My pet is missing — where do I report it?

Direct answer

A microchipped pet is found through the chip database: report it missing at I-CAD — fichier national d'identification (0 810 778 778) so any vet or shelter scanning the chip sees it — and check your contact details there are current. Then DDPP (services vétérinaires) / SPA (la-spa.fr) — the animal shelter and the animal-welfare organisation for France, which take in strays — and Mairie — police municipale / services techniques (service-public.fr), the municipality, which collects animals from the street. Search at dawn and dusk with something that smells of home; most cats are within a few hundred metres, hiding.

Call firstI-CAD — fichier national d'identification

Report toDDPP (services vétérinaires) / SPA

If that failsMairie — police municipale / services techniques

🗣️ What to say

"My [dog/cat], [name, breed, colour, age, chip number], went missing on [date] from [address/area]. [Wearing collar / not.] Please register it as missing and tell me which shelters to contact. Photo attached."

🪜 Step by step

Chip database: I-CAD — fichier national d'identificationMark missing, update your phone number.
Shelters and vets: DDPP (services vétérinaires) / SPACall and email the local shelters and vets with a photo; visit shelters in person — descriptions get lost.
Municipality: Mairie — police municipale / services techniquesFound animals are taken in by the municipal service; report yours so they match.
NeighbourhoodPosters with a photo, local social-media groups, neighbours' sheds and garages. Cats: put the litter tray outside.
Keep lookingCats turn up weeks later; dogs are usually found within days. Report a found pet the same way if you find one.

📇 All contacts

I-CAD — fichier national d'identificationMissing report, chip searchImmediately after the pet goes missing📞 0 810 778 778 🔗 www.i-cad.fr

DDPP (services vétérinaires) / SPAAnimal abuse: inspection, seizure, prosecutionNeglect or abuse🔗 www.la-spa.fr

Mairie — police municipale / services techniquesNuisances, roads, cleanliness, civil registry, lost propertyFor anything the municipality handles🔗 www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/N31

Police / gendarmerie — plainte en ligne THESEEOnline complaint for internet fraud, immediate receiptAlways — the basis for bank, insurer and platform🔗 www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/R46526

❓ Frequently asked

Not chipped

Report anyway with photos; a found animal is matched by description. Microchipping is compulsory for dogs in most EU countries — get it done when the pet is back.

Someone found it and wants money

A finder can claim reasonable expenses, not a ransom. If it feels like a scam, involve the police.

Lost abroad on holiday

Chip databases are linked through the European pet-network; report at home and in the country you are in.

📎 Sources

Last checked: 2026-09-26

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🐕 My pet is missing — where do I report it?