Published Jul 31, 2026
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society
Texas shelter cats board an emergency flight to Utah to make room for pets displaced by devastating floods.
The devastating floods that recently swept through South Central Texas have affected pets as well as people. Animal shelter staff and volunteers have stepped up as first responders, delivering much-needed supplies, rescuing stranded animals, and taking in hundreds of displaced cats and dogs. Many families forced to evacuate became separated from their pets, while others watched helplessly as cats and dogs fled flood-ravaged homes into dangerous waters filled with debris.
Teams from the nonprofit Austin Pets Alive!, a leader in no-kill sheltering in America’s largest no-kill city, have been working around the clock to pull pets from floodwaters, reunite families with missing animals, care for owner-surrendered pets whose families cannot yet return home, and transfer animals from shelters in the hardest-hit areas. As of July 20, Austin Pets Alive! had taken in more than 270 displaced pets.
Austin Pets Alive! is encouraging fostering and adoptions through its “Name Your Own Adoption Fee” program, helping create space for animals displaced by flooding. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society
“When disaster hits like this, government shelters are overwhelmed with lost pets coming through the door, often causing animals already past their stray hold to be euthanized just to make room,” said Dr. Ellen Jefferson, president and CEO of Austin Pets Alive!, in a press release. “We’re here to pull those animals to safety before that happens.”
Making room for hundreds of displaced animals requires both hard work and creative solutions. Austin Pets Alive! has asked community members to foster or adopt pets, even launching a Name Your Own Adoption Fee program to encourage adoptions. Every animal adopted or placed in foster care frees up valuable space for a flood-affected pet.
Another key strategy is relocating adoptable shelter animals to other cities or states. According to Dr. Jefferson, these transfers allow shelters to continue taking in flood victims’ pets while increasing the chances of reuniting lost animals with their families.
That strategy was put into action on July 17 through a collaboration between Austin Pets Alive!, Best Friends Animal Society, San Antonio-based nonprofit rescue Footbridge Foundation, and Wings of Rescue. Forty-two cats and 46 dogs boarded an emergency rescue flight from San Marcos, Texas, to Salt Lake City, Utah. Upon arrival, the animals were welcomed by the Best Friends Animal Society Pet Adoption Center, where they received veterinary examinations and any necessary medical care before being made available for adoption.
Best Friends Animal Society operates the nation’s largest no-kill animal sanctuary and partners with thousands of shelters and rescue groups to support lifesaving efforts. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society
Dr. Jefferson noted the rescue flight gives local shelters the space they need to continue taking in flood-affected pets and reuniting lost animals with their families. “We don’t yet know the full extent of the devastation in these communities, but we know their shelters are being pushed past their limits, and we’re not going to stop until we’ve done everything we can.”
Best Friends Animal Society is headquartered in Kanab, Utah, where it operates the nation’s largest no-kill animal sanctuary. The organization partners with more than 6,000 shelters and rescue groups across the country to provide lifesaving programs and support.
Wings of Rescue is a donation-supported nonprofit that transports homeless and at-risk pets from overcrowded shelters, disaster areas, and other dangerous situations to animal welfare organizations where they can receive care and ultimately be adopted. Since 2012, the organization’s volunteer pilots have flown more than 80,000 pets to safety.
More Than Just a Flight
As flood recovery continues across South Central Texas, rescue flights like these do far more than transport shelter animals across state lines. By creating desperately needed shelter space, they enable local facilities to continue rescuing displaced pets, caring for lost animals, and reuniting families with beloved companions.
