🐱💖💖🙏 Dear Guardian. DON’T LOSE HOPE. Scared cats are the stealthiest of hiders and those that get STUCK will often not meow so their human must take action in various ways in order to cover ALL possibilities, daily/nightly until kitty is found. Lost cat 'Sophie' was reunited after being lost for 6 weeks! Cats remain close - they do not leave. They HIDE in survival mode doing their best. Sophie's guardian trapped her using a humane trap the night after she was spotted eating wet food on the camera her guardian's had aimed (mini blink camera $30 on amazon) Those who search and FLYER and talk to neighbors and call/search for kitty at night, use a motion activated camera aimed at wet food at sunset etc - greatly increase their chances of finding their kitty - though yes, sometimes it can take much longer than we want.
💜🐱Lost Cat 'Secret' was found after 26 nights - he was around the corner in the ceiling of a worker's room who saw a posted flyer!
🐱💖Lost Cat ‘Clementine’ was finally spotted after 29 days 1.5 yards away! A neighbor we flyered and spoke to 2 weeks earlier spotted kitty in her backyard. We ended up having to use a humane trap to trap her because she remained in survival mode and was too fearful to come forward to her human (2 days later Clementine was back to ‘normal’ purry self). Lost cat ‘Lina’ of 2 weeks was spotted returning home (video footage in backyard) but was too scared to come inside - the owner had to coax her for hours and hours for 2 nights. Without having a camera aimed at food she would NEVER have guessed her kitty was still in her backyard - HIDING!
🐱💖Lost Calico cat ‘Kittie’ was spotted after 4 weeks in a neighbor’s yard who we flyered so they called us. She had escaped out the front door leading to a busy street and must have found a way into the backyards 1 block away through metal gates she slipped through from teh street. This is why FLYERING at least 1-2 blocks beyond your block is a must. Once ‘kittie’ was sighted on the neighbor’s RING camera, we kept leaving food just before sunset every day around 6pm and got her coming to the food. We then set a humane trap and watched the trap using a baby monitor to make sure we didn’t trap a neighbor cats. The point of this is to continue taking action every day/night. Cats remain near - they do NOT go far from home....
🐱💖Continue to call for kitty at night in your calm voice..set your alarm for 11pm, 2am, 5am ...walk around the block very slowly and calmly call for kitty ...Lost cat “SQUIRREL” was found after 13 nights of his guardian searching at night with a flashlight (kitty ‘squirrel’ got out from the street front and mostly cement on those blocks) During they day they went door to door finding out who had RING cameras and 7 days in, a neighbor spotted ‘squirrel’ cat walking by on camera at 2am...this gave them the extra boost of hope and they continued to search 11pm-2am. Try everything. Some cats will hide for a good 10 days until extreme HUNGER forces them out…sometimes only at night. And often cats get stuck in a garage while that neighbor is Out of town for over a week! Go back and talk to any neighbor who wasn’t home before. Take notes on the printed google map so you know who you spoked to and who wasn’t home (tape a flyer onto their front door using painter’s tape)
🐯 If your neighborhood isn't already plastered with flyers , PRINT MORE and add or replace flyers - IMPORTANT: knock on neighbors doors AGAIN and REMIND them that your sweet kitty is still missing and ask them to check around especially at night especially..ask neighbors with RING cameras to check the footage in case kitty is spotted...whatever you do, do NOT lose hope...keep searching and spreading the word with your neighbors door to door - they need to be reminded kitty is still out there and you need their vigilant eyes. You are still very early in this search.
HUNGER ALWAYS WINS - LURE WITH WET FOOD
🐯 FEEDING STATION WITH CAMERA **IMPORTANT** PLACE A CAMERA (motion activated with night vision) aimed at WET food in bowl before sunset nightly. ( you can buy amazon)Cats that are scared remain near HIDING until their hunger THRESHHOLD will force them to come out of hiding to look for food though they will still continue to hide from humans. YEs - scared cats will even act scared of their human's voice and won't come inside and need to be coaxed. Lost cat 'Luna' was spotted on camera after being 'lost' for several weeks, her human was shocked to learn Luna was visiting the backyard regularly late night and would NOT come back inside ( the backdoor was left open for her) We thought she was stuck at a neighbors which happens all the time and it was the help of the camera which helped her human learn about the different cats that would visit and other animals...Luna’s guardian ended up Trapping Luna by doing a stakeout and watching out the window to the trap since it was just outside (all lights were turned off)
💥💥BUY CAMERA: Mini Blink WIFI camera $35 : https://a.co/ihc7BSy
OR BLINK WIRELESS, Waterproof camera : https://a.co/d/cDeKLXz
IF NO WIFI:
Wildlife/Trail camera (battery operated) check footage manually daily https://a.co/d/a4Rqqdp
requires 8 AA lithium batteries (buy extra) + Micro SD Memory Cards: https://a.co/d/44AXvel
🐯 GAIN ACCESS TO NEIGHBORS YARDS: Knock on your neighbors doors in ALL directions to ask for permission to check yards, under DECKS and porches and crawl spaces. Do this alone. Scared cats will NOT come forward right away and they are excellent hiders! You have to keep trying and explain to neighbors that cats protect themselves by hiding - even from the guardian they love - until THEY feel safe to come forward. Studies have proven 🐯Indoor cats remain near HIDING IN SILENCE and are mostly found within a few houses away from the escape point and outdoor/indoor cats mostly within a 1 block radius...sometimes when cats aren't coming back they may have hurt a paw and can’t jump back over a fence or they may be ill and need medical attention so taking action to actively search in neighbors property is crucial
🐯 Make sure kitty’s MICROCHIP information is up-to-date. Call to report kitty Lost. If you don’t have the microchip number, check with your vet and/or place of adoption. In addition to updating wherever your cat’s chip was originally registered (or even if you don’t remember where you originally registered the chip), register your cat at the free Found Animals chip registry, https://www.foundanimals.org/microchip-registry/owners and the free pet chip registry, https://www.freepetchipregistry.com/ with your current contact information in order to increase the chances that if your cat is picked up, they can contact you. (I say increase the chances because sadly there are multiple databases for different chips and they are not all interconnected.)
💓 MAKE HUGE NEON POSTERS and /or a BILLBOARD To increase the chances that a neighbors calls for any possible sighting ; once there is a SIGHTING you must ADD a camera aimed at wet food at that spot to confirm it is YOUR cat - once confirmed THEN you can plan to humanely trap kitty - when you can WATCH the trap every single second.(STAKEOUT from a short distance)
💓 NEON POSTER/S 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 at a busy 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
❤️ 🙏 Call for kitty early morning and at night as you walk around slowly, and during the day knock on doors ask neighbors to PARTIALLY open garages and sheds and storages and crawlspace - any place kitty could have gotten stuck - leave partially open for 2 hours allowing him time to escape..if a neighbor is not home, then tape a flyer to the front door using painter's tape (won't harm the door) Keep track on a printed google map so you don't miss anyone..don't give up ❤️ Don't wait for anyone online - we live all over and your kitty is near YOU and your actual neighbors who are not seeing these posts ❤️
❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ Don’t stop searching and calling for your cat at night and early morning when it’s quiet.
Another lost cat was found 2 doors away UNDER the house TRAPPED under the house for a MONTH! - the neighbor heard something when she came home late and saw a very thin cat - she banged on her neighbor's door (she had seen the flyers for a month!) and he raced over and got his cat - who was SKINNY and dirty but alive!! Don't give up and don't stop taking action in person. Your cat could be stuck in a neighbor's shed or crawl space - please ask neighbors again to open up garages/sheds/storage units/crawl spaces/bats for 3 hours - allowing time for escape. Put out wet food by the door your cat normally goes in and out of ... they are often way closer than we think - just stuck and too scared to meow or sometimes they can't meow for not having water for so many days. Gain permission to go under bats ALONE - shine a flashlight under carefully - in the hopes of catching the GLOW of your cat's eyes. Continue to slowly walk and call for your cat - going right up to neighbor's garages and up against fences...let neighbors know you will be doing this at night...❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ ❤️Read More
💖💖💖💖💖Keep calling for kitty from the escape door this morning and as the sun is setting…keep putting out wet food with camera aimed by sunset each night…
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💖💖💖💖💖Keep flyering and talking to neighbors, GAIN permission to check crawl spaces and sheds and under decks of neighbors with a flashlight to catch kitty's eyes ...continue leaving WET food bowl just outside where kitty got out - you must get a camera aimed or you won't know who eats the food - a camera reveals everything . ❤️ Lost cat Bobby was found stuck in a neighbor's shed who had left for vacation for 2 weeks!! he fully recovered! The guardian kept stopping by until neighbor was back home and gained permission to check crawl space, storage area and shed 🙌
💖💖💖💖💖 Lost cat REESY PUFF (lost for over 5 weeks) was finally spotted on camera - we aimed a mini blink camera where we placed wet food bowl at sunset and it took THAT long for him to come !!. In the meantime I was flyering door to door talking to neighbors and posting up flyers and gaining access to backyards to check crawl spaces using a flashlight...once caught on camera we placed the food partially inside an UN-set humane trap to get her used to going inside without negative consequences - the camera revealed she was hesitant but went in to eat (she was hungry!!) so the next night we set the trap at sunset with yummy bait and waited and watched the ipad that was linked to the mini blink camera aimed at the trap door...she came within 4 hours and by 10pm she was home with her HAPPY guardian
💖💖💖💖💖 Lost cat Pumpkin (lost 26 days!!) was spotted on a neighbor's RING camera who had seen the flyer I posted on her door - she allowed me to set a trap and I monitored out of sight using a BABY MONITOR with a LONG extention cord leading to my car (you must watch a set trap every single second so you dn't trap a neighbors cat or wild animal!) Don't give up - keep FLYERING ...post up flyers and also go door to door taping them onto front doors so no one misses the photo and info. Keep putting wet food in bowl.dish at sunset with a camera aimed that will send your phone movement notifications and record movement. Sending you love and unwavering determination 💖💖💖💖💖
💖🐱LURE KITTY WITH WET stinky fish based CAT food placed in bowl near escape point (2 hours before sunset /ongoing) NO DRY food / it attracts raccoons - ONLY WET FOOD and NEVER leave food in the can - it will SLICE the TONGUE and mouths of hungry cats. Get a $29 mini blink camera (order on amazon overnight)aimed at that food bowl - it will send your phone movement notifications and video clips - this is KEY because scared cats HIDE from all humans - even from YOU! the human kitty loves.
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💖🐱2 hours before sunset (ONGOING)Place bowl of wet food inside a larger bowl then fill the outer bowl with water to prevent ants from invading the wet food (NO DRY FOOD - you want kitty to smell the food and not attract raccoons who love dry food) 💖🐱
💖🐱INDOOR ONLY cats and LIMITED OUTSIDE ACCESS cats never go far. They go into survival mode and hide in silence. Most of them will not respond when they are in survival mode. 3 AM is the best time to find a missing indoor only cat. This is the time they become most active and responsive. Sit and quietly call for your kitty in your calm normal voice. Try to stay low, standing is intimidating to cats. Be patient. Do your best to remain calm despite the alarming situation. Calling for them at the top of your lungs will scare your already frightened cat. Scared cats are the best hiders.
💥💥 DO NOT LEAVE THE LITTER BOX OUTSIDE💥💥 It will attract Predators that will scare your cat away
💖🐱Put Your Scent Outside —.Place your dirty laundry - Tshirt, socks, pillow case or blanket you’ve used - place near the escape point. If you have a garage (and that’s the side kitty got out) place the items just inside the garage door left cracked open 5” - just enough for kitty to get in.
💖🐱Most INDOOR ONLY cats will be within 150 feet of your home HIDING (or stuck) . INDOOR cats that get out are immediately terrified and find the 1st place to hide and HUNKER DOWN sometimes for days at a time. DO a methodical search of the area. Check the house thoroughly. Check nearby bushes, underneath cars, in the car engine area, wheel wells and around the bumpers, check under your building, crawl space, drain pipe area. It's VERY VERY important that you look for kitty as late at night as you can.. Use a flashlight as late at night as you can to look in trees, under cars and in bushes, under porches, in crawl spaces. Try to look for the glow of the cat’s eyes. Because indoor only cats hide so well they are NOT as likely to be ed by a predator. Don't give up, it can take days. weeks or even months to find a missing cat.
💥💥 HUNGER ALWAYS WINS 💥💥 place wet food just inside the escape door and get a camera aimed AT WET FOOD - to receive phone notifications of any movement. Wildlife and motion activated WIFI cameras are extremely helpful in spotting scared cats that come out to eat when no one is around. It can take many nights before hunger takes over enough to come out of hiding (if not stuck) Keep replenishing wet food each sunset…it took 2 weeks for lost cat Reesy Puff to get caught on camera eating the food at night ( we trapped her 2 nights later) It took lost cat Sophie 6 weeks to show up on camera - trapped the next night! Some cats remain at a neighbors to scared or unable to get back - wherever your cat gets sighted get a camera aimed at wet food there asap and rent a trap…
Mini Blink camera : https://a.co/d/00x4Gs9H
Blink wireless: https://a.co/d/6LnRHNM
💖🐱PRINT flyers and hand them out to all your neighbors. Knock on doors. ASK neighbors to check Ring cameras and allow you to check crawl spaces, bats, sheds..
💖🐱If kitty is spotted on someone's RING camera or in someone's YARD but STILL HIDING when you call calmly over and over THEN I'd highly recommend setting a trap at the same time kitty was spotted on camera. The trap must be monitored every single second it is ‘set’ to trap. A lot of people are successful trapping their own cats. If you decide to trap, you must watch the trap closely, predators can a cat in a trap. In a recent case, while using a baby monitor to monitor the trap from inside the home, the guardian’s cat came to the front door at 5 AM and she was heard on the baby monitor.
💖🐱RENT/BORROW A HUMANE TRAP - Ask Nextdoor ‘cat owner’ group or other pet groups if someone can loan your a humane trap to lure kitty with stinky wet fish based food. You can rent from your local SPCA/animal shelter though it can take a few days to access so sometimes reaching out to cat groups on nextdoor and facebook will be faster. If you live in San Francisco I am happy to loan you one of my traps. Traps WORK well to lure scared cats out of hiding before Dawn or after sunset.
💖🐱I use a baby monitor → https://a.co/d/bcuK17m as part of the STAKEOUT to monitor the trap door opening non-stop livestream (or you can add your wifi camera to your iPad or mini-ipad and use the pad as your live stream monitor OR SIMPLY watch LIVE FEED from your wifi camera (mini blink works great!). When you set the trap, you place stinky fish based wet cat food as bait at the far back center of the trap BEHIND the ‘trip plate’. I would suggest getting the help with someone experienced. OR watch the training videos below. It’s crucial for you cat’s safety. You must monitor the trap at a close distance and/or watch the baby monitor live feed without distractions.
💖🐱NEVER leave an active trap unattended/unmonitored for even 10 seconds. You don’t want to trap another cat or worse, a raccoon. If you come across any stray cats coming to the food, please find out if kitty belongs to someone else by posting online ‘IS THIS YOUR CAT’ on facebook, nextdoor etc and take the cat to determine if micro-chipped. There are so many lost kitties and you would hope someone would do this for your kitty. *** WARNING: if you don't watch the trap and your cat gets trapped they will thrash around trying to get out and will call on predators that can a cat in a trap. Watch the trap every minute and be ready to cover the trap with a blanket once your cat is trapped - will calm kitty until you can get kitty inside the home. ***
💥💥BEFORE TRAPPING: MUST-WATCH HOW-TO VIDEO
Trapper Tips and Tricks! Presented by Neighborhood Cats : https://youtu.be/DtXyrD6w0bk
LINK to Graphic showing Trapping Stakeout: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vTnF0r1693YiOYLhqJGvf0KtQQ3X17Qy/view?usp=sharing
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