âI Found a Dead Cat/Dogâ
Today I found a cat on the road. Iâm sharing what steps Iâm taking to try to find a potential owner so other people can see what to do.
Documentation:
Make a Microsoft Word document for domestic finds. Keep this record for future reference. Include: *Date Found: *Date Picked Up (if different): *Location Found: *Collar/Harness?: Yes or No *Collar/Harness Description (if applicable): *Signs of Ownership (eg. recently groomed coat, trimmed nails, good looking teeth on an older looking animal, etc.): *Scanned for Microchip? Yes or No *Microchip Found? If yes, microchip #/company? *Owner Contacted? (if microchip or tag found) *Description of Animal (species, breed, markings, sex, distinguishing features, approximate age -even just âelder/adult/juvenile/babyâ is better than nothing; ask if the person scanning for a microchip could guess the age if you have no idea-, neutered/spayed -look for spay scar/tattoo-)
Searching:
This is the important part, ACTUALLY try to LOOK FOR AN OWNER!! Never assume the animal doesnât have one! Check: *Local Vet Offices (call & ask, or go in & ask) *Local Animal Shelter(s) (again, call or go in, and leave a âfoundâ report; they may even have a website service available!) *Local Pet Stores (ask if they have somewhere to put lost/found flyers) *Local Feed Stores (ask if they have a board to put lost/found flyers) *Craigslist (lost & found AND pets sections) *Facebook Groups (lost and found/pet groups) *Local Newspapers (if youâre able) *Any Pet-Related Websites (eg. Tabby Tracker, Fido Finder, Pet Harbor, Lost Pet U.S.A.) Check in on these places for the next month to see if any descriptions match the animal you found. Check more than once! (ideally daily for places like Craigslist and FB groups, and weekly for stores) In addition to checking for postings leave postings of your own. DO NOT INCLUDE PHOTOS! DO NOT SAY THAT THE PET IS DEAD! Just keep it short and simple. Include location and a basic description of the pet (species, breed, coat color, whether it had a collar or not -DO NOT DESCRIBE THE COLLAR-, approx. age, sex).
Now What:
Keep the animal in your freezer if possible. If notâŚwell, honestly you shouldnât have picked them up. Hang onto the animal for at least a month, and continue to check for lost pet listings as well as update your own. Donât do anything to the animal besides maybe clean it up during this monthâs time.
If a potential owner contacts you: donât tell them the animal is dead. Ask them to either describe or send photos of the animal to confirm that it is their pet. Especially take note if they mention any special markings (scars, unique marks not common for the breed, the specific way a certain pattern looks, etc.). This is not abnormal to ask. If they get upset, just explain that people pretend animals are theirs all the time when it comes to lost pet listings in order to steal said animal even though they arenât the rightful owner (yes, this is a thing that happens).
If they do seem to be the owner then itâs time to break the bad news to them. There is no easy way to do this, but please be as gentle and apologetic as possible. Ask them if they would like to have their petâs body (some people might not want their petâs remains, especially if the animal died brutally as roadkill). If you can spare the space, maybe even offer your freezer as temporary storage until they are able to make arrangements for the body (like if they want to cremate it, or have the animal buried but need to find an appropriate place first). A little compassion goes a long way. If you do pet memorial pieces, maybe offer that (I wouldnât charge a fee for this). If they donât want the remains offer them an ink paw print press (dip paw pads in ink/paint, press on paper, let dry), or a lock of fur, or something else to remember their pet by. If they do want the remains try to clean the animal up as much as possible, and preferably deliver it in a nice manner. For example, if you have a box that would fit the animal that is preferable to a garbage bag. Try to deliver the animal to them frozen. If the animal is smelly consider putting something nice smelling with it (flowers are an excellent idea).
