I found an affectionate cat: can I just keep it?

Not without first reporting it and searching for the owner. An affectionate animal is often precisely one that has a family and is being sought, and in many places keeping it without starting the required report is a breach. The correct path is to have it checked for a microchip, report it to the competent authorities, and only if no one claims it within the set time consider adoption by following the official procedure.

How do I know whether it has a microchip?

The microchip cannot be seen and is not read with a smartphone: it needs a proper reader, which vets, clinics, shelters and competent services have. By taking the animal to one of these places, the scan is quick and non invasive and tells you at once whether a code is present. The code, linked to the animal registry, then allows the registered owner's contacts to be traced following the set procedures.

Who pays the visit if the found animal is injured?

It depends on local law and the body involved, so there is no answer valid everywhere. The priority stays to have the injured animal treated, but before taking on major costs it is worth contacting the competent authority or the public veterinary service to understand how they should be handled. Always keep receipts and documentation of what you do, so the coverage question is settled without misunderstanding.

How long must I wait before I can adopt the animal?

It is not a free choice: there is usually a period, set by local law, during which the owner can still come forward. Only after that term, and following the official procedure, may the animal be placed for adoption. The exact time and steps vary from country to country, so the reference is always the competent authority in your area, with whom fostering and any transfer of ownership should be agreed.

Documents and paperwork20 minLevel: BeginnerUpdated on August 6, 2026

Handle the paperwork for an animal you found

What to do when you find a stray animal: keep it safe, read the microchip, report it to the authorities, and understand the obligations and temporary custody.

Audience: Pet owners
Species: Dog, Cat
Scope: Valid everywhere

What you need before you start

Un modo per contenere l'animale in sicurezza, come un guinzaglio, un trasportino o una stanza chiusa
Il recapito del servizio veterinario pubblico, del comune o delle autorità competenti della propria zona
Un veterinario o una struttura in grado di leggere il microchip
Un modo per documentare dove e quando è stato trovato, con foto e annotazioni

Finding a lost animal puts two different needs in front of you that have to be held together: its immediate safety and the correct steps to return it to whoever is looking for it. It is a common mistake to think that whoever finds an animal can simply keep it, especially when it is affectionate and seems abandoned. In many places it is not so: a found animal almost always has an owner searching for it, and the law sets precise obligations of reporting and custody that vary from country to country. Skipping these steps, besides often being illegal, deprives a family of the chance to find their animal again, which may carry a microchip for exactly this reason. This guide covers how to keep the animal safe, how to have the microchip read to trace the owner, whom to report the find to, how temporary custody works, and what happens if no one claims it. The precise procedures change with local law, so the reference stays always the competent authorities in your area.

The first minutes: safety and approach

A stray animal is often frightened, and the first priority is safety, yours and its. Not every animal lets itself be approached, and a scared dog or cat may flee into traffic or react out of fear. It is better to move calmly, without chasing, and to assess the situation before acting, especially if the animal is injured or in a dangerous place such as a busy road.

Assess the context: if the animal is on a busy road or seems aggressive, contact the authorities at once rather than approach.
Approach calmly and without chasing, offering your hand from below and without sudden movements.
If you can, contain the animal safely with a lead, a carrier or a closed room.
If it is injured, handle it with care because pain can make it reactive, and take it or report it to a vet.
Note the place, date and time of the find and take some photos: they will help with the report.

Reading the microchip and searching for the owner

The fastest and most reliable way to return an animal is the microchip. It is a small device, usually implanted under the skin of the neck, that holds a code linked to the animal registry. It contains no location and no data readable by eye: it needs a reader, which vets, clinics, shelters and competent services have. Once read, the code allows the registered owner's contacts to be traced.

Take the animal to have the microchip read
Go to a vet, a clinic, a shelter or the competent service to pass the reader over it. The scan is quick and non invasive, and tells you at once whether a code is present.
Check the tag and distinctive marks too
See whether the animal wears a tag with a contact or a collar with details, and note distinctive marks that help identify it if the microchip is missing.
Trace the owner through the registry
With the microchip code, the facility or competent authority can trace the registered owner's details through the animal registry, following the set procedures.
Report the find anyway
Even if the microchip leads straight to the owner, reporting to the competent authorities remains the correct step, because the return follows precise rules and has to be recorded.
If there is no microchip, widen the search
Without a microchip, reporting to the authorities becomes even more important, alongside local lost pet notices to reach whoever is searching for the animal.

Whom to report to and what the obligations are

Whoever finds a stray animal generally has an obligation to report it to the competent authorities, not to keep it. The bodies to turn to and the timeframes involved change from country to country, but the logic is similar everywhere: to make the find public so the owner can be reunited with the animal and so that custody is regular.

General reporting references, to check with the local authorities
Contact	Typical role	Why to turn to it
Public veterinary service	Microchip reading, health aspects, tracking	Identifying the animal and health steps
Municipality or local authority	Managing finds and custody	Official report and rules on recovery
Local police or law enforcement	Public safety and animals on the road	Situations of danger or an animal on a busy road
Shelter facility	Custody and care where needed	Taking in the animal under the procedures

Temporary custody and costs

While the owner is being traced, the animal has to be kept safe. In some cases the finder may keep it temporarily, in others the animal is entrusted to a facility, depending on local rules and the situation. If you keep it, offer it water, a quiet shelter and suitable food, keeping it separate from the other animals at home until it has been checked, because it could carry parasites or disease.

The costs incurred, for example an emergency visit, and the rules on who covers them vary with the law and the body involved. Keep receipts and documentation of what you do, and clarify with the competent authority how they should be handled before taking on major costs, so you avoid misunderstandings about their coverage.

If the owner does not come forward

If after the searches and the report no one claims the animal, the question of its future opens. Here too the rules change from country to country: usually there is a period during which the owner can still come forward, after which the animal may be placed for adoption under the set procedures. This is not a decision the finder makes alone, but a path regulated by the competent authority.

Respect the timeframes set by local law before considering the animal unclaimed.
If you wish to adopt it, tell the competent authority and follow the set fostering or adoption procedure.
Any transfer of ownership and registration in the registry should be formalised under local rules.
Until the path concludes, custody stays temporary and subject to the body's instructions.
Keep all documentation of the find and the communications until the situation is settled.

Frequently asked questions

I found an affectionate cat: can I just keep it?: Not without first reporting it and searching for the owner. An affectionate animal is often precisely one that has a family and is being sought, and in many places keeping it without starting the required report is a breach. The correct path is to have it checked for a microchip, report it to the competent authorities, and only if no one claims it within the set time consider adoption by following the official procedure.
How do I know whether it has a microchip?: The microchip cannot be seen and is not read with a smartphone: it needs a proper reader, which vets, clinics, shelters and competent services have. By taking the animal to one of these places, the scan is quick and non invasive and tells you at once whether a code is present. The code, linked to the animal registry, then allows the registered owner's contacts to be traced following the set procedures.
Who pays the visit if the found animal is injured?: It depends on local law and the body involved, so there is no answer valid everywhere. The priority stays to have the injured animal treated, but before taking on major costs it is worth contacting the competent authority or the public veterinary service to understand how they should be handled. Always keep receipts and documentation of what you do, so the coverage question is settled without misunderstanding.
How long must I wait before I can adopt the animal?: It is not a free choice: there is usually a period, set by local law, during which the owner can still come forward. Only after that term, and following the official procedure, may the animal be placed for adoption. The exact time and steps vary from country to country, so the reference is always the competent authority in your area, with whom fostering and any transfer of ownership should be agreed.

What to do next

First keep the found animal and yourself safe, noting the place, date and time, then have it checked for a microchip by a vet or a competent facility to trace the owner. Report the find to the competent authorities, because keeping it without reporting is often illegal and deprives a family of the chance to find it again. Keep it separate from other animals until a check, document everything, and if no one claims it within the set time consider adoption by following your country's official procedure.