Missing pet – what to do?

The essentials first

• Note the last known location, the time and the circumstances in which the animal went missing.
• Start the appropriate search steps for a dog or cat and, at the same time, notify the pet register and nearby organisations that may help.
• Collect sightings through one central contact. Ask helpers not to chase or try to catch a frightened animal.

Do not put yourself in danger while searching. If there is an immediate danger to road traffic, notify the police. If an animal needs medical help, contact a veterinary practice or veterinary emergency service. A message to Tiermeldung.de does not replace help at the scene.

Guidance sources: FINDEFIX: Hund vermisst, Verwaltungsportal Hessen and Deutscher Tierschutzbund.

Dog has run away: what should you do immediately?

Stay where your dog ran away, as long as it is safe: your dog may return. Ask someone familiar to the dog to check at home or at the parked car.

If you see your dog, stay calm. Do not chase or pressure the dog. A frightened dog may even run from familiar people. Ask helpers to report only sightings with the time, place and direction of travel, rather than trying to catch the dog.

A trailing lead can become caught. If there is this kind of danger, a possible injury or a very frightened dog, seek experienced help with searching and safely securing the dog early.

Sources: TASSO: Suchtipps für entlaufene Hunde and FINDEFIX: Hund vermisst.

Cat missing: where and how should you search?

First check your flat, house and immediate surroundings. Cats can become shut in cupboards, cellars, sheds or garages. Ask neighbours to open these spaces and check them together. Enter other people's property only with permission.

An indoor cat that has escaped may be hiding nearby. Search carefully under bushes, parked cars and in sheltered places. Choose quieter times of day and use a torch. Speak softly and in a familiar way; allow time for a response.

If an outdoor cat has been away unusually long or there are signs that it has run off, start searching and reporting it missing. Do not routinely wait 24 or 48 hours. Check hiding places repeatedly and avoid an uncoordinated search that puts pressure on the cat.

Sources: FINDEFIX: Katze vermisst and TASSO: Katze entlaufen.

Whom should you notify?

Notify nearby animal shelters, animal welfare organisations, veterinary practices and veterinary clinics. Ask the local lost property office or public order office whether a matching found-animal report exists. Reporting a missing pet to a pet register is explained in the next section.

The local police station may also know of found-animal reports. For routine enquiries, use its regular phone number, not the emergency number. Municipal maintenance services or road maintenance offices may also have information. Record whom you have notified and remain reachable.

Sources: Deutscher Tierschutzbund: Tier vermisst and TASSO: Anlaufstellen und Polizeikontakt.

Pet registers and other ways to search

Report your pet missing to its existing register and check that your contact details are up to date. Well-known services include TASSO and FINDEFIX, the pet register of Deutscher Tierschutzbund.

A microchip does not provide GPS tracking. Its number helps identify the animal if it is linked to your contact details in a register. Veterinary practices and shelters can read the chip. If your pet is not yet registered, ask the register about filing a missing-pet report.

Check found-animal reports and share a current missing-pet notice through regional contacts. TASSO and FINDEFIX offer missing-pet posters. Ask permission before putting them up and follow local rules.

Sources: TASSO: Vermisstmeldung und fehlende Chip-Ortung, FINDEFIX: Registrierung, Lesegeräte und Suchplakate and Deutscher Tierschutzbund: Plakate aushängen.

What should a missing-pet notice include?

To help others recognise your pet, include:

• Type of animal, name, colour, size and distinctive features; breed, age and sex, where known.
• A recent, clear photo that you have permission to use.
• Date, approximate time and place or district where the pet went missing.
• Collar, harness or trailing lead, and any signs of fearfulness or need for particular caution.
• A suitable way to contact you, and a request to report sightings with the time, place and direction of travel.

Make clear when something is an assumption. Pass precise sightings to the search coordinator. Hiding places and ongoing capture operations should not automatically be included in public posts.

Basis for the reporting details: FINDEFIX: Suchplakat und Sichtungshinweise. The recommendation to coordinate searches confidentially is intended to protect ongoing search operations.

How does Tiermeldung.de help?

Submit your details yourself using “Send an animal report via WhatsApp”. Our spot it media team reviews and prepares the report. We share approved reports in our WhatsApp and Facebook group, and also through an appropriate regional WhatsApp channel where one exists.

Find the current regional services under Animal channels and groups. Tierkarte is currently in a closed beta and does not offer a publicly accessible map search. Tiermeldung.de supports your search but does not replace registers, the responsible found-animal authority or veterinary help.

Platform information: Tiermeldung.de and Tierkarte.de, publicly checked on 09.10.2026.

Privacy: what should not be made public?

• Protect personal information: Do not publish private home addresses, complete chip numbers or personal documents. Agree on the contact route to be made public. Register-issued search posters can help protect your phone number.
• Share search details selectively: A district and a general search area are often enough for public posts. Share precise sighting locations, hiding places and details of measures to safely secure the animal with the helpers involved. Watch for people, vehicle registration plates and private areas in photos.
• Consider further sharing: Other members of WhatsApp groups can see your phone number. Shared reports may remain in circulation after an update. Before sharing, check which details should be public.

Sources: TASSO: persönliche Kontaktdaten und weiterverbreitete Meldungen and Tiermeldung.de: Hinweis zu WhatsApp-Gruppen.

Found an animal – what to do?

A cat outdoors is not automatically missing. Do not pressure unfamiliar animals. Seek experienced help for a pet that needs assistance and have any identification checked. For injuries, contact a veterinary practice or veterinary emergency service.

Report a found animal to the local municipality or the responsible found-animal authority. Agree the next steps and accommodation with them. Reporting it to a pet register or Tiermeldung.de does not replace the official found-animal report.

Sources: TASSO: Hinweise für Finder, TASSO: Kennzeichnung prüfen, Deutscher Tierschutzbund, Verwaltungsportal Hessen and Verbandsgemeinde Rhein-Nahe: Fundtiere und Fundanzeige.

Pet back home? Update your notices

When your pet returns, notify the register, the organisations you contacted and the recipients of your missing-pet notice — including Tiermeldung.de if you reported it there. Update your posts and remove search posters.

Source: Deutscher Tierschutzbund: über den Fund informieren.

Frequently asked questions

Should I wait two days before searching for a missing cat?

No. A fixed waiting period is not appropriate. If the cat has escaped or been away unusually long, start the search steps described above. TASSO explains what to do.

Can a microchip track my pet's location?

No. It identifies the animal through its number and a pet register; it does not provide GPS tracking. Source: TASSO.

Is a missing-pet notice on WhatsApp enough?

No. It supports the search but does not replace pet registers, local organisations or any required official found-animal report. Guidance from Deutscher Tierschutzbund.

Can I now search Tierkarte publicly?

No. Tierkarte is still in a closed beta. Current project status.