LOST CAT? HERE'S HELP
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If he/she is an indoor only kitty and escaped in the last few days, chances are your kitty
is nearby.
Be sure to softly call your kitty during the night and pre-dawn hours between 10 p.m. and 6-7 a.m. when things are quiet. Listen carefully for any faint meowing.
Leave some food and water out.
Spread some used kitty litter around your house.
Ask neighbors if you can peek in their outbuildings.
They may think the pet wasn't accidentally locked inside because they didn't see it,
and the cat may not come if they go inside and call it, but it may respond to your voice. I know of too many cats who have been locked in a neighbor's garage or shed
just a door or two away, for days.
Check to see if he is not stuck anywhere, down a revine, in a pipe, or someone's shed etc esp in winter with all the ice-snow.
Check houses that are for sale! Call real estate agent as cat may have entered during a house showing.
Did you have a mattress or other large item that a furniture person took away? Your kitty could have been hiding in it. Contact the company asap and find the delivery route stops after your house and check each one. Thoroughly check the truck too. Also the garage where they park the truck at night.
Put up easy to read, waterproof posters up at busy intersections, vet offices, pet supply stores, libraries, post offices, drug stores etc asap.
Give a flyer with a good picture of your kitty and your contact number to your postal carrier, parcel post and fed ex drivers.
Check all area shelters in person every other day. Do not take the person on the phone's word that your pet isnt there. They may not have seen it when came in.
Send Your Lost Pet's Missing Poster to Shelters Near You For Free! Click on PawBoost.com.
Missing Pet Network at http://www.missingpet.net/advice/cats.html has great advice.
Check this website for tips: catsinthebag.org. This is one of the many great sites available on looking for lost cats, as they differ from dogs (who tend to run).
More advice:
http://www.missingpetpartnership.org/recovery-tips/lost-cat-behavior/
Google Lost Cat Tips for more.
Some Useful Tips Written by Donna Harmon McNeff:
TAKE OUR SUGGESTIONS NO MATTER HOW CRAZY THEY SOUND TO YOU
Put a pile of unlaundered clothing, bedsheets , pillowcases and socks on your lawn...and hang some from your fence/bushes.
Empty the contents of used litter box and household vacuum cleaner bag/canister across the lawn.
Leave bowls of smelly food out - tuna/sardines, rotisserie or Kentucky fried chicken
Turn on BBQ - cook hot dogs and bacon. SCENT IS EVERYTHING !! Do these things right now!
FLIERS MUST GO UP ASAP TO GET SIGHTINGS. Every pole/tree/neighbors stoops/porches. Offer reward. Give fliers to mailman, UPS drivers, fed ex drivers, etc. Local supermarket, dry cleaners, drug store should have a flier.
Call local precinct and report the cat as lost.
Ditto for shelters. You must visit shelters - the person on the phone doesn't know every pet brought in.
Delegate to friends so that you get the posters up ASAP!!!!
Go out searching, especially when it's dark and quiet - early AM and later in evening.
Carry tuna and heated Kentucky Fried Chicken for scent.
Bring a bag of treats to shake when you call out its name and then just stop and listen for faint meowing. We've recently reunited cats that were stuck in neighbor's sheds/garages!
Look under bushes, in/behind sheds, or neighbor's porches with flashlight. It'll make the cat's eyes glow so you can spot it.
Don't drive around! If your cat is an indoor only cat, it hasn't travelled more than 2-4 blocks away. Look on your neighbor's properties.
Written by Josephine Chianetta:
This is from a study that was done on lost cats:
Cats are very different from dogs when panicked. They are territorial and your cat’s territory was inside of your home. Once a cat is transplanted into unfamiliar territory, fear sets in and it seeks shelter because it is afraid. They panic immediately and look to hide usually near the escape point or within a 5-house radius of their home where they've never been before. Cats that are afraid (and cats that are injured) will seek areas of concealment such as under a deck, under a house, under a porch, or in heavy brush and they will not meow! Panicked cats hide in silence. Silence is their only protective measure from predators. They can stay concealed for days, sometimes weeks!
Just because you don’t see or hear your cat DOES NOT mean he or she is not right there, hiding in fear from the loud noises, etc. they will not meow! Meowing would give up their location to a predator. Their behavior has nothing to do with whether the cat loves you, whether it recognizes your voice, or whether it can smell you–it has everything to do with the fact that a frightened cat will hide in silence!
The Threshold Factor: This is an interesting behavioral pattern that Missing Pet Partnership has observed with displaced cats. Many of these cats initially hide in silence, but eventually break cover and meow, return to their home or the escape point (window or door), or finally enter a humane trap. While some cats take only hours or a few days to reach their threshold, many others take several days (typically ten to twelve days) before they break cover. We suspect the threshold is reached due to their thirst, although more research needs to be conducted into this behavior.
In an attempt to capture your cat, use humane traps in your yard or in your neighbor’s yard where your cat is likely hiding in fear. If you choose not to, place small amounts of cat food (and water) and hopefully you’ll eventually be able to determine where the cat is hiding.
More Help
PHS (Putnam Humane Society) Lost & Found! Do you know what to do if your dog or cat is lost? If you find a pet? Time is of the essence! PHS has developed a great resource page to help you! From links to websites to post pictures of your pet, advice on who to notify or call, and what to do to help prevent a lost pet, like micro-chipping and making sure your pet is wearing their id tags and vaccination tags. PHS developed this page for you, knowing that it is a very stressful time, and wish to help. Click Here to learn more!
Click on the RED print to follow the links
Stray and Feral Cat Help including trapping advice
Hints for Finding a Lost Pet
20 Tips for Finding Your Lost Pet
General Pet Search Tips