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 November 25th, 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 have 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, and we’ve also recently started Bingo on new medication to try and help as well.
	Name: Hannah *URGENT* Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 11/12/25 Everyone loves Hannah! She’s a sweetheart senior who just wants someone to cheer her on while she eats – no, really, you have to sit with her and tell her she’s amazing and she can do it and THEN she will finally start eating after a few minutes. We’d like to get her into foster care asap in hopes that getting her out of the shelter will alleviate some of her stress and help her eat a bit more. In the meantime she’s getting an easy appetite stimulant. Believe it or not, this petite lady is actually a little chunky and while she does need to lose a little weight, she shouldn’t do it via hunger striking entirely! Hannah is around 8-10 years old and still needs to be spayed- we will also remove the little blueish cystlike bump above her eye at the time of surgery. She’s on our dental procedure to-do list as a ‘medium priority’ level kitty also, but could start adoption promo while awaiting a dental procedure, once she’s adjusted to foster care and eating more readily.
	Name: Rosemary *URGENT* Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 11/12/25 Rosemary’s such a sweetheart who needs a moderately med-savvy foster’s help! She’s already spayed but has a grade 4 (out of 6) heart murmur and needs a cardiology visit to ensure she’s in a good place to sedate for a super urgent dental procedure! Her mouth is in rough and we have her on pain medication until it can be addressed; we just want to make sure it is safe to sedate her before doing so. Rosemary’s original estimate had her around 4ish years old, but it’s very possible she may be much older. She loves cheek scritches and in her better days she’ll be a very fluffy gal, but upon arrival at the city shelter she was so matted she needed to be shaved down- so she’s looking a little naked right now! Rosemary has a serious face but LOVES everyone she meets!  update 11/18: Rosemary just came down with a case of the sniffles- a kitty cold! She’s starting a short course of a once-daily oral liquid antibiotic to kick her cold symptoms to the curb.
	Name: Andy *URGENT, FeLV+, special foster home needed* Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 11/16/25 We are a little obsessed with Andy… Okay maybe a super obsessed. We are hoping he will have the most amazing glow-up, but he looks (and probably feels) a little rough right now. He came to the city shelter emaciated, covered in fleas (and anemic as a result), missing chunks of hair from scratching so much- fleas are itchy, man!- and hypothermic from being outside in the cold for so long. We were really worried about the little guy, but he’s turned out to be the NICEST boy! He will need a very special foster to help him, someone who is comfortable with easy meds, and who has their own form of transportation plus a relatively flexible schedule for repeat rechecks (he’s getting bloodwork rechecks for anemia a couple times weekly right now, but we’re hoping the time between rechecks will lengthen soon). He’s very affectionate and excited to see people but between his anemia and FeLV he runs the risk of catching ill the longer he stays at our shelter. We also don’t know if his FeLV may cause other underlying issues to surface after we get to know him and his health more, so a foster should be understanding of his not-entirely-stable status right now. We believe Andy to be around 3-4 years old, and he is already neutered!
	Name: Cecile *URGENT* Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 11/20/25 Gorgeous tortie gal Cecile is around 11ish years old and already spayed. She has some cloudiness in one of her eyes from past infection, but it requires no treatment at this time- that eye may need occasional wiping since it tends to be a little weepy periodically. Cecile was surrendered to PAWS due to a history of peeing outside the litterbox. We’d like to try Cecile in a blank slate home (no kids or pets, start her off in a small, easy to clean room like a bathroom) to see if a change of environment helps. Since she’s also super nervous at our shelter we’ve started her on Gabapentin, which can go in her food or be given by mouth if she doesn’t like it in her food. Cecile is feeling really shy and shut down here at the shelter, so we’d love to get her out of here asap!
	Name: Gradient Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 11/16/25 9ish year old Gradient looks admittedly a little goofy right now.. Is she Muppet, or is she cat? She’s a Muppet of a cat! Gradient here looks a little funky around the face because she has a history of allergies. She was so itchy she’d scratched a bunch of fur off the sides of her face, which is now regrowing. We have some of her vet care history and know she’s been on a few different meds with mixed results, so presently we’re starting her on a course of steroids and a hypoallergenic diet trial, to see if they both keep her from getting itchy again! With her special hypo diet, she can ONLY eat this food, no treats. PAWS can provide the diet until adoption. Gradient also has a history with asthma so we’re keeping an eye out for coughing, in which case we’ll start her on asthma support medication as well.
	Name: Chuck Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 11/09/25 This is Chuck. We love Chuck, and you should, too. He’s got the best cheeks! He’s around 4ish years old, already neutered, and has a very charismatic meow. He also has a little hole in his armpit! No idea how that got there! We’re putting a special cream on the area until we can get him booked for wound repair surgery to close the hole. Then once he’s all healed up he can start adoption promo. In cases where an animal has a wound of unknown origin like Chuck’s, the Health Dept recommends keeping them away from other animals for 120 days- for Chuck, this would be until 2/27/2026. If he’s not adopted by 12/27/25, though, we will test him for FIV/FeLV in case it was another cat who’d injured him.
	Name: Bo Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 11/16/25 Super-dee-duper senior Bo is at least 17 years old, according to his microchip that says he was first adopted out back in 2008! Since then he’s been rehomed at least once, declawed, and most recently surrendered to the city shelter for litterbox issues with another cat from the home (Pawl). We don’t know if these two boys are chummy at all and/or whether they’ve been causing +/- exacerbating each other’s litterbox issues history, so we’re posting them separately for foster promo. We’ve noticed Bo is doing a lot of drinking and subsequent urinating, so we’re running senior diagnostics to check the cause. He also has a fantastic meow and zero teefers in his mouth- it’s kind of cute, honestly. Since Bo is also declawed, this may or may not also have contributed to his past litterbox issues. We’d love to send Bo into foster with someone who has the patience and capacity to help troubleshoot potential causes for rogue litterbox usage (IF seen in a new ‘blank slate’ space at all!)– this could include things like keeping the litterbox super tidy, trying lower sided boxes for easier accessibility, trying a softer litter in case his declawed paws are sensitive or even popping some pee pads in/around the box worst-case scenario.
	Name: Pawl Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 11/16/25 Super senior Pawl is about 12ish years old and he’s already neutered. In his life thus far he’s been rehomed at least once, declawed, and most recently surrendered to the city shelter for litterbox issues with another cat from the home (Bo). We don’t know if these two boys are chummy at all and/or whether they’ve been causing +/- exacerbating each other’s litterbox issues history, so we’re posting them separately for foster promo. Pawl’s mouth could use some addressing in the form of a dental procedure, so we’re running senior diagnostics to ensure he’s got the green light for sedation. Since Pawl is also declawed, this may or may not also have contributed to his past litterbox issues. We’d love to send Pawl into foster with someone who has the patience and capacity to help troubleshoot potential causes for rogue litterbox usage (IF seen in a new ‘blank slate’ space at all!)– this could include things like keeping the litterbox super tidy, trying lower sided boxes for easier accessibility, trying a softer litter in case his declawed paws are sensitive or even popping some pee pads in/around the box worst-case scenario.
	Name: Nick Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 11/16/25 Nick’s a sweetie, that’s for sure! He’s around 15 years old, give or take, and he’s already neutered. He has pending senior bloodwork that we’re repeating after his previous round at the city shelter showed signs of intense inflammation, and we’ll formulate his next steps in healthcare once we get this current round’s results! We did learn in the meantime that his urine had some crystals in it (extremely small) so we’re starting Nick on a urinary support diet to bladder stones in the future! PAWS can provide this diet until adoption.
	Name: Jelly Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 11/12/25 We love Jelly, she’s so nice and adorable! She came to us with a funky lookin’ lip– this ducklike effect is called a rodent ulcer, but there were no rodents involved in the making of this ulcer. It’s an allergic response, so Jelly was given a long-lasting steroid injection in November to keep the ulcer in check. She also could really use a dental procedure but because of the steroid, she has to wait until at least early December. Jelly otherwise is on no meds, we’re just keeping an eye on her upper lip! She’s around 4ish years old, give or take, and is already spayed.
	Name: Nona Pine Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 11/07/25 Nona’s a lovely little lady around 8-10ish years old, give or take, and she’s recovering from a recent dental procedure! Her diet is temporarily modified for a couple weeks post-op and she’ll be taking some very nice pain meds for the first few days after surgery, and then once she’s recovered she can start up adoption promo! She’s a smidge shy at first but really sweet after you sit with her for a few minutes. update: After running some diagnostics we’ve discovered Nona has hyperthyroidism! Since she’s still recovering from her recent dental procedure, we’re going to wait to start her Methimazole treatment (to be given twice daily for life to keep her thyroid regulated) until 11/21/25.
	Name: Wonder Boy Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 11/16/25 Yes, it’s okay if you have the Tenacious D song stuck in your head- we definitely do! Wonder Boy (WB to his friends) is a handsome little hunk around 4ish years old, give or take, and he’s just finished being treated for a kitty cold. He’s already neutered, so could theoretically start adoption promo once he’s feeling better, but would benefit from moving into foster care in case his symptoms persist. Update: Wonder Boy had a dental surgery on 11/21, and he’d love to have a foster pick him up asap so that he can recover in a home!
	Name: Spooky Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 11/23/25 Spooky has a healing wound on one of his back legs! It should close up on its own with some time, and thankfully isn’t deep, but we’re going to start him off with some nice pain medication and a cream that gets applied to the wound for a week. He’s otherwise friendly and already neutered and around 1-2 years old.
(Better photo pending!)	Name: Wishbone Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 11/25/25 Wishbone here’s a teen kitten around 6ish months old whose mouth is strangely ROUGH for his age! He’s on our dental procedure to-do list as a high priority, but would greatly benefit from going into foster care for smoother post-op recovery. We’ll try to get to get the procedure scheduled asap but it may take a few days/weeks, pending our volume. Otherwise Wishbone just needs to be neutered and recovered, and then he can start adoption promo!
	Name: Rodrick Anthony Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 11/19/25 Handsome long haired tuxie Roderick came to PAWS with a not-so-handsome ruptured cornea and will be getting an eye surgery to correct this ASAP (our vets may decide to neuter him at the same side). On top of that, he has a kitty cold, so he’s taking oral antibiotics and some pain meds to help his eye feel better. Rodrick will need some rechecks at our Grays Ferry clinic to make sure he is recovering well from his cold and that his eye is healing well post surgery.

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!

	Name: Oscar *needs hospice foster transfer by 12/21/25 at the latest!* Location: foster care- this pet is not at the shelter! Please email foster@phillypaws.org if you can help. Our sweet boy Oscar is FeLV+ and we suspect he has developed lymphoma. We took x-rays recently and see an enlarged heart in addition to swollen lymph nodes, so he likely has a heart condition in addition to his lymphoma. Treatment options are very limited at this stage, since medication we’d typically use to calm the lymphoma symptoms (steroids) could exacerbate his heart condition, so we are going to focus on palliative care for Oscar, and just keep him comfy in foster care until he tells us when he’s ready to move on to his next adventure, so to speak. We are also limited on what diagnostics we can perform, since Oscar gets stressed during vet visits and isn’t a good candidate for things like repeated sedation, so we don’t know exactly what heart condition(s) he has, or what the prognosis/timeline would exactly be. It could be weeks, or maybe a couple months- we don’t know, but we’re determined to make them as comfy and happy for Oscar as possible! Oscar is a big, beautiful orange boy around 4ish years old, and he’s already neutered. His FeLV is likely compounding what his immune system is experiencing, and since he’s tested positive for Feline Leukemia/FeLV, he should be in a cat-free space at this time. Oscar right now is feeling pretty good, though! He is active, he loves food, he is very playful and affectionate, and while he tends to get a little overstimulated in a new space, once adjusted he is quite polite about making it clear when he doesn’t want to be picked up or petted in a particular spot. He seems to get a little stressed on days when he gets less attention, so if you’ve got multiple folks in the home to love on him, or work from home so he’ll feel less lonely, he would love to have the attention! Oscar loves toy time and he has been known to leap 2 feet straight in the air to go after a wand toy. His quality of life right now is pretty good, and the main symptom we’ve been seeing (thus far) that tipped us off to his diagnosis is occasional coughing. Want some more info? Hit us up via foster@phillypaws.org- we’re happy to chat more!
	Name: Chip *sitter needed 12/19 – 1/2/26ish* (may need longer) Location: Foster Care Chip is a kitty with a lot of love to give! She warms up to new people quickly and loves to be pet. She’ll love spending time with you, especially at night cuddling in bed. She loves to chat and will talk back to you, too! At her age, she is not the most active cat and does not show much of an interest in toys, but she does enjoy the occasional cat video on YouTube as well as puzzle treat dispensers! She is currently taking medication twice a day for her hyperthyroidism. She loves mealtime and takes her pill with her food without any trouble.
	Name: Baby Girl *sitter needed from 12/20 – 12/27* Location: foster care- this pet is not at the shelter! Please email foster@phillypaws.org if you can help. Meet Baby Girl- she’s a gem! She’s a friendly gal who loves people, but would probably prefer to be an only child or have her own room if you can petsit her. She has mild-moderate CH, or Cerebellar Hypoplasia, but she gets around pretty well! She also is presently being treated for a little yeast/fungal infection on her nose (cryptococcus- not contagious!) with an easy once-daily medication, which can be given in food, but otherwise requires no special treatment other than perhaps keeping her face clean if needed. She also takes a daily steroid because she has chronic anemia. Her foster will be out of town visiting family and needs a foster sitter for Baby Girl while they are away. Her foster says, “I am flexible, either having her stay at my apartment (in Fairmount by the art museum), or being moved to your place. She should be the only kitty, or have her own room since she wasn’t a fan of other cats at PAWS. She has CH and should be kept away from stairs. She needs an oral steroid every morning and night, which she always takes very easily! I have an automatic cat feeder and litter box that can be borrowed if needed. Food & meds will be provided.”
	Name: Lucy *sitter needed from 12/19- 12/30* Location: foster care- this pet is not at the shelter! Please email foster@phillypaws.org if you can help. Lucy is an affectionate little cat who’s happy to hang out, but doesn’t mind being left alone. She’s a low-key gal with some allergies we’re working through, in addition to suspected asthma. She takes a couple easy meds and her current foster can provide these to a sitter. Lucy’s foster will be away from 12/19 – 12/30 and needs sitter coverage for that time while they’re away! Lucy would do best in a child-free, pet-free home. As far as roommates go, it’s hard to find a more easy-going one than Lucy. She respects rules about furniture, keeps herself well-groomed, and uses the scratching post and litter box perfectly. She’s also on an allergy-friendly diet at the moment [that PAWS can provide] but it’s mostly a precaution, since she’s had some episodes of itchiness. Her lungs are also sensitive so she takes a daily liquid steroid (just a tiny bit!) to keep her comfortable. Her meows are quiet and rare (generally, just a warning to back off if she’s a bit overwhelmed), but her purrs are steady and frequent. She’s a bit nervous at first in a new situation or around new people, but give her a calm, quiet environment for her to explore and warm up to you at her own pace, and she quickly shows off how friendly and loving she can be. She only has a few requests: a quiet space with no other pets, infrequent guests (human-only, and no loud parties, please!), and recognition of her quite-reasonable boundaries. Lucy is around 5 years old, already spayed, and has already begun adoption promo.
	Name: Mylo *sitter needed from 12/22- 12/29ish* Location: foster care- this pet is not at the shelter! Please email foster@phillypaws.org if you can help. Handsome guy Mylo is in need of a sitter while his foster is away 12/22 – 12/29! We’re hoping he’ll be adopted before his foster will be away for the holiday, but are planning ahead to be safe! Mylo is super handsome, super sweet, and super not a fan of the idea of having to return to our shelter! He’s not taking any meds at present but we recommend keeping him one room to start, since moving to new spaces can make the poor boy nervous at first.
	Name: Lena *sitter needed 12/24 – 1/01/26* Location: foster care- this pet is not at the shelter! Please email foster@phillypaws.org if you can help. Lena’s fosters will be away the end of the year, and she needs sitter coverage! Per her fosters: “She is social with other animals, she’s just someone’s cranky aunt – happy to engage as long as she can hiss a little. She is also the sweetest lap cat and all 14 pounds of her will warm you in the cold season. I’d be happy to arrange drop off.” (Note: Lena does have a negative test for FIV/FeLV on file but it’s from 2018, so we recommend her sitter keep her separate from any resident cats, since she only needs foster for a short time.) Lena is not on any medication at present but is on strict diet since she’s a chunky gal!

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: Taffy + 3 (Zesty, Sprig, Mallow) Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 11/24/25 Momma Taffy is so nice! Her three little ~1-month-old giblets are a little socially awkward with people, but have a good mentor for human interactions with momma. Plus, they love toys and are very curious! No one is on medication at present, but the babies are just starting their weaning journey with momma, so still need a little more time with her before everyone is ready for spay/neuter surgeries and adoption!
	Name: Gravy Boat Location: Grays Ferry Clinic Date of Arrival: 11/23/25 Gravy Boat has quite the little mouth on her! She is hissy and needs socialization bootcamp with a patient and savvy foster parent– bonus points if you also have a cat-friendly Mentory Kitty in the home who can help socialize Gravy after a couple weeks of medical quarantine/home adjustment, as well as after FIV/FeLV testing gets done. Gravy’s around 6-7 weeks old and technically big enough for spay, but she needs some more “emotional” help before she’ll be ready for adoption.

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!

Please check back later!

Shy, Stressed, 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.

Please check back later!

Old City Adoption Center

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

	Name: Cosmo Location: Old City Adoption Center Date of Arrival: 11/10/25 Lady Cosmo has graced us with her presence here at our clinic, so that we may treat her booboos with the utmost care, and shower her with scritches and compliments 24/7. Translation: Cosmo came to us with a few booboos (but thankfully no broken legs, wooo! Just a dislocated toe.) that we are keeping an eye on as they heal. We’re not sure what caused her multiple small wounds so they are considered Wounds of Unknown Origin. In a case like this, the Health Dept recommends a WUO animal stay separate from other animals for 120 days– or until 3/11/2026! This timeline does not need to hold up a future adoption, though. And if she’s not yet adopted by 1/11/2026, we will plan to test her for FIV and FeLV, in case it was another cat who injured her. Despite said booboos, Cosmo is very affectionate and friendly, and would love to roll on outta here into foster care, with someone comfortable giving easy meds and who can bring her back for rechecks asap when needed. Cosmo is around 1-2 years old and already spayed.
	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.

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!