26 Pet Charities to Donate to This Giving Tuesday

After all of the indulgence of Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, it can feel good to pay our good fortune forward. That’s where Giving Tuesday comes in. Started in 2012 by Henry Timms of the 92nd Street Y in New York City, the initiative encourages people to do good for the world and put some of their time and money toward worthy causes. For pet parents and admirers interested in helping out pets specifically, we put together a list of pet charities that you could donate to on this Giving Tuesday.

1. Blind Cat Rescue

Blind Cat Rescue was founded in 2005 to house blind cats who were going to be put down by their shelters. In 2011, the founders — a mother and daughter team — expanded their efforts to create a second shelter for leukemia positive (FELV-positive) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV-positive) cats. They currently care for over 60 cats in cage-free, no-kill shelters.

2. Feeding Pets of the Homeless

Feeding Pets of the Homeless is a national nonprofit that helps people experiencing homelessness access food and emergency healthcare for their beloved pets. The organization provides pet food donation sites, wellness clinics, and pet crates, so people can keep their pets by their side and make sure they stay healthy and happy. As the website says: “Homeless individuals tell us that their pets offer them unconditional companionship. Their pets, just like your pet, offers them comfort, loyalty and love in the form of licks and wagging tails.”

3. Marley’s Mutts

Zach Skow was diagnosed with end-stage liver disease in 2009. When he left the hospital, he decided to give back to the dogs who had helped him stay strong along the way, and Marley Mutts was born. Within a decade, Marley Mutts all but eliminated euthanasia in its home base of Kern County, California. The organization now has a 20-acre ranch that houses about 75 animals and has branched out to include major rescue missions, including evacuating 300 animals from Afghanistan to Canada to be reunited with their families or adopted.

4. The Animal Pad

Animal Pad rescues dogs from the high-kill shelters and streets of San Diego, Southern California, and Mexico. Their 300 volunteers drive in and out of the country, searching for dogs — often with medical issues from being born on the street — and rehabilitating them so they can have happy lives in forever homes.

5. Dr. Kwane Stewart a.k.a. “The Street Vet” 

Dr. Kwane Stewart has been treating the pets of unhoused people for about a decade, helping them access medication and treatments for their beloved animals. He aims not only to save animals but also to shift common biases about people experiencing homelessness. As he writes on his GoFundMe page, “Project Street Vet is committed to protecting the human-animal bond that is so vital to the livelihood of not only these pets, but to the people who love them, too.” His non-profit outreach is funded entirely through donations.

6. Frosted Faces Foundation

Frosted Faces Foundation gives veterinary care and adoption opportunities to senior animals. Since 2014, the organization has been advocating for abandoned senior dogs and funding lifelong medical care and supplies for adoptees. Their new on-site veterinary hospital will be offered to all dogs living at their facility, all FFF adopters, and all FFF fosters for free. 

7. Korean K9

Gina Boehler started rescuing dogs and cats in 2012 and founded  Korean K9 Rescue in 2017. The New York City-based operation finds fosters in the city for the dogs who were rescued and transported from Korean dog-meat farms, high-kill shelters, and slaughterhouses. Then, the goal is for them to find their homes with adopters — some whose names you might recognize, like Crazy Rich Asians 

8. Stand Up For Pits Foundation

Inspired by Angel, a “pibble” she adopted, comedian Rebecca Corry started the Stand Up For Pits Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to ending the abuse and discrimination of Pit Bull-type dogs through education and advocacy. SUFP’s hosts live events and comedy shows to raise funds and awareness, sponsors free Pit Bull-type dog spay/neuter clinics for underserved communities, organizes donation drives for shelters in need of supplies, awards Angel Grants to rescue groups around the country in support of front-line rescue efforts, and showcases adoptable dogs on Instagram.

9. Lanai Cat Sanctuary

Founded in response to the large stray cat population and the lack of veterinary resources on the Hawaiian island of Lanai, the Lanai Cat Sanctuary currently houses over 600 cats on 3.5 acres of land. There, cats are given medical help, shelter, and lots of love. The sanctuary is entirely funded by donations; for $25, you can feed 140 cats for a day. You can also sponsor a specific cat and receive updates about their happy, free-roaming life.

10. Pilots to the Rescue

Pilots to the Rescue has been rescuing animals and relocating them for the better part of the past decade. The nonprofit supports a network of trained volunteer pilots whose missions involve collecting animals from kill shelters and relocating them to less crowded groups or potential adopters. Pilots to the Rescue is often one of the first animal organizations to respond to natural disasters.

11. The Animal Coalition

A new non-profit made up of rescuers, trainers, veterinarians, lawyers, and other animal lovers, The Animal Coalition aims to improve the lives of shelter animals in the Los Angeles area. With their latest project, Beds & Blankets, they aim to deliver thousands of blankets and 1000 Kuranda dog beds to shelters, so dogs do not have to sleep on cold and wet floors. 

12. Flatbush Cats

An ad agency strategist by day, Will Zweigart founded Flatbush Cats in 2018, a nonprofit focused on TNR (trap, neuter, return). His team trains Flatbush residents to TNR cats in the neighborhood in hopes of curbing one of the borough’s most enduring problems. Last year, Flatbush Cats built a brand-new, low cost, high-volume spay/neuter and basic care veterinary clinic from the ground up.

13. Stray Cat Alliance

Stray Cat Alliance saves the lives of cats in a number of ways: They find foster and forever homes for homeless kitties through their adoption program, manage feral cat colonies by conducting targeted Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) efforts in South Los Angeles neighborhoods, donate food to community cat caregivers, and take in newborn kittens from local shelters who need to be bottle-fed to survive. They also partner with Cat Cafe Lounge, which showcases their adoptable cats.

14. Wags & Walks

Wags & Walks helps reduce euthanasia in shelters and raise awareness for rescue dogs, with a focus on advocating for stereotyped bully breeds and other often overlooked dogs. Since 2011, Wags & Walks has saved more than 10,500 dogs. Their adoption centers in West LA and Nashville serve as community hubs for events, volunteering, and adoption. 

15. Rescue Rebuild

Rescue Rebuild is a program that recruits volunteers to help renovate and rebuild animal shelters around the country to make them more hospitable for pets. They also help renovate domestic violence and homeless shelters to make them more animal friendly so people checking in can keep their beloved pets with them.

16. Paws for Life

Paws for Life is a California-based charity that takes dogs from city and county shelters from around the state and pairs them with incarcerated individuals who have undergone rigorous training to become dog trainers. Some of the dogs are trained to be service dogs for military veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Others are prepared for their Canine Good Citizen (CGC) certification, and then adopted out to families.

17. America’s Vet Dogs

America’s Vet Dogs is a New York-based charity that helps place specially trained service dogs with veterans and first responders in need — at no cost. They offer service and guide dogs who can help with PTSD, hearing and vision loss, seizure disorders, and physical injuries. As they say: “Our mission is to help those who have served our country honorably live with dignity and independence.”

18. The Mr. Mo Project

The Mr. Mo Project is dedicated toward providing aid for elderly dogs who are often abandoned or surrendered to shelters because of the increased price of their care. Started by Mariesa and Chris Hughes after their own personal heartbreaking experience caring for their senior dog, Mo, the organization partners with rescue affiliates and volunteers to provide lifelong support by paying vet bills. With participants in New York, Ohio, and Florida, The Mr. Mo Project is striving to make a national impact improving the welfare of older dogs across states.

19. Texas Coalition for Animal Protection

When the Texas Coalition for Animal Protection (TCAP) was started in 2002, its original focus was on providing affordable spaying and neutering services for pets. Since then, it’s expanded to provide a range of other services, including dental cleanings, heartworm prevention, and microchipping for pets whose pet parents might not be able to afford these services otherwise. According to their website, the TCAP’s costs are typically 70 percent lower than what typical veterinary clinics charge.

20. Neighborhood Cats

The New York City group Neighborhood Cats has been at the forefront of developing best practices to deal with feral and stray cats for years. Specifically, the group helps facilitate TNR efforts around the city. Cats are gathered up and taken to veterinary clinics where they are spayed or neutered, and vaccinated. Then, those that are not suitable for adoption are returned to their original habitat, where, because they’ve been neutered, the population of strays is less likely to grow. These cats are also less likely to engage in nuisance behavior. It’s good for the cats, and good for the neighborhood!

21. Unchain OK

Unchain OK (Oklahoma Animal Alliance) is a volunteer-based organization focused on ending one of the most common forms of animal abuse — chaining. Chained dogs often face emotional and mental challenges because of the isolation of that experience. Beyond that, chained animals are easy targets for abusers and predators. Unchain OK works to educate pet parents about the dangers associated with chaining dogs, while also providing alternatives and other basic needs, including doghouses, straw, food, and trolleys. 

22. Muttville Senior Dog Rescue

Muttville focuses on protecting senior and other less desirable adoptees who would be euthanized in other shelters. Their shelter is cage-free and provides medical care and foster opportunities. To date, Muttville has rescued over 10,000 dogs and adopted countless out through events and outreach.

23. Pup Culture Rescue

Founded by CEO and author Victoria Lily Shaffer, Pup Culture Rescue saves homeless and mistreated animals both locally in the LA area and internationally. They then provide medical treatment and rehabilitation with the aim of finding them forever homes.

24. Houston Humane Society

The Houston Humane Society is dedicated to ending animal abuse, cruelty, and overpopulation. Through their rescue and adoption work, they advocate for the Five Freedoms: freedom from hunger or thirst; freedom from discomfort; freedom from pain, injury, or disease; freedom to express normal behavior; and freedom from fear and distress. They rely entirely on donations and special events to do their life-saving work. 

25. Badass Animal Rescue

Badass Animal Rescue is a Brooklyn-based rescue offering veterinary care including spay/neuter, vaccinations, deworming, heartworm testing and treatment, and flea/tick and heartworm preventatives to vulnerable pups from underserved shelters and communities. Since March of 2011, Badass has saved 3,400 dogs from high-kill shelters.

26. Muddy Paws

In 2015, after volunteering part-time at rescues, pianist Rachael Ziering quit her day job and started Muddy Paws Rescue. The nonprofit aims to make adoption as inclusive as possible to remove barriers to pet parenthood. In 2022, Muddy Paws saved 1,068 lives.