Dog and cat adoption in Moldova: how to adopt a pet and get through the first days

Adopting a pet means giving a family to someone who already needs one. Many dogs and cats in Moldova are looking for owners: unplanned puppies and kittens, pets whose owners are moving abroad, animals rescued by volunteers. Here's how to choose well and without rushing.

Where to find a pet

• Listings from owners. In the Looking for a home catalogue, owners publish listings straight from their pet's electronic passport: photos, age, personality, neutering and vaccinations. You write to the owner directly, with no middlemen. You can browse dogs or cats and filter by city, age and sex.
• Shelters and volunteers. Animal welfare groups in Chișinău and other towns usually have dogs and cats that are already vaccinated and neutered.

What to ask first

• How old the pet is, how its health is and what illnesses it has had.
• Which vaccinations and parasite treatments it has had, and whether it has a vet passport and a microchip.
• Whether it's neutered.
• What its personality is like: with children, with other animals, when left home alone.
• What it eats now and what habits it has.
• Why it needs a new home.

If you can, meet more than once. A pet that seems calm at the first meeting may just be scared, and a restless one may settle quickly.

What to prepare at home

• Bowls for water and food, and the same food it eats now.
• A bed in a quiet spot.
• For a dog: a collar or harness, a lead and an ID tag with your phone number.
• For a cat: a litter box, a scratching post and window nets.
• A carrier for the journey and vet visits.

The first days

Let your pet explore at its own pace and hold off on visitors. If you want to change the food, do it gradually over 7–10 days. Settling in usually takes a few weeks. Book a vet check-up in the first week, even if the pet looks healthy. The vet will tell you which vaccinations and treatments are coming up.

Documents

Ask the previous owner for the vet passport, the microchip number and any test results. If the pet had a micamic profile, the owner can transfer it to you with its whole history: vaccinations, treatments, weight and documents stay in place.

If you need to rehome a pet

If you're looking for a family for your own pet, publish a free listing in micamic straight from its passport. Photos, age and personality are already there, and your contacts are protected from spam.