What to do when you find a pet
- Check with your neighbors, make sure their pet did not just escape.
- Have the pet scanned for a microchip. Most Veterinary facilities or shelters will scan the pet for you. Do not expect a Veterinary facility to take in the pet. Veterinarians are Doctors, not shelters. By taking in a stray animal, they greatly increase the risk of spreading diseases to other pets in their facilities. Even an apparently healthy stray may be a carrier of a life-threatening infection.
- If there is no microchip, put up signs (with a picture is best). Contact all local Veterinary facilities & shelters.
- With Social Media being what it is today, it is a great idea to share a picture and description of the pet. There are many social media pages that assist pets in need. Some of the most popular in our area are on Facebook: Katy, Texas Lost & Found Pets; Lost or Found Pets in Katy, Texas; and Lost & Found Pets of Katy, Texas.
- If after a reasonable amount of time you have not been able to locate the owner, you are stuck with a difficult decision: either keep the pet or turn them over to a shelter or local animal/rabies control. Animal/rabies control is the legal authority. However, most pets get turned into local shelters and are usually adopted out faster at local shelters.
Micro-Chip Company Database Information:
resQ – 877-738-5465
15 Numeric – 98102000xxxxxxx
Banfield 877-567-8738
15 Numeric – 98101000xxxxxxx
10 Alphnumeric – 0D0Dxxxxxx
24PetWatch – 866-597-2424
15 Numeric – 982xxxxxxxxxxxx
10 Alphapnumeric – FDX-A xxxxxxxxxx
AVID – 800-336-2843
9 Numeric – xxx*xxx*xxx
10 Alphanumeric – xxxxxxxxxx
15 Numeric – 977xxxxxxxxxxxx
HomeAgain – 888-466-3242
15 Numeric – 985xxxxxxxxxxxx
10 Alphanumeric – FDX-A xxxxxxxxxx
AKC/CAR – 800-252-7864
15 Numeric – 956xxxxxxxxxxxx
10 Aplhanumeric – TVN xxxxxxxxxx