EVERY RESCUE BEGINS
WITH A REASON
500,000 animals are euthanized across
the United States every year.
Our mission is to prevent and alleviate the suffering caused by abuse, neglect and overpopulation. So far, together, we have rescued more than 3,000 cats from euthanasia.
Since May 2020, we have led a local movement creating national impact to move the needle on achieving this mission.
We are a safe harbor as they move from neglect and uncertainty to hope and a second chance.
Crispix (Adopted 8/2/25)
THESE ARE THE REASON
WE RESCUE
The cats we say YES to are the ones no one else will take.
219
BLACK CATS
109
BONDED PAIRS
188
KITTENS
11
FELV+ CATS
9
PANLEUK CATS
4
FIP
CATS
15
ONE-EYED CATS
20
SENIOR
CATS
63
RINGWORM
CATS
25
FIV+
CATS
4
TRIPOD
CATS
783 felines saved in 2025.
3,000+ felines saved in five years.
Your gift to The Porchlight Fund can help us change this number. Today, we can turn hardship into hope.
.jpg)
The heart of this mission extends beyond the cats we save and into the lives of people. The people who come together, providing care, rehabilitation, love, home, and family.
This is the collective power of rescue. The stories. The felines saved. The people impacted.
LOOK WHAT WE'VE DONE SO FAR IN 2025...
212 foster families & 884 cats fostered
704 adoptive
households
6 states reached by our efforts
388 volunteers
& 9,700 hours logged
21 shelter
partners
# community partners
WE ARE NOT DONE YET.
BE THE REASON WE CAN KEEP GOING.
THESE ARE THE STORIES OF
TWO CATS, TWO REASONS TO RESCUE...
MEET FORD
It’s not every day that a cat enters our shelter with tears in his eyes. Ford, a tiny kitten, was battling a severe upper respiratory infection. His eyes nearly sealed shut, his little body was fighting with everything it could muster just to make it through each day.
Yet, even in his weakest moments, Ford leaned in for affection. He trusted, as if he knew he was safe at last.
Ford is one of the reasons we rescue. Be the reason more cats like Ford are able to trust, heal, and know love through a second chance.
MEET CORNELIUS
Every day we receive emails from shelters across the Midwest asking for help, amounting to hundreds each month. They reach out to Paws and Claws when they have nowhere else to turn, for the ones no one else will save.
Every day we have to decide who we will save and how many receive a yes. Cornelius was one of the lucky ones.
We were able to say yes to Cornelius because people like you, whose compassion leads the way.
A COMMUNITY TOGETHER, FUELED BY HOPE.
In March 2025 we launched The Porchlight Fund, our annual fund.
The Porchlight Fund was established to address the immediate needs of felines at risk as we bridge the gap between rescue and adoption.
Yet, for every feline we rescue, another is still waiting.
And so, The Porchlight Fund serves to strengthen the foundation of our organization today, empowering us to grow to meet tomorrow’s needs as well. Gift by gift. Brick by brick.
Shirley Temple (Adopted 7/22/25)
CONSIDER THE IMPACT YOU CAN MAKE
Davy Jones and Barbossa (Adopted 9/6/25)
The impact you make today shapes the work we accomplish tomorrow. We will come together as a community, united to raise critical funds for our beloved organization, the cats we save and the people whose lives we impact. Every story matters and every story deserves to be told.
It’s never too late to make an impact. Every gift matters. Every dollar counts.
MULTIPLY YOUR IMPACT. BE A CATALYST.
The end of year giving season is the most impactful time of the year for Paws and Claws and the need for your support continues. When individuals mobilize, through simple acts, powerful change can happen. By inviting your friends and peers to join you in giving, the generosity of one becomes the generosity of many.
Every dollar contributed to your Paws and Claws fundraiser, no matter the size, creates a massive impact.
THIS IS THE STORY OF
ONE CAT, ONE REASON
TO RESCUE...
It’s not every day that a cat enters our shelter with tears in his eyes. Ford, a tiny kitten, was battling a severe upper respiratory infection. His eyes nearly sealed shut, his little body was fighting with everything it could muster just to make it through each day.
Yet, even in his weakest moments, Ford leaned in for affection. He trusted, as if he knew he was safe at last.
Ford is one of the reasons we rescue. Be the reason more cats like Ford are able to trust, heal, and know love through a second chance.
Ford, adopted 10/9/25, after 26 days in our care.
.jpg)
Cornelius, adopted 5/10/25, after 29 days in our care.
Every day we receive emails from shelters across the Midwest asking for help, amounting to hundreds each month.
They reach out to Paws and Claws when they have nowhere else to turn, for the ones no one else will save.
Every day we have to decide who we will save and how many receive a yes.
Cornelius was one of the lucky ones.
We were able to say yes to Cornelius because people like you, whose compassion leads the way.