What if you find a stray dog or cat?

Verified 23 October 2023 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

If the animal allows itself to be approached and does not wear a necklace bearing the telephone number or address of its keeper, several steps are possible.

You can contact the town hall. Outside opening hours, contact the emergency number of the city hall.

The municipality is responsible for stray animals in its municipality and must organize their care and care.

The city hall will give you the contact details of the pound or a pick-up service that can pick up the animal or a veterinarian with whom it has an agreement.

If you cannot reach the city hall, contact the police or gendarmerie.

You can also drive the animal impounded yourself.

Who shall I contact

Town Hall

Police Department

Office of the Commissioner

The pound checks if the animal is identified and contacts its owner.

FYI

The animal can be identified by electronic chip or tattoo. The electronic chip is under the skin on the neck. The tattoo is usually found on the inner side of an ear. It consists of 6 or 7 characters: at least 3 letters and 3 digits.

After a clear deadline of 8 working daysHowever, if the animal has not been claimed by its owner, it is considered abandoned and becomes the property of the impound manager.

The free period of 8 working days shall start on the day following the day on which the animal arrives in the impound and shall include the day following the day on which the period of 8 working days ends.

After a veterinarian has given his opinion, the animal is transferred free of charge to an animal protection foundation or association or is euthanized.

You can contact an animal welfare organization near you to find out if it can take care of the animal or check if it is identified.

If you obtain the animal's identification number, you can make a declaration, to indicate that you have found the animal, to the I-Cad business that manages the national identification file for domestic carnivores in France.

The declaration can be made online or through the Filalapat app that you can download to your mobile phone.

Declare to I-cad a found pet (cat, dog, ferret)

The I-Cad is responsible for contacting the keeper of the animal.

You can also check if the animal is being searched:

By street signs or at stores near you
In the veterinarian(s) of the commune and neighboring communes
To animal protection associations operating in the municipality and neighboring municipalities
On dedicated private sites

You can contact the town hall. Outside opening hours, contact the emergency number of the city hall.

The municipality is responsible for stray animals in its municipality and must organize their care and care.

The city hall will give you the contact details of the pound or a pick-up service that can pick up the animal or a veterinarian with whom it has an agreement.

If you cannot reach the city hall, contact the police or gendarmerie.