Featured Adoptions

Citizens for Animal Protection realizes how difficult it can be to give up a pet. That is why we try every resource at our disposal to place the animals that are brought to us. CAP's adoption rate continues to be over 94%. However, due to the pet overpopulation crisis, the sad reality is that not all animals find homes and some are euthanized. CAP is a "Managed Intake" Shelter which means that we do not euthanize animals to make room for more animals, because of breed, or how long they stay at the shelter. If we have space for an animal we will take it and as long as the animal is healthy and has a good temperament, the animal will stay at CAP until adopted. Unfortunately, it does become necessary to euthanize some animals that are suffering from injuries, contagious diseases, and severe aggression.

Intake areas are open seven days a week from 10am - 2pm.   Map and Hours

Shelter Surrender

CAP accepts animals on a first come - first served basis if we have available room. We do not make appointments or make reservations for intake. You are welcome to call to see what current availability we have in general, however, space changes constantly. CAP is a "Managed Intake Shelter" and there may be days when we cannot accept animals as we do not have the space to humanely house and care for them.

Upon arrival at CAP, your animal will be evaluated and it will be determined if he/she is a candidate for our adoption program. If the staff determines at intake that your pet is not a candidate for adoption you may take the animal back home with you or try other humane alternatives and agencies.  If you choose to surrender the animal, a complete assessment will be given to determine adoptability.

If you have reached the decision to surrender your pet to CAP, please print out the appropriate personality form and bring with you. This form gives us valuable information which can help us find your pet a new home.

• Dog Personality Profile
• Cat Personality Profile
• Stray Animal Personality Profile

Option 2 - Online Only, Self-Supported Rehoming Options (not affiliated with CAP)

Options for rehoming pets online are available to those who wish to take full responsibility of the rehoming process. Below is information on three online rehoming sites that are not affiliated with CAP, but may be of assistance to you - Home to Home and Adoptapet.com. 

Euthanasia Policy

Citizens for Animal Protection completely supports that no healthy, adoptable animal should be euthanized. To this end, CAP's priority is to not euthanize any healthy, adoptable animal to make room for more animals. Adoptable animals do not have a preset time limit, however they must remain healthy, both physically and emotionally. CAP will not allow any animal surrendered to us to suffer, nor will CAP risk the health or safety of our shelter animals by exposing them to contagious diseases or unsafe conditions. Euthanasia is a decision that may be made to prevent suffering, to prevent the spread of disease to healthy animals or when an animal poses a threat to humans or other animals. Euthanasia is performed by compassionate, experienced personnel and is a decision that is not taken lightly.

CAP will, at all times, act in the best interest of each and every animal in our care.

Please be advised that CAP will not accept trapped feral (wild) cats for euthanasia. If you wish to trap a cat and are willing to have it neutered and return it to its original location, please contact our Feral Cats Assistance Program Coordinator. Learn more about Trap-Neuter-Return, a humane solution for feral cat colonies that prevents overpopulation and is free. If you have trapped a cat and do not want to neuter and return, you can surrender the cat to your local animal control facility but first you may want to read about preventing unwanted feral behavior with our Feral Cat Deterrence Techniques.

We have compiled a listing of resources from around the web to assist you with your animal companion's disability. CAP has also written an article on caring for blind dogs.

Blind Dogs

• Read our article Caring for Blind Dogs

Other Special Needs

• Canine Epilepsy
• Living with Disabled Cats

Mobility Aids & Wheelchairs

• Orthovet
• Eddie's Wheels
• K9 Karts
• DogKart

Other Supplies & Services

• Tops Veterinary Rehab Clinic
• HandicappedPets.com
• Doggles (eyewear for light-sensitive dogs)

Questions:

1. How do I adopt an animal from CAP?
2. Are there any fees for adopting an animal from CAP?
3. Are there any requirements for adoption?
4. Where is CAP located?
5. What are CAP's hours of operation?
6. How can I make a donation to CAP to help save more animals?
7. How can I volunteer at CAP?
8. I have found a stray animal, what do I do?
9. Will CAP accept my pet that I am no longer able to care for?
10. What can I do about the feral cats in my neighborhood?
11. How can I become a CAP employee?
12. How is CAP funded?
13. Do ALL the animals find homes?
14. Are there fees to surrender an animal?
15. Does CAP provide euthanasia services?

Questions and Answers:

1. How do I adopt an animal from CAP?
You can adopt an animal from our shelter. Before visiting the shelter, you can check out some of the dogs, puppies, cats, kittens, rabbits, and other animals available for adoption on our website. Please note that not all of the animals in the shelter appear in the site's adoption listings.

2. Are there any adoption fees for adopting an animal from CAP?
CAP charges minimal adoption fees that cover only part of the each animal's stay at CAP - please help us keep adoption fees low while maintaining high quality of care for the animals in our charge by donating and/or volunteering.

Adoption fees are as follows:  (Call or check home page for daily promotions)

Special Discounts

• Seniors for Seniors - Special Senior Citizen (60 yrs +) No charge for an animal 7 yrs or older.
• Military Families - 50% of adoption fees waived for military personnel and veterans. (proof of eligibility required)
• Any dog/puppy adopted at the same time as a cat/kitten will be adoptable at a $20 discount. 

3. Are there any adoption requirements?

• 18 years of age with a current Drivers License or I.D.
• Proof of current address
• Landlord approval if you rent
• Permission of all adults living at the residence
• Other animals residing with you must be current on vaccinations and dogs must be on heartworm prevention

4. Where is CAP located?
CAP is located at 17555 Katy Freeway, Houston, TX , 77094. The shelter is located on the south access road of I-10 just past the Barker Cypress Exit. When you take the exit, CAP is on the frontage road in between Elevation Jeeps and the Constables Office.

5. What are CAP's hours of operation?
For adoptions, the shelter is open Monday - Tuesday 1pm - 5pm and Wednesday - Sunday 11am - 5pm

We receive animals (incoming) daily from 10AM to 2:00 PM.

6. How can I make a donation to CAP to help save more animals?
There are many ways to make a tax-deductible donation to CAP:

• Online donations (credit card)
• Donation by mail (check or money order)
• Donation by phone (credit card only)
• Recurring donations
• Stock or in-kind donations
• Matching gifts
• Codicil Club (planned gifts)

7. How can I volunteer at CAP?
CAP's Volunteer Program allows individuals from 14 years of age up to volunteer. There are special requirements for volunteers under 16 years old. Contact our Volunteer Coordinator for more information .

8. I have found a stray animal, what do I do?
CAP encourages you to take the animal to your local Animal Control facility as most owners will look there first.  Depending on available cage space, CAP may accept a stray animal and try, through our Lost and Found Program, to locate the owners. However, due to the limited number of large cages some animals may be too large for us to accept. If an animal is injured, sick, has mange or any other contagious disease, CAP reserves the right to immediately euthanize the animal for humane purposes. Healthy stray animals are held for 72 hours, then evaluated for adoption. If an animal is wearing a tag, or is microchipped, CAP may extend the hold while attempting to contact the owner. CAP does require a donation for all stray and owned animals.   If you decide to keep the stray animal and try to locate the owner yourself, you can fill out our Lost / Found Pet Report to add the animal to our lost animals database - make sure to contact Lost & Found to confirm receipt of your report.

9. Will CAP accept my pet that I am no longer able to care for?
CAP will always accept any animal adopted from our shelter, if he or she must be returned. CAP tries to accept every other animal that comes to us, however CAP makes every attempt to not euthanize  healthy, adoptable animals to make room for more animals.   If cage space is unavailable, CAP has a resource brochure to help you find another shelter or rescue.  

10. What can I do about the feral cats in my neighborhood?
CAP has a Feral Cat Assistance Program (FCAP) that can assist you in establishing and maintaining a feral cat colony. Please call 281-277-5577 and follow the instructions given to receive help from FCAP - you can also contact FCAP via email with additional questions.

11. How can I become a CAP employee?
Employment opportunities are listed on the Employment page--requirements vary with the position.

12. How is CAP Funded?
CAP receives no government funding and relies solely on private donations and fundraising efforts/ events. You can help us help animals through a donation today!

13. Do all animals find homes?
CAP finds homes for thousands of animals each year and has one of the highest adoption rates in the nation. We wish that every individual animal could be helped, but there are more animals than there are people to adopt them. Because of this sad fact, homeless animals in Houston shelters are euthanized every day. The fault does not lie with the shelters. Owners who allow their unaltered animals to run the streets contribute greatly to the pet overpopulation crisis. CAP is committed to saving as many animals as possible and, therefore, has created very successful adoption programs, such as the  Foster Homes Program, to ensure as many animals as possible find loving homes. Please SPAY OR NEUTER your own companion animals abad encourage others to do the same!

14. Are there fees to surrender an animal?
CAP operates soley on donations and the expense to care for one animal (health check, vaccinations, deworming, heartwom testing, food, staffing etc.) can cost as high as $450.00. CAP requests a minimun donation when an animal is surrendered however, the more you can give, the more animals we can help.

Minimum Donation to Surrender an Animal

• $40.00 per animal 

15. Does CAP provide euthanasia services?

No, at this time CAP does not provide euthanasia services for the public.

Please be advised that CAP will not accept or euthanize trapped feral (wild) cats. CAP's Trap-Neuter-Return program provides FREE spay/neuter surgery to feral cats - see our Feral Cats Program page for more information.  If you have trapped a cat and do not want to neuter and return it to its original location, you can surrender the cat to your local animal control facility but before doing so, please read about deterrence techniques for feral cats.

We look forward to seeing you at the shelter!

Adoption Lobby Hours: Monday and Tuesday 1pm - 5pm;  Wednesday - Sunday 11am - 5pm 

For complete hours and directions visit: Hours / Map

Citizens for Animal Protection (CAP) welcomes potential adopters on a walk-in basis. 

Pet Adoption Fees

CAP adoption fees include a variety of services - age-appropriate vaccinations, canine heartworm, and feline leukemia tests, spaying/neutering, deworming treatment, microchipping to name a few - the total value of which exceeds $450. These minimal adoption fees cover only part of each animal's stay at our shelter - please help us keep adoption fees low while maintaining the high quality of care for the animals in our charge by donating and/or volunteering.

Call for information on animals not listed here.

Special Discounts*

• Seniors for Seniors - Special Senior Citizen (60 yrs +) No charge for an animal 7 yrs or older.
• Military Families & First Responders - 50% of adoption fees waived for military personnel, veterans and first responders (proof of eligibility required).  
• Any dog/puppy adopted at the same time as a cat/kitten will be adoptable at a $20 discount. 

 * Only one discount may be applied to each adoption.

Pround Pets for Patriots Partner. For more information about program and benefits, click here. 

Pet Adoption Requirements

• 18 years of age with a current Drivers License or ID
• Proof of current address - Drivers License, Utility Bill, Mail, Car Insurance, etc.
• Landlord approval if you rent - please verify with your landlord what breed or size restrictions may be in place.
• Permission of all adults living at the residence
• Other animals residing with you must be current on vaccinations and dogs must be on heartworm prevention

Foster to Adopt Program (FTA)

Our Foster to Adopt program is designed to help families learn if one of our cats or dogs is a good fit for their family before committing to adoption. FTA participants must have a completed adoption application on file, live within 30 miles of the shelter, be over the age of 25 years with a current driver's license, have landlord approval if applicable, have approval of all adults in the home, and other animals in the home must be current on vaccinations and proper preventative. A $25 processing fee will be charged and cannot be credited toward the adoption fee of the animal.

Participants are allowed to foster the animal for 5 days and must return the animal to the shelter after the alloted 5 days to either complete the adoption process or return the animal to be placed back up for adoption. Each animal released into the participants' care temporarily is legally owned by Citizens for Animal Protection (CAP), and CAP has the right to redeem the animal at any time and/or discontinue the participants' involvement in the FTA program.

Animals available for the FTA program:

• Only cats and dogs
• All dogs under 25 lbs and all cats under 6 months of age are eligible as soon as they are vaccinated for rabies, altered, and microchipped AND have been available for adoption at the shelter for 3 weeks or longer.
• All dogs over 25 lbs and all cats 6 months of age or older are eligible as soon as they are vaccinated for rabies, altered, and microchipped.

CAP works with everyone who is interested in adopting an animal and giving it a new forever home, however, CAP does reserve the right to refuse an adoption application for reasons including, but not limited to: falsified information on the application, current identification and address cannot be verified or if the adoption is not in the best interest of the animal and the adopter. Información de adopción española

Happy Beginnings

Adoptive families often share their joy below with pictures and stories on our Happy Beginnings page. Help us make this possible for all our homeless animals through a donation to CAP today!

Thank you for contacting Citizens for Animal Protection. We will respond to as soon as we can.

Our Shelter

Citizens for Animal Protection -- 281-497-0591
Located at 17555 Katy Freeway, Houston, Texas.

Hours of Operation

Receiving

- Daily 10:00 am to 2 pm

Due to the overwhelming number of animals that CAP receives each day, we cannot accept animals after 2 pm. Information on other facilities is available outside the CAP Incoming Area.

Reclaiming Animals

Daily 10:00am to 5:00 pm

Adoptions

- Monday through Thursday - 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm
- Friday through Sunday - 11:00 am to 5:00 pm

Other Area Shelters

Please contact shelters for their hours.

Bureau of Animal Regulation and Control (BARC)--713-229-7300  Located at 3200 Carr St, Houston TX 77026.

Harris County Animal Control (HCPHES Veterinary Public Health)--Phone 281-999-3191 and Fax 281-847-1911
Located at 612 Canino Road, Houston Texas 77076, 

Houston SPCA-- Phone 713-869-7722 or Fax 713-869-5857
Located at 900 Portway Drive.

Houston Humane Society--713-433-6421
Located at 14700 Almeda Rd., Houston, Texas. 

Friends for Life --Placement with foster homes, Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
PetSmart at 2902 S Shepard, Houston, Texas, 

Homeless Pet Placement League--713-862-7387(PETS)
Placement in foster homes

Save-a-Pet --713-622-5295
Located at 3631 Westheimer in Houston. Takes in sick or injured strays.

Homeless & Orphaned Pets Endeavor (HOPE) -- 713-622-4673
Mobile adoptions locations around the city.

Adopt a Cat --281-580-6652
Located at 17319 Bamwood, Houston, Texas, 77090--visits to the shelter require an appointment.

Bunny Buddies-- 713-686-0073
Rabbits are placed in foster homes. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Horses--Information on locating lost horses, adopting and volunteering for horses

San Leon: Bay Area SPCA-- Phone: 281-339-2086, Fax: (281)559-3786
Located at 3000 Ave R, San Leon, TX. 

Baytown: Baytown Humane Society--281-424-3103  
Placements in foster homes. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Brazoria County: Brazoria County Humane Society-- 281-467-6300
Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Clear Lake: Second Chance Pets--281-286-3535
Pets are in foster homes in Clear Lake and League City.

Conroe: Humane Society of Montgomery County -- 407 Sgt. Ed Holcomb Blvd. S., Conroe, TX 77304, (936) 441-4762
Offsite Adoptions: PetSmart - The Woodlands, Portofino Shopping Center, 19075 Interstate Hwy 45, Conroe, TX 77385; (936) 273-9888

Conroe: Montgomery County Animal Control--Phone: 936-442-7738 Fax: 936-442-7739
Located at 8535 Highway 242 Conroe, Texas 77385.

Cypress: Noahs Ark Sanctuary-- 281-351-NOAH
Located at 18430 K-Z Road, Cypress, Texas 77433

Rosenberg: Fort Bend Animal Control-- Phone: 281-342-1512, Fax: 281-341-7268
Located at 1210 Blume Road, Rosenberg, TX 77471

Texas City: Galveston County Animal Shelter-- 409-948-2485
Located at 3412 Loop 197 North, Texas City TX

Galveston: Galveston Island Humane Society--409-740-1919
Located at 6814 Broadway, Galveston, Texas 77551.

PetSmart, 20407 Highway 59, Humble, Texas 77338
Petco, 7067 FM 1960 Road East, Humble, Texas 77346

Katy: South Texas Animal Adoption-- 281-392-0927
Dogs are placed with foster homes. Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Katy: Special Pals--281-579-PETS (7387)  
Located at 3830 Greenhouse Road, Houston, TX 77084.

Pearland: Pearland Animal Control--281-652-1970
Located at 2002 Old Alvin Rd, Pearland TX 77581.

Tomball: Abandoned Animal Rescue--281-290-0121
Located at 831 E. Main, Tomball, Texas 77375, Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Missouri City: Missouri City Animal Control--281.403.8707
1923 Scanlin Road, Missouri City, TX 77489

League City: League City Animal Shelter--281-554-1377
821 North Kansas Street, League City, TX 77573
Tel (281) 332-2566 x1 For ACO assistance, Fax (281) 554-1379