Please note that the Asheville Humane Society has dogs, cats, small pets, and farm animals available for adoption. The images shown here are of kittens as we have been a foster household for tiny and sick kitties for years and have lots of photos. Please see their website for the wide variety of animals looking for their forever home.
At Asheville Humane Society they work with the philosophy that every animal deserves a life worth living. From one-on-one adoption counseling to behavior classes, education to ongoing care, they support people and pets far beyond love at first sight.
We have fostered for Asheville Humane Society for years mostly taking in very young kittens, often needing bottle feeding and medication, always needing love and a calm place to grow and get well. Recently we adopted one of those foster kittens and now Peachy Keen is an active member of our household. (She keeps trying to help us on the computer with this website.)
Since 1984, Asheville Humane Society has dedicated itself to ensuring every animal has the quality of life they deserve—a life worth living. Now, they go beyond their walls to help create a more humane community for pets and the people who love them within our community.
Asheville Humane Society is a local, independent nonprofit which is the only open-intake animal shelter in Buncombe County. Their campus is directly adjacent to the Buncombe County Animal Shelter which is a point of entry for all unsafe or unhealthy stray animals, animals brought in through Animal Services, and animals being surrendered by their owners by appointment.
In 2023, they launched the Surgical Unit to expand Asheville Humane Society’s life-saving programs and meet the growing needs of our community. This unit helps provide accessible spay and neuter services to more pets in need. In 2025, they also introduced a mobile veterinary team to bring preventative care, like vaccines and wellness check-ups, directly to pets in our community. The goal is to make veterinary care easier to access in Buncombe County, removing obstacles for pet families and helping them stay together!
Did Hurricane Helene disrupt services at Asheville Humane?
Yes, like the rest of us, Asheville Humane Society lost power and water from the storm. With onsite generators they were able to keep critical systems in place and staff that had stayed on campus through the storm ensured all animals in their care were okay. As soon as they were able, animals that were ready for adoption were airlifted to communities outside of the destruction zone. Those of us with foster animals were asked to hold onto them longer and extend care until additional airlifts could be arranged. With the immediate needs of the animals in their care handled, Asheville Humane Society was able to direct resources to the wider community and support smaller shelters as well as food distribution and vet care.
