Chattanooga, TN Lost Female Cat, Meredith Is Missing

Comments on this Facebook alert

Lisa J.

4 days ago

A live trap and sardines worked for me. Our cat was missing for about a month.

Matt C.

4 days ago

Search Your Home and Alert Neighbors When indoor cats get out for the first time, they are scared and do not know what to do. Their first instinct is to find a place to hide. If they have ever escaped before they will run the same direction and go the same place they did before (even if it was years ago). Cats will usually stay within a 3-4 house radius from where they went out as long as they can find a place to hide within that area. They look for the first place to hide and then they stay there (sometimes for days on end) as long as it is safe and dry. If they venture out, from their hiding spot, it is generally at night when there is less activity. They usually will only start to look for food/water after about 2-3 days. The longer they are out the more confidence they gain. The demeanor of your cat will play a big role in how they act when they get out. As a rule – males will tend to come out of hiding sooner and wander farther than females. Is your cat friendly to strangers that come into your house? If so, they may approach strangers outside after they have gained confidence. As soon as you notice your cat is missing, talk to your family members or housemates and ask where and when they last saw your cat. Search your home carefully—under beds, in closets, dark places, small places, behind bulky furniture— in case your cat is hiding or sleeping somewhere. If you are sure your cat is not in/around the home, take a slow ride or walk around your neighborhood. Bring along a recent photo of your cat and ask neighbors if they’ve seen him or her. Check under porches and shrubs and ask neighbors to check in sheds and garages in case your cat was accidently locked in. If you did not see the cat run out then make sure you check all hiding places inside your house. The cat might not be feeling well and is hiding. Figure out which door the cat escaped from. Go out the door and look both directions. If you were a cat which way would you have wandered? Are there objects that the cat can use as cover to make her way to a great hiding spot? Cats will not run out in the open (across a driveway, yard, or field) unless they are being chased by something (you, a dog, or a predator). Best time to find a cat is once it is dark, using a flashlight to catch their eyes in the light. Softly call their name and shine the light under all decks and objects. Cats operate on the sense of smell first (before sight). They can smell 1000 times better than us. If the cat has been with you for longer than a couple weeks they are bonded to your house and the smell of the house. Try to get as much of your scent outside so the cat can smell it and will stay in their hiding spot knowing that they are close to home. Shaking a food dish, treat jar or favorite toy will sometimes lure animals out of a hiding place. If they are outside, cook up something smelly on your grill, bacon or liverwurst; something that might bring your cat home for dinner! Open the windows of your house and get the house smells outside. Put your blanket or article of clothing outside. Cut strips out of a sheet or towel and hang them outside the house. Put the litter box outside. Put canned cat food outside. Spread dry food around where you think the cat might be. Put up posters and go door to door telling all of your neighbors to be on the lookout for the cat. Make sure they have a picture of the cat with your phone number on it. Please note, we do not suggest having large groups of people out searching and calling for your lost pet. This will only scare your pet and drive them out of the area. People wanting to help can drive around and the call the owner with any sightings, but never chase the cat or call out to it if it is not your own cat.

Matt C.

4 days ago

📷 View photo on Facebook

Matt C.

4 days ago

Sharing. Post to PetFBI and these…

📷 View photo on Facebook

Sandra L.

5 days ago

There was one that looked like this on the Chambliss Thrift Store parking lot today. May belong there.

Lori O.

5 days ago

I can’t stress enough how you need to look with a bright flashlight in the dead of night to find him and stay persistent till you do. Cats usually don’t go further than 2-3 houses away even after weeks and months. So look close by. Here are a list of tips besides the most important one. I'm so sorry about your baby.🥺💔 Most cats stay close to home so it is critical to stay as proactive, and persistent, as possible. ●Crack your garage door or leave a porch door open where they got out so it can get inside. Cats return at night when you're sleeping so you miss them. This also ensures if your cat was chased away, it can sneak back inside when it can. ●Check everywhere outside even in drain pipes and drains, in logs, under bushes and cars, up in trees and anywhere it's collar could get hung. Use a BRIGHT flashlight after dark as it will make your cat's eyes glow and very easy to spot through bushes or under things. Much easier than daytime searching when they are hunkered down and hiding in plain sight. They won’t respond to your call. They are scared even of you. ●Check under your house and your neighbor's houses, in sheds, garages, basements, etc. ●Indoor-only or new to the area lost cats tend to not recognize their owners outside because it is a different environment and they are scared. Sit outside every single day especially in the morning and at dusk/night so your cat can get used to you being there. ●Put food in a plastic container with a lid and periodically shake it and call your cat's name. ●Print flyers with their picture for neighbors and businesses in the area. ●Put picture posters in public areas, like on street signs and in your front yard, and offer some type of reward, if you can. ●Put the reward amount on the flyers and posters. A reward will incite people to intentionally be on the lookout for your cat or to return it to you. ●Work with a cat rescue to immediately set a cat trap or you can purchase one at Tractor Supply, Home Depot or on Amazon and set it yourself. You will need to monitor the trap(s) so cat isn’t left stuck inside and vulnerable to other animals. Put human tuna in the back of the trap so they will go in enough for door to close behind them. Cover trap with your dirty towels or sheets with your smell. ●Post on the Ring app, Nextdoor app and Pawboost and visit pet rescues/shelters in person regularly to see if someone has found your cat and/or has taken it to one. Give them a flyer and report your cat as missing. ●Consistently visit rescues and shelters. They only hold a cat 3 to 5 days without a microchip before putting it up for adoption, and only for 7 days with a microchip. Even if the cat has a microchip, the chip can float and be missed by the scanner. ●Set notification alerts for the Facebook lost and found pets groups in case someone has found your cat. - buy small cameras to put outside for $10-15. The camera will alert you when movement is spotted. Monitor especially between midnight and 5 am. (Sorry) - Consider a recording of your voice outside your home and also their and your smell….(bed) cats can smell up to a mile away. - Where cats get out of the house/car is where they go back too when trying to get back inside your home. Even where they escape out of a car. They go back to that spot. - Stay persistent or you won’t get your cat back. Persistence pays off. No one loves your cat like you do! Your cat needs you to find them and bring them back to you and your loving home! - won’t get your cat back. Persistence pays off. No one loves your cat like you do!

Karen K.

5 days ago