabapentin will also keep his mouth comfy until we can get him scheduled in the coming weeks.
	Name: Dusty Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 10/08/25 This shy but sweet little friend is Dusty! She’s around 8ish months old, still needs to be spayed, and is fighting off a kitty cold! She sure would appreciate getting some more TLC time in foster care, both socially and medically, so she can feel her best and get ready for spay and adoption when she’s feeling better!

Cats/Kittens in Need of Foster Transfer or Sitter

These kitties are already in foster, but need a new foster home or a foster sitter to avoid having to come back to the shelter!

(Note: these are not their real photos, we just have to protect their identities online)	Name: Wayne & Garth (sitters needed for the below listed dates!) Location: foster care- these pets are not at the shelter! Please email foster@phillypaws.org if you can help. Wayne’s and Garth’s foster parent is in need of a cat sitter to watch them during the following date ranges: November 26–30 December 20–January 4 Their foster lives in Center City, about a 10-minute walk from City Hall. The cats are super friendly and easy to care for, and a sitter would just need to stop in once (twice for the Dec-Jan dates) a day to help with food and litter. Per their foster: “The cats’ names are Wayne and Garth, and they’re the bestest and cutest. My normal sitter is out of town, so I’m hoping I can get some help here!”

Kitten Litters (Including Nursing Moms)

These young kittens need a foster home until all are ready for adoption. Some have come in with a nursing momma! Larger litters can be hard to place, and the most helpful option is to take an entire litter so that we open an entire kennel, only take up one foster home, allowing us to immediately save another litter. For kittens without a mom, we are open to separating litters of 4 or more, but we will not split up litters of 3 or less, and we will not pull out singles to send to foster care.

	Name: Velvet, Kors, & Blue Boots *URGENT* Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 10/08/25 This adorable trio is being treated for kitty colds! We’re also keeping a close eye on their appetites and weight gain progress, since they’re so petite. That said, they’re super interactive and seem to be eating pretty well thus far. Their fur could use some tidying since they’re a little messy looking right now, and definitely at least Velvet should get regular brushing (several times weekly) to get her used to much-needed long hair maintenance while she’s a baby!
	Name: Seitan, Tofurkey, and Tempeh *Indirectly exposed to Panleukopenia virus*Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 10/1/25 This tiny trio recently arrived at Grays Ferry! These cuties are about on the thin side, and are receiving some dietary supplements for some diarrhea. They’re otherwise eating on their own and are doing fine! These kittens just need to gain some weight, then can be spayed/neutered and promoted for adoption! update 10/9/25: Another litter who left our Maternity ward on 10/1 and had no direct contact with this litter tested positive for panleukopenia virus. While there was no direct contact, the litter was in a neighboring cage in the same room as this litter, so they are being monitored for GI symptoms until 10/15/25, a 2-week window. They are not suspected to have the virus at present and have not tested positive for it, but whoever takes them home for foster will be given instructions on what symptoms to monitor for that would warrant a check up and testing for the virus.
	Name: Bravo, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot *Indirectly exposed to Panleukopenia virus* Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 10/1/25 Part of a litter of eight (!), these kittens are about a month old and eating on their own. These kittens just need to gain some weight, then can be spayed/neutered and promoted for adoption! Due to space at the shelter, we have them grouped in two groups of four kittens each. We’re open to splitting up the litter into duos for foster care if that is a more manageable size for our fosters!  update 10/9/25: Another litter who left our Maternity ward on 10/1 and had no direct contact with this litter tested positive for panleukopenia virus. While there was no direct contact, the litter was in a neighboring cage in the same room as this litter, so they are being monitored for GI symptoms until 10/15/25, a 2-week window. They are not suspected to have the virus at present and have not tested positive for it, but whoever takes them home for foster will be given instructions on what symptoms to monitor for that would warrant a check up and testing for the virus.
	Name: Ramen, Moo Moo, & Seaweed (better photos pending!!) Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 10/08/25 These little stinkers came from a group of six, split into threes for easier kitten management! They’re all around 5-6 weeks old and need some socialization help in foster care! They’re on no meds at present but are a little spooked here at our clinic, so we’d love to get them out asap.
	Name: Chili Sauce, Sushi, & Gouda (better photos pending!!) Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 10/08/25 These little stinkers came from a group of six, split into threes for easier kitten management! They’re all around 5-6 weeks old and need some socialization help in foster care! They’re on no meds at present but are a little spooked here at our clinic, so we’d love to get them out asap.
	Name: Root Beer Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 10/01/25 Root Beer is such a goober. He sure is going through a time, though. He was found stray and while he was under foot his finder accidentally knock a pot of hot water onto him (purely an accident, they took him to get care immediately after), though thankfully the burns were primarily first degree/superficial damage, so he should recover uneventfully over time! That said, he’s got a naked booty with some scabby bits that are still healing! We presently have him on pain medication and an antibiotic, since he’s also caught a kitty cold during his recovery. Once his cold medicine is done we want to recheck him and clean up the remaining scabs so his skin can breathe more. He would also probably really enjoy having a cat friend in the future, once he’s feeling better and after getting tested for FIV/FeLV. Root Beer’s around 2ish months old and already neutered.
	Name: Pennywise Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 10/09/25 Look at this nugget, she’s too cute! Pennywise is around 5-6 weeks old and being treated for a kitty cold, likely of viral origin. She’s getting an oral liquid antibiotic for a week as well as a pain medication (for some secondary ulcerations on her tongue) to keep her comfy and help her eat more easily while she recovers!
	Name: Pizelle, Biscotti, & Pignoli Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: pending arrival for 10/14/2025 Pignoli and her littermates Biscotti and Pizelle were found abandoned in an alley. Spending her first few weeks of life on the hard Philly streets, these three are still learning that humans are friends and adjusting to life as spoiled house kitties. They so far all seem very curious and playful. They’re also very food motivated and LOVE anything with a bell or feather, so we have high hopes about them continuing to quickly coming out of their shells. These three are around 2-3 months old and are already spayed, and should be arriving at our Grays Ferry clinic Tuesday 10/14- but we imagine that they may be a bit skittish for the shelter, so we’re promoting them for foster care ahead of their arrival on the 14th.

Ringworm Cats and Kittens

These cats are recovering from a skin infection that’s easily treatable in an isolated home environment. Caring for these kitties is easy and just takes careful persistence and a separate space in your home. Read out our foster parent guide to ringworm to learn more!

	Name: Widget *SUPER Urgent, ringworm* Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 9/18/25 Widget’s adorable! We love Widget, and you should, too. Widget’s around 4-5 months old, not yet neutered, and is being treated for ringworm. He is eligible for pre-adoption promo since aside from his ringworm status, he appears to be in good health- and is super cute and curious! He’d love to recover from his ringworm infection in foster care, as opposed to at the shelter! You can learn more about ringworm care here! Widget LOVES pets!!
	Name: Brie & White Cheddar *SUPER Urgent, ringworm* Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 10/1/25 Brie and Cheddar are our new ringworm bros. They’re around 3 months old and can’t get neutered until they finish their treatment. They’re super bouncy kiddos, though, and love playtime and snack time equally.  They would love to recover from their ringworm infection in foster care, as opposed to at the shelter! You can learn more about ringworm care here!
	Name: Olly *SUPER Urgent, ringworm* Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 9/24/25 Olly sure is a handsome little bugger but life hasn’t been easy! He just completed treatment for a kitty cold and eye infection, and then rebounded beautifully from a short bout of constipation, but now he’s tested positive for ringworm on a recent PCR test- poor kid can’t catch a break!  He could also use some practice in getting used to brushing, to make sure he’s desensitized to much-needed brushing of his long fur while he’s still young! Olly has been a bit mouthy with our techs during medication time (but we think he’s also super bored, so when he suddenly gets attention after a while he goes a little bananas..) so we’d recommend a cat savvy foster take him home. He’s otherwise great and is around 7 weeks old. Olly is such a goober–  he’s honestly a hilarious little guy. You can see him being extra cute here!
	Name: Bear & Cane *SUPER Urgent, ringworm* Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 10/05/25 Look at these lovely new friends! Cane and Bear are around 2 months old and were pulled from the city shelter for what we thought were just regular little kitty colds. Turns out, they also have suspicious hairloss and ear mites! The mites are easy- a dose of special medication one and they’ll die off. The URIs? A short course of antibiotics should kick ’em to the curb. The ringworm? That will take a little more time, but we’re starting treatment while awaiting their diagnostic results. Bonus? They’re also both really sweet! Bear is a little more demure but warms up with a few pets and time; Cane is a social butterfly and helps bring Bear out of his shell. We’d love for these two to recover from their ailments in foster care, since we are out of room at our shelter! Look at these two sweeties!! Bear and Cane are the wholesomest little kiddos!
	Name: Cherry Cold Foam *SUPER Urgent, ringworm* Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 10/04/25 Gorgeous baby Cherry was brought to us after a good samaritan found her stray! We quickly noticed her hairloss and started treatment for suspected ringworm. She’s a funny little gal- she’s almost three months old and really seems to like pets but is still getting used to living among humans. She’s sometimes standoffish at first but give her a few minutes and she warms up! When Cherry gets excited she makes little ‘stompy biscuits’!

Shy Cats and Safety Net Program Cats

These cats are very sensitive to the stress caused by the loud shelter environment and need a loving home setting to relax and let their personalities emerge. Learn more about our Safety Net Foster Program here.

	Name: Izzy & Paige *Safety Net foster candidates* *URGENT* Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 9/28/25 Lovely ladies Izzy and Paige are our new Safety Net friends! Their family is experiencing a personal hardship, so they’ve enlisted our help to care for their kitties until their tentative reclaim date of December 29th, 2025. Ideally a potential foster would be able to hang onto Izzy and Paige for a few extra weeks if needed, since reclaim date extension requests are common in our program. Izzy is around 6ish years old; Paige is around 5 years old, and both are already spayed. Their owner says they’re a bit nervous with strangers so they’d both do best in a calm, quiet, childfree space to adjust. Both kitties are quite a bit on the chunky side as well, especially Izzy, so we’re going to get both of them on a diet, stat! Izzy’s chunkiness is also at the point where she can’t reach her rear to clean herself, so we’re giving her wipe downs to prevent rashes, UTIs, etc. Update 10/1: Both kitties are very stressed in our shelter, and it’s impacting their appetites. We’d love to get them into foster ASAP!

Old City Adoption Center

These cats are waiting for foster care from our Old City location!

	Name: Calypso Location: Old City Adoption center Date of Arrival: 9/28/25 Calypso is a nervous little guy around 8ish years old. He was surrendered to the city shelter prior to arriving at PAWS because his owner was no longer logistically able to care for him. He’s described by his owner as independent and not a lap cat per se, but he is friendly and he will come out of his hidey hut at our clinic when folks give him attention! As soon as you walk away, though, he’s back in his hut. We think he’ll have a nicer time awaiting his forever home in foster care! Calypso is taking some Gabapentin in his food to help with shelter stress, but he’s otherwise not on any other medication at present.
	Name: Mocha Location: Old City Adoption Center Date of Arrival: 10/2/25 We’ve known Mocha her whole life! She was adopted from PAWS as kitten in 2022, and was recently returned due to house soiling issues. Her previous home had some stressors that may have contributed to these behaviors. We’re hoping to give Mocha a chance to reset in a quieter environment. We’re hoping to find a foster who can help us better understand how she does in a new space. She’s pretty shut down at our clinic, so she’s taking a low dose of gabapentin mixed in her food twice a day.
	Name: Eugenia Location: Old City Adoption Center Date of Arrival: 9/25/25 Meet Eugenia! She’s a cutie around 4ish years old, give or take, and she’s already spayed. She’s a little conflicted about attention at our clinic- she likes it, but gets nervous/startled and retreats, then comes back out, rinse and repeat so we think she’d have a nicer time in foster care. She previously tested FeLV+ at her prior shelter, but recently tested negative on one of our basic Snap Combo tests that check for FIV and FeLV viruses in cats. We tested her again via PCR and she was negative, suggesting a regressive form of FeLV — ask PAWS staff for more info! For now she should be the only kitty in her space. She’s also a smidge on the chunky side so could use some basic diet and exercise!
	Name: Hope Location: Old City Adoption Center Date of Arrival: 9/15/25 Hope is a newer face at our shelter, and we love her already! We already can tell she is a special gal. She has zero teeth, and it’s adorable, but she also has a little distension near the front of her jaw. We sent out a sample of her jaw bone for biopsy and she came back all clear- she just has a funny case of “granny mouth!” She also, per her owner, has weak back legs and as a result, has had some recent litterbox issues in the home- BUT she’s been doing pretty well with a low-sided box here at the shelter. We’ve started giving her monthly injections of Solensia at our clinic, for pain support- and she’s so spry as a result! Hope is chatty and affectionate and loves to smack around a good pipe cleaner toy. Her senior labwork also came back great, though x-rays tell us she likely has arthritis, which makes sense given her age. She may need some additional pain management and low-sided litterbox that’s easier for her granny legs to climb in and out of, but getting some feedback from a foster on what her mobility is like in the home would be helpful. Hope is around 14ish years old and already spayed!

Social Cats (including FAST Candidates)

These sociable cats need a foster home! NOTE: If you are taking a foster cat that’s a FAST program candidate, it can be dropped off at our PetSmart or Old City locations for adoption within 2-3 weeks when they’re healthy, since we need to keep those locations filled with adoptable kitties!

Please check back later!