Paws on Your Heart Pet Rescue Support

With a 2026 grant from Paws, Lucky Penny Kitties, a brand-new rescue in IA, knew just how they wanted to save cat lives.

They launched a Kitten Survival Program! Grant funds were used to make starter kits to help foster families bring kittens into their homes! Kits included reusable materials such as neonatal care and feeding supplies, heating pads, kitten scales, calming kitty pals, and more.

Then a momma cat arrived in the rescue’s care. A new foster family offered to take her in. The foster care kit--paid for by Paws donors--provided everything the foster mom needed to help take care of the soon-to-arrive kittens! The photo in the banner above shows this happy mom with her new momma cat, the rescue director, and PLENTY of supplies! 

Paws helps dogs too!

Last Fall, we were contacted by thBeing examined at emergency hospitalRecovered and living the good lifee Board president of an Iowa shelter that had a young puppy named Rocket diagnosed with a life-threatening, congenital heart defect. The shelter could not afford the expensive treatment needed, leaving euthanasia the only option.

Determined to find a better solution, the Board member reached out to animal welfare organizations in IA for help or ideas on how to save Rocket. Paws was the only one who replied.

We explained that national grant options were limited, so we introduced her to our IA medical partner, Critter Crusaders of Cedar Rapids. This group agreed to pay for the expensive heart treatment that Rocket needed, and asked its followers for donations. Paws on Your Heart responded with a grant to help with Rocket’s care.

Rocket then underwent a balloon procedure to open up a tiny, malformed valve between his heart and lungs, causing his heart to work too hard. The procedure was successful, and Rocket is now thriving!

And we have MORE great stories!

A picture is worth a thousand words, so we have gathered a dozen of them to share with you, our generous donors, on Great Give Day.

Great Give Day is our ONLY fundraising event each year. All donations received go directly to homeless cats or dogs in IA; none go to administrative costs. 

Please see the photos and captions in the Media Gallery. (Be sure to click on the More arrow below the last row of photos, to see all sixteen!!) They show and tell where donation dollars have gone this past year. 

We find these photo stories heartwarming, and we hope you do, too. But we cannot do this good work alone. So, we invite you, on Great Give Day 2026, to please join us, by making a donation to Paws on Your Heart. Thank you!