Hendersonville, TN Lost Male Cat, Toby Is Missing

Facebook Community Response

Pam S.

1 week ago

Put smelly wet food outside, hav a hart traps work, check them often. At night shine a flashlight you may catch reflection of his eyes. Check shed, garages, under cars, anyplace he could hide or be stuck. Put up flyers, especially at vet offices. Talk to neighbors, ask if they have security cameras that may catch him walking by. They tend to move early morning and evenings. Put out used litter and fav humans worn clothes, familiar smells help bring them in. If possible, leave a patio or garage door open so he can get in. Contact rescues & county shelters, take a pic. Physically check county shelter often, they are busy. She will be very scared & may go into survival mode, she may not respond to you. Some wait until they're starving to come out for food. Keep food/trap out & check often. If you have another cat, try putting them outside in a SECURE carrier. Their meows may call the lost one in. Pray. Don't give up!

Andi S.

1 week ago

These are general search tips and not all may apply in your situation. Search at night with a flashlight (eyes will glow). Check up in trees and inside/under/behind things in your yard and up to 3 - 4 houses away. Search garages, sheds, under decks and bushes, in crawl spaces, behind AC units, under dumpsters - any place the cat might be trapped or hiding. Many cats go into hiding mode for safety and won't come when they hear their owner's voice. Try calling and try either shaking a can/bag of treats or carrying an open (smelly) can of cat food or fish. Put something w/ the cat's scent on the porch (cat bed, scratching post, owner's worn clothing - every once in a while someone will chime in stating this is incorrect but lots of people have had success doing this ). Keep your garage door up enough to allow entry, or a back door or window open if safe to do so. Keep fresh bowls of water out. Put up large missing cat posters (neon poster board works well), talk to neighbors (leave info for those not home). Post info on all local social media groups and make sure to check with local animal control at least once a week (better to go in person but at least call and send them a photo). If not found at night with a flashlight, go out during early morning before dawn, as many cats are active around that time. If not found in a few days, you can always buy a humane cat trap but traps *must* be checked multiple times each day, every day, and not used during bad weather. If the cat is microchipped, please make sure the chip company has your updated contact information. And even if the cat has a chip, you still need to check with animal control as chips sometimes are overlooked or migrate down. If you live in, or near, an apartment complex, notify the apartment manager and maintenance team about the missing cat. Please search often and don't give up hope. Beware of unsolicited texts/emails claiming they have your pet but need money to release info or the pet - those are scams and should be reported to police.

Susan G.

1 week ago

I’m sorry to hear your cat is missing. I have heard great success stories when owners put out used pet bed and owner’s worn clothing. This helps set up a scent perimeter, helping the cat find the direction of home-even if they’re used to venturing outside (they can detect scent over a mile away). Many don’t come out of hiding until the wee hours of the morn so may be worth setting an alarm and setting up near an open door closest to your scent items. If you’re on an upstairs apartment, petfinders recommend you look on bottom floor nearest your scent items, as kitties don’t have a great concept of levels. They may return but only to the ground level floor. If you’re able hang flyers and check with neighbors and nearby businesses, this could really help. Your baby may have snuck into a shed, garage, or crawl space when the door was open. I had a kitty that did this once. We found her (healthy, but hungry) in a crawlspace a block away. Sending positive energy and hoping that your baby makes it home safely and quickly

Payton C.

1 week ago

‼️Please start your search immediately ‼️. He/she will likely be close by hiding. Once they realize they are lost and in unfamiliar territory, they typically duck for cover. They usually will not make a sound for fear of giving up their hiding place. Here is a very important search method to do at dusk every night. Search around dusk with a high powered flashlight. Look low under bushes, any wood line that is close by, under decks, places a cat would hide when scared. Don’t give up too soon, plan for an hour or longer to cover some ground. Call calmly, have a flip top can of wet food or tuna, a spoon and paper plate with you. If you see him/her be very calm, do not approach or chase! Simply sit down immediately and gently flip the can lid a few times like you are going to open it. Talk him/her in to you using the food as bait. Don’t make a lot of eye contact, be very casual. When he/she starts approaching, open the can. Place a small teaspoon of food on the plate. Let kitty come to you. Let him/her eat a few bites, wait for kitty to get comfortable. Give more small bites. He/she will probably start rubbing against you. Pet him/her slowly. Make sure you are confident you can hold him/him securely and contain. This can take 10 minutes or it may take an hour or even longer. It’s different for every cat. Patience is key!

Payton C.

1 week ago

‼️Please read and implement these proven tips immediately ‼️Please google Lost Cat Behavior and read the article. Facebook is pending the link for some reason, but this article has very valuable information about Lost Cats that will help you in your search. He/she is very likely hiding close by. Lost indoor cats are typically found within a 6 or so house radius, lost outdoor cats a 12 or so house radius. Conduct physical searches of the area and talk/call calmly and softly to your cat. If seen, please sit on the ground and have wet food or tuna to help lure them to you. Lost cats are often scared, even of their parents. Please set food station up at point lost and monitor. A trail cam at the food station can be very instrumental in getting sightings. He/she will likely come out at night. They are most active 12:00 am to dawn when things are quiet. Please take a flashlight and search low under bushes, etc., notify neighbors and get out flyers. Flyers are a very important tool for finding lost pets. Be sure to look in nearby outbuildings, garages, crawl spaces, etc. Also look up in trees, poles and other structures. You can also try leaving the door he/she got out of open overnight (secure any other pets) and monitor. Sometimes they will sneak back in if given the opportunity, the house must be completely dark and silent. Please be sure and bump your social media posts every few days. Cats are typically found close by but be sure to follow up on any leads, even those that are outside of the search area.

Payton C.

1 week ago

Thank you for posting, and if you can share the two sets of tips that I will post with the owner, these are very effective and can often produce very good results when implemented. It can take time and patience and persistence to find a Lost Cat, but it can be done.

Mindy G.

1 week ago

Thank you for sharing!!

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