8 Best Cat Rescues in Tucson! (2024)

No matter where you go, the population of cats runs rampant. More than 15,000 animals received assistance from 2021 to 2022 in the Pima County area where Tucson is located. No worries, though; we’ve got a list of the best cat rescues in Tucson for you right here.

More than 6,000 animals were taken in because of stray animal complaints, which has helped to get more animals off the street and into loving foster and forever homes. 

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Why Do Cats End Up In Shelters?

Why-Do-Cats-End-Up-In-Shelters

Cats end up in shelters because of disagreements with other animals in people’s homes or because their owners have allergies.

When people move to a new home or apartment, their landlord may not allow them to own a pet, which would mean that owners would have to give up their cats to local shelters or to family members or friends that can care for the pet. 

Some cats do not like using the litter box and may defecate or urinate in other places throughout the home, which will upset cat owners.

If they do not have a scratch post,  they can scratch up expensive furniture. Anything undesirable that the feline does in the home could result in the owner giving it up to a shelter. 

The Top 8 Cat Shelters in Tucson

Cat rescues in Tucson are battling the stray cat population on the streets by taking in stray cats and felines from prior owners, giving them foster homes, and eventually, forever homes when they become adopted. Many are no-kill, all-volunteer shelters. 

1. Hermitage Cat Rescue

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Hermitage Cat Rescue has operated as a nonprofit no-kill shelter for cat rescues for almost six decades.

Since 2015, the shelter has saved 700 special needs cats that had conditions such as diabetes, FELV, and FIV and saved them from other shelters because they were at risk of euthanization.

They are one of the only twenty shelters in the country to be accredited by the American Sanctuary Association. With this many years of experience in the cat rescue industry, no wonder they are on the top of Google Search for cat rescues in Tucson, Arizona!

Hermitage Cat Rescue Details:

2. PAWSitively Cats 

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PAWSitively Cats is a no-kill shelter. They institute the trap, neuter, return technique to reduce the number of unwanted animals nearby, so there are fewer feral felines in local cat colonies. 

The shelter hosts auctions, wine-tasting events, and yard sales throughout the year, where all proceeds go towards caring for the cats waiting to receive foster care and placement in a forever home.

They encourage neutering, and spaying adopted cats to tame the population. PAWSitively Cats runs a sponsorship program where you can choose a specific cat to sponsor their care. 

PAWSitively Cats Details:

3. SOS Cat Rescue AZ

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SOS Cat Rescue AZ saves other orphaned kittens and elderly senior cats in danger of being euthanized at other local shelters in Arizona.

They pride themselves on giving young and elderly felines that would have otherwise been forgotten about a new life in foster care within their volunteer-based practice. 

They are an approved organization on Doobert.com and were awarded as one of the top 50 from the Cat Rescue Blog. They are also a proud supporter of PetFinder and were designated as an Adopt-A-Pet.com-approved rescue in 2020.  

SOS Cat Rescue AZ Details:

4. Southern Arizona Cat Rescue

PAWSitively-Cats

Southern Arizona Cat Rescue discovered that 80% of kittens are unfortunately born on the streets yearly. They are on a mission to save the kittens and get them the care they need through foster-based volunteers that open up their homes to them.

The cat rescue engages in the trap, neuter, and return (TNR) initiatives to control the cat population and reassure that local felines get the healthcare they need to thrive for longer in their cat colonies.

They partnered with Pima Animal Care Center and Santa Cruz County Animal Control as well as Pinal County Animal Care to rescue kittens and adult cats and provide them new homes to citizens in Tucson and surrounding areas. 

Cat Rescue Details:

5. El Jefe Cat Lounge

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Come to the El Jefe Cat Lounge, which is a local cattery that offers the full cat adoption and lounging with felines experience. They have many special events available, with all monetary proceeds from them benefitting the nonprofit shelter. 

Cat Bingo is $14 per hour, and the winner receives a free lounge pass and exclusive El Jefe merchandise. Try your hand at Cat Trivia Night, which costs $15 an hour to participate. 

Lounge Hour is the ultimate El Jefe Cat Lounge experience, where you can hang out with the free-roaming cats within the shelter for $12 per hour. Please note that children and teens under age 18 need to have an adult sign a waiver form before participation. 

Shop their merchandise section to stock up on cat ears, cat sequin keychains, logo T-shirts and tank tops, and more items subject to availability!

El Jefe Cat Lounge Details:

6. Pima Animal Care Center 

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Pima Animal Care Center has a capacity meter to show how many cats, dogs, and other animals are in their shelter. The ratings on the scale are normal, moderate, high, extreme, and critical. When this article was published, the care center was on the extreme rating.

The shelter provides information on how to help out stray kittens. They advise not removing stray kittens because their mother will be nearby to nurse them.

Small kittens have a higher chance of survival with their mother when they are so young and should not be separated until at least 12-14 weeks of age. 

You can text “FOUND” to (833) 552-0591 to report a stray cat or dog found on the street. If you lost your furry friend and live in the Tucson area, you can text “LOST” to (833) 552-0591 to file a missing pet report. 

Pima Animal Care Center Details:

7. In the Arms of Angels

El-Jefe-Cat-Lounge

In the Arms of Angels is a new pet rescue that takes in dogs and cats to care for them and get them adopted into forever homes. All the animals currently live in foster homes.

They do not live in a shelter like other animal rescues. Hence, it’s a more one-on-one basis between the foster parent and the pet to build trust among humans. 

When you sponsor a pet, you can log in to the My Rescue part of the website to donate funds when desired and to check on their status.

If you adopt a pet, you can keep the account and send updates to the nonprofit about your adopted pet, so they can tell new people looking to adopt another success story. 

In the Arms of Angels Details:

8. Animal Experts, Inc

Animal-Experts-Inc

Animal Experts, Inc is an animal control facility in the Tucson area. Open 24 hours per day. You can call to have animal traps and release experts pick up a local wild animal in your area.

They have 40 years of experience in the business of humanely trapping and setting free various wild animals in their natural habitats, such as bobcats, badgers, skunks, pigeons, snakes, and bats. 

While they do not accept cats from previous owners or rescue domestic cats from the streets of Tucson, Animal Experts, Inc gets an honorary mention because they are rescuing and setting free bobcats in their natural habitat.

There is one bobcat in the Tucson area for every 3.6 square km to 4.1 square km of land. 

Animal Experts, Inc Details:

Conclusion For “Best Cat Rescues in Tucson”

Conclusion-For-Best-Cat-Rescues-in-Tucson

With over 100,000 wild cats in Tucson’s streets that become rescue cats in local shelters, there are plenty of loveable felines available for fostering and adoption today. Cat rescues in Tucson help to intake the hundreds of thousands of cats in need every year. 

Help out however, you can to contribute to the cat community by donating cat food to local shelters or giving free cats to local families if your adult cat had a litter of kittens. Fostering a cat before it is adopted into a forever home can help them to trust humans.

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For more information about Cats, check out the video down below: