Lost & Found a Pet

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.  

• View pets who have been reported lost in the area here.
   
• Text ‘foundatx’ to (844) 764-2125.
  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. For more information on scanning, view our how-to guide here.
   
• Create a Found Report.
  Let Austin Animal Center know you’ve found a pet by creating a ‘Found Report’. The pet will be posted on our website through 24petconnect. The pet will stay active in our system for 14 days. The owner can contact you through 24petconnect or if the owner sees the photo on our website and reaches out to us, 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’.  

Healthy Found Cats 

• 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 communitycats@austintexas.gov for more services available to you and community cats. 

Shelter Intake

The shelter should be the last resort for health found animals. Keeping found pets in their community significantly increases their chances of being reunited with their family, and helps the shelter save space for animals that truly need to be there. Just holding onto a pet for 2 days is a HUGE help.

Our Pet Resource Center can provide supplies like a crate, food, leash, and collar to help you hold onto the pet while you look for the owner. 

If you've done everything you can to find the owner and have not been successful, intake hours are Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wait times may be long and intake may be restricted for certain categories of pets due to space issues. 

If You’ve Lost a Pet  

• View pets who have been reported found in the area here and our Found Pets Map here. Check daily!
   
• Text ‘lostatx’ to (844) 764-2125. 
  You will receive texts with proven tips that guide you through the pet-finding process.
    
• Post on Social Media. 
  Post on Austin Lost and Found Pets Facebook, Nextdoor, PawBoost and Craigslist both in ‘Pets’ and ‘Lost and Found’.
   
• Search
  Sometimes pets are taken to shelters in other areas. Visit our list of surrounding shelters here.
   
• Create a Lost Report 

Unique or Exotic Pets

Austin Animal Center takes in all types of unique pets, from tortoises to ferrets. 

If you found a unique pet and you’re unsure how to care for this animal please do not let it go. We will house the animal while we attempt to contact the owner or we will partner with an experienced rescue group to get it the care it needs. Call 311 for Animal Protection or schedule an appointment for shelter intake here. 

Some rescue groups do accept animals directly. If you’re not seeing your pet check in with our partners to see if someone has brought your pet to them. 

Wildlife 

Call 311 for sick, injured, or abandoned wildlife. Our Animal Protection Officers will transfer non-critical injured wildlife to Austin Wildlife Rescue. Animal Services does not remove or relocate healthy native wildlife; call 311 for humane solutions.  

For more details on everything lost and found, view our Pet Reunification guide here.  

​​​To Reclaim Your Pet from Austin Animal Center 

• If you have found your pet in our shelter, please call our Reclaim Hotline at 512-978-0556 or email animal.reclaim@austintexas.gov (hotline is answered daily during business hours). 
• Pets are held for 3 business days and then are released for adoption or transfer. Contact us ASAP! 
• Bring proof of ownership like vet records or a photo ID of your pet to reclaim. 
• Bring your photo ID-- we accept Driver's License, US or International passport, government or other official photo identification and Mexican Consulate cards.

LostATX and FoundATX Texting Programs 

AUTOMATED TEXT MESSAGING PRIVACY POLICY / TERMS & CONDITIONS 

Agreement to Receive Text Messages 
By providing your mobile number, you agree that Austin Animal Center may send you text messages (including SMS and MMS). Austin Animal Center will send you up to twenty (20) messages per month. Message and data rates may apply. 

You may opt out at any time by texting the word STOP to phone number (844) 764-2125. For help, send the word HELP to (844) 764-2125. 

You agree to notify us of any changes to your mobile number and update your account with us to reflect this change. 

Austin Animal Center does not store your personal information for this service. Phone numbers and other information are stored by Simple Texting. Simple Texting's privacy policy can be found at https://simpletexting.com/privacy-policy/. 

Will I be charged for the text messages I receive? 
Though Austin Animal Center will never charge you for the text messages you receive, depending on your phone plan, you may be charged by your mobile provider.