Austin Pets Alive! has been helping shelters in the direct line of Hurricane Harvey. We’ve been working with these shelters to transport as many pets as possible to APA! and as of Saturday morning, we’ve transported over 235 animals to our shelter. Because of the incredible, humbling support we’ve received from the community thus far, we have been able to remove some items from our needs list completely.
However, there is still a lot of work ahead of us. As we continue to care for the animals we have already saved, we have to prepare for even more animals who will need us in the coming days. We’ve been receiving reports from shelter partners in areas hit hardest by the hurricane and areas expecting the most flooding that over the course of the next 24-72 hours, they are anticipating another significant influx of animals that they may not be able to help. We have also heard reports of extensive lines of people surrendering their pets, so Austin Pets Alive! needs to be ready to help and brace ourselves for additional animal intake.
New animal transportations have already started arriving, and we’ll have additional animals to save from Houston once the roads open up. A number of shelters are currently non-functioning.
For APA!, the repercussions of this hurricane will last for weeks, if not months. If you are able to help, please see the below list of items currently needed at APA!.
1. Funding. Thanks to the overwhelming amount of in-kind donations over the past few days, we have had so many donations brought to us that we are running out of room to store them. However, we know that we will continue to need more and more supplies as we care for animals over the next few weeks. By providing a financial donation, you will allow us to ensure that we can purchase the supplies that we need, when we need them. It will also help us provide the best possible care for the new animals that we are taking in, as the intake process alone will cost over $20,000.
The care for these animals doesn’t stop once the hurricane is over, and we are in dire need of financial support to continue care for our new pups and cats. Donating through the button below will help us save as many lives as possible.
2. Fosters. Again, thanks to an overwhelming response, we have changing foster needs! We are currently only looking for fosters able to keep animals through adoption.
Unfortunately, we are no longer able to accept short-term fosters as we will need to find space for those animals once the short-term fostering ends. As a foster through to adoption, you can expect to have an animal from 2-4 weeks for dogs and 4-6 weeks for cats and will be asked to meet with potential adopters, help take photos of the animal, etc. Due to the outpouring of donations we will be able to provide you with crates, beds, food and medical care while supplies last.
Dogs:
Homes with no cat/no children/no additional dogs (for current TLAC dogs)
UPDATE: We no longer have any small dogs or puppies, and we are nearly out of dog-friendly dogs! If your household can accept a large dog that needs to be an only pup at home, please e-mail foster@austinpetsalive.org.
Cats:
Cats with ringworm (especially as our ringworm ward is prone to flooding, so we need to get them into homes!)
FelV cats – these sweeties require pretty easy care, but no other cats in the household. Other animals are completely fine.
We expect to need some medical fosters for both cats and dogs over the coming week.
If you aren’t already a foster, please fill out the quick dog foster application or cat foster application and our foster teams will be in touch. We will continue to need fosters as we bring in more and more animals. For cat fosters, please wait until you receive an approval email before coming to the Cattery at our main location.
We appreciate your support and please be patient as we work these applications! If our current list of animals who need fostering do not fit your home/personal situation, please check back in a week or two – because of the number of short-term fosters we’ve had, many animals will need to find other homes in a couple of weeks.
3. In-Kind Donations. If possible, we deeply appreciate any financial donations at this time. Thanks to the amazing outpouring of donations we’ve received over the past few days we are running out of room to store new donations. However, we know that we will continue to need supplies as we rescue more animals affected by the storm. A financial donation allows us to continue to buy more supplies as we need them, and best serve the animals.
To support the significant intake in new animals, below is our UPDATED list of current needs! Please bring donations to TLAC during shelter hours, if possible.
Top Current Needs:
Large plastic or metal bins with lids so we can safely store food and goods in dry places.
Leashes + Martingale Collars (any size)
Cat Litter – Clumping preferred, but non-clumping needed, as well.
6 full-size indoor brooms
Cat Beds (not regular bedding)
Liquid laundry soap
Other important needs include:
Dog Treats* – Chew Toys/Rawhides, Treat Logs, Peanut Butter and Milk Bones for Kongs for all of our stressed and crated pups!
Paper or Styrofoam Bowls* – For feeding cats.
Kitten and Puppy Formula
Flea + Tick Prevention
Canned Wet Food and Tuna – Now only needed for cats!
Litter Boxes – 12×10″ or smaller
Large Metal Dog Bowls
Large Trash Bags
Updated Cleaning Supplies List – Bleach, paper towels, general purpose cleaner, latex gloves, dish soap, sponges.
*Most urgent need
4. Volunteers. To sign up and register as an APA! volunteer and be on call and ready to help over the next week, pending further information. Please do not come to the shelter without already being a registered volunteer, as we will not be able to accept your help.
5. Adoptions. With nearly every pet rescued from the hurricane in short-term foster, we will very quickly need to shift our focus to adoptions. If you or someone you know has been looking to add a furry family member, now is the perfect time. All available cats and dogs are listed on our website.
