Available Pets

Visiting

The Orange County Animal Shelter has many wonderful, available pets! Animals are available on a first-come, first-served basis.* No appointment needed! Please stop by to view available pets and, while visiting, you may request to meet with an available pet. Meetings with pets last for 20 minutes. 

If you have questions about available pets or about visiting our facility, please call 919-942-7387, option 3, to speak with a staff member at our adoption desk. If the staff is unable to answer right away, please leave a clear message with your full name and contact number. Our staff responds to messages in the order they are received. Every effort will be made to respond to messages the same day, but it is possible that you may not receive a callback until the next business day due to the high volume of calls we often receive. See our operating hours on this page.

*If multiple people arrive at the shelter to meet a highly-adoptable pet (such as a special, popular breed), OCAS employees may draw names to determine who is first eligible to meet with and adopt the pet. This is a random drawing to promote fairness and only one member from any household may enter the drawing.

Adopting

Some animals can be taken home the same day they are adopted, but those adoptions must occur before a certain time of day and are dependent upon several factors. If you are interested in taking a pet home on the same day you adopt, please consult with the adoption desk to find out if that pet is able to go home right away. See more information about adopting and adoption fees on this page.

Please check out these great recommendations for introducing pets in your home.

We occasionally have under-socialized working cats that may need good homes. Learn more about working cats and sign up for our wait list if you are interested in helping one of those fabulous felines!

Consider adopting kittens in pairs! Check out these tips on selecting a pet for your family.

Foster A Pet

Are you interested in fostering a pet for OCAS? Visit this page for more information about fostering and to access the foster application.

Caring For Adopted Pets

Visit this page for tips and information on caring for adopted pets.

Can’t adopt? Donate or sponsor!

• Learn about different ways to donate and help our shelter pets.
• Want to sponsor an adoption fee? It’s easy, just call 919-942-7387 and press option 3 for the adoption desk!

Social Media

Visit us on Facebook to find more photos or videos of adoptable animals, as well as events and other fun news! You can also check us out on Instagram.