Our mission is to save the animals who are already living in shelters that are most at risk for euthanasia. One out of three animals goes missing in their lifetime and the possibility of reuniting them with their owner once at the shelter drops to 5-18%.
If you’ve found a lost pet, please use the info below to help with reuniting them with their owner:
*Provided steps applicable to Travis County specifically
*If the dog exhibits threatening behavior or is injured, immediately call 311 and request to speak with an Animal Protection Officer.
AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER'S REUNIFICATION GUIDE (English)
AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER'S REUNIFICATION GUIDE (Spanish)
Around 35% of owners allow their cats to free roam, sometimes without visible identification like a collar or nametag. In Austin, it’s very common for people to let their own cats outside, or to be a caretaker to a free-roaming cat without an identifiable owner, also called a ‘community cat’. Community Cats can be friendly or adverse to people. Try the paper collar trick to see if this cat has someone looking out for it:
Print this: Paper collar template
Kittens
Found a kitten? View our guide here.
Email our Community Cats program at [email protected] for more services available to you and community cats.
AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER'S REUNIFICATION GUIDE (English)
AUSTIN ANIMAL CENTER'S REUNIFICATION GUIDE (Spanish)
If you find young kittens without their mom, it does not necessarily mean they have been abandoned. Their mother could be out looking for food, or finding a more suitable home for her kittens. If you find one or two kittens, mama may be in the process of moving the family and is on her way back for the others. If the kittens appear healthy, please wait and observe from a distance for an hour or two before doing anything else.
If, after 1-2 hours of observation, you haven’t seen signs of the mother, you will ultimately have to use your own judgment to decide how to handle the kittens, depending upon the litter’s needs and your time and resources.
Please use the guide below:
For a printable version of the above graphic, or to enlarge it, please click here.
Kittens without a mother: If the kittens aren’t weaned, and you take them in without a mother, they will require round-the-clock care and routine bottle feeding (every 2-3 hours, even overnight). The following videos offer information on bottle and gruel feeding:
KittenLady.org free kitten care webinar series
Austin is one of the safest cities for unweaned kittens. Many shelters will euthanize unweaned kittens instead of treating them, as they do not have the resources to care for them. Rest assured, if you’re in the Austin area, the largest no kill city in the nation, the kittens you bring in will be safe.
APA! cannot directly intake animals from the public. If you find kittens outdoors, please refer to the guidelines recommended by Austin Animal Center (AAC). If the kittens are unweaned and the mother hasn’t returned, you can bring the kittens to AAC or Austin Humane Society (AHS). While AAC will not bottle feed the kittens there, they will ensure that the kittens are transferred to either APA! or AHS to be cared for until they are old enough to be adopted out. When an unweaned kitten comes to APA!, our volunteers immediately transfer the kitten(s) to our Neonatal Kitten Nursery.
Austin is one of the safest cities for unweaned kittens. Many shelters will euthanize unweaned kittens instead of treating them, as they do not have the resources to care for them. Rest assured, if you’re in the Austin area, the largest no kill city in the nation, the kittens you bring in will be safe.
APA! cannot directly intake animals from the public without a foster in place. If you find kittens outdoors, please refer to the guidelines recommended by Austin Animal Center (AAC). If the kittens are unweaned and the mother hasn’t returned, you can bring the kittens to AAC or Austin Humane Society (AHS). While AAC will not bottle feed the kittens there, they will ensure that the kittens are transferred to either APA! or AHS to be cared for until they are old enough to be adopted out. If you’re able to foster the momma and kittens through Austin Pets Alive until they’re adopted into new homes, please SUBMIT THIS FORM to request fostering support through our Neonatal Kitten Nursery.
