Heartbreak of a missing pet – what to do

It’s the stuff of nightmares for a pet owner … coming home to find a gate or window has been left open and your furry friend is nowhere to be seen. They don’t come when you call them, and they’re not hiding in any of their favourite places.

Hopefully your missing pet will turn up before panic sets in. But if not, you need to act quickly. The more time a pet is out roaming the streets, the more likely they’ll be run over or even stolen. Check if any of your neighbours have seen your dog or cat. Then organise a search party of nearby streets, parks or other places your pet might be drawn to.

Use social media to effectively widen the search. Post a clear photo of your pet on your social platforms and WhatsApp neighbourhood groups. You may even have a local community group that focuses on finding missing pets.

Contact the SPCA

Contact your local SPCA and other animal shelters, as well as veterinary clinics – anywhere a Good Samaritan who finds your precious dog or cat might take them if they are lost or injured.

To report a missing pet at the Durban & Coast SPCA, call 031 579 6525/6 or email a photo and details to lostandfound@spcadbn.org.za. Do remember that it can be difficult to identify a particular animal from a description over the phone, especially if your pet is one of the more common types. It is important to visit the SPCA in person to check if your pet has been handed in.

Prevention is better than cure

Avoid the heartache of a missing pet by taking precautions to safeguard your animals. Ensuring your pet’s safety starts with a secure environment. If you have a yard, make sure it’s properly fenced and gates are secured. Sterilised pets are less likely to wander, which is another good reason to spay or neuter your animals.

Having your pets microchipped greatly increases your chances of being reunited with them if they go missing. Many people think that they do not need to microchip their dogs and cats if the animals wear a collar tag. But tags can be removed or lost. If an animal is stolen, the first thing a thief will do is remove the collar tag.

What is microchipping?

Microchipping your pet is a simple and safe procedure usually done by a veterinarian. Using a hypodermic needle, the vet injects the device – which is about the size of a grain of rice – under the skin of your pet’s neck.

After the microchip is implanted, the vet or clinic staff will help you register its unique identification number, along with your contact information, in a national pet recovery database. If you move or change your contact details, remember to update your details. Keeping your information current will ensure that you can be easily reached if your pet is found.

Recently a cat that went missing from Durban North turned up at the Springs SPCA in Gauteng! The only reason it was reunited with its owners was because it had a microchip.

You can get your pet microchipped for as little as R220 at our SPCA. Call us on 031 579 6547 to make a booking. If you adopted a dog or cat from our SPCA, it will have automatically been microchipped before being allowed to go home with you.

What to do if you find a stray animal

While it’s human nature to want to rescue, calm and care for a lost or frightened animal, be cautious about approaching an unknown dog or cat. You could be bitten or scratched, or exposed to a potentially fatal disease.

Rather call your nearest SPCA to collect the animal. Provide as much detail as possible Where is the animal? What does it look like? Is it behaving strangely? Our inspectors are trained and have the necessary equipment to handle the situation. You can also assist by asking around the neighbourhood in which the animal was found to see if anyone is missing their pet.

Why you should not keep a stray pet

There are many cases where people who find a dog or cat decide to keep it. Or they pass it on to someone else who’s willing to look after it. This could result in the owner never being re-united with their beloved pet! Imagine how you would feel if it was your dog or cat that simply disappeared, and you never found out what happened to it.

Animal hoarders are always on the look out for stray animals they can offer to take in. Passing a stray on to a seemingly kind and compassionate ‘animal lover’ may result in the dog or cat spending the rest of its life in appalling conditions.

Apart from that, it’s against the law to keep, re-home or foster an animal belonging to someone else.

What happens when a stray is brought to our SPCA?

First the animal will be documented. Then they are taken to our clinic, where they’re given a health check and scanned for a microchip. If the animal is microchipped, we immediately notify the owner that we have their missing pet and will keep it safe until they’re able to collect it.

If there’s no microchip or identity tag, we check for a match against any ‘lost’ reports that have come in. After having exhausted all efforts to trace the owner, the SPCA will provide the animal with care and shelter for 7 days – unless it is severely injured or unhealthy, in which case it will be humanely euthanased to prevent further suffering.

7-day ‘pound’ period

Once the 7-day pound period has passed, the animal becomes the property of the SPCA. If it’s healthy and sociable, we’ll do our best to find it a suitable new home. So, if you’ve lost a pet, don’t wait a couple of weeks before checking if it’s at our SPCA. After 7 days, you no longer own the animal and have no legal claim to it.

Taking the necessary precautions and acting swiftly can make all the difference when it comes to finding a pet that’s gone missing. If your beloved dog or cat is part of the family, you’ll want to make sure that they remain safely at your side.