How do I adopt one of these cats?

Open the cat's card. It takes you to that cat's page on its own shelter or rescue's website, and that group handles the whole adoption: the application, meeting the cat, the fee and the paperwork. NC Pet Project lists pets from many groups in one place. We do not house animals or take adoption applications.

How current is this list?

We read each shelter's and rescue's own adoption list once a day, early in the morning, and rebuild this page from it. A cat adopted since our last check can still show here until the next one, so the shelter's own page has the final word. How the list works names every source and when we last checked it.

Why are some pets marked as on a stray hold?

Some shelters list a stray as soon as it comes in, while it waits out the holding period that gives an owner time to reclaim it. Those pets cannot be adopted yet, so the list hides them at first and leaves them out of every count on this page. Untick "Hide pets on stray hold" under More filters to see them.

Cats for adoption in North Carolina

More than 6,500 cats, including more than 3,200 kittens, are waiting at 228 North Carolina shelters and rescues in 78 counties. Every cat links to its own shelter or rescue, which handles the adoption.

Cats for adoption by county

Pick your county to see the cats at its shelters and rescues, along with low-cost spay and neuter help nearby.

No cats listed today in 22 counties: Alleghany, Anson, Ashe, Bertie, Bladen, Camden, Chowan, Gates, Greene, Hyde, Jones, Macon, Martin, Northampton, Perquimans, Richmond, Robeson, Scotland, Transylvania, Tyrrell, Vance and Washington.

Counts from our latest daily check, without pets on a stray hold. A shelter or rescue that serves more than one county counts in each.

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Adopting a cat in North Carolina

Before you adopt, read our guides to kitten season in NC, how to spot a legitimate rescue and when to spay or neuter a cat.