HappyCatLady .
6 months ago
💜🙏 Dear guardian. I'm so sorry your sweet kitty is missing. Your indoor/outdoor kitty could be STUCK / TRAPPED at a neighbors unable to get back (OR GOT spooked and is hiding nearby) and why you must take action in several ways in order to cover ALL possibilities - ESPECIALLY in person – with the neighbors on your block to start.
🐱 Taking ACTION IN PERSON is CRITICAL:
https://www.missinganimalresponse.com/lost-cat-behavior/
🐱 Leave a WAY BACK INSIDE for kitty to sneak inside in case kitty is now stuck in a garage and they get released…
💥 IMPORTANT💥TONIGHT - CALL FOR KITTY CALMLY and sweetly, with ZERO stress in your voice. Cats are most active att night (KITTY could have been spooked and is now hiding in survival mode and got STUCK in the process of hiding) Set your alarm to repeat this 1AM, 3AM, 5AM and WALK AROUND VERY SLOWLY calling for kitty in your NORMAL, CALM voice...shake/crinkle the treat bag or shake kitty’s favorite noisy toy. Many cats come out of hiding during these late hours(or you can hear meows if trapped in your next door neighbors garage or backyard for example though many cats will Not meow if stuck) Be Patient. Scared cats are the best hiders.
🐱ASK NEIGHBORS to check their RING CAMERA and to add a missing cat alert.
🐱 GAIN ACCESS TO YOUR NEIGHBORS YARDS: Get permission for YOU to check their yards physically -.explain that kitty will hide from strangers and it's best for you to check anywhere kitty could be hiding (Use a flashlight to catch the reflection of kitty’s eyes. They are silent hiders. Sometimes you have to check more than ONCE in the same yard...see text example received...https://drive.google.com/.../10I.../view...
🐱 Neighbors will NOT do anything if they see a cat outside, UNLESS they know your cat is missing and have your number!
🐱 PRINT 150+ FLYERS ASAP to give your neighbors door to door and also post up around your block + neighborhood. KNOCK ON YOUR NEIGHBORS DOORS starting with your block. POST UP FLYERS on both sides of street lamps in ‘clear sheet protectors’ with the opening facing DOWN so the weather doesn’t ruin them. Google “Protective Sheet Covers”. You can purchase on amazon or any office supply. To save time place ONLINE order of FLYERS at your nearest FEDEX PRINT STORE for pick up, Even if they’re closed. Call once open , asking if they can PRINT right away due to the urgency. Fedex staff will often expedite the order. NOTE: Fedex also sells sheet protectors, packing tape + duct tape for posting Flyers on lampposts and blue ‘painters tape’ for taping flyers onto front doors or ON Mailboxes without causing any damage.
🐱Download a Flyer ‘template’ from www HappyCatLady com. Offer a reward for a PHOTO of your kitty to encourage neighbors call if they spot kitty instead of approaching (and scaringn off) kitty.
🐱 Spreading the word IN PERSON is Critical in spotting kitty. MOST who are on Facebook and Nextdoor.com don’t get notifications so you MUST go door to door in person, circle your block and across the street to start - make sure every neighbor knows about kitty . Ask neighbors to take a photo and call if they see kitty and NOT to approach. ASK neighbors to check their yards / garages /sheds, roofs, storage units, crawl spaces. Kitty could be trapped (happens all the time!).. The goal is to TALK to as many neighbors IN PERSON as possible. Talking to neighbors dramatically increases the chances of your cat being spotted or discovered Stuck, talking engages people to care and to actively search
🐱 PRINT OUT A GOOGLE MAP OF YOUR BLOCK with address #s showing and take notes which neighbors were home you spoke to and which homes to try again later if no one answers. Keep trying to catch neighbors in person later that day and the next day/s. Talk to residence around your block and across the street. Without a printed map, it's easy to get mixed up when you're stressing out.(see example ). https://drive.google.com/.../1ZDSAf2ky52.../view…
🐱 APARTMENT BUILDINGS: For distributing flyers, I ring bells and talk to folks and/or at least get inside the building so I can leave a flyer In front of every door step. If not an option then tape flyers onto the top and bottom of EACH mail box! You want to cover all possibilities.
MAILBOXES EXAMPLE _ FLYERING https://drive.google.com/.../1pQTHFCYD.../view…
🐱 DON’T GIVE UP🙏 Every day I get texts from cat guardians whose cats were stuck in a shed, under a neighbor’s garage, on a rooftop, inside a storage space or that a neighbor heard a meow in their yard at night. Each cat is different and needs our. Return to those addresses if no one was home when you knocked. Keep track on a map which neighbors weren’t home to return to - kitty COULD have gotten trapped on their residence,before leaving town so talking to every single nearby nearby is critical.. Sometimes you have to check the same spot 3 times! → https://drive.google.com/file/d/10I_aHnjJ9rX6rYbGi6v7AWUTJVqggIxD/view?usp=sharing
ONLINE:
🐱 Post on www.Nextdoor com in your neighbohood with exact address OR address range. EXAMPLE 1000-1050 kitty street.
NEXTDOOR INVITE: https://nextdoor.com/invite/tlpjrfjfsfzzypgctspp
🐱Report to Animal Care & control - your local animal shelter/s + Check for FOUND cats online daily and IN PERSON WEEKY
FOR OAKLAND - check for ‘FOUND’ CATS:
https://www.oaklandanimalservices.org/services/lost-and-found/found-animals/found-cats/
💜🐱 Call your cat’s MICROCHIP company to report kitty LOST - make sure kitty’s chip is registered with your current contact info
💜🐱 Cover ALL possibilities. Take action every day/night.
Sending you Love and unwavering determination.
💜🐱damia foti 650-339-6619 ( www.happycatlady.com)
🐯 SEE BELOW example of taking notes on map as I went door to door. F = flyered (not home) Added names I spoke to in person - the goal is to talk to everyone to best engage neighbors - ask them to check RING cameras, search garage, storage, sheds and to CALL if think they see kitty (and take a photo) Keeping track on a map is a HUGE HELP - I return days later to remind folks to keep looking!
🐱LINK TO PDF OF LOST CAT FLYER / GOOGLE MAP GRAPHIC EXAMPLE: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cYfhp2o-m2C_OKPvdEriHZxYscDmeL5U/view?usp=sharing
