Found a pet with no tag? Here's what to do
Thank you for stopping to help. These steps give the one you've found the best chance of getting home.
Got a PetLocate ID, chip or tag number? Type it in on our homepage: it's the quickest way to the owner.
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Make sure they're safe
If they're injured, take them straight to a vet: vets treat injured strays. A cat out and about isn't necessarily lost, as many roam. If a cat looks healthy and well fed, it probably lives nearby; worry if it's hurt, very young, or still hanging around after a day or two.
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Get them scanned for a microchip
Any vet, rescue centre or council dog warden will scan them for free and contact the owner through the chip's database. By law most dogs, and in England cats too, must be microchipped, so this is the most likely way home.
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Found a dog? Contact the council
The law says that if you take in a stray dog, you must return it to its owner or take it to the council's dog warden service and tell them where you found it. Phone your council first and they'll arrange it. (In Scotland you can also go to the police.)
Find your council -
Check pets reported missing near you
Owners post their missing pets on PetLocate. Search near where you found yours: if it's there, you can message the owner from its page.
See lost pets near you -
Tell us about them
Describe them below and we'll check against pets reported missing nearby, now and for the next 30 days. If one might be theirs, we'll pass your report to the owner privately.
Describe the pet -
Spread the word locally
Tell neighbours, put up a notice, and post in local lost and found groups online. Keep one detail back, such as a marking, so you can check that whoever comes forward really is the owner.
Tell us about the pet you found
Nothing you send is shown publicly. It goes only to owners whose missing pet it might be.