Lost dog or cat in Moldova: what to do in the first hours

The dog bolted after a cat and slipped its collar. The cat darted through the door while you were carrying in the shopping. New Year's fireworks. It happens to the most careful owners, and everyone's first reaction is the same: panic and running around the neighbourhood shouting. Running around is right, but do it with a plan. The first hours matter a lot.

The first hour: search close by

Most lost cats hide very close, often within a few buildings: in a basement, under a car, on someone else's balcony. They don't run far; they freeze and go quiet. Search with a torch even in daylight, look through basement windows, ask the caretaker and ground-floor neighbours.

Dogs, on the other hand, can run far, especially when scared. Have one person stay at home or where the dog went missing: many dogs come back there on their own. Everyone else walks the usual routes. Call calmly, not in a frightened voice.

The first hours: tell everyone

Make a post with a good photo showing the whole animal, distinguishing features and your phone number. Share it in your neighbourhood's Facebook and Telegram groups, on 999.md and in Chișinău lost-pet groups. The more people within a couple of kilometres see it, the better.

In micamic you can report your pet missing from its profile. micamic then makes an A4 flyer in Romanian and Russian, images for social media, and adds your pet to the lost pets feed. Anyone who spots it can message you through the site without knowing your number.

Print flyers and put them up at building entrances, shops, bus stops and, above all, at nearby vet clinics. That's where found animals get taken first.

Call clinics and the shelter

Phone the vet clinics in your area and Chișinău's municipal shelter at 205/6 Uzinelor Street, where dogs picked up off the streets end up. If your pet is chipped, give them the number. If you don't know whether it's chipped, that's one more reason to get it done once it's home. More in microchipping a dog or cat.

Watch out for scammers

Sadly, lost-pet posts sometimes attract people who've "found" the animal and want a prepayment for delivery or "for food". Never send money until you've seen your pet with your own eyes, or at least clearly on a video call. Ask them to describe a feature you left out of the post.

If you've found one

Check the collar for a tag or a QR tag. Take the animal to the nearest clinic to scan for a chip. Look through the lost pets feed and local groups: the owner is probably already searching.

Making next time easier

If it all ends well, do three things while it's fresh. Put an ID tag with your phone number or a QR tag on the collar. Get a chip if there isn't one. And keep good photos and distinguishing features in one place, not buried among two thousand shots in your gallery. What else is worth keeping is in what to record about your pet.