--- title: "Found a Lost Dog or Cat: What to Do First" description: "Found a stray dog or cat: keep yourself and the animal safe, check for a tag, get a free microchip scan, report it to local animal control, post a found report and check lost reports before anything else." canonical: https://www.whiskermatch.com/guides/found-a-pet markdown_url: https://www.whiskermatch.com/guides/found-a-pet.md generated_from: "canonical page server-rendered HTML; the HTML page is authoritative" last_modified: 2026-10-07 last_updated: 2026-10-07 publisher: "Veldarium Technology Systems LLC" --- 1. [Home](https://www.whiskermatch.com/) 2. [Guides](https://www.whiskermatch.com/guides) 3. Found a dog or cat? What to do first Found animal guide # Found a dog or cat? What to do first Keep yourself and the animal safe first, then check for an ID tag and get the animal scanned for a microchip at any vet clinic or shelter. Report the animal to your local animal control or shelter, post a found report with a photo and the general area, and check lost-pet posts nearby. Do not rehome the animal yourself: someone may be searching. General guidance for anyone, free and without an account. Not veterinary or legal advice; local rules differ. Last reviewed October 7, 2026. ## On this page 1. Safety first, yours and the animal's 2. Look for an owner's details 3. Report it where owners look 4. If it is a cat outdoors 5. If you found very young kittens 6. What to avoid 7. Common questions ## Safety first, yours and the animal's - Do not grab a frightened, injured or growling animal. Call your local animal control instead. - If it is safe, move the animal away from traffic using a leash, a slip lead made from a belt, or a carrier. - Keep a found animal apart from your own pets until it has been checked by a vet or shelter. - Offer water. Hold off on large meals; a small amount of plain food is enough for now. ## Look for an owner's details - Check the collar for an ID tag, a phone number, or a rabies or licence tag (the number on it can be traced through the issuing office or vet). - Take the animal to any vet clinic or shelter for a microchip scan. It takes a minute and is normally free. - If a chip is found, the clinic or shelter can contact the registry. Do not be surprised if the details are out of date; they will try other routes. ## Report it where owners look Owners search their local shelter and animal control first. Many places also require finders to report or turn in a found animal; check the rules where you live. - Report the animal to your local animal control or shelter, with a photo, where and when you found it, and your number. - Post a found report in local lost-and-found and neighborhood groups with a photo and the general area, not your address. - Keep one detail out of the post (a marking, a collar color) and ask anyone claiming the animal to describe it. - Check lost-pet posts in the same places every day. ## If it is a cat outdoors Not every cat outside is lost. Many have homes nearby, and some are community cats cared for by neighbors. - A straight cut across the tip of one ear usually means a community cat that has been neutered and returned; it may be exactly where it belongs. - A healthy, relaxed cat may simply live nearby. A paper collar with a short note ('Is this your cat? Call...') can find the owner without taking the cat anywhere. - A thin, injured or clearly distressed cat needs help: contact your local shelter or rescue. ## If you found very young kittens A mother cat often leaves her kittens for hours to find food. Removing healthy kittens can do more harm than leaving them. - If the kittens look clean and healthy and are in a safe spot, watch from a distance for a few hours before doing anything. - If they are in danger, cold, wet or the mother does not return, contact a local shelter or rescue for advice before you take them in. ## What to avoid - Giving the animal away or rehoming it yourself before the owner has had a fair chance to find it. - Posting your full address or the animal's every identifying detail. - Handing an animal to someone who cannot describe it or show proof it is theirs. ## When to call a professional If the animal is injured or very unwell, take it to a veterinary clinic or emergency hospital, or call animal control to do so. ## Do this next on WhiskerMatch - [Draft a found report →](https://www.whiskermatch.com/lost-found?start=found) Prepares the report on your device so you can copy it into the places people look. It is not published or sent. - [Tell a local TNR group about a community cat →](https://www.whiskermatch.com/community-cats) Goes privately to one group covering that area, where one has joined. - [Three-minute lesson: the first hour with a found animal →](https://www.whiskermatch.com/world/lessons/found-animal-first-hour) The same steps as a short quiz. ## Common questions - **Can I keep a dog or cat I found?** Not straight away. Rules differ by place, but finders are usually expected to report a found animal and give the owner time to reclaim it. Ask your local animal control what applies. - **Where can I get a found animal scanned for a microchip?** Any veterinary clinic or animal shelter can scan for a microchip, usually for free and in a minute or two. - **How do I know a person claiming the animal is the owner?** Ask them to describe the detail you kept out of your post, and to show photos, vet records or a microchip registration. If in doubt, arrange the handover through your local shelter. ## Words in this guide - **[Microchip](https://www.whiskermatch.com/glossary#microchip)** A tiny implant under the skin carrying an ID number that a vet or shelter can scan. It is not a GPS tracker: it leads back to an owner only if the registry holds current contact details. - **[Stray hold](https://www.whiskermatch.com/glossary#stray-hold)** The period a shelter keeps a found animal so its owner can reclaim it before it becomes available for adoption or transfer. The length is set by local rules and can be only a few days, which is why owners of a lost pet should visit shelters in person, often. - **[Ear tip](https://www.whiskermatch.com/glossary#ear-tip)** A small straight cut across the tip of one ear, made during surgery, showing from a distance that a community cat has already been neutered and vaccinated. - **[Community cat](https://www.whiskermatch.com/glossary#community-cat)** A cat that lives outdoors without one owner. Some are friendly, some avoid people. Many are looked after by neighbors who feed them. ## Related guides - [What to do when your dog is missing](https://www.whiskermatch.com/guides/lost-dog) - [What to do when your cat is missing](https://www.whiskermatch.com/guides/lost-cat) - [Found kittens outside? What to do first](https://www.whiskermatch.com/guides/found-kittens) - [What is TNR? Trap-neuter-return explained](https://www.whiskermatch.com/guides/what-is-tnr) - [All guides](https://www.whiskermatch.com/guides) --- About WhiskerMatch: WhiskerMatch is workflow software for animal shelters and rescues that keeps one reviewed record per animal across intake, foster care, adoption review and public profiles, with people making every placement and publishing decision. ## Sitemap See the full [WhiskerMatch sitemap](https://www.whiskermatch.com/sitemap.md) for every public page, or [llms.txt](https://www.whiskermatch.com/llms.txt) for a short summary.