Rhonda B.
6 months ago
I'm so sorry about your missing kitty, but cats are great survivors, and most lost pets do survive, so try to stay positive. I'm involved with lost pet rescue, and I'd like to share some information with you. Just so you know, I respond to hundreds of lost & found pet postings every month, so I can't customize these for everyone. If you've done some or all of these things already, great!
Put some water and food outside, especially some stronger smelling canned food or tuna, on a patio, preferably inside of a fenced area and in view of a security camera, if possible, so your kitty can smell it. Sometimes, lost kitties will come back at night and eat. You can also put them inside a garage, leaving a door cracked, but be careful. Some other critters and undesirable people could get in. You can also set up a remote camera, and if you see your kitty, then you can go out and wait for your kitty to show up again another night.
Inside kitties who get lost usually don't go far, but can go into hiding, especially if they are already skittish or traumatized, or accidentally get locked into neighbor's sheds and garages. Walk the area, especially early morning or at night when it's quiet out and call for your kitty, maybe shaking a box of your kitty's favorite treats, then just stop and listen for an answer. Even if very verbal, sometimes lost and injured kitties are too scared to answer, which is a survival Instinct, but if it's quiet out, they may.
Because cats are allowed to roam in Colorado, most people don't pay attention to kitties on the loose, so be sure to hand out flyers to all of your neighbors within at least 2-3 blocks, and put up large neon posters at every major intersection in your neighborhood. Also, post on nextdoor.com and check with animal control, vets, and shelters in your area.
It may become necessary to set a live trap with the assistance of a lost pet rescue, but you need confirmed sightings. Let me know if you need help with this.
If your kitty is allowed to roam, I would be remiss if I didn't ask you to please consider keeping your cat indoors when he/she returns home. For the last 45 years, all our kitties have been indoor only and have lived very happy, healthy, and long lives. There are just so many things that can happen to a roaming cat, including being hit by a car, wild predators, poisons, being trapped someplace, and being victims of very evil people. The average lifespan of a cat that is allowed to roam is only 2 years.
Please don't give up! About 75% of lost pets are found, and the reason most of the others are not is because the families just stop looking.
Hope this info helps you get your fur baby home safe and sound. ❤
