Get Involved

Want to foster a pet, but short on space? Miley is looking for a home and might be the perfect fit! This sweet and chatty house panther is healing from a pelvic fracture and shouldn’t be moving around a lot. She’s needs to be on “crate rest” in a restricted space for the next couple of weeks, so a pop up dog crate or small spare bathroom is all she needs!

Recovery takes much longer for pets when they’re dealing with the stress of living at the shelter, and Miley urgently needs to leave so she can heal. If you’d like to help, email foster@phillypaws.org for more info! ...

We’re thrilled to be a @petsmartcharities accelerator grantee so we make an even bigger difference for pets like Tina and their owners!

Overwhelmingly, people consider their pets important members of the family. PetSmart Charities has committed $100 million over the next five years toward improving access to veterinary care to ensure more pets thrive at home and stay out of shelters. The “Accelerator” low-cost veterinary care grant program is a key part of this effort, and PAWS is honored to be awarded $200,000 to support the expansion of our Grays Ferry clinic. Grant funds will go directly toward expanding the scope and volume of services at our clinic so that we can be there for more of the pets and people who need us most!

“By providing affordable, accessible veterinary care, PAWS’ clinics play a vital role in keeping Philadelphia pets out of shelters and in their homes where they are loved,” said PAWS executive director Melissa Levy. “Our goal is to help families stay whole and make it possible for all pets to receive the quality veterinary care they deserve.

“The last few years have made it even harder for many Philadelphians to make ends meet, so this grant is coming at an especially critical time. It is a tremendous opportunity to strengthen the safety net that we have been building for years – we are honored to continue our longtime partnership with PetSmart Charities in such an impactful way.”

Our deepest thanks go out to PetSmart Charities for this incredible opportunity!

For more information about veterinary care offered at PAWS, please visit phillypaws.org/clinic. To inquire or schedule an appointment, pet owners can call 215-298-9680 or email gfclinic@phillypaws.org. ...

Just a few hours left to double your gift for fragile pets like Iris! This little one was just 3 weeks old when a Good Samaritan brought her to our Grays Ferry clinic. She’d been found orphaned outside at just 3 weeks old, and it was clear her short life had already been a difficult one.

She was hungry, underweight, and completely blind from a severe infection that had permanently damaged her eyes. We don’t know how long she’d been fending for herself, but we do know she wouldn’t have survived on her own much longer.

Our medical team immediately got to work feeding and bathing Iris, gently cleaning her eyes, and assessing her condition. While the infection had unfortunately damaged her eye tissue beyond repair, it was clear her loving personality had made it through intact. She leaned into every back scratch and chin rub, and snuggled into anyone who held her.

Now, Iris is protected, nourished, and growing stronger in a loving foster home with two PAWS staff members. They share that Iris is feisty, adventurous, and incredibly affectionate. When she’s ready, she’ll receive surgery to remove her damaged eye tissue so she can fully heal. In the meantime, we’ll be with her every step of the way so she has all the care and love she deserves.

Sick and injured pets like Iris arrive at PAWS and every day. Your kindness prepares us for the unexpected, so we only have to worry about giving them all they need – not how we’ll afford their treatment.

Until the clock runs out at midnight, your gift will be doubled by a generous donor family. They are matching up to $30,000 in donations to the Medical Relief Fund. Your compassion will ensure we can be there for cats, dogs, and kittens whose lives are on the line. On behalf of them, thank you in advance for giving what you can!

You can give via Instagram, Venmo (username @phillypaws), or through our bio link! ...

These little ones need your help: please foster or donate! All of them recently found safe haven at PAWS after testing positive for ringworm at the city shelter, but they still have weeks of care and treatment ahead of them before they’re fully recovered.

You can change their lives by opening your home as a foster parent, or donating to PAWS’ Medical Relief Fund while gifts are being doubled!

While ringworm is a simple fungal infection of the skin, animals who’ve tested positive are at high risk of euthanasia when the city shelter becomes full due to the time-intensive nature of their treatment.

Foster parents give ringworm kittens loving homes to grow strong in while they finish their treatment, while PAWS’ Medical Relief Fund supporters make it possible for us to say yes to ringworm kittens and other at-risk pets, even when their needs are more costly or complex.

Email foster@phillypaws.org more about fostering or adopting these cuties, or make a gift to PAWS’ Medical Relief Fund before midnight tomorrow to have your generosity doubled!

Give via Instagram, Venmo (username @phillypaws), or through our #linkinbio! ...

Not long ago, Flex faced possible euthanasia after arriving at the city shelter with a host of serious medical needs. Now, he is loved and being spoiled as he heals in a PAWS foster home. Through midnight tomorrow, your gift will ensure safety for twice as many vulnerable pets like Flex!

At 15, this gentle grandpa needed a lot of love. He had large masses on his side and elsewhere, dental disease including broken teeth, painful ear and skin infections, and hind leg weakness. He’d require extensive diagnostics, multiple surgeries, and long-term treatment to become well enough for adoption.

Flex’s survival hinged on a rescue organization having the resources to commit to his care. Supporters of PAWS’ Medical Relief Fund ensured we were ready to welcome this kind soul as soon as we learned he needed us.

PAWS’ Medical Relief Fund enables us to rescue and provide lifesaving veterinary care for pets at immediate risk of euthanasia. Already this year, it has meant the difference between life and death for hundreds of animals who were sick, injured, or facing chronic conditions. However, many more are waiting and will depend on us in the months to come.

For the next 48 hours, your gift will provide safety for twice as many vulnerable pets like Flex, thanks to an anonymous donor family that has generously pledged to double donations to the Medical Relief Fund. Because the need is so great, they will match up to $30,000 in gifts made through midnight tomorrow night. Please give now and deliver twice the hope, healing, and love!

Today, Flex is healing comfortably in foster care. His masses were successfully removed last week, and he will receive much-needed dental surgery soon. His fosters call him “the sweetest old man,” and have expressed how beautiful it is to see him relaxed and content after all he’s been through (see his journey at @phillyfurfoster)!

Many more pets are waiting at the city shelter for their chance to get well and find love. With your support, will we be able to offer them what they so desperately need.

Have your gift doubled through Instagram, Venmo (username @phillypaws), or through our direct giving page (link in bio)! ...

Rootbeer is waiting for you to come take him home! This little man is an absolute charmer who loves attention. He started out shy when he first arrived, but now he’ll launch himself into your lap and lean all the way into your legs for pets!

The shelter is definitely a stressful place for Rootbeer, and he’s eager to find a foster parent or forever family to cuddle and ham it up with. He has lapdog potential written all over him, and we think he’d love to be someone’s work from home buddy!

Rootbeer hasn’t lived with other animals before, but he could potentially befriend an easygoing and sociable dog who can take things slow with him. Because he can be just a little shy with new faces, we think Rootbeer would do best with adults or dog-experienced kids.

Come meet this pocket-sized cutie and we promise you won’t be able to leave without him! Email foster@phillypaws.org to foster Rootbeer, or adoptions@phillypaws.org to learn more about adopting him (his adoption bio will be posted soon)! ...

It took a lot of catnip for Jake to poke out of his hidey hut today! He’s so scared he’s not eating, and needs a cat-savvy foster home ASAP so he can leave the shelter.

This sensitive boy has struggled a lot in his short life. He’s not even 2 yet, but after being adopted out as a kitten he became more and more fearful in his previous home. His owner tried so many things including taking him to the vet to rule out medical issues as well as starting him on behavior medications to try to help him feel better.

Jake lived with 2 other cats who may have caused him stress, as well as with younger children who the owner noted did seem to be a source of fear. Jake isn’t eating at the shelter and desperately needs a quiet, kid-free foster home with a room to himself where he can decompress and we can get to know him in a space where he can learn to feel safe. If you can help poor Jake, please reach out at foster@phillypaws.org! ...

Crabella needs a foster home — and she’s anything but crabby! This cutie pie will literally climb into your arms to cuddle, and her squeaky little meows are completely irresistible.

Crabella came to our clinic with some painful rashes on her skin, and we’re still in the trial and error stage of figuring out how to best help her! She’s on a hypoallergenic diet in case the rashes are in response to a food allergy, and is also on a couple of medications to see if they’ll improve her condition. She may need to wear a “suitical” for a little while to prevent over-grooming, which is basically a tiny set of pajamas — what’s not to love!

This friendly girl would love a dedicated foster parent to help her work through the skin issues. Despite her condition she’s a total dreamboat who will melt your heart the instant you meet her! If you’d like to learn more about Crabella, email our foster team at foster@phillypaws.org. ...