What if you find a stray dog or cat?

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

The animal lets itself be approached

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

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

If you are considering adopting the animal, have a veterinarian check whether it is identified or not.

If identified, the veterinarian will contact the titular owner.

If he's not identified or if the owner doesn't want it back, have the animal identified by your name so that it becomes yours.

If he is not identified, the veterinarian installs an electronic chip and immediately issues you a provisional identification certificate.

The veterinarian shall inform the I-Cad of this identification within 8 days. The I-Cad will then send you the definitive identification card.

If the animal is identified and if its owner does not request it, you must have a veterinarian prepare a request for a duplicate identification card.

You must send this request to the I-Cad, accompanied by a €12 to the order of the Icad.

Who shall I contact

The I-Cad will contact the owner by mail to ask him if he accepts that the animal change keeper and that you adopt it.

In case of a positive response or if no response is received after one month, the I-Cad automatically puts the animal in your name. You become the title holder. A definitive identification card of the animal with your name is sent to you.

The animal is running away

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.

Who shall I contact