Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: A man may keep performing tawaf of the House of Allah as long as he is not in ihram, until he says the talbiyah for Hajj. When he sets out for Arafah, if any sacrificial animal, a camel, a cow or a goat, is easily available to him, well and good; and if none is available, he should fast three days before the Day of Arafah; and if the last of the three days falls on the Day of Arafah, there is no harm in that either.
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الحج / 8904