What to Do if You Find a Lost or Stray Pet?

Have you ever come across a lost pet and wondered what to do? Your first instinct will probably be to help them and make sure they’re safe, but without taking the proper steps first, you may actually be endangering them, breaking the law, or depriving a grieving owner of the chance to reunite with their lost pet. Of course, there is still a lot you can do to properly help a lost pet, and below are some tips for getting them safely back to their owner or ensuring a stray animal is safe. (And if you lost your pet, learn more about how to get them back).

How can I determine if the pet is actually a stray or lost?

First, it’s important not to judge the condition of the animal you’ve found and make an assumption about an uncaring owner. Pets can be lost for days, weeks, or months and become sick, thin, and dirty, and their collars or tags could have fallen off. That doesn’t mean their anxious family hasn’t been frantically searching for them all along.

The key signs that a pet may have once been a loved family member are that they are spayed or neutered, or have a microchip.

How do I find the owner of a stray pet?

Check for ID:

The first thing you should do is check to see if the pet is wearing any ID, such as a collar with a tag or a microchip. If the pet is wearing an ID tag with an address or phone number, contact the pet’s family immediately and try to return them to their home directly. If you can’t reach the pet’s family or the pet has no ID tag, call your local animal control right away to see if anyone has reported their pet missing and ask for further instructions.

Take the pet to a safe place:

If the pet is not wearing any ID, you should take them to a safe place. At first, this could be your home or a veterinary clinic, but note that every city has different laws governing where stray animals must ultimately go. Some say you must bring them to an animal shelter and leave them there for a “stray period” (which is often at least three days long) to give their family a chance to claim them. Other states, however, may let you house the animal if you file a lost pet report and post “found” notices in the newspaper and at the shelter.

Get the pet scanned for a microchip:

Once the pet is safe, bring them to a shelter or vet to have them scanned for a microchip. A microchip is a small chip implanted under the pet’s skin and contains the pet’s identification information, which professionals with the right equipment can scan.

Put up lost pet posters or post online:

If the pet doesn’t have any ID or a microchip, you can put up lost pet posters in your neighborhood or post about the pet online. Be sure to include a picture of the pet and a description of their markings, but give out only enough information that the pet’s family will suspect its theirs. For instance, if you find a Bichon Frise with a red collar, you might advertise “Found: Small white dog with collar.” When someone calls, ask him or her to describe the collar and ask what breed their dog is. For the pet’s safety and wellbeing, you want to do everything you can to make sure anyone claiming to be their family actually is.

Check online lost pet listings:

Many websites list lost pets, as well as local Facebook groups and online communities like NextDoor and Ring Community. You can check these websites and platforms to see if anyone has reported a lost pet that matches the description of the pet you found. Many websites specialize in lost and found pet postings, including the Center For Lost Pets, 24 Pet Connect, and Fido Finder. (You can also check out Find Toto, a for-fee service.)

What do I do if I see a stray cat?

Many people allow their pet cats to spend time outdoors, so if you see a cat outside with a collar and the cat looks to be in good health, that could very well be the case. If a cat approaches you, though, it’s always a good idea to see if they have a collar with identification, because the cat may have gotten lost. It never hurts to call their family just to make sure the cat should be outside where you found them.

If you find a cat with no identification and who seems friendly but is skinny, has matted hair, or otherwise appears to need care, see if you can pick them up and take them home. Many stray cats are feral (wild) and won’t allow you to approach them, but a lost or abandoned pet is more likely to allow you to approach and pick them up.

Once home, you’ll probably wonder where to take stray cats or what to feed a stray cat. Follow the steps suggested below to try to reunite a lost pet with their family, and check out this article on what to do if you find a stray or lost cat.

What do I do if I find a stray dog?

If you find a stray dog and decide to try to catch them yourself, be careful—even dogs who are normally friendly can be frightened when lost and bite unexpectedly. If you are afraid, do not try to catch a stray dog because dogs can sense your fear and are more likely to bite when they do. Also, chasing the dog may scare them and do more harm than good by causing them to dart out into traffic or panic and run farther away. It’s also not advisable to try to capture an unfriendly pet by yourself; doing so takes lots of aggressive dog-handling experience and accepting the bite risks involved.

If you feel able to catch a stray dog, though, follow the below steps about what to do with a stray dog:

• Call the dog to you, and get them to follow you into a store or yard where you can close the door without touching the dog.

• Do not grab at or move quickly toward a stray pet. Squat so you are not leaning over the dog, and use slow, calm movements.

• Leash the dog. It’s handy to keep a slip leash (available at vet offices or shelters, often for free) in your car or in your bag for such a purpose, but you can also use a regular dog leash with a loop handle, your belt, or a rope with a loop for their head. If a stray dog approaches you and is friendly, you can slowly and calmly drape the looped rope over their head to leash them.

• If you are in your car, open your car’s back door. Pets who have previously lived with families will sometimes jump right in and will be less frightened (and less likely to bite) than when running loose.

What do I do if I can’t or don’t feel safe capturing a stray dog?

• Write down the details of the dog (color, size, breed, and sex), the exact location (street address or intersection), and which direction the dog is moving.

• Call animal control. You can dial 411 and ask for the closest agency. Report the stray’s information. Some agencies will come out immediately if you are on a cell phone and “tracking” the pet. Others will send an officer as soon as possible, depending on the urgency of other calls.

• Ask neighbors or anyone outside (including children) if anyone knows the stray dog. Often they can direct you where to find their family.

• Follow the pet. Some pets will wander into an empty yard where you can close a gate behind them to contain them until animal control arrives or until you can ask around and locate their family.

What if I want to adopt the lost pet?

After you’ve followed the steps above and researched any other local laws about found pets in your area, you may decide you want to keep the pet you’ve found. If the pet is in the shelter, you may have priority to adopt them, usually after a waiting period of about three days or so has passed, or you may need to complete an application or follow the shelter’s adoption procedure before the pet becomes available for adoption to make sure you’re at the top of the list. Every shelter is different, so verify how to proceed if you want to adopt (or rescue to rehome) the pet you’ve found.

If you can temporarily care for a stray pet until you can find them a permanent home, try creating a profile on Rehome. It’s a safe and reliable way to find a forever home after the legal stray holding period has passed.

If keeping the pet in your home is not possible, call local rescue groups to see if anyone has room to foster the pet for you and help find them a new home if their family cannot be located. You can find rescue groups in your area on Adopt a Pet.

Commonly asked questions:

How can I prevent losing my own pet?

The best way to prevent losing your pet is to make sure they are kept in a safe and secure environment—when you are supervising them and especially when you are not. If they are allowed outside in a fenced area, for example, make sure the fence is secure and there is no way for your pet to escape.

Microchipping your pet and attaching an ID to their collar or harness is also an important preventive measure to take because it will make returning your pet much easier should they go missing.

What to do if my dog is lost?

If your dog is lost, follow these nine steps as quickly as possible. First and foremost, search your home and talk to your neighbors to make sure your dog is actually lost, then alert the authorities, set up food to lure them back, and post on Facebook, NextDoor, Ring Community, and other online sites.

What to do if my cat is lost?

If your cat is lost, you can take many of the same steps you’d take to find a lost dog, including enlisting the help of friends, neighbors, and local community groups; searching the general area where they were last seen; and putting up highly visible, large print posters.

What should I do if I find a stray animal?

If you find a stray animal, first and foremost, if possible, take the animal to a safe place and contact any info listed on their ID or have them scanned for a microchip.

How can I determine if the pet is actually a stray or lost?

The key signs that a pet is lost and not stray are that they are spayed or neutered or have a microchip and ID.

Should I try to find the pet’s family myself or take them to a local animal shelter or rescue organization?

Every city has different laws governing what to do with stray animals, so if you’re unable to contact a found pet’s family, follow local laws.

How can I prevent losing my own pet?

The best way to prevent losing your pet is to keep them in a safe, secure environment and make sure they ID on their collar and microchip them.

What if I can’t keep the stray pet but want to help?

Call local rescue groups to see if they can find a foster and help find the pet a new home if their family cannot be located. You can find local rescue groups on Adopt a Pet.

Can I post about the stray pet on social media?

Yes, you should post about the stray pet on local Facebook groups devoted to lost pets as well as communities like NextDoor, Ring Community, and others.