Richmond, CA Lost Male Cat, Solecito Is Missing

Facebook Community Response

HappyCatLady .

2 years ago

I’m so sorry you haven’t found your sweet kitty YET...Replace FLYERS on lamppost and post up more FLYERS several blocks out in all directions. Do you have a MINI BLINK camera aimed at wet food you're leaving day and night by the escape door (or inside the garage door left open 5" if he got out from the front)? If you're not sure which side kitty escaped then leave food in the front and back and use 2 cameras they're $35 on amazon. Every day I get texts from folks who are amazed at spotting their SHY cat on camera eating the food then running off to hide again after because they are in survival mode... some will finally come out of hiding LATE NIGHT after their human calls out 400 times in a calm calm voice...don't give up! Keep taking action. Ask neighbors to check their RING cameras again - we've had lost cats spotted on RING cameras so many times but neighbors won't check unless they know you're kitty is missing and i find that talking to neighbors is best because most do not understand that SHY cats hide from everyone! They think if they don't see the cat during the day then there is no way kitty is visiting their yard but that's not the case! Cats get active late night..once you spot him on camera THEN the next night you can set a trap and watch it by using a baby monitor. you can buy one on amazon for overnight delivery - you really need these tools to help you find your kitty when it comes to a shy cat. Replace old flyers and talk to neighbors again...offer a reward for a photo of your kitty - you don't want folks to approach kitty once spotted - but you want a photo to make sure it's kittymode continue to hide from humans and they search for food at night. I’m so sorry for the terrible worry and stress ..hang in there...remain hopeful … keep talking to your neighbors. 🙏 DON”T GIVE UP!💖🐱

HappyCatLady .

2 years ago

💖🐱Dear guardian 💖🐱 glad you are not giving up 🙏 Continue to take action in person. Cover all possibilities… 'Lost cat' JiJi was found after missing for 4 MONTHS! Cats will remain for months and months doing their best to survive. 1. CONTINUE leaving wet food and fresh water bowl at sunset where kitty escaped/exit point - lost cats search for a food source - you must be a consistent food source even if you're feeding other lost/stray hungry cats. Continue to use your motion activated wifi camera pointed at WET food and water bowl replenished nightly. If you don't have a camera aimed 2. I emplore you to buy one (the $35 mini blink on amazon works great) So many cases guardians were ready to give up then they finally put the camera out there (whether wifi to your phone or a WILD LIFE camera with batteries no wifi) and after some days / weeks they will Spot their cat eating on camera - after being gone for weeks or months. .Spotting kitty eating the food on camera changes everything - then we know the next step is to use a humane TRAP to capture their cat because kitty is in survival mode, HIDING from all humans - even from the guardian they love. 3. REPLACE worn out flyers that are posted on both sides of LAMP POSTS around your block and POST UP FLYERS on both sides of lamppost SEVERAL blocks out in ALL directions from your residence (or where kitty escaped from). 4. I encourage you to talk to your neighbors AGAIN in person to remind them your kitty is still missing and that you need their help to keep an eye out. 5. Deliver updated FLYERS to every single residence every apt within every building starting with your block and expanding outward several blocks in all directions. Tape the flyer directly onto front doors or down the side of mailboxes neatly folder and use painter's tape (won't harm) Every day I get texts from people who find their cats while calling /searching at night long after a month. 6. Continue to call for your cat at night / early morning … make any noise kitty is familiar with whether it's keys jingling or treat bag crinkles or simply your calm voice ...it may seem hopeless to do this but I am telling you everything you do helps! 7. Check nearby shelters ONLINE DAILY and IN PERSON weekly (some cats are NOT posted online at the shelters!) Cats are survivors and once back home, they return to being cozy. FLYERS all over the neighborhood and going door to door to talk to neighbors is KEY in spreading the word to the exact people who COULD spot kitty! 8. ADDING AT LEAST 1 HUGE NEON POSTER in front of your residence is highly encouraged in order to get a possible sighting. A BILLBOARD even better! Sending you LOVE, HOPE and unwavering DETERMINATION 🐱🙏💖 damia The biggest mistake I have learned in the last 5 years finding lost cats is people thinking the cat is getting taken care of somewhere when the cat is doing it's best to survive and they stop taking action..no more flyering..no huge posters. no talking to neighbors again..they stop searching at night .. you must do the opposite! Your sweet kitty needs to be spotted and the best way is to lure with wet food and get another neighbor to do the same - must have a camera aimed or you won't know who is eating the food. Even cats that have been with their guardian 15 years WILL HIDE FROM EVERYONE ..Lost cat Tommy was found after 4 months - the guardians finally started aiming a camera at the wet food they were leaving out every AM and PM and finally spotted her a week later then trapped her using a humane trap I lent. Other folks Created BILLBOARDS using vinyl and tape and huge photos of their cat - and kept FLYERING 1 block at a time…kept talking to neighbors on each street getting more than 1 person to check RING cameras and leave wet food and water out AND THAT - was what ultimately got their cat spotted . Don't give up. I’m so sorry for all the stress and worry...kitty is out there..needs your consistent action sending this message with only love in my heart - damia

HappyCatLady .

2 years ago

💜🐱I’m so sorry kitty is still missing. Please do Not lose hope or stop taking action. Lost cat ‘Ninja’ was found within the block after 71 days of us searching for him! He was 6 houses away after 71 days! 💜🐱Lost Cat 'Secret' was found after 40 nights - he was around the corner in the ceiling of a worker's room who saw a posted flyer!💜🐱Lost Cat 'Sneaky" was just reunited after 113 nights! 💜🐱 'Lost cat Alan' on Pawboost was reunited after 129 days! His guardians wouldn’t give up and didn’t stop searching …a neighbor spotted ALAN - a neighbor they had spoke to while going door to door - it was the 3rd time they had done the rounds reminding neighbors their kitty was still missing💜🐱 Don't give up. Keep taking action. Post up more flyers Make GIANT SIGNS...Don’t give up the search 💜🐱 🐱PRINT more flyers to post up on lampposts 1-6 blocks out in all directions and replace the ones on your block if the old ones are worn .... put new flyers in the "clear sheet protectors" with the opening facing down so they last …(previous post shows example - you can buy at fedex print store, target, staples or amazon) 🐱TALK TO YOUR NEIGHBORS AGAIN - yes going door to door to remind your dear neighbors that your cat is still missing and you are needing their help to spot kitty more than ever - people have short memories - they DO need to be reminded. Talk to dog walkers on your street - they are outside at all times and have helped me spot lost kitties I was helping with many times....It's never a waste of time talking to neighbors ..the more eyes you have the better...ask them to take a photo and call text you any hour of the night - and not to approach Kitty or they might scare him. 🐱CONTINUE TO CALL FOR KITTY at night and early mornings (sunset to sunrise) .set your alarm for 1am, 3am 5am and call calmly with stinky wet food...walk around the block and call for kitty as you walk BACK LEADING HOME ...NOT leading AWAY from home. 💜💜PLACE A CAMERA 💜💜motion activated (with night vision ideally) - pointed at bowl with wet food (and water) near outside the door and review camera footage daily - you can't believe how many times a cat will return home and has no way of getting back inside and/or the owners stops going out at night so the cat disappears back into the night...or the cat just remains outside even with the door slightly open (in a survival mode) This has happened recently in multiple cases where a guardian catches their cat on camera after weeks of no sightings …then they either end up going out during the same time every night or they end having to humanely trap their cat because kitty kept running away from the owner. (once back inside the survival mode turns off and they are back to being purry cozy kitty) Place wet food out with a camera (that will snap images or video upon movement) you may see other cats, raccoons and other creatures eat the food..that's ok...keep refilling the WET food as he may turn up one of these nights - I’ve done this many times and always SO happy I did because the camera gives the hope you need! (raccoons LOVE dry cat food so wet food is better) you can buy motion sensor camera on amazon over night - connect to wifi...OR a wild life camera with playback feature (battery operated - no wifi needed) . 🐱Once kitty is spotted on camera or by your neighbor then you can sent a HUMANE CAT TRAP - which must be monitored every single second it is ‘set’. You can RENT a trap from the SPCA or borrow a trap - ask folks on Nextdoor (cat owners group) if anyone has a trap you can borrow (If you live in SF I have one to lend you) Sometimes cats are caught on camera eating and NOT coming inside even when the guardian has left the door open..some cats stay in a kind of survival mode (like a switch was flipped) which helps them survive but sometimes gets in the way with them returning inside on their own. It could take days/weeks to get them on camera but once they find this source of food they will return…and some nights it will be different cats or raccoons…they all watch each other from afar…once caught on camera you can set a trap and monitor it from a distance making sure you don’t trap another creature. 💥💥BUY Camera: Mini Blink wifi camera $35 : https://a.co/ihc7BSy If wet / dewy weather get INDOOR/OUTDOOR: https://a.co/d/0rWAq3j IF NO WIFI: Wildlife/Trail camera (battery operated) check footage manually daily https://a.co/d/gWTQ4wq , requires 8 AA lithium batteries (buy extra) and a micro SD memory card: https://a.co/d/44AXvel 💜💜 VISIT IN PERSON 💜💜the shelter’s closest to you every 5 days (FOR San Francisco ACC it’s best to check 24petconnect.com and their website and CALL to ask if ALL their FOUND cats are showing on their website. Some cats will end up at your animal shelter and some will never show up - we just don’t know how LUCK plays out so this is why you must COVER ALL POSSIBILITIES.There are SO many FOUND cats brought in every single day. Some are not shown online this is why you have to physically go in and check for yourself. MANY lost cats are reunited long after a month. Many cats end up at a shelter after their guardian has unfortunately stopped checking and that is just heartbreaking. 🐱Keep posting updates on Nextdoor and pawboost ..talk to your neighbors, update flyers, call for kitty at night, leave food and water out and get a camera to check footage every day. ⭐️POSTCARD Delivery service; ANOTHER $OPTION ⭐️to help spread the news in your neighborhood to the closest 1000 residents: https://lostpetcards.com/ The guardian of Lost cat 'Leila' used this service and a few days slater a neighbor 2 blocks received the postcard and contacted her because her cat had been visiting her backyard and she was feeding her - ‘Leila’ has been reunited with her loving human!! https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2530343453770639&id=697221290416207 This is a family owned company who will send a Lost Cat Postcard (with photo and info) to the closest 1000 residents from where kitty escaped - this is an extremely efficient way to make sure your neighbors are aware your cat is missing - and your contact info is readily available if they spot kitty. I've used this service 3 times so far and always happy I did . It’s pricey but worth it. I paid for this mailing service for a cat already missing for weeks after getting lost the same day kitty was rehomed and I needed to spread the word to neighbors as quickly as possible as I came onto the case late - weeks after kitty was already missing. Someone spotted her after a week, because he received a postcard!. We received several calls …some were false sightings so it’s important to include on the postcard “Please take a photo and call if you THINK you see my cat..(Please do not approach kitty - call me!) The other 2 times I used the service I received sightings within 2 weeks, one kitty was found within the block (and I’d already flyered door to door on the block) The way it works is you submit a form online https://lostpetcards.com/ then they will email you asking to confirm informatino, then they will send you a draft postcard and show you the zone that USPS will cover based on original location (they’ll show you on a map) 2 days later POSTCARDS will be delivered to the nearest 1000 neighbors, including apts and businesses (1000 is the minimum) at the cost is $650 – be sure to include much of the same wording asking neighbors to check garages, sheds, crawl spaces, trees etc and offering a reward for a PHOTO of your kitty - similar wording to the FLYER TEMPLATES you can download below (www.happycatlady.com). 💜🐱🙏 Stay strong, stay determined🙌 Don’t let anyone tell you to give up! 🙏 Damia Foti🐱🙏💖 650-339-6619 www.HappyCatLady.com

HappyCatLady .

2 years ago

🐱💖💖🙏 Dear Guardian. DON’T LOSE HOPE. Scared cats are the stealthiest of hiders and those that get STUCK will often not meow so their human must take action in various ways in order to cover ALL possibilities, daily/nightly until kitty is found. Lost cat 'Sophie' was reunited after being lost for 6 weeks! Cats remain near they don't leave. They just hide in survival mode doing their best to survive. Sophie's guardian trapped her using a humane trap the night after she was spotted eating wet food on the camera her guardian's had aimed (mini blink camera $30 on amazon) Those who search and FLYER and talk to neighbors and go out at night, use a motion activated camera aimed at food etc - tend to FIND their kitty...though sometimes it can take much longer than we want. 🐱💖Lost Cat ‘Clementine’ was finally spotted after 29 days 1.5 yards away! A neighbor we flyered and spoke to 2 weeks earlier spotted kitty in her backyard. We ended up having to use a humane trap to trap her because she remained in survival mode and was too fearful to come forward to her human (2 days later Clementine was back to ‘normal’ purry self). Lost cat ‘Lina’ of 2 weeks was spotted returning home (video footage in backyard) but was too scared to come inside - the owner had to coax her for hours and hours for 2 nights. Without having a camera aimed at food she would NEVER have guessed her kitty was still in her backyard - HIDING! 🐱💖Lost Calico cat ‘Kittie’ was spotted after 4 weeks in a neighbor’s yard who we flyered so they called us. She had escaped out the front door leading to a busy street and must have found a way into the backyards 1 block away..this is why FLYERING at least 1 block beyond your block is KEY. Once she was sighted on this neighbor’s RING camera, we kept leaving food at the same time every day around 6pm and got her coming to the food. We then set a humane trap and watched the trap using a baby monitor to make sure we didn’t trap neighbor cats. The point of this is to continue taking action every day/night. Cats remain near - they do NOT go far from home....Continue to call for kitty - ESPECIALLY from sunset to sunrise..set your alarm for 11pm, 2am, 5am ...walk around the block very slowly and calmly call for kitty ...Lost cat “SQUIRREL” was found after 13 nights of his guardian searching at night with a flashlight (kitty ‘squirrel’ got out from the street front and mostly cement on those blocks) During they day they went door to door finding out who had RING cameras and 7 days in, a neighbor spotted ‘squirrel’ cat walking by on camera at 2am...this gave them the extra boost of hope and they continued to search 11pm-2am. Try everything. Some cats will hide for a good 10 days until extreme HUNGER forces them out…sometimes only at night. And often cats get stuck in a garage while that neighbor is Out of town for over a week! Go back and talk to any neighbor who wasn’t home before… 🐯 If your neighborhood isn't already plastered with flyers , PRINT more flyers and add or replace flyers - IMPORTANT: knock on neighbors doors AGAIN and REMIND them that your sweet kitty is still missing and ask them to check around especially at night especially..ask neighbors with RING cameras to check the footage in case kitty is spotted...whatever you do, do NOT lost hope...keep searching and spreading the word with your neighbors door to door - they need to be reminded kitty is still out there and many many cats are found long after they are lost - we are still early in this… 🐯 FEEDING STATION WITH CAMERA **IMPORTANT** PLACE A CAMERA (motion activated with night vision) aimed at WET food in bowl every day and night. ( you can buy amazon) ..OFTEN cats remain near but are in such survival mode - they will even act scared of their human's voice and won't come inside and need to be coaxed...Lost cat 'Luna' was spotted on camera after being 'lost' for several weeks, her human was shocked to learn Luna was visiting the backyard regularly late night and would come back inside (she was leaving the backdoor open for her) We thought she was stuck at a neighbors which happens all the time...and it was the help of the camera which helped her human learn about the different cats that would visit and other animals...she eventually spotted her 'live' in her backyard (she did a stake out just inside with a baby monitor) and was able to Trap her using a humane trap. 💥💥BUY Camera: Mini Blink wifi camera $35 : https://a.co/ihc7BSy If wet / dewy weather get INDOOR/OUTDOOR: https://a.co/d/0rWAq3j IF NO WIFI: Wildlife/Trail camera (battery operated) check footage manually daily https://a.co/d/gWTQ4wq , requires 8 AA lithium batteries (buy extra) and a micro SD memory card: https://a.co/d/44AXvel 🐯PER 'The Community Cats podcast episode - taking action right away and consistently is KEY....and along with late night/early morning calling out etc is getting permission from each neighbor near you to physically go into their yards to search and call for kitty (by yourself) to search under porches and anywhere they can possibly hide! Studies have proven 🐯Indoor cats remain near HIDING IN SILENCE and are mostly found within a few houses away from escape point and outdoor/indoor cats mostly within a 1 block radius...indoor cats that area scared remain near and in hiding until threshhold of hunger will make them come out of hiding to look for food though they will still continue to hide from humans...so it's important for their human to search daily/nightly and not to give up no matter what. They mentioned that sometimes when cats aren't coming back they may be ill and need medical attention so taking action to actively search in neighbors property is so important They also say that cat owners give up way too soon and cats end up at the shelter months down the road by getting trapped by a caring person - and those cats are NOT reclaimed because guardians stop checking the shelters... 🐯 GAIN ACCESS TO NEIGHBORS YARDS: Knock on your neighbors doors in ALL directions to ask for permission to check yards and around the premises so YOU can call for kitty today and tonight and early morning...scared cats will NOT come forward right away and they are excellent hiders! You have to keep trying this and explain to neighbors that cats protect themselves by hiding - even from their guardian - until THEY feel safe to come forward.... 🐯 Check your local animal shelter in person every 4 days🙏🙏they don’t always show all their 'processed' cats online… For SAN FRANCISCO ACC call them first as they have a new policy of NOT accepting ‘healthy’ found cats…though sometimes they do! FOUND cats: SFACC https://www.sfanimalcare.org/stray-found-cats/ 🐯 Make sure kitty’s MICROCHIP information is up-to-date. Call to report kitty Lost. If you don’t have the microchip number, check with your vet and/or place of adoption. In addition to updating wherever your cat’s chip was originally registered (or even if you don’t remember where you originally registered the chip), register your cat at the free Found Animals chip registry, https://www.foundanimals.org/microchip-registry/owners and the free pet chip registry, https://www.freepetchipregistry.com/ with your current contact information in order to increase the chances that if your cat is picked up, they can contact you. (I say increase the chances because sadly there are multiple databases for different chips and they are not all interconnected.) 🐯With LOVE - damia (www.happycatlady com)🐱💖🙏

HappyCatLady .

2 years ago

💓 MAKE 1-3 HUGE NEON SIGNS and /or a BILLBOARD To increase the chances that a neighbors calls for any possible sighting 💓 NEON POSTERS r In front of your home and near a busy intersection everyone tends to drive by in your neighborhood. the guardian of lost cat ‘Claude’ created 2 of these HUGE NEON POSTERS - 1 was placed in front of her residence and the other was placed at the nearest busy intersection...a neighbor noticed the poster and then spotted kitty a few days later and called the guardian. 💓 BILLBOARD Make a HUGE BillBoard using a TARP, duct tape and Blown up photo of kitty (kinkos or fedex) - to tie up either by freeway entrance or exit or if not near freeeway then at the busiest intersection near you to ensure everyone in the neighborhood is aware to call you upon sighting. 💓 Tip: Print 16”x20” of clear full body photo of your cat (crop the photo to remove as much background so it’s just your cat) Fedex Print stores charges $11 for one color copy, available overnight. Cut out your cat and glue/tape to each huge neon sign and for the Billboard.

HappyCatLady .

2 years ago

HappyCatLady Keep flyering and talking to neighbors and leaving WET food just outside where he got out - you must get a camera aimed or you won't know who eats the food - a camera reveals everything 💖💖 Lost cat REESY PUFF (lost for over 2 weeks) was finally spotted on camera - we aimed a mini blink camera where we placed wet food bowl at sunset and it took THAT long for him to come out of hiding. In the meantime I was flyering door to door talking to neighbors and posting up flyers and gaining access to backyards to check crawl spaces using a flashlight...once caught on camera we placed the food partially inside an UN-set humane trap to get her used to going inside without negative consequences - the camera revealed she was hesitant but went in to eat (she was hungry!!) so the next night we set the trap at sunset with yummy bait and waited and watched the ipad that was linked to the mini blink camera aimed at the trap door...she came within 4 hours and by 10pm she was home with her HAPPY guardian NIGHT BEFORE LAST NIGHT. 💖💖💖💖💖 Lost cat Pumpkin (lost 26 days until 1/1) was spotted on a neighbor's RING camera who had seen the flyer I posted on her door - she allowed me to set a trap and I monitored out of sight using a BABY MONITOR with a LONG extention cord leading to my car (you must watch a set trap every single second so you dn't trap a neighbors cat or wild animal!) Pumpkin was lost for almost a month and was trapped on JAN 1st! Don't give up - keep FLYERING ...post up flyers and also go door to door taping them onto front doors so no one misses the photo and info. Keep putting wet food in bowl.dish at sunset with a camera aimed that will send your phone movement notifications and record movement. Sending you love and unwavering determination 💖💖💖💖💖

HappyCatLady .

2 years ago

Don't stop taking action - Talk to your neighbors on your actual block by knocking on doors and taping a flyer to the front door if not home - kitty is very very near....get a mini blink camera aimed at wet food you leave out along with bowl of wate.... 🐱💜INDOOR ONLY cats and LIMITED OUTSIDE ACCESS cats never go far. They go into survival mode and hide in silence. Most of them will not respond when they are in survival mode. 3 AM is the best time to find a missing indoor only cat. This is the time they become most active and responsive. Sit and quietly call for your kitty in your calm normal voice. Try to stay low, standing is intimidating to cats. Be patient. Do your best to remain calm despite the alarming situation. Calling for them at the top of your lungs will scare your already frightened cat. Scared cats are the best hiders. 💥💥DO NOT LEAVE THE LITTER BOX OUTSIDE💥💥 it will attract Predators that will scare your cat away 🐱💜Put Your Scent Outside —.Place your dirty laundry - Tshirt, socks, pillow case or blanket you’ve used - place near the escape point. If you have a garage (and that’s the side kitty got out) place the items just inside the garage door left cracked open 5” - just enough for kitty to get in. 🐱💜Most INDOOR ONLY cats will be within 150 feet of your home HIDING (or stuck) . INDOOR cats that get out are immediately terrified and find the 1st place to hide and HUNKER DOWN sometimes for days at a time. DO a methodical search of the area. Check the house thoroughly. Check nearby bushes, underneath cars, in the car engine area, wheel wells and around the bumpers, check under your building, crawl space, drain pipe area. It's VERY VERY important that you look for kitty as late at night as you can.. Use a flashlight as late at night as you can to look in trees, under cars and in bushes, under porches, in crawl spaces. Try to look for the glow of the cat’s eyes. Because indoor only cats hide so well they are NOT as likely to be ed by a predator. Don't give up, it can take days. weeks or even months to find a missing cat. 🐱💜HUNGER ALWAYS WINS: place wet food just inside the escape door and get a $35 MINI BLINK camera https://a.co/5NUJG5G) aimed AT WET FOOD - to receive phone notifications of any movement. Wildlife and motion activated WIFI cameras are extremely helpful in spotting scared cats that come out to eat when no one is around. It can take up to 5 nights before hunger takes over enough to come out of hiding (if not stuck) Keep replenishing wet food AM + PM 🐱💜PRINT flyers and hand them out to all your neighbors. Knock on doors. ASK neighbors to check Ring cameras and allow you to check crawl spaces, bats.. 🐱💜If kitty is spotted on someone's RING camera or in someone's YARD but STILL HIDING when you call calmly over and over THEN I'd highly recommend setting a trap at the same time kitty was spotted on camera. The trap must be monitored every single second it is ‘set’ to trap. A lot of people are successful trapping their own cats. If you decide to trap, you must watch the trap closely, predators can a cat in a trap. In a recent case, while using a baby monitor to monitor the trap from inside the home, the guardian’s cat came to the front door at 5 AM and she was heard on the baby monitor. 🐱💜RENT/BORROW A HUMANE TRAP - Ask Nextdoor ‘cat owner’ group or other pet groups if someone can loan your a humane trap to lure kitty with stinky wet fish based food. You can rent from your local SPCA/animal shelter though it can take a few days to access so sometimes reaching out to cat groups on nextdoor and facebook will be faster. If you live in San Francisco I am happy to loan you one of my traps. Traps WORK well to lure scared cats out of hiding before Dawn or after sunset. 🐱💜I use a baby monitor → https://a.co/d/ikleXw0 as part of the STAKEOUT where you place stinky fish based wet cat food as bait at the far back center of the trap BEHIND the ‘trip plate’. I would suggest getting the help with someone experienced. OR watch the training videos below.You must monitor the trap at a close distance and/or watch the baby monitor live feed without distractions. 🐱💜NEVER leave an active trap unattended/unmonitored for even 10 seconds. You don’t want to trap another cat or worse, a raccoon. If you come across any stray cats coming to the food, please find out if kitty belongs to someone else by posting online ‘IS THIS YOUR CAT’ on facebook, nextdoor etc and take the cat to determine if micro-chipped. There are so many lost kitties and you would hope someone would do this for your kitty. 🐱💜BEFORE TRAPPING: MUST-WATCH HOW-TO VIDEOS 1. Trapper Tips and Tricks! Presented by Neighborhood Cats : https://youtu.be/DtXyrD6w0bk 2.Trappers Tips & Tricks Presented by Neighborhood Cats and the Community Cats Podcast : https://youtu.be/aL6kSPjrBbQ 🐱💜Graphic showing food and camera set up or TRAP and Camera set up: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1snRxiTUCHpSKJm6D9Fa2RtjyIWcIhkvz/view?usp=sharing

HappyCatLady .

2 years ago

Don't give up - taking action is key and how countless cats have been reunited - here are some recent examples of those I've been involved in:

HappyCatLady .

2 years ago

I’m so sorry kitty is still missing. Please do Not lose hope or stop taking action. Lost cat ‘Ninja’ was found within the block after 71 days of us searching for him! He was 6 houses away after 71 days! Lost Cat 'Secret' was found after 40 nights - he was around the corner in the ceiling of a worker's room who saw a posted flyer!Lost Cat 'Sneaky" was just reunited after 113 nights! 'Lost cat Alan' on Pawboost was reunited after 129 days! His guardians wouldn’t give up and didn’t stop searching …a neighbor spotted ALAN - a neighbor they had spoke to while going door to door - it was the 3rd time they had done the rounds reminding neighbors their kitty was still missing Don't give up. Keep taking action. Post up more flyers Make GIANT SIGNS...Don’t give up the search 🐱PRINT more flyers to post up on lampposts 1-6 blocks out in all directions and replace the ones on your block if the old ones are worn .... put new flyers in the "clear sheet protectors" with the opening facing down so they last …(previous post shows example - you can buy at fedex print store, target, staples or amazon) 🐱TALK TO YOUR NEIGHBORS AGAIN - yes going door to door to remind your dear neighbors that your cat is still missing and you are needing their help to spot kitty more than ever - people have short memories - they DO need to be reminded. Talk to dog walkers on your street - they are outside at all times and have helped me spot lost kitties I was helping with many times....It's never a waste of time talking to neighbors ..the more eyes you have the better...ask them to take a photo and call text you any hour of the night - and not to approach Kitty or they might scare him. 🐱CONTINUE TO CALL FOR KITTY at night and early mornings (sunset to sunrise) .set your alarm for 1am, 3am 5am and call calmly with stinky wet food...walk around the block and call for kitty as you walk BACK LEADING HOME ...NOT leading AWAY from home. 💜💜PLACE A CAMERA 💜💜motion activated (with night vision ideally) - pointed at bowl with wet food (and water) near outside the door and review camera footage daily - you can't believe how many times a cat will return home and has no way of getting back inside and/or the owners stops going out at night so the cat disappears back into the night...or the cat just remains outside even with the door slightly open (in a survival mode) This has happened recently in multiple cases where a guardian catches their cat on camera after weeks of no sightings …then they either end up going out during the same time every night or they end having to humanely trap their cat because kitty kept running away from the owner. (once back inside the survival mode turns off and they are back to being purry cozy kitty) Place wet food out with a camera (that will snap images or video upon movement) you may see other cats, raccoons and other creatures eat the food..that's ok...keep refilling the WET food as he may turn up one of these nights - I’ve done this many times and always SO happy I did because the camera gives the hope you need! (raccoons LOVE dry cat food so wet food is better) you can buy motion sensor camera on amazon over night - connect to wifi...OR a wild life camera with playback feature (battery operated - no wifi needed) . 🐱Once kitty is spotted on camera or by your neighbor then you can sent a HUMANE CAT TRAP - which must be monitored every single second it is ‘set’. You can RENT a trap from the SPCA or borrow a trap - ask folks on Nextdoor (cat owners group) if anyone has a trap you can borrow (If you live in SF I have one to lend you) Sometimes cats are caught on camera eating and NOT coming inside even when the guardian has left the door open..some cats stay in a kind of survival mode (like a switch was flipped) which helps them survive but sometimes gets in the way with them returning inside on their own. It could take days/weeks to get them on camera but once they find this source of food they will return…and some nights it will be different cats or raccoons…they all watch each other from afar…once caught on camera you can set a trap and monitor it from a distance making sure you don’t trap another creature. 💥💥WiFI Camera on amazon: $35 Mini Blink camera: https://a.co/ihc7BSy IF NO WIFI - get a Wildlife/Trail cam which is battery operated: You have to manually check recorded movement daily MINI Wildlife camera - https://a.co/d/2YI1OGi $35 buy 4 AA batteries & a micro SD memory chip: https://a.co/d/44AXvel 💜💜 VISIT IN PERSON 💜💜the shelter’s closest to you every 5 days (FOR San Francisco ACC it’s best to check 24petconnect.com and their website and CALL to ask if ALL their FOUND cats are showing on their website. Some cats will end up at your animal shelter and some will never show up - we just don’t know how LUCK plays out so this is why you must COVER ALL POSSIBILITIES.There are SO many FOUND cats brought in every single day. Some are not shown online this is why you have to physically go in and check for yourself. MANY lost cats are reunited long after a month. Many cats end up at a shelter after their guardian has unfortunately stopped checking and that is just heartbreaking. 🐱Keep posting updates on Nextdoor and pawboost ..talk to your neighbors, update flyers, call for kitty at night, leave food and water out and get a camera to check footage every day. ⭐️POSTCARD Delivery service; ANOTHER $OPTION ⭐️to help spread the news in your neighborhood to the closest 1000 residents: https://lostpetcards.com/ The guardian of Lost cat 'Leila' used this service and a few days slater a neighbor 2 blocks received the postcard and contacted her because her cat had been visiting her backyard and she was feeding her - ‘Leila’ has been reunited with her loving human!! https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2530343453770639&id=697221290416207 This is a family owned company who will send a Lost Cat Postcard (with photo and info) to the closest 1000 residents from where kitty escaped - this is an extremely efficient way to make sure your neighbors are aware your cat is missing - and your contact info is readily available if they spot kitty. I've used this service 3 times so far and always happy I did . It’s pricey but worth it. I paid for this mailing service for a cat already missing for weeks after getting lost the same day kitty was rehomed and I needed to spread the word to neighbors as quickly as possible as I came onto the case late - weeks after kitty was already missing. Someone spotted her after a week, because he received a postcard!. We received several calls …some were false sightings so it’s important to include on the postcard “Please take a photo and call if you THINK you see my cat..(Please do not approach kitty - call me!) The other 2 times I used the service I received sightings within 2 weeks, one kitty was found within the block (and I’d already flyered door to door on the block) The way it works is you submit a form online https://lostpetcards.com/ then they will email you asking to confirm informatino, then they will send you a draft postcard and show you the zone that USPS will cover based on original location (they’ll show you on a map) 2 days later POSTCARDS will be delivered to the nearest 1000 neighbors, including apts and businesses (1000 is the minimum) at the cost is $650 – be sure to include much of the same wording asking neighbors to check garages, sheds, crawl spaces, trees etc and offering a reward for a PHOTO of your kitty - similar wording to the FLYER TEMPLATES you can download below (www.happycatlady.com). 💜🐱🙏 Stay strong, stay determined🙌 Don’t let anyone tell you to give up! 🙏 Damia Foti🐱🙏💖 650-339-6619 www.HappyCatLady.com

HappyCatLady .

2 years ago

🐱💖💖🙏 Dear Guardian. DON’T LOSE HOPE. Scared cats are the stealthiest of hiders and those that get STUCK will often not meow so their human must take action in various ways in order to cover ALL possibilities, daily/nightly until kitty is found. Lost cat 'Sophie' was reunited after being lost for 6 weeks! Cats remain near they don't leave. They just hide in survival mode doing their best to survive. Sophie's guardian trapped her using a humane trap the night after she was spotted eating wet food on the camera her guardian's had aimed (mini blink camera $30 on amazon) Those who search and FLYER and talk to neighbors and go out at night, use a motion activated camera aimed at food etc - tend to FIND their kitty...though sometimes it can take much longer than we want. 🐱💖Lost Cat ‘Clementine’ was finally spotted after 29 days 1.5 yards away! A neighbor we flyered and spoke to 2 weeks earlier spotted kitty in her backyard. We ended up having to use a humane trap to trap her because she remained in survival mode and was too fearful to come forward to her human (2 days later Clementine was back to ‘normal’ purry self). Lost cat ‘Lina’ of 2 weeks was spotted returning home (video footage in backyard) but was too scared to come inside - the owner had to coax her for hours and hours for 2 nights. Without having a camera aimed at food she would NEVER have guessed her kitty was still in her backyard - HIDING! 🐱💖Lost Calico cat ‘Kittie’ was spotted after 4 weeks in a neighbor’s yard who we flyered so they called us. She had escaped out the front door leading to a busy street and must have found a way into the backyards 1 block away..this is why FLYERING at least 1 block beyond your block is KEY. Once she was sighted on this neighbor’s RING camera, we kept leaving food at the same time every day around 6pm and got her coming to the food. We then set a humane trap and watched the trap using a baby monitor to make sure we didn’t trap neighbor cats. The point of this is to continue taking action every day/night. Cats remain near - they do NOT go far from home....Continue to call for kitty - ESPECIALLY from sunset to sunrise..set your alarm for 11pm, 2am, 5am ...walk around the block very slowly and calmly call for kitty ...Lost cat “SQUIRREL” was found after 13 nights of his guardian searching at night with a flashlight (kitty ‘squirrel’ got out from the street front and mostly cement on those blocks) During they day they went door to door finding out who had RING cameras and 7 days in, a neighbor spotted ‘squirrel’ cat walking by on camera at 2am...this gave them the extra boost of hope and they continued to search 11pm-2am. Try everything. Some cats will hide for a good 10 days until extreme HUNGER forces them out…sometimes only at night. And often cats get stuck in a garage while that neighbor is Out of town for over a week! Go back and talk to any neighbor who wasn’t home before… 🐯 If your neighborhood isn't already plastered with flyers , PRINT more flyers and add or replace flyers - IMPORTANT: knock on neighbors doors AGAIN and REMIND them that your sweet kitty is still missing and ask them to check around especially at night especially..ask neighbors with RING cameras to check the footage in case kitty is spotted...whatever you do, do NOT lost hope...keep searching and spreading the word with your neighbors door to door - they need to be reminded kitty is still out there and many many cats are found long after they are lost - we are still early in this… 🐯 FEEDING STATION WITH CAMERA **IMPORTANT** PLACE A CAMERA (motion activated with night vision) aimed at WET food in bowl every day and night. ( you can buy amazon) ..OFTEN cats remain near but are in such survival mode - they will even act scared of their human's voice and won't come inside and need to be coaxed...Lost cat 'Luna' was spotted on camera after being 'lost' for several weeks, her human was shocked to learn Luna was visiting the backyard regularly late night and would come back inside (she was leaving the backdoor open for her) We thought she was stuck at a neighbors which happens all the time...and it was the help of the camera which helped her human learn about the different cats that would visit and other animals...she eventually spotted her 'live' in her backyard (she did a stake out just inside with a baby monitor) and was able to Trap her using a humane trap. WiFI Camera like a $35 Mini Blink camera: https://a.co/ihc7BSy IF NO WIFI - get a Wildlife/Trail cam which are battery operated: You have to manually check footage daily MINI Wildlife camera - https://a.co/d/2YI1OGi $35 must buy 4 AA batteries and a micro SD memory stick: https://a.co/d/44AXvel 🐯PER 'The Community Cats podcast episode - taking action right away and consistently is KEY....and along with late night/early morning calling out etc is getting permission from each neighbor near you to physically go into their yards to search and call for kitty (by yourself) to search under porches and anywhere they can possibly hide! Studies have proven 🐯Indoor cats remain near HIDING IN SILENCE and are mostly found within a few houses away from escape point and outdoor/indoor cats mostly within a 1 block radius...indoor cats that area scared remain near and in hiding until threshhold of hunger will make them come out of hiding to look for food though they will still continue to hide from humans...so it's important for their human to search daily/nightly and not to give up no matter what. They mentioned that sometimes when cats aren't coming back they may be ill and need medical attention so taking action to actively search in neighbors property is so important They also say that cat owners give up way too soon and cats end up at the shelter months down the road by getting trapped by a caring person - and those cats are NOT reclaimed because guardians stop checking the shelters... 🐯 GAIN ACCESS TO NEIGHBORS YARDS: Knock on your neighbors doors in ALL directions to ask for permission to check yards and around the premises so YOU can call for kitty today and tonight and early morning...scared cats will NOT come forward right away and they are excellent hiders! You have to keep trying this and explain to neighbors that cats protect themselves by hiding - even from their guardian - until THEY feel safe to come forward.... 🐯 Check your local animal shelter in person every 4 days🙏🙏they don’t always show all their 'processed' cats online… For SAN FRANCISCO ACC call them first as they have a new policy of NOT accepting ‘healthy’ found cats…though sometimes they do! FOUND cats: SFACC https://www.sfanimalcare.org/stray-found-cats/ 🐯 Make sure kitty’s MICROCHIP information is up-to-date. Call to report kitty Lost. If you don’t have the microchip number, check with your vet and/or place of adoption. In addition to updating wherever your cat’s chip was originally registered (or even if you don’t remember where you originally registered the chip), register your cat at the free Found Animals chip registry, https://www.foundanimals.org/microchip-registry/owners and the free pet chip registry, https://www.freepetchipregistry.com/ with your current contact information in order to increase the chances that if your cat is picked up, they can contact you. (I say increase the chances because sadly there are multiple databases for different chips and they are not all interconnected.) 🐯With LOVE - damia (www.happycatlady com)🐱💖🙏

View Full Discussion on Facebook