Meet our cats
Every one of them is waiting for someone
Kittens, seniors, bonded pairs and lap cats. Photos and personalities for every cat we have right now are on Petfinder.
Meet them on Petfinder
Every cat here started out as a stray.
Precious Paws is a no-kill, all-volunteer rescue for stray cats and kittens in Orange County, New York. Every cat is spayed or neutered, tested for FIV and FeLV, vaccinated, wormed, and treated for fleas before it goes home.
- Status
- No-kill
- Staffing
- 100% volunteer
- Registered
- 501(c)(3)
- Serving
- Orange County, NY
Our mission
Rescuing the strays of Orange County
Precious Paws, Inc. is a no-kill, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization solely staffed by volunteers who are dedicated to the rescue of stray cats and kittens in Orange County, NY.
All of our cats are altered, tested for FIV/FeLV, vaccinated, wormed and treated for fleas/mites. All of our kittens have had at least one distemper vaccine, have been tested for FIV/FeLV, and have had at least one worming treatment. All of our kittens will be altered by five months. We will follow up with any kitten adopted prior to altering as agreed upon at the time of adoption. We also follow up with every cat adopted from our organization by phone call or home visit. We also reserve the right to take back any cat if we find that they are being abused, neglected or if the adopter made false statements on their application.
Our felines are fully attended to medically, socialized in one of our foster homes and placed for adoption. We do however also have special needs cats, i.e. animals that are difficult to socialize or are handicapped. If you are interested in saving a little life, please call. We try very hard to match the right feline with the right person. We are also strong advocates of T/N/R (Trap/Neuter/Return) methods for managing feral cat colonies. If you would like more info on T/N/R please visit Alley Cat Allies’ website or e-mail us. We are also in need of monetary donations for our Spay/Neuter Fund and for medical expenses.
Adopt
Cats looking for homes right now
Our current cats and kittens are listed on Petfinder, which updates the moment a cat is adopted — so what you see is always what is actually available.
Updated continuously
See who is available today
Photos, ages, temperaments, and which cats need to go home together — kept current on our Petfinder page. Bonded pairs are marked, and so are cats who would rather be the only pet in the house.
View all cats on Petfinder
Get in touch
An email to adoptions@preciouspawsny.org. That is the whole first step.
We call you
A volunteer talks with you about your home and the cat you have in mind.
Application and interview
Our written application, on paper, and a personal interview with every applicant.
Home visit, then home
We visit every home before a cat goes to it. Then, if it is right for both of you, they go home with you.
First step
Start the adoption process
We ask more of adopters than most rescues do, and we mean to. Every applicant sits down with us for a personal interview, and we visit every home before a cat goes to it. This first step is simply how you reach us.
Email us to say you’re interested
This is not the application. It is just how you reach us — write to us, a volunteer will call you, and the process starts from there.
What happens after this
- A volunteer calls you to talk about your home and the cat you have in mind.
- You fill in our written application. It stays on paper, by design.
- We sit down with you for a personal interview.
- We visit your home. Every adopter, every time.
- If it is the right match for both of you, your cat goes home.
Please include:
- Your name and a phone number — we do this by phone, and it is much faster than email
- The best time to reach you
- Which cat you are interested in, from Petfinder, or “not sure yet”
- Who lives with you, any pets you already have, and any questions you would like answered on the call
A volunteer calls everyone who writes, usually within a few days. We do not do same-day adoptions.
Like to read ahead? Download our written application to see what we ask. There is no need to fill it in yet — we will go through it with you.
Adoption center
Come meet them in Newburgh
Our cats are housed at our adoption center inside PetSmart in Newburgh, where you can meet them by appointment. Cats already settled with a foster can be visited by arrangement — just ask.
Adoption center at PetSmart
156 Old Little Britain RoadNewburgh, NY 12550
Near Home Depot
Get directions
Visits by appointment
Adoptions are by appointment. Email us to arrange a time that suits you.
Help out
Ways to help that are not money
Cats we rescue are housed at our adoption center in PetSmart Newburgh until a foster home opens up for them. The number of cats we can take in is set by how many people are willing to help — at the center, and in their own homes.
Foster a cat
Take a cat or a litter out of the center and into a quiet room at home, until they are ready to be adopted. We cover food, litter, and all veterinary care — you provide the space and the company.
Ask about fostering
Volunteer at the center
Two hours on a day that suits you: clean the cages and dishes, refresh food and water, and spend time with the cats who are waiting for a foster place. Full training first. Volunteers must be 19 or older.
Volunteer with us
Trap, neuter, return
We manage feral colonies across the county with TNR. Help us trap, transport to spay and neuter appointments, or keep an eye on a colony near you.
Join a TNR teamEmail us about helping
No commitment yet. Tell us what interests you and someone from the rescue will be in touch to talk it over.
Please include:
- Your name and a phone number
- When you are usually free
- How you would like to help: fostering, the adoption center, trap-neuter-return, fundraisers, or something else
- For the adoption center, that you are 19 or older
- Any experience with cats, other pets at home, or questions you have
Someone from the rescue will get back to you, usually within a few days.
Next event
The Annual Bingo Bash
- When
- Sunday, October 25, 2026, 1 to 6 PM
- Where
- American Legion Post 1796
29 Walnut St, New Windsor, NY 12553
Get directions - Tickets
- $45 each — ten game cards, snacks, prizes, and a cash bar
- RSVP
- Required — call 845-728-2276
Our flagship fundraiser. Prizes donated by our supporters mean every game is a chance to win something special while helping the cats.
Tables fill up, so call early if you want to sit with your friends — tell us how many seats you need and we will keep you together.
Event news
Hear about our next event
Leave your email and we’ll let you know when our next event is coming up.
Almost done — check your inbox
We’ve sent a confirmation email to . Click the link in it and you’re on the list.
Demonstration only — nothing was submitted.
Donate
What a donation actually pays for
Basic care for one rescued cat costs about $50.
That covers spay or neuter, a rabies shot, and a distemper vaccine. It does not cover flea treatment, FIV and FeLV testing, or the emergency surgeries that arrive without warning. Every donation is tax deductible.
You’ll finish on PayPal’s secure page. Card or PayPal account both work.
- Become a Guardian Angel
- Sponsor a cat who may never be adoptable — $15 a month, or $150 a year. You get their photo and their story.
- Donate in someone’s name
- A $20 tribute donation, and we send a card naming the person you gave it for.
Cat joke of the day
Why was the cat sitting on the computer?
Show the answer
To keep an eye on the mouse.
Cat trivia of the day
How many toes does a typical cat have?
Just for fun
How old is your cat in human years?
Enter your cat’s age.
Based on International Cat Care’s life-stage chart. Nothing you type leaves this page.