Update March 18: Due to lack of foster homes, the only animals we are currently accepting from the public are kittens. Our dog and adult cat foster homes are full. Please do not contact us if you need to surrender a dog or adult cat. For a detailed list of other shelters and rescues that may be accepting cats and dogs right now, please click here.

NWAC is a small, volunteer-run nonprofit that rescues animals based on the availability of funds and foster homes. Although we receive several requests each day to intake animals and help as many as we can, unfortunately, not all these requests can be accommodated. Please contact us and we’ll let you know if we can help. Thank you for thinking rescue!

Update March 18: Due to lack of foster homes, the only animals we are currently accepting from the public are kittens. Our dog and adult cat foster homes are full. Please do not contact us if you need to surrender a dog or adult cat. For a detailed list of other shelters and rescues that may be accepting cats and dogs right now, please click here.

NWAC is a small, volunteer-run nonprofit that rescues animals based on the availability of funds and foster homes. Please contact us and we’ll let you know if we can help.

If you suspect the pet you’ve found may be lost, here are some steps you can take to try to locate the pet’s family in the meantime.

Update March 18: Due to lack of foster homes, the only animals we are currently accepting from the public are kittens. Our dog and adult cat foster homes are full. Please do not contact us if you need to surrender a dog or adult cat. For a detailed list of other shelters and rescues that may be accepting cats and dogs right now, please click here.

TNR (trap, neuter, release) is usually the best solution for feral adult cats who are not sick, injured, nursing kittens, or otherwise in danger, provided someone is able to feed the cat or colony on an ongoing basis. (Not sure if they’re being fed? Knock on neighbors’ doors or utilize an app like Nextdoor to see if you can find out!)

Feral cats can’t generally be tamed for an indoor pet lifestyle, and spay/neuter is extremely important to stopping the cycle of suffering created by unfixed community cats. NWAC makes every effort to sterilize the feral adult cats we encounter in the process of rescue.

Portland’s No. 1 authority on feral cats is Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon and it has all sorts of incredibly helpful, free resources on TNR. Through FCCO’s website, you can find detailed information on how to trap and also borrow humane traps from the organization; they may even be able to connect you with volunteer trappers for assistance.

Additionally, FCCO provides spay/neuter services; fill out this form ASAP to get the cat on their waitlist. This service is free, although donations are appreciated if you’re in a position to give.

If you find a litter of kittens, whether they’re socialized or not, please use this helpful guide to determine whether you should leave them where they are or intervene. If by answering these questions you determine the kittens need rescue support, refer to the answer above regarding stray pets.

No, due to safety and time constraints, NWAC volunteers are not available to pick up animals. If we agree to take a pet into rescue, the surrendering owner or finder needs to be able to transport the pet to one of our volunteers to a safe location of our choosing. This applies to your own pets if you are surrendering them as well as stray/lost pets that you have found. Thanks for understanding.

Please note this policy does not apply to pets who have been adopted through NWAC and need to be returned to NWAC. If you need help surrendering a dog or cat that you adopted through NWAC, please contact us here.

Cat trapping isn’t a service NWAC offers, but we can recommend getting in touch with our partner rescue PDX Cat Trapper. PDX Cat Trapper is a 501(c)(3) dedicated to TNR of feral cat populations. Feel free to fill out their trapping help request form to request assistance. Please note you will need to first secure TNR appointments for any of the cats in question before PDXCT can help you trap them.

If you need to surrender your pet or find a place for a lost/stray pet and NWAC doesn’t have the ability to take them into rescue, you can try reaching out to these shelters and rescue organizations.

No, we do not charge a mandatory fee for those who are surrendering pets, whether or not they belong to you. But if you are surrendering a pet and have the means to make a donation to our organization, we greatly appreciate it.

NWAC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and we cannot continue our rescue work without donations from the public. We usually invest several hundred dollars in each pet to get them healthy and ready for adoption; for young, injured, unaltered, and/or sick pets, the cost to get them ready for adoption is typically much higher. We’re grateful for anything you can give to offset our costs.

If you’re able to make a donation online, you’ll automatically receive a tax receipt via email; if you’d like to pay by check, please mail payment to our PO Box. The address is:

Northwest Animal Companions
6663 SW Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy., #104
Portland, OR 97225

We will mail you a written tax receipt after we receive your donation.

For more information on donations, please see our Donation FAQ.

Unfortunately, NWAC doesn’t have the resources or expertise to help wild animals in need. Before touching or catching the animal — which is potentially unsafe for you as well as the wildlife — we highly recommend calling the Portland Audubon Injured Wildlife Hotline at 503.292.0304 to speak to a volunteer about what you’re seeing. You can also visit Portland Audubon’s website for helpful resources and information on its intake policy.

If you are absolutely positive the wildlife needs immediate care, the animal can be taken to Dove Lewis Emergency Animal Hospital (open 24/7) in Portland or VCA Rock Creek in Hillsboro, which has more limited business hours.

Yes, NWAC is a no-kill organization. It is NWAC policy to never euthanize animals due to external factors such as cost of care, lack of space in foster, or duration of time in rescue. We treat the medical and behavioral needs of our pets with help from experienced and licensed veterinarians, allowing these pets to be adopted into loving homes and live happy, healthy lives.

In rare cases, NWAC may determine euthanasia is the only path to alleviate suffering in specific cases of medical quality of life or in very rare cases of irremediable aggression. The decision to euthanize is not taken lightly and requires two volunteers (one of whom is a board member), in consultation with a vet, to agree that:

1. Medical treatment is not a viable solution to treat illness or aggression.

2. In the case of aggression, rehabilitation by a specialist has failed and public safety cannot be reasonably assured and any other management protocols would seriously compromise the animal’s quality of life.

3. Euthanasia is in the best interest of the animal.

NWAC thoroughly scans animals for microchips upon intake. If your pet is microchipped or wearing tags with your current information, we will reach out to you right away to reunite you with your pet. That said, you are still welcome to contact us and ask if we have the pet.

As you search for your pet, we highly recommend posting their photo on social media like Nextdoor, Facebook, and Craigslist. We also recommend going to the website of your local county animal services to see what options they offer. For example, Multnomah County Animal Services has databases where you can search for found pets and post lost pets. In the event that your pet is picked up, MCAS will know how to contact you.

Note: We receive many calls from distressed pet owners who have lost pets — particularly cats — who are neither microchipped nor tagged. Please keep in mind that if your pet is not microchipped or tagged, you will have a very difficult time locating and proving ownership of your pet.

Microchipping is very affordable through your local vet and can be done without sedation. Stores like Petco, PetSmart and Mud Bay allow you to purchase collars and print custom tags within minutes.

NWAC pets come from many places! Some are strays or surrendered pets from the greater Portland area; others may come from overcrowded shelters or rescue groups in our local community or even other states. NWAC pets have come to us from Washington, Hawaii, California, Louisiana, and even Mexico!

Animals are fostered through NWAC for as long as necessary in order to address their medical and behavioral needs and get them into loving, appropriate homes. This may take as little as a couple weeks or long as several months.

Yes, all are prior to adoption.

NWAC does not maintain a central facility or shelter. Instead, animals are lovingly fostered in volunteers’ homes.

Although we don’t have facilities open to the public, it’s still possible to meet our pets before committing to adoption! Please apply for the dog or cat you’re interested in; if your application is approved and the pet’s foster parent determines you’re a fit, you will be invited to personally meet the pet. To learn more about this process, please refer to the Adoption FAQ below.

NWAC occasionally hosts adoption events at local pet stores where you can meet several animals in person. Please see our events page to learn about any upcoming adoption events.

No, sorry. It is NWAC policy to share pet records with their adoptive families only. Please work directly with your client to obtain pet records. All adopters of NWAC pets receive their pets’ records by email upon completion of adoption paperwork and it is the adopter’s responsibility to share those records as needed. If your client has misplaced these records, they are welcome to contact us and we will send another copy directly to them; then, they can share these records with you if they choose.

We do not offer pet medical services to the public.

Below are some clinics that you can consider reaching out to for help for your pets.

Please keep in mind that, in general, wait times for services at free/low-cost clinics tend to be quite long (three to six months is typical). Additionally, waitlists may close at times when demand is particularly high. Please make an appointment as soon as possible and understand that you may need to reach out to several of these resources to get the assistance you require.

• Spay & Save (800.345.SPAY). To make an appointment at a Spay & Save clinic, check the websites of its three clinics: Oregon Humane Society, Humane Society for Southwest Washington, and Cat Adoption Team.

• PAW Team (503.206.6033). Please note PAW Team’s spay/neuter services are available through the Spay & Save program.

• Salem Friends of Felines

• North Beaverton Pet Hospital (503.828.0259)

• Vista Pet Hospital (503.297.2218)

NWAC is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit so we do not hire paid employees. Sorry!

Thanks so much for your interest! Yes, we host kitten-snuggling fundraisers and other fun events, which are shown here when they are scheduled, at local businesses in the Portland metro area. If you’re interested in working with NWAC on an event that’s open to the public, please get in touch here. We aren’t offering private events (such as Kitten Snuggle events in private homes or team-building events for businesses) at this time.

Please learn all about our adoption process here!

NWAC doesn’t maintain a central facility or shelter that you can visit; instead, our pets are lovingly fostered in volunteers’ homes.

Please start by submitting an adoption application; the cat application is here and the dog application is here. We need three business days to review your application, at which point the foster parent of the pet(s) you’re interested in will get in touch with you. If the foster parent decides to move your application forward after this discussion, you and the foster parent will work together to schedule a mutually agreeable time for a meet-and-greet. This meet-and-greet may be conducted in person or by video chat.

To learn more about our adoption process and timelines, please go here.

To meet multiple NWAC kittens, you can also consider attending one of our kitten snuggling events, which, when scheduled, are listed here. These events typically take place from March through October (with some exceptions) and we usually bring multiple litters of adoptable kittens to these events. Because these are fundraising events, not adoption events, kitten snuggles are $5 for 5 minutes and we do not facilitate adoptions on-site. If you meet a kitten or kittens you want to apply to adopt, your application must be filled out on our website as usual. Thanks!

Thanks for your interest in adopting from us! All NWAC pets are fostered in volunteers’ homes, and due to each of our volunteers’ commitments to their jobs and families, we cannot facilitate same-day meet-and-greets.

If you’re interested in an NWAC pet, please start by submitting an adoption application; the cat application is here and the dog application is here. We need three business days to review your application, at which point the foster parent will get in touch with you. If the foster parent decides to move your application forward after this discussion, you and the foster parent will work together to schedule a mutually agreeable time for a meet-and-greet. This meet-and-greet may be conducted in person or by video chat.

To learn more about our adoption process and timelines, please go here.

If you want to attend one of our kitten-snuggling events to meet some adoptable kittens, sure! We usually bring multiple litters of kittens to these events. (For more information on this, please refer to the question above, “How do I meet the pets? Can I visit NWAC?”)

Otherwise, unfortunately not. Our rescued pets are fostered in volunteers’ homes all over the Portland metro area. Most NWAC pets get more than one application, so in the interest of maximizing volunteers’ limited time, we first review prospective adopters’ applications to see if they are a potential match with our pets before coordinating meetings. Thanks for understanding!

You can find the dog adoption application here and the cat adoption application here.

We do many kitten-snuggling events featuring adoptable kittens! Keep reading for more info on those and/or check out our events schedule.

Although the kittens we bring to kitten-snuggling events are usually adoptable, or soon to be adoptable, our kitten-snuggling events are fundraising events, not adoption events. You’re welcome to ask us if any kittens you meet are available for adoption and then submit an application on our website, but we are an all-volunteer organization and need several days to process applications. Submitting an application is just that, an application, and not a guarantee that you will get a kitten. Thanks for understanding!

(For more information on this topic, please refer to the question above, “How do I meet the pets? Can I visit NWAC?”)

That’s great! We are happy to talk to you about as many pets as you want. If you’re thinking about just adopting one but you want to learn about several candidates, or if you’re trying to choose between multiple sibling pairs you want to adopt — whatever the case may be, we totally understand and are here to help.

Please include the names of all the pets you are interested in when you submit your application. (The cat application is here, the dog application is here.) They may be located in different foster homes, so it’s helpful for us to have all the information upfront so we can put you in touch with the right foster parents.

If you submit an app for one or more pets and decide later there are more pets you want to learn about that were not included on your application, you can update your application by contacting us here and choosing the option “Following up on a cat application I submitted” or “Following up on a doc application I submitted,” whichever is applicable.

If they’re listed on as an adoptable pet on our website or on Petfinder, you can assume they’re still available for adoption! If you’re interested in the pet, we recommend applying through our website ASAP. The cat application is here and the dog application is here.

If a pet’s profile has a note that says “no more applications” next to its name, that means that although the pet is still in foster, we have received ample adoption applications for this particular pet and can no longer reply to, or consider, new applicants. Please pay attention to these notes as we would hate to waste your time filling out an application that will not be considered. Instead, we hope you’ll take a look at our adoptable cats and dogs to see if there are other pets you may be interested in adopting!

We do NOT send email confirmations when you submit an application. Instead, you will see an application submission confirmation on your screen after you click the button “submit now.”

Thank you for your patience while we review your application, which takes three business days. If three business days have passed and you haven’t heard from us, you can contact us here. From the dropdown menu under “What is your email regarding,” select “Following up on an adoption application I submitted.”

Effective June 9, 2022, we have slightly increased some adoption fees to reflect the rising costs of veterinary care for our animals. Adoption fees for NWAC pets are as follows:

Kittens (under 1 year): $175
Adult Cats (1–8 years): $140
Senior Cats (9 and up): $70–$100, depending on age
Puppies (under 1 year): $375
Adult Dogs (1–8 years): $300
Senior Dogs (9 and up): $100
Rabbits: $50
Rabbit Pairs: $75

We are in the process of integrating the new fee structure into our listings of adoptable pets. As a result, animals who were made available for adoption prior to June 9, 2022, may be listed with a lower adoption fee, which we will honor. In other words, the adoption fee you see in your pet’s listing is what we will ask you to pay.

Thanks for understanding!

Our adoption fees cover just a fraction of the costs of caring for the animals we rescue. This is why we rely on donations to continue our work saving animals.

Animals in our rescue receive high-quality food, enrichment, bedding, litter, and whatever else they need to be nourished, happy, and comfortable! It is standard for NWAC pets to receive the following services prior to adoption:

• exam

• spay/neuter

• microchip with registrable chip number

• age-appropriate vaccinations, excluding rabies vaccine in most instances

• FIV/FeLV test (for cats)

Additionally, pets with health issues get whatever other care they need: surgeries, antibiotics, antiparasitic medications, diagnostic tests, X-rays, and so on. It’s not unusual for us to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars rehabilitating a young, sick, injured, or disabled pet.

Simply getting a healthy pet altered, chipped, and vaccinated would cost many hundreds of dollars at your local vet’s office — which is why adopting through NWAC is a bargain compared to purchasing a pet or even finding a “free” pet online.

No, we don’t offer adoption fee discounts at this time. We are unable to charge any less than our listed fees. (For a list of fees, please refer to the question, “What is the fee to adopt an NWAC pet?”)

This is because our adoption fees represent a heavily reduced cost compared to what we invest in each animal to get them healthy and ready for adoption. (To learn what we invest in each pet prior to adoption, please refer to the question, “What does the adoption fee cover?)

Simply getting a healthy pet altered, chipped, and vaccinated would cost many hundreds of dollars at your local vet’s office — which is why adopting through NWAC is a bargain compared to purchasing a pet from a breeder or pet store, or even finding a “free” pet online.

The majority of animal shelters in our area accept adoption applications online only. Similarly, our adoption applications are online. (The cat application is here; the dog application is here.) We don’t have a paper version of our application available.

Although we prefer applications to be submitted online, if you’re looking for a dog, you can alternatively contact us by leaving a phone message. A dog adoption coordinator will call you back and talk you through the application questions over the phone.

Unfortunately, if you’re looking for a cat, we can’t facilitate offline applications in any way. Our cat adoption coordinators are responsible for placing a very high volume of pets and rely on the convenience and efficiency of our online processes. We hope you understand.

It’s important to note we have also digitized much of the adoption process (paperwork, payment, etc.). If this poses an inconvenience for you, you may want to consider adopting from another organization.

Sure, you can apply to adopt from us as long as you live in the United States within 300 miles of the Portland metro area. It is NWAC’s policy that we will take back any animal adopted from us at any time if the adoption placement doesn’t work out. (Please see details on that policy below.) To that end, it’s logistically very difficult for us to take an animal back into rescue if it’s located more than 300 miles away.

If you live outside of this 300-mile radius, please do not apply to NWAC. We strongly encourage you to look for adoptable rescue animals closer to home — there are bound to be some special cats and dogs in your area who need loving families!

No, sorry, we can’t facilitate adoptions to residents outside the U.S.

We strongly encourage you to look for adoptable rescue animals in your home country — there are bound to be some special cats and dogs in your area who need loving families!

Adoption applicants must be 18 or older. If you are under 18, please don’t submit an application to us. Thank you!

Yes, some of the pets we rescue are likely pure breeds, although we don’t usually have paperwork confirming their purebred status. The breed/mix of breeds indicated in each animal’s listing is our best guess based on our extensive experience, feedback from our partner shelters (if the animal has been transferred to us), and/or feedback from the previous owner (if applicable).

Some people erroneously believe that they should look for a certain breed of pet depending on the behavior/personality traits they desire in a pet. Please keep in mind breed is not a good predictor of personality or behavior in dogs or cats; the best predictor of a pet’s future behavior is past behavior. You can get to know any NWAC pets you’re interested in by talking to their foster families and learning about what they’re like in a home environment.

The best way to figure out which pet fits you/your family best is to start by browsing our listings of adoptable cats and/or adoptable dogs. If you find one or more animals that pique your interest, please include their names in your application and include as many details as possible about your own wants/needs in a pet. (Please include at least one pet’s name on your application, otherwise we’ll have a hard time processing and routing it.)

If your application is selected to move forward to the next step in the adoption process, you and the pet’s foster parent will be able to talk about the pet’s personality and needs at length so you can both judge whether this pet is a good fit for you. If your application is selected to move forward to a virtual or in-person meeting, you’ll have even more information to be able to make an appropriate decision.

Our volunteers are very invested in finding the best match for their foster pets, just as our adopters are. If you apply for a certain pet and decide at any point in the adoption process that this pet is not for you, we totally understand! Please just let the pet’s foster parent know ASAP so they can pursue other adoption placements.

Please apply for the cat or dog of your choice. If your application is selected to move forward, the foster parent will be happy to answer your questions and help you determine if the pet is an ideal fit for your family. Our volunteers have amazing bonds with their foster pets and can tell you all about their likes, dislikes, personalities, and needs. This is one of the best parts about adopting pets who have spent time in foster!

Sure! Please email us and we will either have one of our adoption coordinators or the volunteer fostering this particular pet reach out to answer your question. (No calls, please.)

Keep in mind that some NWAC pets may be adopted very quickly once they’re made available on our website and Petfinder. If you think you’re interested in adopting this pet but want to know more, we recommend putting in an application as soon as possible. (The cat adoption application is here and the dog adoption application is here.) We’d hate for you to lose the chance to adopt your dream pet because someone else put in an application ahead of yours while you were waiting for your question to be answered.

The cats and dogs on our website are also advertised on Petfinder. Wherever you see an NWAC animal you’re interested in adopting, the application and adoption process are the same: They must be done through our website. Please submit the appropriate application (the cat application is here; the dog application is here) as soon as possible.

We are very fortunate to receive a high volume of applications for NWAC pets each day, and are thrilled that so many people are interested in animal rescue! We receive an even higher volume of Petfinder inquiries — messages from Petfinder users who have seen an NWAC pet and have a question about them — each day.

As volunteers, we do our best to get back to all interested parties but have limited time for correspondence, so we prioritize responding to applicants. That’s why we include a link to our adoption application in every Petfinder profile: so anyone who is serious about wanting to adopt a pet gets a chance to apply.

If you see an NWAC pet on Petfinder that you’re interested in adopting, please do not delay submitting an adoption application by sending an inquiry! We’d hate for you to miss out on a chance at adopting your dream pet because you were waiting for a response to your inquiry while someone else scooped them up.

Thanks for your application! We do our best to process applications efficiently. We are an all-volunteer organization and receive a high volume of applications, so it takes us a few days to process them after they’re submitted.

When you submit your application online, you will see a confirmation message in your browser window letting you know your submission was successful. We ask applicants to kindly wait at least three additional business days for outreach from an NWAC volunteer.

If you have not heard from us in three business days, please check your spam folder to make sure you haven’t missed an email from us.

If you have not heard from us in three business days and you don’t see an email from us in your spam folder, you can follow up with us by email here. In the dropdown menu under “What is this email regarding?” select “Following up on a cat adoption application I submitted” or “Following up on a dog adoption application I submitted” as necessary. No calls, please. Thanks for your patience!

Read more about the adoption process here.

Thanks for following us and/or our foster volunteers on Facebook and Instagram! The cats and dogs you see on our website are pets that are behaviorally and medically ready for adoption, all primed to go to their new homes ASAP.

If you don’t see an NWAC animal here but see it on social media, it’s because the pet either has an adoption pending, is already adopted, or is not ready to go to a forever home. Please feel free to monitor our listings of adoptable cats and dogs to see if the pet you’re interested in becomes available.

Due to a variety of factors, we unfortunately can’t personally update interested parties when the pet(s) of their choice go up for adoption.

The best way to keep tabs on which NWAC animals are available for adoption is to monitor our website’s listings of adoptable cats and adoptable dogs.

Thanks for following our volunteer Jessica on Instagram and TikTok! Please fill out a cat adoption application here. She is unable to respond to DMs about adoption through social media.

Many of our foster volunteers prefer to place their foster kittens in pairs or in homes with another friendly cat. Cat experts like Kitten Lady say kittens are happier in pairs or housed with another playful cat than they are alone. In fact, NWAC usually gets a few kitten applications each week from people who have recently adopted a kitten and realized their new pet needs another kitten friend.

Very occasionally, we have kittens or young cats who would be happier as singles, and when that’s the case we include that information in their adoption profile. We defer to the judgments of our foster volunteers as to whether a kitten should be adopted with a sibling, go to a home with a friendly cat, or go to a home where they are the only cat.

(Note: We sometimes list dogs as bonded pairs, too, if they have lived together in their previous home.)

We ask all adopters to make lifetime commitments to their pets — which can be 20 years or more — and we make every effort to match them with a pet who suits their lifestyle and needs. If you’re struggling with your NWAC adoptee in any way, please contact us so we can connect you with resources to help try to make the placement work. We suggest you reach out at the beginning of any behavior/health concerns before little issues become insurmountable.

That said, we recognize that some of our adoption placements may not be successful despite all parties’ best efforts. If you cannot keep your pet, as per the terms of our adoption contract, we require you to bring them back to NWAC so we may rehome them with a more appropriate family. In some cases, NWAC may need reasonable notice of intent to return the pet so a foster home can be made available. There is no expiration date on this offer; we will readmit any NWAC adoptee, regardless of age or health condition.

It is up to each foster volunteer to decide whether they feel comfortable conducting in-person meet-and-greets with prospective adopters and the animals, or if they feel safer conducting the meet by video chat. Fortunately, we have conducted many, many meet-and-greets through video chat since 2020 and have had excellent results with lots of happy adoptive families!

In-person meet-and-greets are coordinated by foster volunteers and are often conducted in the foster volunteer’s home; if you’re meeting a dog, the foster volunteer may choose a dog-friendly public setting such as a park.

If you are meeting in person and your foster volunteer asks you to wear a mask to the meet, please kindly do so.

Read more about the adoption process here.

No, sorry! We are unable to facilitate same-day adoptions.

Oftentimes, an NWAC pet has multiple adopter meet-and-greets set up to determine the best placement for the pet. That may mean that a placement decision will occur sometime after you meet the pet.

When both you and the foster volunteer speak and agree to move forward with an adoption placement in your home, then we will kick off the multi-day process of completing the adoption. That process requires multiple volunteers arranging paperwork, sending you paperwork, confirming receipt of signed paperwork, scheduling pick-up, and facilitating pick-up. We thank you for your patience and understanding during this process!

Read more about the adoption process here.

NWAC volunteers each have responsibilities to families and jobs in addition to their volunteer work. If you are selected to adopt an animal and agree to move forward, we usually need several days to send you adoption paperwork, confirm receipt of signed paperwork, schedule pick-up of your pet, and facilitate pick-up.

After your adoption contract has been signed and your adoption fee has been paid (a link to complete these items will be texted to you), you and your pet's foster parent will choose a mutually agreeable date and time for pick-up from the foster home.

It is NWAC's policy as well as our ethical duty to ensure that pets go to their adoptive homes in good health. If you choose to adopt a pet who is receiving medical treatment by NWAC, your pick-up date is required to take place after treatment is complete and health issues have resolved. In very rare cases, a health issue may emerge after completion of adoption paperwork and before pick-up. Therefore, pick-up dates/times are subject to change based on animals’ health status and other urgent concerns. Any veterinary care while animals are in custody with NWAC is facilitated and paid for by NWAC.

Read more about the adoption process here. We thank you for your patience and understanding during this process!

NWAC typically receives more than one application — sometimes many applications — for each pet. Therefore, we are unable to provide each hopeful adopter with a pet to adopt. We recognize this may disappoint some applicants. If we can’t fulfill your application, we’ll do our best to inform you in a timely manner.

Pet safety and well-being is NWAC‘s top priority during the adoption process. When we review adoption applications, we first seek to ensure that applicants can meet our organization’s pet safety standards. Then, we look for the adopter or adoptive family who is best equipped to meet the specific needs of that particular animal.

Please remember NWAC is run exclusively by volunteers donating their time and skills to animals in need. Therefore, NWAC has adopted the following safety policy for the protection of volunteers and animals:

Disrespect, harassment, intimidation, and threats to the safety and well-being of volunteers or animals will not be tolerated. Any adoption applicant who exhibits such behavior at any point in the adoption process will be permanently ineligible for adoption from NWAC. Thank you for understanding.

No, sorry. It is NWAC policy to share pet medical records with adoptive families only. Our volunteers get many calls and emails each week from third parties requesting records that the pets’ adopters already have. It is the adopter’s responsibility to retain their pet’s medical/vaccination records and share them with other parties as needed. Thanks for understanding!

Your pet’s records were shared with you upon completion of adoption paperwork. If you adopted in 2020 or earlier, a physical copy of the records was provided to you. If you adopted in 2021 or later, the records were emailed to you via Shelterluv. (Look for the subject line “Northwest Animal Companions has shared pet records with you!”)

We understand that records sometimes get lost and can resend them to you — just you! — with adequate notice. Please contact us and provide your name, the pet’s name at the time of adoption, your phone number, and your email address. We will try to email these records to you within three business days.

The fastest way to donate to NWAC is through our donation page. We accept one-time and monthly donations as well as donation dedications in another person’s name.

Thank you for thinking of NWAC! It means so much to us.

Yes! We happily accept donations by check. Please mail checks to:

Attn: NWAC Donations
6663 SW Beaverton Hillsdale Hwy., #104
Portland, OR 97225

Please note this is a PO Box, not a physical location for our rescue. Please also note we can’t accept cash donations.

Yes, donations to NWAC are eligible for tax deduction! We are a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization under the U.S. Internal Revenue Code. Our EIN is 02-0714780.

Yes, absolutely. If you give online through our donation page, you will automatically be emailed a thank-you note complete with tax receipt. Please save this for your records.

If you lose track of your receipt or multiple receipts for online donations, please go to givelively.org and set up a Give Lively user account with the email address associated with your donation(s). Once you’ve logged into your account, select Donation History from the menu at left. You’ll find all your receipts here!

If you donate supplies or send a check, we’ll provide you with a hand-written tax receipt.

Here’s how to update your recurring donations to NWAC if you gave through our website’s donation page:

Please go to givelively.org and register for an account with the email address associated with your online monthly donations. Through your Give Lively user portal, you can make adjustments like updating the amount you give monthly, changing your payment method, or outright cancelling the recurring donation. For technical assistance, please contact Give Lively support by chat or email through their website.

If you’ve been donating to NWAC through PayPal, please see the question, “Can I give to NWAC with PayPal?”

If you’ve been donating to NWAC through Shelterluv, please see the question, “How do I update donations made using Shelterluv?”

Although NWAC still has a PayPal account to process recurring donations initiated before 2022, we are processing new donations with a fundraising platform called Give Lively, which uses the trusted payment processor Stripe.

Give Lively offers a slew of benefits including lower processing fees (better for the animals, since it saves us money) and instant tax receipts by email (better for you, our incredible donor, come tax season). Also, when you make a free account at givelively.org, you can access your NWAC donation history and receipts at any time — so convenient!

If you’d like to transition your donations from PayPal to Give Lively, here’s how to do that.

To set up a recurring donation with Give Lively:

1. Go to our Donate page.

2. Fill in your desired donation amount, making sure the Monthly button is selected.

3. Select your payment method (Apple Pay, credit card, or checking account). You may choose to cover the processing fee if you like.

4. Click the button to donate monthly.

5. Receive your automatic receipt via email.

To cancel your recurring donation with PayPal:

1. Go to PayPal and log in.

2. From the top navigation, select Activity.

3. Click on your most recent payment to NWAC.

4. In the left column, above the transaction ID, select Manage Northwest Animal Companions Payments.

5. Next to Status (just under the transaction amount), click Cancel.

6. When the confirmation screen comes up, click the button Cancel Automatic Payments.

If you have questions about Give Lively and Stripe, feel free to contact us for help. (Don’t worry — we won’t need you to give any sensitive financial information in order to help you.)

Some of our supporters choose to make one-time or recurring donations NWAC through Shelterluv, the software we use to process pet adoptions. You may have used Shelterluv for your donation if you opted to include a donation with your adoption fee during check-out.

If you need to make changes or cancellations to donations made using Shelterluv, please search your email inbox for messages from Shelterluv. Immediately after you made your initial donation, you should have received an email from Shelterluv allowing you to manage/cancel your donation subscription. Please make any necessary changes this way, or email Shelterluv support if you can’t find this email.

Unfortunately, we at NWAC do not have the power to manage or cancel recurring donations through Shelterluv — you must get in touch with Shelterluv for help if you can’t complete the transaction on your own. Thank you for understanding!

We greatly appreciate donations from businesses and the local community!

We accept items including, but not limited to:

• cat and dog food

• cat litter

• bedding and towels

• medications

• toys

• food dishes

• leashes and collars

Please contact us and we’ll let you know how to donate your items.

Items we CANNOT accept include:

• used litter boxes

• used furniture such as couches

• opened and expired food bags/containers (expired = past the printed date or opened over a month ago)

If you don’t have items to give but would like to support our rescue with a financial donation, please kindly make a donation here.

NWAC is a little different from traditional shelters and rescues: We don’t have paid staff, a central shelter facility, or any facilities, for that matter. We’re 100 percent volunteer-run and care for our animals in foster volunteers’ homes. That means our overhead costs are extremely minimal and the vast majority of our funds go directly to the care of dogs and cats.

Our no. 1 biggest expense, by a landslide, is medical care: All animals are examined by a veterinarian, vaccinated, microchipped, spayed or neutered, and given whatever other care they may need. This may include surgeries, dental cleanings, diagnostic testing, antiparasitic meds, antibiotics, and so forth.

Our next biggest expense is the daily care and maintenance of the animals: food, litter, litter boxes, hygiene items, leashes, collars, and so on. We also accept material donations of these types of items to reduce spending.

We channel a small portion of our funds to needy individuals who are experiencing temporary hardship (lack of housing, incapacitation, etc.) and need help caring for their pets. This helps prevent pets who are loved and well cared for from entering rescue needlessly.

Lastly, we spend a very small amount of our funds on administrative needs, like payment processing fees (for donations and adoption payments), our PO Box, and stationery and postage for mailing donor receipts.

Yes! Please see these other ways to give. We’re grateful for any help to our rescue.

NWAC is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization and we would love your help! Our greatest need is foster volunteers, but we also need volunteers to help with transportation, training, events, and kennel cleaning.

Transportation volunteers typically help us shuttle pets between foster homes and vet appointments as well as pick up incoming rescue pets from the local airport. These assignments are very low-commitment but extremely helpful to us!

Training volunteers help us (surprise!) train dogs by helping them learn basic commands. These volunteers make our dogs better adoption candidates and also increase the odds of successful adoption placement.

Events and cleaning volunteers help us host adoption events at local pet supply stores and keep the animals’ kennels clean while they’re there. These volunteers help us get our animals into loving adoptive homes efficiently — one of our top priorities.

If you’d like to contribute in one of those ways or by doing something totally different — such as grantwriting, fundraising, event planning, pet training, or something else — please let us know by reaching out using the email form here. And thank you very much for your generosity!

Unfortunately, NWAC doesn’t have any one-time, in-person volunteer opportunities available. Sorry!

If you’d like to help NWAC on a limited remote basis, we appreciate anything you can do to solicit/drop off donations of kitten food (Royal Canin and Hill’s Science Diet are most needed) and litter (pellet/paper litter such as Okocat, Wee Kitty, etc., are most desired). You can contact us for a drop-off address. Thank you!

Fostering involves caring for homeless pets in your home until they can be permanently adopted by another individual or family. When pets come into our rescue, they always go to foster before going to their adoptive homes.

Some animals come to NWAC from other shelters and are more or less ready to be adopted: They’re friendly, vaccinated, spayed/neutered, have tested negative for infectious illness, and so on. Those animals usually stay in foster for a short time, just until we can match them them great adoptive families.

However, many more animals come to NWAC with needs that have to be resolved before a successful adoption. They may have behavioral issues such as shyness around people or lack of house-training. Others have medical issues that need TLC. For example, a pet may need to be spayed/neutered or have a few fleas; they may have dental disease and need a thorough teeth cleaning, or a broken bone that needs to be set and healed. We get these animals the veterinary treatment, socializing, and/or training they need while they’re in foster. When those issues resolve, we put them up for adoption.

Fostering is a fun and rewarding hobby for volunteers. When you have a foster pet or pets in your home, you can expect to spend a couple hours each day on tasks related to their foster pets: playing, cuddling, cleaning, administering meds if needed, taking them to vet appointments, and (for dogs) going for walks and potty breaks.

Yes! We need fosters for cats and/or dogs. We ask that all foster volunteers:

• Provide safe, loving homes for our rescues

• Provide transportation to and from adoption events and medical appointments in the Beaverton, OR, area

• Make themselves and their foster pets available for meet-and-greets with prospective adopters, either in person or by video chat

Fostering is a fun and rewarding hobby for volunteers. When you have a foster pet or pets in your home, you can expect to spend a couple hours each day on tasks related to their foster pets: playing, cuddling, cleaning, administering meds if needed, taking them to vet appointments, and (for dogs) going for walks and potty breaks.

If you’d like to foster, please apply here.

No, you don’t need to front any costs in order to foster! We cover the cost of veterinary care and provide foster volunteers with essential supplies such as food, blankets, kennels, toys, litter boxes, and litter. Please let us know your supply needs when you commit to a fostering assignment so we can be sure to get you the items you need.

Some foster volunteers may choose to buy their own supplies for convenience or if they have strong preferences (for example, they prefer to use a specific brand of cat litter), but again, this is not required.

If you decide to buy supplies on your own, these are tax deductible! Please keep track of your receipts; we can provide you with a hand-written tax receipt at the end of the year, if you like.

Yep! Please let us know what kind of animals you’re interested in fostering (cats or dogs). Please also let us know any limitations you may have (e.g., you can foster adult dogs but not puppies) or other helpful details (e.g., you have experience fostering undersocialized kittens).

Keep in mind that the fewer restrictions you have on the type of fostering assignments you’re willing to take, the more assignments will be available to you. Then, whenever you’re available to foster, we’ll try to match you with opportunities that meet your requests.

The duration of fostering varies depending on animal’s age and medical needs. Some assignments may last as briefly as a few weeks while others may last longer. Generally, the animals stay in your care until permanent homes can be found for them.

Please share your availability with us and we’ll match you with fostering opportunities that are a fit for your lifestyle and schedule. But if at any time you are no longer able to care for your foster, an NWAC care coordinator will find an alternative placement for them.

NWAC foster volunteers can foster as frequently or infrequently as they like. We can always find an animal in a high-kill shelter that needs a loving, caring foster home to keep them warm and safe until they are adopted. Once you’re approved to foster with us, just reach out to your care coordinator to let them know whenever you’re ready for a new foster assignment, and they will work to find one for you.

Yes, absolutely! Most of our foster volunteers have their own pets. Some choose to let their resident pets mingle with their foster pets while others keep the two groups separate for the duration of the foster assignment. Generally, to avoid spreading any unknown illnesses to your resident pets, it’s safest to keep foster pets separate for the first two weeks of the assignment. Cats can be kept in a spare room, bathroom, playpen, or kennel.

Absolutely, you can foster for other organizations and foster for us, too. Plenty of our volunteers do!

However, for safety reasons, we do require that NWAC animals are the only foster animals in your home for the entire duration of their placement. It’s fine if you want to foster for other organizations between foster assignments with us, though.

You can have as many fosters as you feel comfortable having in your home provided you can safely care for all of them. If you only wish to have one foster at a time, that’s fine; just let your NWAC care coordinator know your preferences.

Adult foster cats and dogs typically go to homes solo unless they’re in a bonded pair. Puppies and kittens typically go to foster homes with their whole litter to encourage proper socialization; lactating mothers and their unweaned babies are also fostered together until the babies are weaned.

If your foster pet needs medical care, it is the foster parent’s responsibility to reach out to their NWAC coordinator ASAP so they can schedule an appointment with one of NWAC’s veterinary clinic partners. Talk with your coordinator about the pet’s symptoms and how long they have been occurring so the coordinator can assess whether the pet needs urgent or non-urgent care. Generally, NWAC pets should not be taken to into an unapproved clinic for medical care without prior authorization from your coordinator.

If you think your pet is ready for spay/neuter surgery or other routine care like vaccinations, please also reach out to your coordinator to schedule an appointment. Generally, pets need to be in good health to get surgery or vaccines, and they must be at least 8 weeks old and weigh at least two pounds in order to be altered.

It’s not unusual for NWAC to have over 100 pets in foster, and most local vet clinics are understaffed due to the veterinary professional shortage in the U.S. We appreciate your patience if it takes a few days or weeks to get them in for a spay/neuter appointment.

If your foster pet needs emergency care, it is the foster parent’s responsibility to reach out to their NWAC coordinator ASAP. Your coordinator will typically call ahead to the approved emergency clinic closest to you so the clinic knows to expect you. If for some reason you’re unable to reach your foster coordinator, you can call the head coordinator on your team (Ami for cats, Elaine for dogs) to talk through your issue and get approval. Make sure to save your main coordinator and head coordinator’s’ information in your phone so you know who to turn to in an emergency!

If your foster isn’t working out for any reason, please contact your NWAC care coordinator and they will assist you in removing the foster from your home and getting them into another foster home. Please understand we are an all-volunteer organization so it may take some time to line up a new foster home, therefore we urge you to reach out ASAP for help.

NWAC advertises pets who are medically and behaviorally ready to go to their forever homes through our website, Petfinder, and social media.

If your foster pet is spayed or neutered, healthy, vaccinated, and isn’t showing behavioral concerns, your coordinator can list them for adoption on Petfinder/our website. It is the foster volunteer’s responsibility to send clear photos and a personality profile to their coordinator so the pet can be listed.

Additionally, we encourage foster volunteers to advertise their foster pets through their own social networks: Facebook, Instagram, Nextdoor, etc.

NWAC screens all adoption applications that come in and the foster family is allowed to choose the adoptive family from among those approved applications.

See the question above, please!

Yep! When you start fostering with NWAC, you’ll be assigned to a care coordinator. Your care coordinator will screen all applications for your foster pets to ensure the applications are in line with NWAC policies — but you get to choose your foster’s adoptive family from among approved applicants. Our volunteers love getting to know adoptive families and being able to follow their foster pets’ journeys through life.

The foster volunteer is forwarded all approved applications for their foster pets by email. From there, it is up to the volunteer to schedule meet-and-greets and choose the pet’s adoptive family.

Most foster volunteers first screen applicants by phone or email before setting up meet-and-greets. You can set up meet-and-greets one at a time, or schedule a few meet-and-greets per animal and then make a decision about which applicant is the best fit.

Meet-and-greets for cats usually take place in the foster volunteer’s home. If you’re not comfortable having adoption applicants in your home, you can conduct meet-and-greets by video chat. Please ask the applicant to bring all members of their household to the meet.

Meet-and-greets for dogs usually take place in the foster volunteer’s home or a neutral outdoor location like a dog park. Please ask the applicant to bring all human members of the household, as well as any dogs in the house, to the meet.

In most cases, foster volunteers have first right of refusal when it’s time for their foster pets to go to adoptive homes, so if you decide you can’t part with your foster, you don’t have to. Most shelters and rescues refer to the process of adopting your foster pet as a “foster fail,” but we prefer to think of it as a foster win!

In rare cases, NWAC agrees to temporarily foster an animal with a plan to return the animal to the owner after a short, predetermined period of time. (For instance, the owner may be medically incapacitated and need time to recover before bringing their pet home.) In these cases, the pet would not be available for adoption by you. We always give this information to foster volunteers upfront so they can decide whether this type of assignment is something they’re up for or not!

Although it can be bittersweet to say goodbye, most of our volunteers are happy to see their foster pets graduate to their forever homes! Here’s what some of our foster volunteers have to say:

“For me, it’s hard in the moment, but when their new parent comes to pick them up, I’m overwhelmed with joy. Plus, because I get such a big say in choosing the adopters, I’m already invested in that person.” —Rachelle

“Our goodbyes are sad, but saying hello to the next group that needs our help is worth it every time.” —Nicole

“I always say ‘goodbye is the goal.’ And being able to choose our adopters makes it all worth it. And then to get a new batch of kittens is the best feeling ever!” —Montana

NWAC’s leadership team is grateful and proud to have so many volunteers donating their time and skills to pets in need. Disrespect, harassment, intimidation, and threats to the safety and well-being of volunteers or animals are not tolerated by NWAC. Individuals who exhibit such behaviors are not eligible to adopt from or volunteer with NWAC.

If adoption applicants, volunteers, or anyone else who interacts with NWAC treats you or an animal in a way that makes you uncomfortable, please escalate your concerns to your care coordinator so they can help.

Being an NWAC volunteer necessarily involves interacting with members of the public. If you’re a foster volunteer, you’ll also need to communicate with potential adopters by phone, email, and/or in person. This is an experience that many of our volunteers find fun and extremely rewarding!

If you want to protect your personal information while conducting your volunteer duties, here are some helpful suggestions:

• Emails: Don’t want to use your personal email address in communication with adopters? Please let us know! We’d be happy to set you up with an NWAC email address that identifies you by your first name only so you can communicate with adopters. You’re also welcome to create a free email account through email service providers like Gmail.

• Phone calls: When calling adoption applicants, dial *67 before dialing the person’s number; this will block your number from caller ID. You can also consider downloading the Google Voice app to your smartphone; it’s free to get a new phone number through Google Voice and use it for calls to applicants.

• Meet-and-greets: Although many foster volunteers feel comfortable conducting their meet-and-greets in person at their homes (especially foster parents of cats), foster volunteers are absolutely not required to share their home addresses with adoption applicants or invite applicants to their homes. We have had great success using Zoom for video meetings with pets, particularly cats. If you’re fostering a dog and don’t want to use your home for meetings, consider arranging to meet at a local park instead. If you decide to set up meets in your home, we suggest scheduling them when another adult — a family member, friend, or neighbor — can be home with you.

• Drop-offs: If you don’t want to have adopters pick up their pet from your home, arrange to meet at a neutral location like a pet supply store (Petco, Mud Bay, etc.). Just make sure that pets are secure: cats in carriers, and dogs on leashes.

Unfortunately, at this time, NWAC cannot fulfill the supervisory/paperwork requirements of individuals completing court-mandated community service assignments.

If you’re interested in volunteering in animal welfare to fulfill your court-mandated service hours, we suggest reaching out to large local animal shelters such as Oregon Humane Society. OHS has more information about its court-mandated community service program here; it is open to new volunteers occasionally.