A bright red cat is loose in a League City neighborhood, and the city's animal shelter wants neighbors to help with their eyes, not their hands.
League City Animal Care said Aug. 6 that staff are actively working to humanely trap the cat, which appears to have red dye or paint covering its fur, KHOU reported. The shelter plans to place a humane trap in the area where the feline has been spotted so it can be evaluated and treated.
The shelter's message to neighbors: don't try to catch the cat, and don't leave food outside. If the cat finds food elsewhere, it may ignore the bait inside the trap, making the rescue harder.
The shelter said in a Facebook post that while residents' offers come from a place of kindness, additional food and attempts to approach the cat can make trapping efforts less likely to succeed.
The community response has been overwhelming. League City Animal Care said it had to limit comments on its social media posts after residents flooded the page with offers to help rescue or adopt the cat. The shelter's Facebook page has more than 19,600 likes.
Anyone who spots the red cat should send League City Animal Care a direct message on Facebook with the location and time of the sighting. The shelter asked residents not to call Animal Protection, since officers are already aware and working the case.
No one has identified how the cat ended up dyed red, and the specific neighborhood where it's been seen has not been disclosed. The rescue remains active, and the shelter said it will post updates on Facebook as the effort continues.
League City Animal Care, located at 755 W. Walker St., earned national no-kill recognition from Best Friends Animal Society in 2025 for achieving a live release rate of 90% or higher, according to a city news release.
Upcoming at Helen Hall Library
- Thursday, Aug. 13: READ to the Dogs, 7–8 p.m. at 100 W. Walker St. For students in grades 1–3; application required. Contact [email protected].
- Sunday, Aug. 16: America 250th Birthday Event, 1:30–3:30 p.m. in the Susan Mathews Theater, 100 W. Walker St. Free, all-ages games, activities and crafts on American history, presented with the Bernardo de Galvez Society and the Children of the American Revolution.
