Our cats and kittens most urgently in need of foster care are listed below. Every time an animal leaves for a foster home, 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 and pick-up appointment.

When you come to meet and pick-up potential fosters, please bring a carrier with you. If you don’t have one, please let us know and we can loan you one. We will send you home with a sample of what the cat has been eating here in the shelter, along with the cat’s paperwork and any medications they may be on. While fosters typically provide food and litter, we are happy to provide these things if it would make it possible for you to bring an animal or litter home!

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

Read on to find your next foster cat!

Urgent Cats    Medical    Behavioral    Kitten Litters    Ringworm    Safety Net    Upcoming Intakes    Need Foster Transfer    Need Foster Sitter    Grays Ferry Shelter    Old City Adoption Center    FAST Candidates

Urgent Cats

These cats urgently need foster care due to medical issues, stress they’re experiencing in the shelter, or known behavior challenges in their previous home. They will be much happier in a home!

Medical Cats

These cats need foster care due to medical issues. While they are being treated by PAWS’ veterinarians, they will heal faster and be much happier in a home than in the shelter.

Behavioral Cats

These cats need foster care due to a behavioral issue: being stressed or nervous at the shelter, needing socialization, getting quickly overstimulated, having known behavior challenges in their previous home, or being shy. They need time to decompress in a home, and a foster parent to help them feel comfortable – and help us learn about them so that they can find their best adoption match.

Kitten Litters

These young kittens need a foster home until they are big and healthy enough for adoption. Some have come in with a nursing momma, and some are on their own. It is most helpful option to take an entire litter, since it opens an entire kennel and allows us to immediately save another litter. For kittens without their mom, we are open to separating litters of four or more, but we will not send singles kittens into foster care alone, so litters of three or less have to stay together.

Ringworm Cats

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

Safety Net Cats

These cats are a part of our Safety Net Program, which provides safe, temporary foster care for pets whose owners are going through times of transition or crisis, typically for approximately three months. This program makes a tremendous impact in our community by keeping people with the pets they love! These cats are often sensitive to the stress of the shelter environment and need a loving home setting to relax and feel comfortable. They don’t typically need adoption promotion unless their owner is not able to reclaim them. Learn more about our Safety Net Foster Program here.

Upcoming Intakes

These cats are scheduled to come to PAWS soon, or would benefit from having a foster home lined up before we schedule their intake appointment so they don’t need to spend any time in the shelter.

Need Foster Transfer

These cats are already in foster care, but need a new foster home to avoid having to come back to the shelter!

Need Foster Sitter

These cats are already in foster care, but need a temporary foster home to avoid having to come back to the shelter during their foster parent’s scheduling conflict.

Grays Ferry Shelter

These cats are currently at PAWS’ Grays Ferry shelter (2900 Grays Ferry Avenue). We are a small facility, so we rely on foster parents to help us open-up kennels so we can save more lives!

Old City Adoption Center

These cats are waiting at our Old City location for foster homes!

“FAST” Candidates

These are sociable cats who should only need a foster home for 2-3 weeks, before they will be dropped off at our PetSmart or Old City adoption locations. Taking a “FAST Candidate” helps us ensure we can keep those locations filled with adoptable kitties!