Rita B.
1 month ago
INDOOR LOST CAT TIPS
Hope you find your cat! 🐾❤️ PLEASE review this information as it has proven to help find your cat! Indoor cats or ones in unfamiliar area are very close because they are scared of being outside!
**If Chipped, be sure it is up to date! And it’s releasable! **
Contact chip company to make them aware!!
Unfixed males can travel far looking for a female, get them fixed!
They are usually within 3-7 houses or 50 yards of house, unless picked up or hitched a ride in a vehicle.
UNLESS SEEN GOING OUT, DO A THOROUGH SEARCH IN, BEHIND, UNDER EVERYTHING INSIDE your house. Cats found inside stuck and never made a sound!
Be as proactive as possible and SEARCH NOW AND DONT GIVE UP! ALSO LOOK HIGH UP IN THE TREES! MAY BE STUCK!
There is a TRACKER (get within 2 weeks) VOLUNTEER and NON PROFIT CAT recovery group at the bottom of these tips that can help if needed!
Key to getting your cat back: SEARCHING, FEEDING STATION, SCENT TO LURE BACK, CAMERA, POSTERS AND TRAP! (See Details on all this below)
CHECKING SHELTER IN PERSON EVERYDAY! *SHELTERS ONLY HOLD ANIMALS FOR 3 DAYS BEFORE ADOPTING OUT!*
ALSO LOOK HIGH UP IN THE TREES! MAY BE STUCK! **SENIOR CATS TEND TO TRAVEL DOWNHILL TOWARDS WATER! LOOK AT MAP FOR WATER SOURCES AND GO SEARCH ASAP! **
INDOOR CATS are scared and normally are within 3-7 houses or about 50 yards but hiding in silence. BUT DO A THOROUGH CHECK INSIDE. Unless you saw it get out, it could be inside hiding (behind appliances, drawers, box springs etc)
CATS can hide in silence and not make a noise until they reach their hunger or thirst threshold for up to 14 days!
Cats recognize their owners voices so call softly and shake a treat bag.
SEARCH NOW IN AND UNDER EVERYTHING! Search up to 7 houses (50 yards) away with a high-power flashlight at dark looking for eyes, shaking a treat bag, calling name or any sound they are familiar and comfortable with. Look under/in steps, porches, decks, vacant buildings, sheds, drainage pipes, culvert pipes, shrubs and bushes, abandoned homes, neighbors' garages, crawl spaces, wheel walls on cars - any place a cat could hide. Best to go out at dark with high power flashlight, looking for their eyes, shake treats or smelly food like tuna, call in normal tone, listen for them, let them come to you. Cats hide in silence up to 14 days! THEY MAY NOT MEOW! Check neighbors’ areas too with permission! BUT YOU DO THE SEARCHING, THEY WILL NOT SEARCH AS GOOD AS YOU!
LEAVE gates, porches, garage doors open so they are able to get back in!
Can you leave door open where they got out safely? If you have a garage, leave it open slightly with feeding station set up and camera.
Do you have another cat that they live with? Try recording their meows to take with you when searching. This helped one lost cat come home!
PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO ASAP TO GET ON THE FAST TRACK TO BECOMING A KNOWLEDGEABLE SEARCHER: How to Find a Lost Cat: https://youtu.be/g2eCoC63B9I
(1) NOTIFY Animal Control, file a report and GO IN PERSON TO SHELTER checking all cats every 2 days
(2) PLACE ADS: www.lostmykitty.com,use free option - will send a fax blast to closest vets, shelters in your area. Craigslist, Facebook for your county and state sites such as: https://www.facebook.com/LostFoundDogs.NC/ ( it says dogs but they post all pets) and https://www.facebook.com/groups/769692416445474/, AND https://www.facebook.com/groups/232707254986676/?ref=share, pawboost.com, petfbi.org, https://24petconnect.com , https://www.tabbytracker.com https://lost.petcolove.org/ local newspaper
*YOU CAN ALSO BOOST YOUR FACEBOOK POST TO GET IT TO MORE PEOPLE (COST SOME TO DO THIS)
(3) FEEDING STATION/SCENT TO LURE HOME: Buy several cans of mackerel and drain the juice into a spray bottle. Add several ounces of water to the mixture and select the "stream" setting. Spray the upper branches of trees and bushes in the area leading up to and around the food station. You can use can cat food and smear on trees and on ground leading back toward your food station setup. The smell can help lure to the food station. Repeat every 2 days unless it rains. If it rains, spray again when rain stops.
Set up a food station with a bowl consisting of "stinky" food - sardines, canned cat food, boneless cooked chicken, etc. and a bowl of water and a camera. Position the camera so that you can see the food on camera to see who is eating. Also, leave a scent item of yours such as a stinky pair of socks, dirty shirt, shoes close to the food station. Once spotted on camera, buy or borrow a humane trap and cover with something like a dirty sheet and camouflage with some sticks, leaves on it.
(4) NOTIFY NEIGHBORS by making flyers (4 to a page) and handing out to all neighbors, delivery people in your area (mail carrier, fed ex, etc) and one in a sandwich ziploc bag with a few pebbles in it for weight and toss by mailbox
Go to local and surrounding post offices and see if you can put Flyers up so all carriers in area are aware!
(5) POSTERS - GET THEM OUT ASAP! Poster sized neon signs at all the intersections in all directions for a 3-7 house (54 yards) radius. Make them big, bold and neon! Place one in yard, businesses in area, tag your car. Use sheet protectors to keep dry, or plastic wrapped and sealed with blow dryer use this Flyer template here: https://search.petfbi.org/flyer.html
(6) CONTACT local vets, groomers, pet stores, local rescues.
(7) HANG out worn clothing, blankets, etc with your scent on it, their bedding , hang high in air so wind catches it!
(8) CAT CONSULTATION with this cat search expert: Kim Freeman/Lost Cat Finder https://www.lostcatfinder.com
*GATHER A PET SCENT ITEM TO STORE (in case you decide on a track later if spotted): Put on gloves, gather scented item from your pet, if it’s a big bed or something big, wipe down with some cotton gauze and place the toy and/or gauze into plastic bag and place in freezer. Place pet name and date on bag!
MORE great tips here: https://www.missinganimalresponse.com/lost-cat-behavior/
Great with cat recovery! Contact to track or consultation: https://www.facebook.com/TheFelineFinders/
TRACKERS THAT CAN HELP:
An awesome tracker is Balynda Brown, 919-418-7953 a tracker with her dog, Bravo who can help with a recovery plan and help with effective flyers, to get started fill this form out: https://bravok911.com/tell-us-about-your-pet
Another great tracker is Mice with Epic Animal Recovery 704-770-8625( on Facebook) or http://www.epicanimalrecovery.org/ Fill out this form: http://www.epicanimalrecovery.org/lost-pet-form.html
NON PROFIT GROUP
Contact Erin with this great non profit cat recovery group who uses a variety of tools to help missing cats get home in NC
https://www.facebook.com/k9soncall/
VOLUNTEER GROUP:
Here is the link to a volunteer group who can help you plan your search at no charge, Missing Animal Response trained:
https://www.facebook.com/LARGcares/
Try calling Tracey, she is a volunteer who is MARS trained and can possibly give some advice: https://www.missinganimalresponse.com/mar-directory/cppi-piedmont-region/?fbclid=IwAR0x-NskTgDFEr-BmKIHEmfqu9IBvgRazJga2sd1givctMspPwt-NrHaI3s
When you spot them, don’t chase, try this: https://www.animalwised.com/how-to-approach-a-scared-cat-2515.html?fbclid=IwAR0lYxG9AaYNGkOOPLRHHZK9o4gT1QPRP-Z8ibmhy4IXgq1JX-t5rivT5D8
GO TO THE SHELTER AND CHECK FOR THEM ..about 85% of pets that are adopted from shelters are strays and their owners never came for them...
