It happens to the best of us. Sometimes our pets make plans without us. If you’ve lost a pet or found a pet, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know in this guide.
If You’ve Found a Pet
Most animals are found close to home (on average just a few houses away) and a neighbor has a MUCH higher chance of helping a pet get home than a shelter does. If you’re able to hold onto a stray pet while you look for the owner you’re upping the odds that they’ll find their family while helping shelters save space for sick and injured pets. That’s a win-win!
There are many ways to help a pet get home. Most owners are found through microchips and social media.
- Text ‘foundatx’ to 47177. You will receive texts with proven tips that guide you through the family-finding process.
- Scan for a microchip. Microchips are tiny permanent IDs located under a pet’s skin, usually located at the back of their neck or by their shoulder blades. Local vet clinics and 24 hour emergency pet hospitals can scan for a microchip for free.
- Create a Found Report. Let Austin Animal Center know you’ve found a pet by creating a ‘Found Report’. The pet will be posted both on our website and phshelter.com. The pet will stay active on our website for 14 days. The owner can contact you through phshelter.com or if the owner sees the photo on our website, we’ll put them in touch with you.
- Post on Social Media. Post on Austin Lost and Found Pets Facebook, Nextdoor, and Craigslist both in ‘Pets’ and ‘Lost and Found’.
- View pets who have been reported lost in the area here.
- During COVID, AAC is temporarily scheduling intake for healthy found pets to prevent overcrowding. If you cannot keep the pet in your home you can schedule an appointment for shelter intake here. If the animal is sick or injured or you are unable to wait for an appointment, call 311 for Animal Protection. Walk up intakes will not be accepted.
Healthy Found Cats
- Around 35% of owners allow their cats to free roam 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:
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Print this: Paper collar template
Kittens
Found a kitten? View our guide here.
Email our Community Cats program at communitycats@austintexas.gov for more services available to you and community cats.