Paws and Claws Cat Rescue
Our Mission
Paws and Claws Cat Rescue is dedicated to preventing and alleviating the suffering caused by abuse, neglect, and overpopulation. We work to help cats heal mentally and physically, giving them a chance at a full life and a loving forever home.
Our Story
Founded in May 2020, we started as a dream to help the most vulnerable felines and have grown into a close-knit, community-driven 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Based in Evanston, Illinois, we focus on cats at risk of euthanasia in municipal shelters, as well as those in areas with fewer resources, ensuring every cat in our care is treated with kindness and dignity.
How We Help
We operate as a foster-centric rescue supported by our Adoption Center in Evanston. This blend of a home-based foster network and a physical facility allows us to provide a high standard of behavioral, emotional, and medical care for our cats. Our team is united by values of inclusion, responsibility, and the belief that community makes rescue possible.
Joining Our Family
Our adoption process is designed to create lasting, joyful matches between our cats and their new families. We prioritize thoughtful, conversation-based matchmaking to ensure that every personality is perfectly paired with its new environment. Once you adopt from us, you become a permanent member of our extended family; we love staying in touch and hearing about your life together.
Get Involved
Whether you are looking to bring home a new companion or simply want to support our mission, we invite you to join our community. You can explore our adoptable cats online, book a visit to meet our free-roaming residents at our Evanston center, or learn more about how to become a volunteer or donor today.
- Staff dedication and professionalism
- Clean and well-maintained facilities
- Communication gaps with foster families
10/9 - EPL’s ‘Read to Cats’ event helps sheltered cats at Paws and Claws Cat Rescue
During the day, Abigail Griffin works as the administrative assistant to Northwestern President Mung Chiang. When she’s not in the office, she volunteers at Paws and Claws Cat Rescue. Griffin helped Paws and Claws host its recurring “Read to Cats” event Thursday. “Not only does it really engage the community, but on top of that...
5/7 - Paws and Claws Cat Rescue to host The Catalyst Ball May 30 - Evanston RoundTable
Paws & Claws Cat Rescue will host its second annual gala, The Catalyst Ball, on May 30 at the Woman's Club of Evanston. Guests will enjoy a cocktail
10/13 - Spooky season is upon us! 🎃 We welcomed some Halloween-themed cats over the weekend, and we think you’re going to love their names! If Halloween is right around the corner, guess what’s even closer? You guessed it: Rally for Rescues – Fall Fest! We’ve been talking about this event nonstop because it means so much to us for you to be there. All the planning, preparation, and hours our team has poured into Rally are for cats just like these little ones. Even Texas Chainsaw Massacre. 🫣 So come Rally with us this Saturday! The weather is looking beautiful, and who knows? You might even meet a few of these adorable faces while you’re there. 🐈⬛
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10/7 - Kirby the cat is shouting from the rooftops that Rally for Rescues - Fall Fest is 10 days away! 🎃🌻 Get your tickets in our bio!
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10/4 - September brought 98 cats some very happy endings, and now we’re looking ahead to what we can do in October! There are currently 28 adoptable cats in our free-roaming onsite rooms, each waiting for the chance to meet the person or family they’ve been hoping for. Could one of them be your new best friend? Submit your adoption survey and make October the month you find your perfect match. 💙
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10/3 - Our newest cats and kittens are settling in and waiting for foster homes to scoop them up. Fill out our foster survey in our bio and give these cats a warm place to decompress. We provide the supplies, you provide the love!
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10/3 - Chickadee is ready to Rally! 🍂 Since 2021, Rally for Rescues has been our longest-running event, and we’re getting ready for our sixth year of rallying together! This year, we’re bringing Rally for Rescues – Fall Fest back to Baker Park on October 17 from 12–3pm, continuing the fall festival theme that brought more than 350 people together last year to celebrate saving lives and building community. Rally is one of the few times each year when our entire community can come together around a shared love for the cats we all work so hard to save. Bring the whole family, bring your pets, and come spend the afternoon celebrating the people who make this work possible. Tickets are on sale now on our website in our bio! I hope to see you at Rally! 🎃 Ashlynn - Executive Director
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9/29 - Were you at the very first Rally for Rescues - Fall Fest? If so, you already know just how special it was! We kept what everyone loved about Rally, and in our 5th anniversary, gave it some autumn spice! Rally for Rescues - Fall Fest brings our community together for an afternoon of fall festivities, food, local vendors, cats and plenty of fun, all while supporting Paws and Claws Cat Rescue. October 17 is coming up quick, so don’t wait to grab your tickets and join us for this year’s Rally for Rescues - Fall Fest! We can’t wait to celebrate with you! 🎃🍂🐈⬛
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9/23 - Rally for Rescues was Paws and Claws’ first community event, and it used to take place right on Ashlynn’s front porch in 2021. Rally has always been about community coming together, having fun, and supporting our lifesaving mission. Rally is just 25 days away, and we’re so excited for our community to come together once again! And thanks to our incredible community, more and more of the items we need to make this year’s Rally possible are showing up on our doorstep. Plus food and other necessaries for our cats. We’re so so immensely grateful. 💙 We can’t wait to see you there! Get your tickets to Rally for Rescues now via our bio!
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9/21 - WISHLIST HAUL!!! 🎪🐾 Last week, we shared that we’re hoping to add carnival games to this year’s Rally for Rescues Fall Fest—and asked our amazing community to help us make it happen! We put together a wishlist of the supplies we need, so that the money raised at Rally for Rescues can go directly toward saving cats. To our surprise, there are only a few items left on our wishlist! A huge thank you to everyone who has purchased something so far! 🎟️ Want to be part of the fun? Get your tickets to Rally for Rescues Fall Fest on October 17 at Baker Park in Evanston! Come play games, meet our cats, be part of our community, enjoy the festivities and help us save more felines in need. We’ll see you there! Tickets can be found in our bio.
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