Has your pet gone missing in Slovenia? The exact steps

Updated: September 16, 2026 · Reunika

In Slovenia, dogs must be registered in the Centralni register hišnih živali (CRHZ), while owned cats will become subject to compulsory registration from 1 January 2027. Anyone who finds an animal must report it within 24 hours to the nearest shelter or UVHVVR. After 8 days in a shelter, the animal may be given to a new keeper. Follow these steps in order.

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The steps, in order

Search on foot during the first few hours, close to where the animal went missing: cats usually stay within 500 m, and dogs within 3 km.
Post an online notice with a photo and the exact location. On Reunika, the notice becomes an alert on Facebook and Instagram in the area where the animal went missing and appears on the town map.
Ask a vet to check that the animal is not only microchipped but also registered in CRHZ. You can search publicly by microchip on the UVHVVR portal or in the 'CRHŽ Vpogled' app. Shelters report many animals that are microchipped but not registered.
Call the shelter (zavetišče) for the municipality where the animal went missing. By law, the shelter contracted by the municipality must take the animal in within 24 hours and notify the registered keeper. In Ljubljana and the approximately 10 surrounding municipalities: Zavetišče Ljubljana, 01 256 02 79, available 24/7, with free notices for lost and found animals.
Ask the Veterinary Chamber of Slovenia (Veterinarska zbornica Slovenije, zbornica@vzb.si) to notify all veterinary practices about your microchipped animal.
Post on izgubljen.si (free of charge), in the RTV Slovenija bulletin 'Izgubljene/najdene živali', on the 'Pomoč za izgubljene in najdene živali Slovenija' page and in the national Facebook group. Include the link to your notice.
Put up posters at junctions, shops and veterinary practices, with a large photo and the QR code for your notice. Check the local municipality’s rules before putting them on posts or street furniture.

What is specific to Slovenia

The register is now called Centralni register hišnih živali (CRHZ), administered by UVHVVR: registration is compulsory for dogs, which must be microchipped by 3 months, while it is voluntary for owned cats until 31 December 2026 and compulsory for all owned cats from 2027. The keeper’s personal details are not public; the shelter or vet will contact the registered keeper.
Anyone who finds an animal must report it within 24 hours to the nearest shelter or UVHVVR (Pravilnik o zaščiti hišnih živali, art. 7) and give the animal water and food until shelter staff arrive. The keeper can reclaim the animal; if it is not reclaimed within 8 days, it may be given to a new keeper (ZZZiv, art. 30).
Shelter costs are charged to the former keeper, or to the municipality if the keeper is unknown. Euthanasia is permitted only if the animal cannot be rehomed, after 30 days.

Common questions

I have found an animal in Slovenia. What should I do?

Report it within 24 hours to the nearest shelter (in Ljubljana, 01 256 02 79) or UVHVVR, give it water and food until shelter staff arrive, and post a found-animal notice with a photo and location. A vet will read the microchip free of charge.

Is a microchip enough?

No. 'Microchipped does not mean registered': if the vet has not also registered the animal in CRHZ, the microchip will not lead to anyone. Check now, especially for cats, before compulsory registration begins in 2027.