Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter

10/16/2026

What a FUR-STATIC glow-up for our beloved Annex, check out what Dave DeYoung (who is a professional painter), Thomas Lane and more generous volunteers accomplished this last month! This is the almost 100 year old house on our Santa Cruz Shelter campus where we host spay neuter clinics, humane education, staff and partner meetings, and volunteer events. We don’t have a lot of money for these kinds of projects but what we have is a lot of expertise, heart and passion from our amazing community. We had donations for paint supplies and brighter lights too so this is what happens when it all comes together! Thank you for giving our animals and people a nicer place to be every day!

If you are interested in helping to improve our facilities in Live Oak or Watsonville, please DM us and we will get you to a Shelter point of contact.

10/16/2026

Repost from
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🎃👻 SPOOKY SEASON PSA: THERE’S A LITTLE GHOUL AT THE SHELTER WHO WANTS TO HAUNT YOUR HEART FOREVER! 🐈‍⬛🧡

Meet BILLIE! 🍂🐾 She’s 6 months old, full of sweetness, and ready to put a spell on her forever family! 🪄✨ This adorable brown tabby may not have eyes, but she’s got enough love to make your heart do the Monster Mash! 💃🧡

Billie’s favorite hobbies include making biscuits 🥐, soaking up pets, and being an all-around cuddle monster. Honestly, she’s basically a tiny Halloween pumpkin with whiskers and a PhD in stealing hearts. 🎃🥹

🕸️ WHAT’S ON BILLIE’S WISH LIST?
🎃 A cozy, indoor-only forever home (no spooky outdoor adventures!)
🍁 Furniture that stays put — no haunted-house rearrangements, please! 😂
🔮 A patient human who talks to her so she can find her way around
🧡 Endless love, gentle pets, and a lifetime supply of snuggles

Billie can play, explore, cuddle, and use her litterbox like any other kitty. She just needs a little help feeling safe as she learns her surroundings. Keep her essentials in familiar spots, introduce new spaces gradually, and let your voice be her guiding light. 🕯️🐾

She’s been waiting at the shelter since September 20, and this little pumpkin deserves a forever home before the leaves finish falling! 🍂😭

ADOPT BILLIE — BE THE HUMAN SHE’S BEEN WITCHING FOR! 🧙‍♀️💘

No tricks, just treats. No jump scares, just purrs. And absolutely NO chance of escaping her biscuit-making charm. 🥐😂

📍 Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter – Santa Cruz
🏡 1001 Rodriguez Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95062
📞 (831) 454-7200
🕚 Open daily, 11 AM–6 PM (closed on county holidays)
🌐 www.scanimalshelter.org

🎃 Come meet Billie and give this little lovebug the happily-ever-after she deserves. Her forever home is out there… could it be YOU? 🧡🐈‍⬛

🧡🎃🐾

10/15/2026

Repost from Public Health Department of Santa Cruz County

Vampires aren't real but rabid bats are! If you find a bat:

🚫 Never try to remove or touch a bat.
✅Contact the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter at 831-454-7200 if you have a bat encounter.
✅Contact Mosquito & Vector Control for a free home bat exclusion inspection at 831-454-2590.
✅Make sure your pets are vaccinated against rabies.

Learn more: https://mvc.santacruzcountyca.gov/Learn/Bats.aspx

**

Los vampiros no existen, ¡pero los murciélagos rabiosos sí! Si encuentra un murciélago:

🚫Nunca intente quitar o tocar un murciélago
✅Llame al Refugio de Animales al 831-454-7200 si tiene un encuentro con un murciélago
✅Llame al Control de Mosquitos y Vectores para una inspección de exclusión de murciélagos en el hogar al 831-454-2590
✅Asegúrese de que sus mascotas estén vacunadas contra la rabia

Mas información: https://mvc.santacruzcountyca.gov/Learn/Bats.aspx

10/15/2026

Meet the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter's pet of the week... Bruno!

10/15/2026

Yay Bowie! Thank you for voting for her.

Bowie, a 6-month-old Dalmatian from Watsonville, won a Purina contest and was named “chief snuggle officer" for Puppy Chow. The honor included a $25,000 “salary” prize and an additional $10,000 that was donated to the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter.

10/15/2026

Congratulations to Bowie for winning the Purina Chief Snuggler Officer contest along with Cashew the kitten! They will be donating $10K to us!! Thanks to Bowie’s mom Kimmy Bonnema and everyone who voted!

10/14/2026

This week we were “CAT”ching up with a recent adopter of senior kitty Mr. P🐈 who was adopted a couple of weeks ago. Looks like he has settled in nicely and has made himself right at home.

“His new first name is Chaz. He’s an absolute delight and I can’t believe he is 13 years old. He loves to play and follows me around like a puppy, always wanting to be on my lap. He is 1000% the right cat for me, living his best retirement life!”

Cheers,
Hannah

We want to thank Hannah and others for opening their heart to a senior pet! You are special, and these deserving souls deserve to spend their golden years surrounded by love, comfort, and a family of their own. Thank you for giving them the happily ever after they deserve!

Need a retirement buddy? Visit the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter today!

10/14/2026

PLEASE SHARE this post to help get the word out that our shelters in Watsonville and Santa Cruz serve as the “lost & found” for pets. Too many pet owners aren’t aware that they need to check with us if their pet goes missing. And if you recognize any of these pets or know who they belong to, please contact us at 831-454-7200 with any information you have. We want lost pets to get back home!

Visit our website at scanimalshelter.org for more information.

10/12/2026

Thank you Kappa Gamma Delta for a very productive morning of working in the shelter’s garden!

Struggling plants were watered, pruned, transplanted or removed all together. Leaves were raked and taken to the canine enrichment yard where pups can enjoy a romp in a big mound of dry crispy leaves!

KGD, you made a huge impact on the wellbeing of the shelter animals, and the overall appearance of the shelter grounds.

Thank you all for all you do! You are appreciated!

Phyllis Shreve,
Green Team Lead