Lost & Found Animals
Due to current limited resources, we are unable to take in stray cats or dogs. We very much appreciate your cooperation, understanding, and continued support.
Did you lose your pet?
- Leave bedding or something with your scent near the area your dogs was last seen. For a cat, leave bedding and their litter box near your home.
- Go door to door and talk to the neighbors.
- Search in the evening, when it’s quiet. Call or whistle. Remember they are scared and may act differently than they do at home. Bring another dog with you. Remember to bring a leash and treats for your dog and a carrier for a cat.
- If your pet is injured or frightened, he may be hiding. Remember that cat like to hide!
- Drive around the neighborhood; a dog will sometimes recognize the sound of your car.
- If you spot your pet, do not chase. Sit with your treats, softly call for your pet and offer treats.
- Put up posters and distribute flyers with a photo and description of your pet. Don’t include every detail about your pet; hold back a distinctive feature or trait. That way, if someone calls claiming to have found your pet, you can determine if they are legitimate by asking about a feature that only someone who actually has your pet would know.
- Post on your own Facebook page (be sure to make it public so it it shareable). Make any updates on your original post so it is communicated through all shared posts.
- Share your post on the Lost Pets Mankato page and the Lost Dogs MN or Lost Cats MN page.
- Share your post on your neighborhood Facebook page(s).
- There are many other lost pet Facebook pages you could check.
- You may want to check apps like Nextdoor Pet Directory, Craigslist, etc
- Call other area impounds. Here is a list of Impound Resources for animals found in various cities and counties in southern Minnesota.
Did you find someone’s pet?
- Approach the animal cautiously to see if it is friendly. Speak softly so you don’t scare it away.
- Most loose dogs are lost, which means a family is looking for them. Most lost dogs can be reunited without coming to impound. YOU can help the pet get home by using a number of techniques and tools below!
- If a loose cat appears healthy and is friendly, it likely belongs to someone nearby. Watch and wait. Talk to your neighbors. Stray cats are very rarely reclaimed after they are brought to the shelter. It could be an indoor/outdoor cat near its home. If no one knows anything about the cat, try to capture it.
- If the top of a cat’s ear is removed, that is a sign that the cat is fixed. Veterinarians remove, or “tip,” the top of a cat’s ear during spay/neuter surgery to indicate they are fixed and not lost cats. They are community cats and should not be removed from their territory.
- If a loose cat is not tame, it is probably what we call a feral cat. Feral cats are not socialized with humans. They are traditionally free-roaming outdoor cats living in a colony with other feral cats, being fed by one or more caretakers. Our nonprofit partner, Pet Project Rescue, specializes in a Trap-Neuter-Release program. They may be able to help you trap the cat, spay or neuter it, and release it back into its community or place it as a working cat. Contact Us.
- If you find kittens (under 8 weeks old) all alone, they should be left in place and monitored for 8 hours to see if their momma returns. She could simply be out foraging for food. Their momma is their best chance for survival. If momma doesn’t return, the kittens could be orphaned and may need help to survive. Because of their vulnerability, we will do our best to take in motherless kittens no matter where they are found.
- If you find a mother with kittens, be sure to capture them together. Their momma is their best chance for survival. Because of their vulnerability, we will do our best to take in mothers with kittens no matter where they are found.
- If the animal is behaving aggressively, call the local police department.
- If the animal is injured call a vet clinic. After hours or on the weekend, call an emergency vet clinic. BENCHS is not equipped to deal with emergency medical needs.
- For other types of pets: Mending Spirits Animal Rescue, a foster-based rescue, might be an option once the animal’s legal stray hold has expired and an appropriate foster home has been secured specifically for that animal.
- For wildlife animals: Please contact The Wildlife Rehabilitation Center.
- Look for identification information and try to contact the owner. You can also look on the inside of the collar for identification information. Hopefully you are able to connect and the animal can be returned right away.
- Go to neighborhood homes asking if they know anything about the animal. Walk them around the block. You may find the owners during the search. Post flyers to help reunite pets and families.
- Take pictures and post on social media (Neighborhood Facebook Pages, Lost Pets Mankato FB, Lost Dogs/Cats MN FB, Craigslist, Petfinder, Nextdoor Pet Directory, etc.).
- Take it to a veterinarian or bring it to BENCHS to be scanned for a microchip. This is a tiny chip implanted in the skin that holds the owner’s information.
- If you find a stray dog or cat: Please call the non-emergency line of your local police department and request to file a police report on the stray animal. BENCHS is unable to take in stray animals at this time.