04/06/2025
What do I do if I find a stray pet?🐾
If you find a stray pet there are a few things to consider. Firstly what species is it?
Dogs: if you notice a stray dog roaming, your first port of call should be to have them scanned for a microchip. You can do this by contacting the dog warden relevant to that area or by bringing them in to a local vet practice to be scanned. If you bring them into the vets, we will scan them, if the dog is microchipped we will contact the owner to arrange collection from us, in the case they are unreachable the dog warden will collect them. If they are not microchipped and not sick or injured then you will be asked to take them to the local dog warden yourself, as we cannot accept healthy strays unless they are microchipped. Sick and injured dogs will always be given first aid and pain relief as needed.
Cats: if you find a stray cat it is important to consider if they are just an outdoor cat roaming around nearby where they live. If the cat is healthy and you bring them to us, we can scan them for a chip. If microchipped we will usually check what address it is registered to, if this is nearby where the cat was found we would always advise to put the cat back so they can find their own way home. If the cat has wondered further from where they live, we will contact the owner to arrange collection from us. If the cat is not microchipped we would advise you again put them back where they were found. If the cat is sick or injured, we will always provide first aid and pain relief as needed. If microchipped we will try to reach the owner, if not microchipped or unable to reach the owner we will usually wait 7 days before contacting a charity for rehoming.
For other pets: the same applies, we will only accept sick or injured animals, unless they are chipped.
Before bringing sick or injured animals, please contact the RSPCA for a log number.
Animals will only be euthanised if they are severely sick or injured, contrary to popular belief we do not euthanise healthy animals, they usually end up being rehomed via charities that we work closely with, or by one of our team.
It is important to note, we are a hospital and not a rehoming centre, as much as we would love to accept all of the healthy strays and rehome them, we must keep our kennels free for sick animals, and we simply wouldn’t have the space for this.
We hope this has been an informative post should you ever find any stray pets in the future 🐾
