Pets in Cameroon

Pets in Cameroon are commonly acquired through private contacts, breeders, transfers or animal-rescue organisations. Before taking an animal, check its origin, identity, health condition and vaccination record. Cameroon has no single national pet register or uniformly documented nationwide shelter and adoption system in the reviewed sources. Rehoming therefore usually depends on private arrangements, veterinary referrals or local rescue organisations. The Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries (MINEPIA), including its Directorate of Animal Services, regional veterinary services and the Service of Companion Animals, handles major animal-health and movement functions. The Ordre National des Vétérinaires du Cameroun provides a directory of professional veterinarians, while LANAVET supports diagnostics, vaccine and medicine production, and surveillance. Public veterinary services operate regionally, and private veterinary access depends on the locality. A vaccination record, called a carnet de vaccination, supports veterinary documentation. Rabies is a legally reportable and controlled animal disease under Law No. 2001/006. Free mass vaccination has been documented during campaigns in 2023 and 2024, but availability depends on the campaign, location and period. Do not assume that a free campaign or a particular clinic is currently available. For movement within Cameroon, the regional veterinary service can issue a certificat sanitaire vétérinaire. The documented application requires a declaration, a copy of the national identity card, the pet’s vaccination record and proof of payment of the inspection and veterinary service charge. The responsible regional delegate or service head signs the certificate, with a stated processing time of two days. A laissez-passer sanitaire uses the health certificate, declaration, identity-card copy and payment receipt and also has a stated processing time of two days. The applicable charge follows the current finance law rather than one fixed national amount in the reviewed procedure. Importing a dog or cat requires a veterinary health certificate from the country of origin and a Cameroon Veterinary Health Certificate. Tourists may temporarily import dogs and cats without customs duty when the required health formalities are met. Export also depends on the destination country and the carrier, so a Cameroon document alone does not establish a complete international travel process. A special purchase or transfer authorisation is a separate procedure from ordinary household acquisition. The documented procedure applies to a recognised or approved structure and requires a stamped application, local source and destination, animal number and purpose, a detailed description, an opening authorisation or convention, a health certificate from the country of origin and ministerial signature. The stated processing time is 30 days. This procedure is not evidence of a general household adoption process. Protected wildlife must be kept separate from ordinary pet rules. Under Law No. 2024/008, moving or keeping protected live animals requires a certificate of origin from the Ministry of Forests and Wildlife and, where applicable, a veterinary health certificate from MINEPIA. Class A wildlife may not be adopted or kept as a pet, and wild capture or trade is not a legitimate acquisition path. Owners remain responsible for appropriate care and humane treatment. Cameroon’s Criminal Code, section 268, penalises unnecessary suffering of domestic, tamed or captive animals with 15 days to three months of imprisonment, a fine of 5,000 to 20,000 CFA francs, or both. A court may also remove the animal from its owner or order its removal. Communes and mayors can take measures against divagation, meaning animals roaming without effective control. Under the 2024 General Tax Code, a local fourrière may charge up to 2,000 to 5,000 CFA francs per animal and day, subject to the local decision. After a formal notice, an unclaimed animal may be auctioned from 30 days onward. When keeping an animal is no longer possible, documented alternatives include private transfer, veterinary referral, NGO rescue and adoption. OIPA Cameroon records rescue, treatment, rabies vaccination, humane sterilisation and rehoming work, but coverage remains local and uneven. A found or roaming animal may need to be reported to the commune or fourrière, or referred to a local animal-protection organisation. Costs for food, private treatment, transport and adoption vary by place and provider. The information reflects the reviewed sources through 6 September 2026.