NOTICE: Due to COVID-19, we can only allow a limited number of visitors in the shelter at one time. Before visiting, please review our current strays by clicking on “View Current Strays” below. To schedule a visit, email us at [email protected] and include the pet description or call (865) 215-6665 before coming to the shelter.

Image

Lost a Pet? We want to help!

Pets cannot be identified over the phone. If you've lost your furry friend, please start your search with us. Young-Williams Animal Center is the only facility in the City of Knoxville and Knox County permitted to house stray animals and the most likely place to find your missing feline or canine. See the blue bar to the right for steps to follow for a successful search.

View current strays

Fees apply to reclaim your pet FROM the shelter and are mandated by law.

Stray & Found Pets

Young-Williams Animal Center is the housing facility for all stray/found pets in the City of Knoxville and Knox County.

Fees apply to reclaim pets from the shelter and
are mandated by law.

If you have no plans to keep a found pet, please bring it to our main facility located at 3201 Division Street in Knoxville. We are open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 pm. We are closed from 1-2 p.m. for animal quiet time and staff lunches.

Microchipping

Prevent a loss before it happens! Ask us about microchips, identification tags that never fall off. The tiny chip, embedded under the animal’s skin in a quick and painless procedure, contains vital information that can help animal control officers or shelter team members return lost or stolen pets.

$15/pet

Our hours for microchipping are Monday through Friday, from 2-5 p.m. by appointment only!

Call 865-215-6654 to make an appointment.

Follow these steps for a successful search:

  • Visit Petco Love Lost and  upload your pet's photo to the database.  This website uses facial recognition to help reunite missing pets with their people. From this website, you can also create digital lost pet alerts.
  • We now have an automated line that will send helpful links, videos and tips in finding your lost pet
    Text LOST to 865-355-6277
  • Click here to post a photo on our Lost and Found Facebook page.
  • Click on the yellow button to the left to view current strays housed in our facility.
  • Come to the 3201 Division Street location to see if your pet is in our care. We are open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m (closed 1-2 p.m).
  • Check back with us no less than every other day. The state of Tennessee requires strays to be held for a minimum of 72 hours.
  • Contact local vets and the UT College of Veterinary Medicine to see if your pet has been taken there. Be sure to contact surrounding county shelters as well to see if your pet has been taken there.
  • Visit PawBoost. PawBoost is like an AMBER Alert for lost pets. Millions of pet lovers have joined their Rescue Squad by signing up for localized lost & found pet alerts. More importantly, PawBoost has helped reunite over 1 million pets with their families. Posting is free, with optional premium services available. Report a Lost or Found Pet to PawBoost
Image
Image
Found a Stray?

Call us! If you find a stray animal in Knoxville or Knox County, call our Intake department directly at 865-215-6665. Even if you hope to keep the pet, you are required by law to post it with us for 10 days. If the animal is not claimed during that 10-day period, you may re-home it.

If you have no plans to keep the pet, please bring it to our main facility located at 3201 Division Street in Knoxville. We are open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 6 pm. but are closed from 1-2 for animal quiet time and staff lunches.

Other steps to take:
  • Scan the pet for a microchip at the nearest vet clinic or animal shelter.
  • Check local newspapers and social media or neighborhood groups online. 
  • Post fliers in the area where the pet was found at locations such as grocery stores, vet clinics and pet stores.
  • If the pet has a department of health rabies tag and no other identifiable ID, call (865) 215-6681.

 

Image
Orphaned Kittens

If you find newborn baby kittens, please resist the urge to pick them up and bring them in, unless they’re in immediate danger (rising flood waters, etc.). It is likely that they have not truly been abandoned, and they have a better chance of survival if they remain with their mother. And unfortunately, newborn baby kittens have a much lower survival rate without their mothers.

Mama cats have to leave their babies from time to time to search for food for themselves, relieve themselves, or just take a break and have some quiet time. They may be gone up to 8 hours, but are usually not far. If you only see one or two kittens, it’s possible the mama cat is in the process of moving her kittens.

If they look “safe” leave them alone, and allow the mom to care for them. She knows how to do this better than any humans do. Monitor the area, checking every few hours. Approach quietly and cautiously. If mama is near, and she feels that you are a threat to her babies, she will move them. Usually the first place she chose for them is the safest one for her little ones. If you handle them, or make a pest of yourself, she’ll be forced to move them to another location that may not be quite as safe.

If mama cat doesn’t come back, or the kittens are in imminent danger, you can care for them on your own with some help from our friends at Maddie’s Fund who made these awesome videos to guide you.