Castro Valley, CA Lost Male Cat, Busy Is Missing

HappyCatLady .

1 month ago

I'm so sorry you haven't found your kitty yet💕 As you may know, cats don't leave their territory. Many cats are getting stuck/trapped at nearby neighbors as folks open and close bats/sheds/crawl spaces/ not knowing a curious kitty snuck inside ...and folks close door and windows when they leave town on vacation - same thing. You must focus completely on in-person searching , talking to neighbors flyering every single residence (tape the flyer directly onto the front door top and bottom so it stays - use painter's tape won't harm the door) Mark on a printed GOOGLE. MAP of your block and surrounding blocks as you go door to door to talk to every neighbor possible, asking them to open up their sheds /storage unit/s, crawl space, garage doors for a few hours and then close them again - allowing a cat enough time to get out (they usually do not run out right away) . REPLACE worn out flyers on every lamppost - people have short memories you must replace the flyers AND post them to every front door if no one answers the door. AT night you will call for your baby when it's dark and quiet - walk around slowly calling in your normal calm voice and listen for meows coming from a neighbor's garage or backyard . THough many will NOT meow if stuck or injured, some WILL ! Your cat also could have hurt a back leg for example and can't jump a fence to get back home. Another reason to talk to your actual neighbors and gain permission to check ALONE under their back decks or under stair cases and crawl spaces and sheds USING A FLASHLIGHT even during the day - to catch the reflection of kitty's eyes. I can't tell you how many stories about lost cats both indoor only and indoor/outdoor cats that are found using flashlights in dark places catching the cat's eye GLOW. I also always recommend to aim a motion activated camera at kitty's escape or EXIT point - where you leave wet food before each sunset. Water bowl 15-20 feet away in the shade (not near the food). The most important thing is to keep taking action in person and not give up! no matter what anyone says. ❤️ damia

Reply

HappyCatLady .

1 month ago

🐯 RIGHT NOW - It's still EARY and QUIET. Go out the 'escape' door and CALL For kitty in a calm NORMAL voice (no stress in your voice) Try calling sweetly sitting down. 🐯Be patient..it can take some time find a scared lost cat. Even confident cats - IF SPOOKED by something - will go into survival mode of hiding from ALL humans. You must continue taking action in person. 🐯Get a camera aimed at wet food before sunset tonight (and ongoing) near the escape point ... if spotted on camera then I'll loan you a trap and teach you how to humanely trap your baby (in San Francisco)... if kitty is not returning for the food then kitty could be hiding or stuck at a neighbors - FLYER DOOR TO DOOR and talk to your neighbors ASAP🙏💜🙏💜 Mini Blink camera : https://a.co/ihc7BSy Blink wireless: https://a.co/d/6LnRHNM 💖🙏Dear guardian, please do not depend on ONLINE as the main way of finding kitty -- you want to cover all possibilities. In person searching and flyering and talking to neighbors and aiming camera at wet food by escape point consistently - is KEY💖🙏 💖🙏Your KITTY will remain VERY NEAR 💖🙏 Just because you don’t see or hear kitty does NOT mean kitty is not VERY near…I am emphasizing this so you don't go searching 10 blocks away or get mislead by any false sightings - without a photo to prove it’s your kitty. 🐯Continue calling kitty CALMLY in your NORMAL voice early mornings and at night. Call as you walk around your street ...listen closely for meows in garages (if kitty got out from the front).Calmly call for kitty as you walk back the entire time - you don’t want kitty to follow your voice AWAY from home. 🐯 Cats can sense stress in your voice and will hide if they sense it. Some scared cats will continue to hide and come forward when no one is around - to get to the WET food you you put bowls by kitty’s escape point. If kitty got out from the back then leave food and water by escape door left open 5” and talk to your neighbors to gain access to their yards. If kitty got out from front street and you have a garage, leave garage door open 5" with food and water just inside and kitty’s bedding way deep inside the garage - FAR AWAY FROM the food (food = predators, bedding = safety) AIM a WIFI camera at the food to receive movement notifications in case kitty comes to the food LATE NIGHT but then leaves again...then you WILL HAVE TO USE A HUMANE TRAP to trap kitty...rent or borrow a trap and watch youtube videos on how to successfully trap your cat🙏 🐯 INDOOR cats will remain VERY NEAR TO escape point in a hiding spot in SILENCE and may come forward during the day though most come forward after dark until morning(when it’s quiet). MOST indoor cats are found within 1-5 houses away! - many times kitty is hiding within the property, under the porch, in storage area. Scared cats are the stealthiest of hiders...this Is how they survive - Be patient and continue taking action. 🐯🐯Lost cat 'Tazzy' was found under the guardian's own house after 3 weeks! He has fully recovered at home thank goodness - he was hiding in silence but they spotted the reflection of his eyes using a flashlight at night! 🐯 INDOOR + INDOOR/OUTDOOR cats are typically found (hiding or stuck) within a block - depending on their ‘territory’. Lost cat 'HUGO" was found 2 backyards away disoriented after 7 nights ...his guardian Ann was losing hope calling for him late night and early morning and on night 7 at 11pm he meowed back!! This is why it's important to be consistent in searching and calling for Kitty in all the different ways ...in person...Flyering...checking Ring cameras...placing a camera in front of food and water you in case kitty is stuck and gets released on his own (example shed or garage door is opened releasing kitty)) Every cat is different. Be patience + determined 🐯And UNLESS your kitty is SUPER FRIENDLY to TOTAL strangers, the likelihood of kitty getting picked up and brought to animal care & control is just not reality ..at least not for a long while (though check online daily and in person once a week to cover all possibilities..shy or skittish cats often have to be humanely trapped. Happy to talk to you about that. 💥FLYERS WORK!!💥 Print 150+ ASAP 🐯PRINT OUT A GOOGLE MAP OF YOUR BLOCK with the address #s showing and take notes as you go DOOR TO DOOR telling your neighbors about your missing kitty. Take notes which residences you speak to and those NOT home so you can try back later. Return to those addresses if no one is home. The neighbors that aren’t home now COULD have a laundry room or storage that they closed just before leaving town - and your kitty got closed inside! 🐯POST UP FLYERS on both sides of LAMP POSTS - all around your block and and across the street to start . Place FLYERS inside a ‘CLEAR SHEET PROTECTOR’ with the opening facing down - so the flyers don’t get ruined by weather. Buy ALOT of packing tape, blue painter’s tape and bright color DUCT tape in case the packing tape doesn’t stick (wet poles) If the lampposts on your block are wood ( not metal), then use a STAPLE GUN. 🐯 PRINT MINIFLYER (or use full page flyers) to go door to door and knock on doors - if no answer then TAPE the flyer directly onto the front door (Using painter's tape - won't harm) or if no access after ringing doors then tape directly on the side of mailbox so it can't be missed. Keep track each residence you talk to and those not home so you can try to talk to them later - your cat could be in their crawl space not meowing so this is why I try to talk to everyone within 1-2 blocks working outward 🐯 ASK NEIGHBORS to check RING CAMERA and add a missing cat alert! TALKING to neighbors will get them to check garages, sheds, crawl spaces anywhere kitty could be hiding or stuck . Tell them kitty is in survival mode and if they spot kitty - TAKE A PHOTO and CALL and not approach kitty. For those not home, use that blue painters tape to adhere a FLYER ( top and bottom) directly on their front door (won't damage) or folded and taped next to their mail boxes. 🐯PRINT FLYERS at a FEDEX print stores (submit the order online for pick up or just go there) You can buy those “clear sheet protectors”, painters tape (for taping to front doors) and clear packing tape and Duct too! 🐯Sometimes you must check the same location more than ONCE!...SEE example from guardian who checked 3 times, same yard and finally found her kitty! ...https://drive.google.com/file/d/10I_aHnjJ9rX6rYbGi6v7AWUTJVqggIxD/view?usp=sharing 🐯APARTMENT BUILDINGS: KNOCK + Ring on bells and talk to folks and/or at least get inside so you can leave a flyer in front of each door or tape a FLYER to every front door (use painter’s tape) If you cannot get inside a building then tape 1 flyer per mailbox directly onto the top and bottom of EACH mail box to ensure everyone is informed! 🐯Cover all possibilities. Spreading the word IN PERSON Ask neighbors in person and on flyers to take a photo if they think they see your kitty instead of approaching Talking to neighbors dramatically increases the chances of your cat being spotted or discovered stuck. 🐯MAILBOXES EXAMPLE _ FLYERING https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pQTHFCYD-D1Txo0u8cCbqjxYN4s8eOaL/view?usp=sharing 🐯DON’T GIVE UP! Every day I get texts from cat guardians who found their cat stuck in a shed, under a neighbor’s garage, on a roof, inside a storage space etc…or that a neighbor heard a meow in their yard AT NIGHT. Every cat reacts differently. Getting the eyes of your neighbors is KEY. 🐯 Make sure kitty's microchip is current. 💖🙏 damia GRAPHIC - Flyering Door to door: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_6QyxSovMhvt9DizYVi4TJdFZ5wKJUpe/view?usp=sharing

Reply

HappyCatLady .

1 month ago

💓 MAKE 1-3 HUGE NEON POSTERS and /or a BILLBOARD To increase the chances that a neighbors calls for any possible sighting 💓 NEON POSTERS r In front of your home and near a busy intersection everyone tends to drive by in your neighborhood. the guardian of lost cat ‘Claude’ created 2 of these HUGE NEON POSTERS - 1 was placed in front of her residence and the other was placed at the nearest busy intersection...a neighbor noticed the poster and then spotted kitty a few days later and called the guardian. 💓 BILLBOARD Make a HUGE BillBoard using a TARP, duct tape and Blown up photo of kitty (kinkos or fedex) - to tie up either by freeway entrance or exit or if not near freeeway then at the busiest intersection near you to ensure everyone in the neighborhood is aware to call you upon sighting. 💓 Tip: Print 16”x20” of clear full body photo of your cat (crop the photo to remove as much background so it’s just your cat) Fedex Print stores charges $11 for one color copy, available overnight. Cut out your cat and glue/tape to each huge neon sign and for the Billboard. See Signs/Billboard Examples: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Y1h2G8kgceEs_pdhEsn9O18_ZijKLDbG/view?usp=sharing

Reply

HappyCatLady .

1 month ago

RIGHT NOW (it’s still early and Quiet) Go out and CALL For kitty in a very calm, NORMAL voice, with zero` stress in your voice, and if your kitty likes the sound of crinkling a treat bag or opening a can of food then try that...call for your sweet kitty for 30 minutes straight - listen for faint meows nearby in case kitty is stuck at a neighbors (many cats will NOT meow for fear of predators) WALK AROUND VERY SLOWLY calling for kitty. Be patient - cats accidentally get locked inside garages and sheds and storage areas when neighbors leave town. Set your alarm to walk around and call calmly at 3AM in case he meows... —- 💜🙏 Dear guardian. I'm so sorry your INDOOR / OUTDOOR kitty is missing. Yes, Kitty could be STUCK / TRAPPED at a neighbors unable to get back (OR GOT spooked and is hiding nearby) or injured a paw for example and can't jump a fence - and why you must take action in several ways in order to cover ALL possibilities - ESPECIALLY in person – with the neighbors on the block to start. (DO NOT RELY ON ONLINE AT ALL ) 🐱 Taking ACTION IN PERSON is CRITICAL: 🐱 Leave a WAY BACK INSIDE for kitty to sneak inside in case kitty is now stuck in a garage and gets released… 💥TONIGHT - CALL FOR KITTY CALMLY and sweetly, with ZERO stress in your voice. Cats are most active at night (KITTY could have been spooked and is now hiding in survival mode OR got STUCK in the process of hiding) Set your alarm for 12AM and 3AM and WALK AROUND VERY SLOWLY calling for kitty in your NORMAL, CALM voice...shake/crinkle the treat bag or shake kitty’s favorite noisy toy. Many cats come out of hiding during these late hours(or you can hear meows if trapped in your next door neighbors garage or backyard for example. Many cats will Not meow if stuck. Be Patient. Scared cats are the best hiders. 🐱ASK NEIGHBORS to check their RING CAMERA and to add a missing cat alert. 🐱 GAIN ACCESS TO YOUR NEIGHBORS YARDS: Get permission for YOU to check their yards physically -.explain kitty will hide from strangers and it's best for you to check anywhere kitty could be hiding, under a crawl space or deck (Use a flashlight to catch the reflection of kitty’s eyes. They are silent hiders. Sometimes you have to check more than ONCE in the same yard...https://drive.google.com/.../10I.../view... 🐱 Neighbors will NOT do anything if they see a cat outside, UNLESS they know your cat is missing and have your number! 🐱 PRINT 150+ FLYERS ASAP to give your neighbors door to door and also post up around your block + neighborhood. KNOCK ON YOUR NEIGHBORS DOORS starting with your block. POST UP FLYERS on both sides of streetlights, place inside ‘clear sheet protectors’ with the opening facing DOWN so weather doesn’t ruin them. Google “Protective Sheet Covers”. You can purchase on amazon or any office supply. To save time place ONLINE order of FLYERS at your nearest FEDEX PRINT STORE for pick up, Even if they’re closed. Call once open , asking if they can PRINT right away. They will usually expedite the order. NOTE: Fedex also sells sheet protectors, packing tape + duct tape for posting Flyers on lampposts and blue ‘painters tape’ for taping flyers onto front doors or ON Mailboxes without causing any damage. 🐱Download a Flyer ‘template’ from www HappyCatLady com. Offer a reward for a PHOTO of your kitty and call and not to approach kitty.. 🐱 Spreading the word IN PERSON is Critical in spotting kitty. MOST who are on Facebook and Nextdoor.com don’t get notifications so you MUST go door to door in person, circle your block and across the street to start - make sure every neighbor knows about kitty . Ask neighbors to take a photo and call if they see kitty and NOT to approach. ASK neighbors to check their yards / garages /sheds, roofs, storage units, crawl spaces. Kitty could be trapped (happens all the time!) The goal is to TALK to as many neighbors IN PERSON as possible. Talking to neighbors increases the chances of your cat being spotted or discovered Stuck, talking engages people to care and to actively search 🐱 PRINT OUT A GOOGLE MAP OF YOUR BLOCK with address #s showing and take notes which neighbors were home you spoke to and which homes to try again later if no one answers. Keep trying to catch neighbors in person later that day and the next day/s. Talk to residence around your block and across the street. Without a printed map, it's easy to get mixed up when you're stressing out.(see example ). https://drive.google.com/.../1ZDSAf2ky52.../view… 🐱 APARTMENT BUILDINGS: For distributing flyers, I ring bells and talk to folks and/or at least get inside the building so I can leave a flyer In front of every door step. If not an option then neatly tape flyers down the side of EACH mail box! You want to cover all possibilities. MAILBOXES EXAMPLE _ FLYERING https://drive.google.com/.../1pQTHFCYD.../view… 💥 IMPORTANT 💥If your cat accidentally got out into a NEW, FOREIGN LOCATION, THEN PLACE A CAMERA (motion activated) AIMED at WET food bowl and water (before each SUNSET) you leave by the open escape door or just inside the garage door left open 5” (if kitty got out from the front and you have a garage) you can't believe how many times a cat will return home - eat - but has no way of getting back inside OR kitty just WILL NOT go back inside the house because kitty is spooked , in survival mode. WHen you observe kitty on camera coming to the food BUT continuing to HIDE FROM YOU, THEN RENT OR BORROW A HUMANE TRAP (raccoons LOVE dry cat food so only offer WET). NOTE: You must monitor the trap every second it is set or you could cause harm to your cat. 💥💥 CAMERA: Mini Blink WIFI camera $35 : https://a.co/ihc7BSy OR WYZE WIFI Waterproof Camera $29: https://a.co/d/4assVvK ( get a Micro SD Memory Card to record without subscription: https://a.co/d/44AXvel) OR Blink Waterproof CORDLESS camera $64: https://a.co/d/cDeKLXz IF NO WIFI: Wildlife/Trail camera (battery operated) check footage manually daily https://a.co/d/gWTQ4wq , requires 8 AA lithium batteries (buy extra) + Micro SD Memory Cards: https://a.co/d/44AXvel 🐱 DON’T GIVE UP🙏 Every day I get texts from cat guardians whose cats were stuck in a shed, under a neighbor’s garage, on a rooftop, inside a storage space or that a neighbor heard a meow in their yard at night. Each cat is different. Return to those addresses if no one was home when you knocked. Keep track on a printed map which neighbors weren’t home so you remember to return - kitty COULD have gotten trapped on their residence,before leaving town so talking to every neighbor is KEY.. Sometimes you have to check the same spot 3 times! → https://drive.google.com/file/d/10I_aHnjJ9rX6rYbGi6v7AWUTJVqggIxD/view?usp=sharing ONLINE: please do not rely on online 🐯 SEE BELOW example of taking notes on map as I went door to door. F = flyered (not home) Added names I spoke to in person - the goal is to talk to everyone to best engage neighbors - ask them to check RING cameras, search garage, storage, sheds and to CALL if think they see kitty (and take a photo) Keeping track on a map is a HUGE HELP - I return days later to remind folks to keep looking! 🐱LINK TO PDF OF LOST CAT FLYER / GOOGLE MAP GRAPHIC EXAMPLE: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cYfhp2o-m2C_OKPvdEriHZxYscDmeL5U/view?usp=sharing

Reply

HappyCatLady .

1 month ago

IF INDOOR/OUTDOOR - 🐱💖RECENT reunited INDOOR / OUTDOOR cat cases I was involved with - and why you must cover all possibilities🙏 🐱 Missing cat 'PRETO' INDOOR/OUTDOOR cat - was found 1 week later - trapped in a garage, inside a HOLE going under the garage. His guardians each night would walk around very slowly calling for him in a CALM, NORMAL voice. They crinkled his treat bag and kept calling calmly. He finally meowed after 7 nights - after the 400th call!!! 🐱Missing cat Bowie was found stuck in a tree 30 feet up - an arborist was hired to get up that high after being missing for 1 week! 🐱 LOST cat ‘Squirrel’ (Indoor/outdoor) was found on night 13 hiding disorientated inside the front stair deck of a neighbor’s home. The guardians had shined a flashlight there every night and this time ‘Squirrel’ was there! He did not meow when his guardian’s called… 🐱Lost INDOOR/OUTDOOR adventurous cat "HOUDINI' was found trapped in a neighbor's shed! He didn't meow until night 6 as the guardians calmly called out from the backyards . The neighbor wouldn't allow them to check the shed where they could hear faint meows coming from; they had to call the police to gain entrance and once they got into the shed there was HOUDINI!! now safe home. The neighbors said they never used the shed and didn’t know how the cat got inside . Wow! 🐱Lost cat ‘Hugo’ indoor/outdoor was found 2 backyards away after 2 weeks, a bit confused and disorientated. His guardian Ann was calling for him walking in the connected backyards each night and she found him where she’d looked many times before. You just never know! Try again and again 🐱 Lost cat Tazzy was stuck under a neighbors house for 3 weeks before guardians found him by gaining permission and going under with a flashlight and shined/caught the GLOW of kitty's eyes! He never meowed though they would call for him every nightt. 🐱Lost cat Neo was found injured in a neighbors yard after 3 months MISSING! 🐱Lost cat ‘Blue’’ was spotted by a neighbor who I had spoken to in person and given a flyer - this was 4 weeks later! 🐱Lost cat ‘Bella’ was spotted by a neighbor on a RING CAMERA and called because he saw a FLYER on the lamppost - 6 weeks later! 🐱💜COVER ALL POSSIBILITIES - talk to neighbors. Continue to FLYER Door to door . Post up flyers on both sides of every lamppost ASK neighbors to open any space they may have opened and then closed that kitty may accidentally have gotten closed inside - give kitty time to escape on THEIR time - ASK neighbors to open shed, garage, crawl space for an hour or so... 🐱💜 Call for kitty CALMLY and walk around when it's very quiet outside (LATE NIGHT / early morning before the sun comes up) ..Stay strong. Don’t give up! 🐱💜🙏 💜🐱 Call your cat’s MICROCHIP company to report kitty LOST - make sure kitty’s chip is registered with your current contact info 💜🐱 Cover ALL possibilities. Take action every day/night. Sending you Love and unwavering determination. 💜🐱damia foti ( www.happycatlady.com)