About us

Our Mission and Principles

To save lives by providing shelter, food, affection, and veterinary care for homeless cats while securing forever homes.

Get to know us

Paws and Whiskers is Toledo's only all feline no-kill shelter. We are a not-for-profit Ohio Corporation. Chartered in October of 1996. The shelter, governed by a Board of Directors, is dedicated to providing a safe haven for our unwanted feline friends. While providing shelter, food, love, and veterinary care for the area's homeless, unwanted, and orphaned felines, we work to find them safe, loving homes.  We took on 777 cats and found forever homes for 744 in 2023!   Our goal is to help even more in 2024!


Each feline resident receives a medical exam. Upon arriving at the shelter, each cat is weighed, checked for any obvious injuries, treated for intestinal parasites, checked for fleas and given a flea treatment. They are then given food, water, and a safe warm place to sleep. All cats 6 months of age and up, are blood tested for Feline Leukemia, and FIV.  All cats are tested for Heartworms and are tested for Panleukopenia (parvo virus).  All cats are microchipped and are vaccinated for calicivirus, panleukopenia, and feline viral rhinotracheitis.


All cats are spayed or neutered before they leave the shelter. Any significant dental problems or other serious conditions are surgically corrected. The average amount spent on each resident during their stay is over $350.00. If the cat is sick, requires medications or surgery that amount is much higher.   


We also offer a cat-back guarantee. A cat adopted from us never needs to be homeless again because we will take it back at any time, for any reason.


We receive no government funding and no United Way financial support - all funding to help the cats comes from private donations.


We are committed to rescuing kittens and cats and finding them loving forever homes. Join us in our mission to provide loving care to each cat as they find their lasting homes.

Our Team

Paws and Whiskers Cat Shelter Staff

Tawny Arnold, Executive Director of Operations


Sommer Polland, Shelter Manager

John Stanish, Volunteer/Community Service Coordinator

Jessica Miller, Business Office Manager


Oversight Veterinarian, Dr.Blaisdell DVM, MS


General Care Staff:

Justin Harig

Leah Hill

Maya Dixon


Paws and Whiskers Cat Shelter Board of Directors 

Jan Aguilar, President 

Andrew Wettle, CPA, Treasurer

Kayla Henderson, Secretary

Hannah Dearth

Karri Dye

Sadie Vervoort

Michelle Willard

Our History

1996

Paws and Whiskers Started

Filler text

August 2016

Helping over 18.000 Homeless

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Septmber 2012

Building our 10th Shelter

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Donating is important

Help a cat in need.