Stray Animals
Lost your animal or found a stray?
We can help with lost or found animals, but the best thing you can do is report the animal for free on 24Petconnect. You will get real-time updates on the animal to help it get back home and avoid a trip to the Humane Society.
We help lost, stray, and abandoned animals. Call (608) 255-2345 and ask for Animal Services if you find:
- A stray dog, cat, or other domestic animal
- An exotic pet
- Livestock
We work hard to find the owner of lost or stray animals:
- We try to scan them for a microchip.
- We check 24Petconnect to see if any similar animals have been reported missing.
- We will return them to their owner if possible.
- If we can't find the owner, we take the animal to the Dane County Humane Society.
Make sure your pet wears an ID and license tag. This helps shorten the time it is separated from you and avoids the cost of picking it up at the Humane Society.
Tips if You Find a Stray Pet
- Keep the animal in a garage or fenced-in yard so it won't run away. Be careful so you don't get bitten.
- Safely check for a tag with a name and phone number and call the owner.
- If it has a City of Madison dog license tag, call the City Treasurer at (608) 266-4771 for owner information. They are open Monday - Friday from 8:00 am - 4:30 pm.
- Pet owners are often out looking for their lost pet. Put it on a leash and walk around your neighborhood or sit in your front yard.
- Post the information on 24Petconnect.
- Post the information on a listserv like nextdoor or other community message forums. Make the description vague and don’t include a picture. Ask detailed questions to verify it is their pet when people respond.
- Call in the pet’s location and your phone number to us at (608) 255-2345 and to the Humane Society. Keep in mind that if you call us after 4:30pm we may not be able to get there until the next morning.
- Most lost pets can be quickly returned to their owners by following the steps above. If possible, try to hold onto the animal for a few hours to see if the owner comes. This prevents the stress and health risk of being taken to the Humane Society.
- Call (608) 255-2345 and ask for Animal Services.
Stray Cats
We respond to hundreds of calls about stray cats each year. If we can’t find the owner, we take stray cats to the Dane County Humane Society. We can give you a live trap to capture feral, fearful, or hard to capture cats. Call Dispatch at (608) 255-2345 and ask for Animal Services to get a trap.
To capture several cats, or get a colony of cats spayed, neutered, and vaccinated, contact:
Contacts
- Non Emergency Dispatch – (608) 255-2345
For a current situation (ex: a stray dog or cat running loose in your neighborhood, an animal left in a vehicle, injured wildlife) - Animal Services Office and Voice Mail – (608) 267-1989
For help with situations that have already occurred or that are happening repeatedly (ex: neighbor’s pet pooping in your yard, stray cat you can’t catch) - Dane County Humane Society – (608) 838-0413 (ext 0)
To report an animal you found, or search for an animal you have lost
