Lost & Found
Whether you are missing your own pet or you found a stray roaming the streets, you'll find some answers here to help.
Lost
Found
Chattanooga City Limits, Red Bank, and Lakesite visit McKamey Animal Center.
Walden, Soddy Daisy, Collegedale, and unincorporated Hamilton County visit Humane Educational Society.
Town of Signal Mountain call Signal Mountain Police Department at (423) 886-2123.
Town of Lookout Mountain call Lookout Mountain Police Department at (423) 821-5131.
City of East Ridge visit East Ridge Animal Services
For free resources like Facebook Posts and Missing Flyers, check out PawBoost for all their helpful tools.
Check for any tags or strange markings.
If you've found a Rabies tag, call the phone number provided on the tag or look up the facility listed. If you're not sure whom to call, contact the General Environmental Health Office at (625) 741-7206.
If you found a Microchip tag, it should have a long list of numbers and a company name. Contact the company and provide them with the number and they will find the current owner's information.
If you found a cat with a clipped ear, then that cat has been Trapped, Neutered, and then Released (TNR). The clip will look like the tip has been cut off of just one ear. That cat likely belongs to that area as a residential community cat.
If you found a cat with a tattoo on their stomach, that cat has been spayed and is likely owned by someone nearby. Check with the neighbors to see if they recognize it or take it to your local municipal shelter.
Take the lost pet to a local municipal shelter. Local shelters will hold the pet for several days so the owner can find them. They will have a record of lost pets in the area and can reunite them with the owner if they have the information. Shelters and veterinarians can also scan the pet for a microchip, which may lead to the owner. If the owner is not found, the pet will be transferred over to their adoption floor and made available for the general public.
Share your pet's information online. Check for all of the local area Facebook Lost & Found groups and post your pet's information. Download the Nextdoor app on your phone or visit their website to stay in contact with your neighborhood. Make sure that all of the information you provide is as clear as possible. Remember, your description of your pet may not exactly match what others see. Clear, helpful photos with a detailed description will bridge any gaps in confusion.
Pet Placement Center is unable to take and hold strays. We can scan for a microchip and check our records for any lost-pet information, but the pet will need to be taken to a municipal shelter for stray-hold.
Here is a list of municipal shelters near Pet Placement Center.
Report your lost pet with your local municipal animal control. Visit the facility in person with a photo and any information that can help identify your pet from others.
Create a lost pet flyer to distribute to your local veterinarians and neighbors. Pets who are lost outside can often roam more than 10 miles away from their home. Citizens will often find pets and take them to the closest pet-related facility, whether that be a shelter, veterinarian office, pet boarding facility or training facility. While most places can't hold the lost pet, they will redirect them to the local municipal facility so the pet can be kept safe while the owner is looking for them.
Most importantly, DO NOT GIVE UP. Lost pets have been found months or even years after they go missing.
An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure.
Microchip your pet today! Microchipping is a simple injection that leaves an RFID chip, smaller than a grain of rice, just under the skin of your pet. Consider it a personal identification tag they can't lose. Once registered, their number and your information will remain in a nationwide database if in the event your pet goes missing.
Chattanooga City Limits, Red Bank, and Lakesite visit McKamey Animal Center.
Walden, Soddy Daisy, Collegedale, and unincorporated Hamilton County visit Humane Educational Society.
Town of Signal Mountain call Signal Mountain Police Department at (423) 886-2123.
Town of Lookout Mountain call Lookout Mountain Police Department at (423) 821-5131.
City of East Ridge visit East Ridge Animal Services
There are several low-cost microchipping clinics all over town, including McKamey Animal Center, Humane Educational Society, PetSense, PetCo VetCo Clinic, PetSmart Banfield, Chattaneuter, and VIPPetcare.
House the pet until you find the owner. If you have the space in your home, you can house the pet while looking for the owner and give the shelter an extra kennel for those who can't. Notify your local shelter that you've found a lost pet and would like to hold on to the pet while looking for the owner. They may be able to work with you as a temporary foster home and that will give the shelter a little extra space for those who can't foster.
If you plan to foster the pet while looking for the owner, check online Lost & Found pages through Facebook, Nextdoor, PawBoost, and more to find any lost pet posters. Let your local shelters and veterinarians know you found a pet and provide a description in case anyone comes by with that pet to surrender. Even the smallest idea can help reunite someone with their beloved companion.