USPS Embraces Our Furry Friends with ‘Love Forever’ Stamps at Austin Pets Alive!
Jan 21, 2023 In a nod to America’s great affection for furry friends, the United States Postal Service unveiled two new ‘Love Forever’ stamps. The stamp dedication took place at the Austin Pets Alive! Texas animal shelter, with adoptable pets available for the event, allowing participants and attendees to see the animals receive and benefit from the love of the community. The stamps display illustrations of a puppy and a kitten with their paws lightly resting on a red heart, perfectly timed for Valentine’s...
Fireworks Can be Scary for Our Pets
Dec 28, 2022 In the US, New Year’s Eve has the second highest number of reported lost pets. Keep your furry family safe this year by: Keeping all pets inside. Reducing stress by running music or white noise. Keeping their collars on with updated ID tags. Updating their info on their microchip at found.org. If you come across a lost pet, there are simple steps you can take BEFORE going to a shelter. We know you’re trying to do the right thing when you bring them to a shelter. But this year more than others, shelters across...
Letter from Dr. Jefferson: Saving Lives Together
Dec 24, 2022 As I write this letter, we are preparing for the dangerous Arctic cold front that is about to blast freezing temperatures into our community and throughout Central Texas, just in time for the holidays. Our shelter becomes severely strained with temperatures this low. To keep our animals warm and safe during this cold emergency, we asked our community to take in a foster pet during the storm, give funds to support the increased cost of shelter operations, and help under-resourced shelters across the region. And you’ve come...
Christmas Week Cold Emergency in Austin – Help Needed to Protect Pets
Dec 19, 2022 Dangerous winter weather with temperature lows in the teens is predicted to hit Central Texas this week. With some of our animal enclosures exposed to the elements, temperatures this low severely strain our facility so we must get our Town Lake Animal Center shelter pets in warm homes by THIS THURSDAY. We’re calling on our community members for help needed NOW: Foster homes for cold shelter animals We need our animals, especially our dogs, out now, before the coldest weather hits Thursday. With Christmas week/holiday...
27 Roosters Rescued From Cockfighting Urgently Need Sanctuary Placement
Dec 19, 2022 Twenty-seven roosters who were rescued out of cockfighting, now need urgent placement at sanctuaries or approved homes. If they are not placed, they may be euthanized as soon as early next week. These roosters were rescued out of a cockfighting bust on November 10, in which the Austin Police Department Animal Cruelty Unit seized 43 animals (9 hens and 34 roosters). After the court case, the animals were removed from the owners. The hens and two roosters were quickly adopted, leaving 32 roosters remaining at Austin Animal Center...
2023 Neonatal Kitten Nursery Calendar Contest!
Nov 18, 2022 Thanks for checking out some of the adorable cats and kittens that have come through the APA! Neonatal Program this year! As of early December, we’ve saved more lives than ever before. We’ve shattered so many records, and we couldn’t do it without your support! Your donation with each vote will help us continue our lifesaving efforts into 2023. The winning photos will be compiled into a calendar that will be available for purchase online soon. Help us choose our cover model kitties! Source: Austin Pets...
Quiet Young Kitten Needs a Cardiologist so She Can Run & Play
Nov 17, 2022 Kesha 21 is truly an Austin Pets Alive! kitten. This 3-month-old kitty was born in our care, and raised in the APA! nursery program. She’s what we call a “neonatal graduate”—and yes it’s all right to picture her sweet self in a teeny cap and gown. But when Kesha 21 got her spay surgery, our veterinarians discovered some heart issues that she’d likely been born with. Further examinations led our vets to believe that Kesha 21 has advanced pulmonic stenosis—a rare condition in cats. Having...
Pancake
Nov 17, 2022 This is a story about a kitty cat who went on the lamb and is now back in our care, after taunting the staff and volunteers of APA! for over a year! We applaud her efforts, but it is time to get this little lady some medical attention. When Pancake first arrived at APA!’s main facility, she was clearly pretty scared, making her a flight risk candidate. Fly, she did. Luckily, she stuck around campus, making appearances. For months, the staff and volunteers reported “Pancake sightings.” We even attempted several...
Thanks to You, Tomato Paste Gets to be the King of His Castle!
Nov 14, 2022 Who would’ve guessed big boy Tomato Paste, who started losing his appetite at the shelter due to stress, would soon spend every day getting cuddles and wearing fun costumes in his new home? (Well, maybe we could’ve guessed!). Now affectionately nicknamed Tommy, this incontinent kitty is getting the peace, love, and routine he craves from his new family thanks to support from friends like you. Tommy came to APA! with an old tail injury that made it hard for him to control where and when he had to go potty. He needs his...
Austin Animal Welfare Policy in 2023
Nov 04, 2022 When I moved to Austin in the 90s, the city looked much different than it does today. The population stood under 600,000, what would become a booming tech culture was in its infancy, traffic was manageable, and the city’s weirdly famous motto wasn’t even a thing. Austin was also more than a decade away from being heralded as a leading No Kill city in the United States. I can still feel the revulsion that jolted through me when I learned that 85% of pets—more than 25,000—were killed in the city shelter each...