PAWS Chicago was founded in 1997 to make Chicago a no-kill city, and it has become the largest transfer partner of Chicago Animal Care and Control. It runs a cage-free adoption center in Lincoln Park and the Lurie spay and neuter clinic in Little Village. Here is how adoption, the clinic, and the no-kill mission work today.
Yes. The founding mission is to build no-kill communities, starting with a no-kill Chicago, and the organization reports a 2024 save rate of about 98 percent. It credits its work, along with that of partners, for an 88.8 percent drop in the killing of homeless pets in Chicago since 1997, when more than 42,000 cats and dogs were put down in the city each year.
PAWS does not run the city pound. That role belongs to Chicago Animal Care and Control, the open-admission government shelter. PAWS is CACC's largest transfer partner, pulling animals out of the city shelter and into its adoption program, and in 2023 it rescued 38 percent of the cats and dogs transferred out of CACC.
Adoption fees are tiered by age and size. Cats generally run from about $50 for seniors to $175 for young kittens, and dogs from about $200 for seniors to $550 for puppies. Prices change, so check the current fee on each animal's profile. Every dog adoption comes with a voucher for a training class.
Some young kittens carry extra requirements; PAWS may ask that a kitten under twelve weeks go home with a second kitten or to a household that already has a friendly pet. Confirm hours and any current requirements on the adoption page before you visit.
The Lurie Family Spay/Neuter Clinic offers free and low-cost, income-based spay and neuter by appointment, and it also serves rescue groups and people trapping community cats. It performed 17,168 surgeries in 2024 and more than 332,515 since it opened, which is the engine behind the city's falling euthanasia numbers. The clinic adds low-cost vaccines, and it has run promotions as low as $25 for a dog spay or neuter.
If you can no longer keep your pet, PAWS points owners first to resources meant to help them hold on to the animal, and surrender is generally handled by appointment. To return a pet adopted from PAWS, call 773-935-7297.
Independent volunteers are adults, and younger helpers can take part through a junior program with a parent or guardian. Fostering also requires being 18 or older, the ability to keep a foster pet separate from your own animals, and reliable transportation to a PAWS location; the organization supplies food and medical care. In 2024, volunteers gave 125,071 hours and foster homes cared for 2,254 pets.
PAWS holds a four-star rating from Charity Navigator and the highest transparency mark, the Candid Platinum Seal. Its EIN for tax-deductible gifts is 36-4219778. The pet food bank at the 26th Street campus takes donated wet and dry food and cat litter.
Cage-free Lincoln Park Adoption Center; dog adoptions include a training-class voucher.
Free and low-cost surgery by appointment for the public, rescues, and community cats.
Public-private partnership that pulls and supports animals from the city shelter.
Emergency food pantry and pop-ups at the 26th Street campus.
Foster homes cared for 2,254 pets in 2024; food and medical care provided.
Veterinary care that supports shelter animals through treatment and recovery.
Sources: PAWS Chicago (pawschicago.org), its 2024 annual report and 360 at CACC pages; Charity Navigator and Candid (EIN 36-4219778); Wikipedia. Adoption fees, drawn from the official adoption pages, are approximate; confirm current prices on each animal's profile. Retrieved June 2026. We are not affiliated with PAWS Chicago and receive no compensation for this listing. Spotted an error? [email protected]
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