Hyde, England Lost Male Cat, Winter Is Missing

Facebook Community Response

Zachary Y.

6 months ago

Praying!!!

Allison O.

6 months ago

🙏🐾🙏

Carol L.

6 months ago

Put posters up in your area with pics asking people to check sheds and garages maybe shut in the flyers through doors will help you to

Jan H.

6 months ago

I apologize as this is a lengthy read and there may be some repetition. I’ve copied and pasted 2 posts with some great tips I’ve seen others post in the past: Leave the door or window that he escaped from slightly open or at least be close to it or use a baby monitor so we that you can hear him should he return on his own. Put smells of home nearby (your used pillow/pillowcase, dirty laundry). If you have a garage, leave the door open about 8". Sprinkle the contents of your vacuum bag around the door he escap no ed from and wherever direction you think he went. Cats are most active at dusk and dawn and get more brave when there is less noise and people. The vacuum contents, dirty laundry (used bedding has lots of scent) will help to get him back into home territory Physically search your yard and your neighbours yards. Cats move along the edges of buildings, hedges and landscaping. Start looking both left and right of where he escaped. Search under hedges, bushes, long grasses, under decks, porches, sheds and BBQ and patio furniture covers, ditches, under or up inside trailers and cars. They like to huddle on the inside edges of tires and are hard to spot there. Indoor only cats typically hide in SILENCE. You could be standing right next to them and calling and they will most likely not come out. They instinctively hide to protect against predators and aggressive cats. Cats have detached collar bones, so if a cat's head can fit into a gap (about the size of your fist), so can the rest of the cat! Look for gaps under porches and decks. Use a flashlight to search hidden areas even in the daytime. If you can't see inside (under a deck for example) put your cellphone inside the hole and take a video of the whole area inside or use an inspection camera. Cats move around so be sure to continue to search the same hiding spots. Mine was found under a bush by the door even though I had checked there often! Kitties are more brave at night when the sounds of traffic and people quiet down. Actively search at night with a good strong flashlight. Their eyes make excellent reflectors at quite a distance! Don't forget to look up in the trees. Most are found after dark between dusk and dawn. Use the daylight hours to let all the neighbours know and ask permission to search their yards and sheds. Remember that cats can easily travel under and over fences, so define your search area to include a radius of 2-3 houses surrounding where she escaped to start and expand the area if he isn't found. He may have snuck into a shed or garage. A scared cat may hide and not meow or come out, so you need to actually look under, behind and on top of shelves and equipment. Ask to do this yourself, as your neighbour may not be thorough. Don't frantically call your cat. Instead go outside at dusk or later in your yard and your immediate neighbour's yards while talking on your phone or with a family member. Bring a plate of smelly food or treats. I use tuna or sardines with a bit of hot water on it to make it extra stinky. Walk around slowly. Don't go too far or move too fast. Stay in each area for awhile and turn every few minutes so your voice carries in a different direction. Listen periodically for faints mews. Hopefully he will be reassured and come out of hiding. If you see your lost cat, do not chase or try to grab him. Sit down on the ground to make yourself smaller. Try to lure him closer to you with food. Keep your voice soft and don't make any sudden moves. He will be very anxious and may not recognize you right away. Be sure to let him smell you before you attempt to pet or pick up. If you decide to pick him up, be sure to hang on tight and don't let go no matter what! Here are some good tips people gave me when they found their lost cats: I know this is a lot to read but please read it it will help you find your kitty Don’t wait until your kitty comes home. The most important thing is go out there right away talking to neighbors and ask if you can check their garages and sheds under sheds, under stairs, decks, trees and uonder bushes and your own backyard, under cars and up trees another cat was found in a garage also check everywhere in your house. Also check in your house in drawers under couches some were found inside the couch behind the fridge and in bat. Cats don’t make a sound when they are scared. your kitty might be locked in somewhere. and putting up posters everywhere even a few streets over and on the end of your drive way with a picture of your cat and your info not everybody is on facebook. . Put a piece of clothing and shoes that you have worn and a cardboard box and food put it outside leave your garage door and bat window open a bit. Have a trail of treats going to your house. Contact Trackers Edge they are on facebook and helped many cats get back home. Use a toy on a string cats like to play and a laser pointer. Some cats came home between 2 am and 5 am. Take posters with your info to all shelters even outsite your area and vets in person and check them every few days; they may identify a male cat as a female cat at shelters and check kijiji and check and join every facebook site in your area people share and comment on them. Not everybody likes cats and they will not check their sheds and garages nor post lost cats. When cats are scared, they don’t make a sound Check construction sites some cats were found in unfinished bats. recently lost cats were found locked in a shed, a garage, stuck under sheds, decks stairs and crawlspace and couldn’t get out. on a window sill, and in a neighbour's bat, in the attic and in a neighbour's car engine , window wells in empty houses and under cars under tarps one was found locked in a camping trailer one was found in a mattres in the house. Someone found her cat DOWN IN A 5 FOOT DRAIN ON NEIGHBOR'S PROPERTY. Some cats get disoriented and can’t find their way home extend your search a few streets over. best times to go look for your cat are dusk or first light. Take a flashlight with you, cats' eyes will reflect back at you. BE CALM ..POSITIVE ..CALL LIKE YOU SEE THEM ..CALL VERY SOFTLY ... CALL OFTEN .. SHAKE TOY TREATS. . Some cats came home between 2 am and 5 am. Some people said the cat came home when the emptied the vacuum cleaner on their lawn. Cats were found between 10 and 20 km away from home please extend your search a few streets over with posters. Some cats were gone for weeks and month and were found so please don’t give up your kitty is out there waiting for you. Also every town has a TNR they feed feral and stray cats find out where they are and check a lot of cats were found at the feeding stations. Good luck I pray your will find your kitty. Is there any places they can get into the ceilings? Or even open vent work? Also check closets or washer/dryer if there is any chance it was left open just a bit. Couches and box springs are another popular place for them to hide. They can be very sneaky! This is what this lady said--- Wow so thanks to everyone advice I literally shook the contents of the vacuum into the air in the backyard softly called her name and sat down shaking some treats 5 mins later I hear a faint meow and she appeared. I now swear by the vacuum at dusk trick. Thank you everyone. Hopefully my neighbors dont think I'm crazy. I've been in their backyards all day. And then shaking the contents of the vacuum into the wind. Lol i cant thank you all enough. A lady said she used my tips and found her kitty under a shed. Another lady made a scent trail with an old smelly tshirts to lure him from the ravine to the front door. This lady said I did the vacuum thing and shook the treats. 3 mins later I heard meowing. Sprinkle catnip around the yard. PLEASE NEVER GIVE UP. I pray you will find your kitty

Lydia T.

7 months ago

Stressful! Please be open to many possibilities. Research indicates many 'lost' cats are hiding (or locked in / trapped, prevented from returning home), frightened (especially if chased or injured), possibly disoriented, within about 500 metres from where lost (less for indoor cats). Some cats fear making a noise, in case it attracts predators, so might not respond to your calls. They can squeeze into the tightest crevices (sometimes become wedged in), why very thorough searches are required. I am aware of 100's of situations where a cat was accidentally locked in / trapped somewhere (eg in a neighbours shed, garage, holiday home, roof, crawl-space under a home / industrial building). Most somehow survived (eg by eating insects), many others didn't. 😞 Please thoroughly search through sheds, garages, under houses / buildings, bats, decks, neighbours' bins, skips, bushes, between tall walls and fences, roof and wall cavities, on top of rooves, in trees, vacant homes / buildings (even neighbours on holidays), construction / storage areas, etc. Ask neighbours to check cctv cameras. Don't trust neighbours to search!!! (Or at least not as thoroughly as you. Some don't search at all). Best ask permission to search yourself, or go with neighbour. If neighbours are unco-operative, suggest you might involve police to do a welfare check and to keep the peace. Alternatively, offer a reward for unco-operative / uncaring neighbours. 😞 Call down drains (with strong smelling food). If you can lift the grate and enter the drain, even better. (One cat found 500 metres, another 3km away in drain). And /or create a temporary, stable ramp (eg with rolled towels or a branch of wood) from inside to outside of the drain & leave strong food outside overnight. 10pm - 5am walks with strong smelling food (eg Whiskas sardines, salmon & meat flavours, or hot BBQ chicken), cat carrier and torch. When no cars: call calmly, stop, listen, wait. Leave a door open if safe, with strong smelling food (eg Whiskas cat food meat and fish flavour, sardines, BBQ chicken) inside & out overnight, near exit point. Also, in / near other possible hiding places / where might be trapped. If food eaten, set up a sensor wildlife camera to ensure it is your cat. Next night, try waiting nearby with food and a carrier ... Or if safe, gradually move the food into your yard / home and close door from behind (while cat is eating). As a last resort (lots can go wrong), place a humane cat trap on level ground, in a safe, discreet location. Google how to use safely, monitor closely. (Do not leave a trap unattended! Some people release distressed cats, or steal the trap with cat in it! Remain nearby). Put a towel over trap, to keep cat calm. Don't open until safe at home. Posters with reward high on telegraph poles / noticeboards. Leaflets (pay postman). Vets, pounds and animal welfare organisations, regularly with photo. If has escaped a new home (within a month of a move): begin an intense, comprehensive search asap & leave food out / doors open, starting close to the new home, spreading outwards, unpredictable what might do next: One cat travelled 26km to previous address, arrived 6 weeks after lost. Another found 500 metres away from where lost, 7 months later. Do all advised at old address ... Most cats need to be locked in for 3+ weeks to bond to a new home, otherwise sooner or later might try to head back to previous home / territory. Most cats are escape artists until bonded to a new home! (eg breaking through mosquito netting and forcing sliding doors / windows open. Use dowell to limit opening more than 2cm). Spray bottle near door. Preferably not in a room with the door leading to outside. (Better a room, with a couple of doors closed , before reaching an exit door). Cannot stress enough to be extra vigilant !! New / timid cats & kittens are prone to hiding / getting stuck under / behind / in, furniture. So also check in / behind / under drawers, wardrobes, low lounges / beds, recliner chairs (don't move leg rest until double-checked), behind fridges, washing machines & dryers. (Always check inside before using, cats have in these :-( ). Be extra careful moving furniture! Behind / under kitchen cupboards & rangehoods, or any other spaces. Do all of the above many times (in case your cat moves around). Track down where any vehicles (eg tradies / removalist vans) which puss might have entered, call the driver to ask where travelled to. Check cctv cameras & do all of the above there. 😞 🙏 Please consider keeping your precious cat indoors and / or invest in a very secure cat enclosure, or catio. (Research has found it adds 10+ years to average age of cats. Safer for cats and wildlife). 🙏 Not all vets are aware: microchips can migrate.(One cat's microchip recently located in arm pit!). Ideally, vets to do an extra thorough, all over body scan. (Don't solely rely on microchip).🙏 Be aware of dodgy scams or people offering to find, or claiming to have found, your cat. Seek independent evidence eg ask for photos or distinguishing features, do reviews, etc, before providing personal details or money). Don't give up searching (some cats found weeks, months, years later) ... 🙏

Lydia T.

7 months ago

Also, from Jamie Katz, pet detective: Helpful Tips for Finding a Missing Cat From my experience of Coaching/Recovering over 2000 cats as a Lost Pet Professional, I have found that Escaped Indoor Cats are extremely predictable and are not lost per se- just displaced from their inside territory and hiding close by - waiting to get back in, but can't open the door. Right after dark, search with a flashlight looking for eyeshine, in all the hiding places around the outside of your house and garage - starting at the escape point, working out to a 3-5 house radius, where the cat could hide, including up a tree or on a roof - especially if there are dogs around. Let the flashlight do the work - don't invade hiding places, or the cat may move or run. Always leave the escape door open during this search, because if the cat runs, it will likely be to that door. Search any bat opening that may be accessible thru a broken window, or open door, etc. If seen, sit and calmly coax - let the cat come to you- DO NOT approach - be patient. If it has rained - the cat would move to a completely dry hiding place, which may include open garages and sheds, where they may also get closed in. If not found in the searches - speak calmly to the kitty near the escape door - NOT frantic stressful calling - and make the noises you do at feeding time - crinkle treat bag, open a can, etc. It's not about food - it's about a familiar sound. If no meowing answers, or no kitty appears after a while - go inside and leave the way-in open. Repeat talking before you go to bed. Leave the door the cat escaped thru ajar, from late night to dawn and it will likely return - no lights inside or out. No food in the first 5 days, as the cat knows there is food in its territory. NO LITTER ever - that's a dangerous myth and clothes do not help - cats do not navigate by smell - they have an internal gps. If the door the cat left from, can't be left open - leave the garage door up cat height and an inside door open, or a place to wait up high, like a cat tree. Most will show themselves when you open the door early morning, with the same feeding time noises and talk. ... you may eventually need to feed/film/trap, after the first 5 days and put out signs. Cats have no system to recognize their owner's scent ... in fact, in a study ... cats ignored the owner's scent ... (instead) mark human friends and cat friends ... with their own pheromones. Rely on scent only within their species to communicate and to mark their territory (and friendly safe items in their territory)... Cats are very, very predictable, if you understand their physical and mental systems. Cats use GPS/magnetoreception to navigate their territory, not scent. Cats will move toward an Owner's calm voice, but have no way to identify a human's scent ...(Those are dog ss and behaviors). Cats use scent primarily to differentiate (eg other cats ual status) - not to navigate to find their homes or owners ... cats scent range is very limited... in the 15-20 ft range, unless a scent is on the wind. 🙏

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