MačkaPas: making it easier to find each other

Yesterday you saw a dog in your feed that was looking for a family. Today you want to forward the post to friends — and can't find it. Which group was it in? Who posted it? Is the dog still looking for a home?

Lost-pet notices go the same way. The information spreads across chats and pages, but gathering it back together at the right moment turns out to be hard.

In Serbia, this problem is being solved by MačkaPas — a free platform for cats and dogs who need a home, lost pets and people ready to help. We tell you who created it and when it can come in handy.

Two people who wanted to help

MačkaPas was created by Hristina and Aleksandr Yarchenko. They moved from Russia to Serbia in 2022 and live in Subotica. Hristina is a photographer, Aleksandr is a programmer.

They noticed how pet listings get lost among new posts. Meanwhile, people willing to adopt a pet or offer help might simply not be in the right group.

That is how the idea came about: to gather listings in one place where they can be found by clear criteria. Aleksandr took on the development, Hristina the visuals, texts and communication.

For them it is also a way to do something useful for the country that has become their home.

If you want to adopt a cat or dog

On MačkaPas you can search for animals by city and other criteria, read descriptions and contact the people who care for them. Listings are posted by volunteers, shelters, organizations and private caretakers.

The site helps you get acquainted. Adoption terms are discussed directly with the author of the listing: they are the one who tells you about the animal, asks the future family questions and decides on the handover.

So if you liked someone in a photo, the next step is a conversation. How does the pet behave at home? Does it get along with other animals? What care does it need? A photo catches your attention, and getting to know each other helps you understand whether you are a good match.

If a pet is lost

The site has a separate section for lost and found animals. You can search listings by location and by microchip number.

This works if the number is given in the listing in the MačkaPas database. When the chip of a found animal is scanned, for example at a vet clinic, it can be checked on the platform and, if it matches, you can find the contact of the person looking for the pet.

Such a listing is handy to share alongside posts in local groups: people will have a link with a description and contacts.

Help comes in different forms

To contribute and make a difference, you don't need to be able to take an animal home.

Some need a ride to the vet, some need temporary foster care, and some would benefit from good photos in which a future owner will finally notice their pet.

In the volunteers section you can indicate what kind of help you are ready to offer. A car, a photographer's skills or a bit of free time may be exactly what people are missing right now.

Free and in three languages

MačkaPas is available in Serbian, Russian and English, and listings are translated automatically. This helps locals and foreigners find each other, even if they read different groups and don't yet speak the same language.

Posting listings is free. Commercial sale and breeding of animals are prohibited on the platform, and posts go through manual moderation.

How to support the project

If you live in Serbia, save the link to the site MačkaPas. The link may come in handy for you, your friends, or someone you meet while walking your dog.

If you help animals, post a listing or tell us how you can be useful. If for now you can only share the link, that is help too: that is how those who need the project learn about it.

Some already have a favorite walking route and a person at the other end of the leash. Others are still waiting for that meeting.