I Found a Cat

Just because a cat is outdoors doesn't mean that it is lost. Many families allow their cats outdoor access, and this is allowed in the City of Sacramento. If it is healthy, someone is caring for it. Less than 5% of cats brought to shelters are found by their owners. For this reason, we do not accept healthy stray cats unless you have proof of recent abandonment. If you would like to help look for the cat's owner, please see our tips below.

If you find a sick or injured stray cat call 311 to speak to the City of Sacramento 311 Call Center (24 hours a day / 7 days a week). If you are unable to call that number, please call 916-808-7387.

Unless it is a medical emergency, we highly recommend that you make an appointment to reduce wait times. The 311 agent will connect you to our customer service team to make an appointment.

We will only accept a stray cat if it was found within the city limits of Sacramento. If you find it in the county limits of Sacramento, please call the Bradshaw Animal Shelter at 916-368-7387.

Step 1

Click on the link below to see if an owner has reported his/her cat as being lost.

If you see a cat that you believe is a match, write down the Animal ID and call 311 to speak to the City of Sacramento 311 Call Center (24 hours day / 7 days a week). If you are unable to dial that number, please call 916-808-7387.

Step 2

Text STRAY to 833-511-0426 to receive our proven tips to help you find the owner as well as a website link to fill out a found cat report.

Step 3

  • Make it easy for someone who lost a cat to find you by filling out a found cat report on Petco Love Lost's website.
  • Make a found cat ad on Craigslist (with a photo) and post to the Nextdoor neighborhood where the cat was found.
  • There are many Facebook groups for lost and found pets for different areas in and around Sacramento. Post a picture and description of the cat in the Facebook groups near where the cat was found.
  • Search Craigslist, NextDoor, and Facebook Pages to see if the owner has posted an ad looking for his/her cat.
  • Take the cat to a shelter or veterinarian to scan for a microchip. Ask for the microchip number and search it on the microchip look-up website.
  • Make found cat posters that look like in this video. Hang them at the 6 busiest intersections near where you found the cat.
  • Report your found cat to other local animal shelters.
  • If the found cat is wearing a tag with a phone number, call and send a text. People tend to be more responsive to texts than phone calls from unknown callers.
  • Continue to update and re-post your online found cat posts every couple of days.
a paw inside a magnifying glass next to the words Petco Love Lost and reuniting pets open_in_full

Petco Love Lost allows pet parents to upload a photo and search for their pet after the pet has gone missing.

Pet facial recognition makes it faster and easier than ever to find possible matches for lost and found pets from people and shelters all across the country.

You can create and distribute lost and found pet alerts to share to NextDoor, Facebook, email, and more.

What you need to know

Pets are considered to be the legal property of their owners. Finding a pet does not entitle the finder to keep, sell, or give away the pet, nor does it convey ownership to the finder. If you find a pet, you must actively look for the owner for at least 90 days. Even after that period of time has elapsed, the owner may still have the right to reclaim his/her pet under certain circumstances.

According to California Penal Code 485, a person who finds lost property without first making reasonable and just efforts to find the owner and to restore property to the owner may be guilty of theft. It is important to report the found pet to the animal control agency servicing the area where the pet was found and to follow your jurisdiction's policies and procedures regarding stray animals.

ON THIS PAGE