El Cerrito, CA Lost Female Cat, Minnie Is Missing

Facebook Community Response

HappyCatLady .

7 days ago

🚨🚨🚨WARNING🚨🚨🚨 SCAMMERS will claim they found your cat! Or will tell you about a (FAKE) INSTAGRAM Pet recovery service they used - OR WILL SHOW YOU an AI (FAKE) photo of your cat - these are SCAMMERS!!! SCAMMERS will text you saying they’re affiliated with Pawboost or an ANIMAL SHELTER and that they HAVE YOUR CAT and that YOU need to PROVE who you are by giving other phone numbers, your email, verifying google codes etc or to send money to get your cat from the shelter. These are all SCAMMERS! THEY WON'T Send you a PHOTO of your cat (they'll make up any excuse) OR THEY'LL SEND a PHOTO of a similar cat OR AN AI FAKE PHOTO - or a blurry video - but it’s not your cat! Look closely. Google the photo they send it could be a photo they stole from the internet. Please know that If your actual neighbor sees or has your cat they will give you information freely (and will post a PHOTO on your listing and not make you ‘send a code or personal information or money. 🚨🚨🚨There’s a NEW SCAM they will call you saying they are animal care and control and that your cat was brought in but got hit by a car and needs an operating then they will ask you for payment - THIS IS A SCAM!!!! Animal care and control would NEVER ask for money 🚨🚨🚨 ASK TO FACETIME ANYONE WHO CLAIMS TO HAVE YOUR CAT (TO PROVE THEY HAVE YOUR CAT) AND THEY ARE ASKING YOU FOR A $ REWARD. SCAMMERS are the ONLY PEOPLE WHO ASK FOR A REWARD. 🚨🚨🚨There’s a NEW SCAM on Facebook the scammer will say something like ‘my husband found your cat or your cat was hit by a car please message me your phone number and send $ “ meaning they want you to message them from your Facebook messenger your phone number! 🚨🚨🚨The Facebook SCAMMER will tell you to look up a lost cat search team they used on Instagram or another platform saying their cat was found within hours -it’s a total SCAM. LOOK AT THEIR FACEBOOK PROFILE - you may see many (PAID) followers but they are not following anyone, The profile will have a few photos only, usually just selfies and the profile was created not long ago. You will see no posts / conversations with friends , I report the account to Facebook Scammers are heartless

HappyCatLady .

7 days ago

💖 *** RIGHT NOW **** ( It's still EARLY + QUIET) GO OUT to kitty's ESCAPE / EXIT point and CALL For kitty in a very CALM, NORMAL voice. Keep calling gently. If kitty likes the sound of crinkling a treat bag, try that again and again. It’s best to stay near the escape point and calmly call kitty for 30 minutes at a time. *******REPEAT AT SUNSET and again TONIGHT AND LATE NIGHT 🙏****** set alarm for 12AM & 3AM. ****** Starting at sunset - Leave escape door open 4 inches and porch lights off / dimmed - sometime they run back in after dark on their own . Be patient sometimes they will hide in one place for several nights before trying to come back to the escape door and/or Wet food you leave out with a camera aimed to record movement! 🐱💜Dear Guardian. Please know you can find your sweet kitty by taking various actions to cover ALL possibilities, whether kitty is HIDING or STUCK. #1 mistake is Waiting. Glad you posted. Taking ACTION IN PERSON IS KEY. Here is exactly what to do 🙏 🐱 INDOOR-ONLY CATS (or INDOOR / OUTDOOR cats that get spooked and/or GET OUT into NEW location ) THey will find the 1st place to HIDE and HUNKER DOWN in SILENCE. They tend to remain VERY NEAR, typically within a few houses and often right next door or even UNDER your house. Kitty is in survival mode and meowing would give away their location to predators. Scared Cats in a foreign environment will often NOT meow - though Kitty needs to hear your voice. Kitty May come forward on your 40th or 400th call! Be patient. Scared cats are the best hiders. 🐱 INDOOR and INDOOR/OUTDOOR cats HIDE and GET STUCK in garages, crawl spaces, under porches, under buildings, in storage areas and roofs. Most lost cats are found within the block - though keep open to the possibility of further out! 💥💥 DO Not put out LITTER BOX - the scent will attract aggressive animals 💥💥 💥 IMPORTANT 💥 SEARCH & CALL for kitty calmly AT NIGHT when cats are most active and feel ‘safer’ to move. Set alarm for 12pm, 3AM, 5AM call for kitty in your sweet voice. Many cats come out of hiding LATE NIGHT (or you may hear meows if trapped nearby. 🐱 LEAVE A WAY BACK INSIDE 24/7 in case kitty sneaks back LATE NIGHT. Leave the ‘escape’ DOOR/WINDOW wedged OPEN 4” with wet food and water just inside. Place your dirty laundry by the escape point like a shirt or pillow case. If kitty escaped from the front (and you have a garage) leave garage door OPEN 4” with WET food placed just inside the opening with camera AIMED at the food bowl to send movement notifications to your PHONE. THEN place kitty’s BEDDING deep inside the garage (FAR AWAY from food) . If no garage, leave wet food and water near escape point - out of plain sight of humans walking by. 💥 IMPORTANT 💥 PLACE A CAMERA AIMED at WET FOOD bowl (NO DRY FOOD) ) you leave by the escape point (if possible wedge door open 4” with food inside ). The food may attract other cats in the neighborhood, but one of those cats might be yours if you’re lucky! Replace wet food every sunset (raccoons LOVE DRY cat food so only offer WET) You can't believe how often a cat will return home at night and has no way of getting back inside (or is too scared to go inside ) Without the camera aimed at food, guardians would NOT know kitty is AROUND. Once spotted on Camera, BUT still hiding from you, THEN the next step is to humanely TRAP your kitty. I can Loan you a TRAP if you live in SF - You can RENTa trap from any shelter. 💥 CAMERA: Mini Blink WIFI camera $29 : https://a.co/d/00x4Gs9H 💥 OR WIRELESS/ waterproof Blink camera : https://a.co/d/cDeKLXz 💥 IF NO WIFI: Wildlife/Trail camera (battery operated) Check footage manually https://a.co/d/07RCVBjR 8 AA lithium batteries (buy extra) + Micro SD Memory Card: https://a.co/d/44AXvel TALK TO YOUR NEIGHBORS 🐱Your ACTUAL neighbors on your block will NOT see these online posts. And they won't do anything if they see a cat unless they know YOUR cat is missing! This is why you must go door to door with FLYERS and post up flyers on lampposts 1-3 blocks in all directions 💜🙏 🐱 KNOCK / RING DOORS, starting with the first 5-10 residences in ALL directions from you. Looks for gates she could have slipped under or through (if she got out from the street side) Take notes on a PRINTED Google map of your block - note which neighbors you spoke to and those who weren’t home so you can return later - keep trying until you talk to all your neighbors around your block. 🐱RING CAMERAS - ASK neighbors to check CAMERAS, Garages, sheds, storage units, crawl spaces, under porches, pipe drain area. Kitty could be STUCK (happens all the time!) and talking to neighbors HELPS to engage them. 🐱 GAIN ACCESS TO YOUR NEIGHBORS YARDS: USE a flashlight EVEN during the day to catch the reflection of kitty’s EYE under decks and crawl spaces, SEARCH ALONE. 🐯PRINT A GOOGLE MAP OF YOUR BLOCK: BELOW is an example of taking notes on a map as I go door to door KNOCKING. If not home, tape a FLYER directly onto front doors using painter’s tape (won’t harm) . I write down names (or smiley face) which folks I spoke to. F = flyered (not home) The goal is to talk to all your neighbors to best engage them - ASK them to CALL if they THINK they see your cat ( + take a photo!) Keeping track on a map is a HUGE HELP - I keep returning until I talk to everyone and again a few days / 1 week later to remind folks! 🐱💜 PRINT 150+ FLYERS for giving out door to door and also POST FULL flyers on both sides of every lampposts 2 Blocks out in all directions. Place FLYERS (that you post up on lampposts) inside a clear “protective sheet cover” with the opening facing down so weather doesn’t ruin them. Google: “clear sheet protector” Buy on amazon or at a FEDEX PRINT store. You can submit print order online for pick up even if FEDEX is closed. Once open, ask if they can PRINT right away. Fedex Print stores sell ‘clear sheet protectors’, packing tape & duct tape for posting Flyers on lampposts and blue ‘painters tape’ for adhering flyers onto front doors and mailboxes. Download a FLYER ‘template’ on www.happycatlady.com Offer a reward $ for a PHOTO of your Kitty And NOT to approach. SEE TEMPLATE:: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1M2tvbJlvnL3NoLl_c6ulKxCLo5PSpOoL/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=102845077284118854428&rtpof=true&sd=true ONLINE: (please do not rely on posting online) 🙏💜DON’T GIVE UP! (INDOOR-ONLY) Lost Cat ‘Clementine’ was FOUND after 29 days only 2 backyards away! Her guardian had to trap her because kitty was in survival mode and kept hiding in the bushes. LOST CAT ‘Lina’ was spotted on camera 2 weeks later, eating food left by the open door but she would NOT come inside. Her guardian coaxed her for several nights to get her inside! Without a camera she would have NEVER known Lina was around. Cats act different when in survival mode - be patient. Sending LOVE & unwavering determination 💖🙏 damia foti 💖🙏 ( www.happycatlady.com) 💖LINK TO LOST CAT FLYER / GOOGLE MAP GRAPHIC: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cYfhp2o-m2C_OKPvdEriHZxYscDmeL5U/view?usp=sharing —--