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City of Wollongong
Resident Visitor Business

How to Find Your Lost Pet

Is your cat or dog lost? Check the lists below to see animals that are in Council's care.

If your pet is lost but not shown on our lists, please check back again soon.

Find a Dog
Find a Cat

How to claim a pet in our care

If you are the owner of one of the animals in our care, here's what you'll need to do:

  1. Call us on (02) 4227 7111 or visit our Customer Service Centre at 41 Burelli Street, Wollongong during business hours.
  2. You will need to prove that you are the owner. You can do this by showing identification that matches the animal's registration details.
  3. You will need to pay any applicable release fees to reclaim a pet.

Other ways to find a missing pet

Not all lost animals make their way into Council's care. If your beloved pet has gone missing here are some other things you can try to find them:

  • Check with nearby vets
  • Ask your neighbours if they've seen your pet
  • Walk your neighbourhood and any places you often take your pet - call their name if they usually respond when called
  • Look for lost animal Facebook pages in your area
  • Post on your own social media accounts to see if anyone you know can help - include a recent photo of your pet.

Tips to prevent lost animals

Help reduce the chance of your pet becoming lost in the first place by following these tips:

  • Make sure your pet is microchipped and registered (it's also the law!).
  • Update your details on the NSW Pet Register if your contact details change. See our Pet Registration page for more information.
  • Put a collar and tag on your pet that includes your phone number. Leave this on even when they're at home, just in case they unexpectedly escape.
  • Make sure your yard or the space where your animal lives is secure so they can't get out. Check for holes or gaps in fences, and keep doors, gates and entryways closed.
  • Bring your animals inside or put them in a secure spot if you know there'll be fireworks, thunderstorms or other loud noises nearby. Loud noises can scare many animals and may cause them to run.
  • Train your pet to respond when their name is called. This may help you find them if they're wandering or hiding somewhere nearby.

Common questions about lost pets

Start by visiting our Find a Pet page. This has a list of pets recently found through our network,

You can also check out our tips for finding or claiming a lost pet.

Please note:

  • It can take up to a few days for a found pet to be added to our list, and new details are usually only added during Council business hours. If you don't see your pet straight away, check back soon.
  • Not all lost pets will end up on our list.
  • You can also call us on (02) 4227 7111 and we'll do our best to reunite you with your pet.

If you find a stray or roaming dog, here's what to do:

TimeWhat to do
9am - 5pm, seven days a weekCall Council's Animal Compliance team on (02) 4227 7111.
After 5pmKeep the animal in your care overnight, then contact Council after 9am the next day, or contact your local vet to see if they can help.
After 5pm (aggressive or dangerous dogs only)Call Council on (02) 4227 7111 and choose option 1 to be put through to our after-hours service.

It's not illegal for cats to roam, but if a cat is making excessive noise or damaging property, you can report it to Council.

Cats can be hard to catch. If you manage to catch a stray or roaming cat, call our Animal Compliance team on (02) 4227 7111 between 9am and 5pm. We'll try to collect the cat as soon as we can.

Our focus is on returning and rehoming stray and roaming cats and dogs, because these have the biggest safety risk to our community and environment. We generally don't deal with other types of animals, like rabbits, birds, reptiles or hamsters.

For pets that aren't cats or dogs, there are a number of local online community groups that help reunite lost pets with their owners. Try searching online or social media to find a suitable group.

For sick, injured or orphaned native animals, you can visit the WIRES website or call 1300 094 737.

Animals that aren't reclaimed by their owners will become available for adoption.

  • Unidentified animals (with no microchip or identification) will be held for up to 7 days before they can be adopted.
  • Identified animals (microchipped or with out-of-date identification details) will be held for up to 25 days before they can be adopted.

Note that we invite people to tell us if they're interested in adopting lost animals in our care while we're still trying to find their owner. This is to help find them a new home more quickly if their previous owner does not claim them.

Impounding fees and charges have not changed with the introduction of this new service (during the 2023-2024 financial year).

Like all Council fees and charges, these will be reviewed each year. Any changes will be publicly exhibited for comment before they are adopted by Council.

Current fees and charges can be found in the Regulatory Control section of our Fees and Charges list, or you can search our online Fees and Charges portal.

We have a Companion Animal Pound Hardship Management Policy PDF, 350.77 KB that provides support to residents experiencing genuine financial hardship.

Under this policy we can consider reducing or waiving fees for people who can prove they are in financial distress.

Talk to us if this applies to you.

No. But you can check our Find a Pet pages to see which animals are in our care.

If you're reclaiming a lost pet, or adopting an animal from us, we'll make arrangements to pick it up from wherever it's located and deliver it to you. Fees apply and will need to be paid before an animal can be returned.

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