What do I do with a kitten(s) I found? They’re cute, cuddly, and desperately in need of your help. Or are they?

If you’ve found kittens, first determine if they have a mother cat nearby. If the mother is present, observe from a distance and ensure the kittens are safe and warm. If the mother is absent, assess the kittens’ condition and age to determine if they need immediate intervention. If they appear healthy, monitor them from a distance for a few hours to see if the mother returns. If the kittens are in distress or the mother doesn’t return, contact the local animal shelter for assistance.

Please click here for more detailed information.

If you find an injured cat any day of the week during regular business hours of 9am-4pm, contact the Bastrop County Animal Services also. They are there for sick and injured animals. They may ask if it is safe for you to bring to them to the shelter located on Cool Water Dr. Or they may ask for you to stay with the animal and/or contain the animal until they can get an ACO to the site. Please know that there are only 3 ACO’s for Bastrop County, 2 for Elgin City Limits and 1 each for the City of Bastrop and Smithville. That is a LARGE area to cover for so few people. Contact the local police or sheriff’s department for your area after hours.

Bastrop County Animal Services:

• 7 days a week 9-4 for injured animals — (512) 549-5160
• City of Bastrop Police: (512) 332-8600 or 911
• Bastrop County Sherriff: (512) 303-1080 or 911
• City of Smithville Police: (512) 237-3228 or 911
• City of Elgin Police: 512-285-5757 or 911

If your cat is lost, immediately begin a thorough search of your home and surrounding area, including your yard and neighboring properties. If the cat is not found, contact local shelters, animal control, and veterinary clinics, and post missing cat flyers in your neighborhood and on social media. If your cat is microchipped, contact the microchip company to update their records.

Here’s a more detailed breakdown of steps to take:

Immediate Search:

• Thoroughly search your home: Double-check every room, under furniture, behind appliances, and in any enclosed spaces.
• Check the immediate exterior: Look under decks, porches, in garages, sheds, and any other potential hiding spots.
• Ask neighbors: Politely ask neighbors to check their properties, including sheds, garages, and under bushes.

Contact Local Resources:

• Call and visit local shelters and animal control to report your missing cat and inquire if any have been found.
• Alert your veterinarian and any local vets, as they may have received your cat or have information from clients.

Create and Distribute Flyers:

• Photo and Information: Create a flyer with a clear photo of your cat, a description, the area where they were last seen, and your contact information.

Local Distribution:

• Post flyers in your neighborhood, at local businesses, and in community centers.

Utilize Online Platforms:

• Social Media: Share the flyer and information on social media platforms like Facebook, Nextdoor, and PawBoost.
• Lost Pet Websites: Consider using websites like Petfinder, PetFBI, and Tabbytracker to submit a lost pet report.

Utilize Scent Cues: Leave Familiar Smells:

• Leave out a dirty blanket/bedding or your dirty clothes that smells like your cat and you, to attract them back home. DO NOT put a litterbox outside; this can draw other cats or predators to the area that could scare kitty away. you should leave food and water out, but pick that up at night when other animals are out.

Consider Humane Trapping:

Contact us: If you believe your cat is in a nearby area but is reluctant to come home, consider contacting your local shelter for advice on setting a humane trap.

We are most easily reached through FaceBook messenger; we are all volunteers and not always immediately available so please be patient. We know you’re worried and we will do what we can to assist. You can also email us at

help@bastropcats.org (this email is monitored by a volunteer and may not be checked daily).

Be Persistent:

• Continue Searching: Don’t give up! Cats can be difficult to find, and it may take time to locate them.

Keep Posters Fresh:

• Update posters and keep the search active, even after several days

Bastrop CATS has a focus on Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR). We secondarily help, as we can, with medical cases of sick/injured or unweaned kittens found in the community. We do not have an adoption program and so rarely have cats or kittens available for adoption. We strive to get the kitties better then send them to a partner organization with a robust adoption program and reach for the adoption process. We do occasionally have adoptable kitties available, and we will post them on our social media page when we do. We also occasionally facilitate rehoming of animals in need by allowing them to be posted on our Facebook page — Bastrop CATS Network.

Please check out the following shelters and rescues for adoptable cats and kittens:

*Please note that MOST of the kittens from any of the following organizations have kittens that have been raised indoors only and many have never been outside. This means that they are often NOT suitable for an outdoor life as they do not know how to survive outside.

**Please do not adopt a kitten as an outdoor cat that has been hand raised and doesn’t have the skills to survive outside the home.

***Please note the below is not an exhaustive list of nearby groups — There are many in the central Texas area.

• Bastrop Shelter: https://www.co.bastrop.tx.us/page/as.adoption
• New Hope Rescue: https://nhanimalrescue.org/adoptablecats/
• Kingdom Rescue: https://kingdomrescue.org/adoptable-pets-1
• Austin Humane Society: https://austinhumanesociety.org/feline-friends/
• Austin Pets Alive!: https://www.austinpetsalive.org/adopt/cats
• PAWS of Central TX: https://pawsshelter.org/cats-ready-for-adoption/

Cats are a part of the community they live in, and they deserve to be protected as the community members they are. You have the power to transform your community to save cats lives and speak out for cats and kittens around the world.

Find ways that YOU can advocate for cats and make a lifesaving difference.

• Advocate and promote Spay/Neuter to friends, family and neighbors.
• Educate your community. If you see a new cat in the area, please check around and see if your neighbors know or own the cat to be sure they are unowned.
• Post on local social media sites as a sighting/found. If the cat is unowned and unaltered reach out to a TNR group to ask about an appointment for the new cat to be altered.
• Donate — time (volunteer), money, supplies, become a foster; donations come in many forms! It takes a community effort to make a difference.

Supporting your area rescues, TNR groups, shelters and advocacy groups in some way can save many current and future animals lives.

Alley Cat Allies Exposes Misrepresentation of TNR in The New Yorker: https://www.alleycat.org/resources/defendtnr/

TNR Works – Read this article from Alley Cat Allies: https://www.alleycat.org/community-cat-care/tnr-works/

The research: https://www.alleycat.org/resources/trap-neuter-return-researchcompendium/