Cindy B.
3 years ago
What to do if your cat is lost.
CATS HIDE CLOSE BY
1. Place items with familiar smells outside or your home: bedding, clothing, favorite toys, etc.
2. Place bowls of food and water outside of your home, then take a can of wet cat food or tuna fish and drop spoonfuls in trails that lead from the edge of the yard to the food and water bowls. Regular food may not be enough. Food that has a strong smells work best like tuna fish, sardines, roasted chicken etc.
3. Leave your garage door open enough for your cat to slip in under the door. Cats seem to prefer sneaking back into the house.
4. Search around the house and yard, checking in gardens, under decking, sheds or other buildings, under cars, under bushes, etc.
5. Set a live trap with tuna fish to capture your cat if it is too frightened to be picked up.
6. Post lost cat notifications online:
• Helping Lost Pets: http://www.helpinglostpets.com
• Pawboost - www.pawboost.com
• MN Lost/Found Cats Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/273805289790701/
• Lost Cats Minnesota: https://www.facebook.com/LostCatsMinnesota/
• NextDoor: www.nextdoor.com
• Craigslist under community/lost&found https://pminneapolis.craigslist.org/d/lost-found/search/laf
When posting your lost pet, please provide the following information: DATE: Lost or Found LOCATION: City and cross streets where your pet was lost or last seen GENDER: M/F neutered/spayed AGE & SIZE: Age and size - small/med/large COLORS/MARKINGS and FUR length OTHER DETAILS: Declawed? Eye Color? Microchip? Collar? Name? Special Details? HOW did your pet become Lost? CONTACT INFO: Email and Phone
7. Check at local shelters.
8. Alert the microchip company, if your cat is microchipped. Verify that your phone number on file is correct.
9. Search when it is quiet, evening and early morning. Most cats are found within 4 to 5 houses. Look at dusk and dawn when your cat is most likely to be out. Look up, under, and inside. Scared, lost cats often won’t make a sound even when you’re nearby. Use a flashlight to watch for eyes to reflect back. Ask neighbors if you can check their yards too. Also, check inside of the house to see if you cat is trapped in a closet, drawer, box, etc. Cats prefer their human’s normal voice, so do not frantically call their name as this may frighten them more.
10. Make and place signs and flyers. Place brightly colored signs at major intersections and distribute flyers in newspaper boxes under mail boxes. Do not place flyers in mail boxes, as it is illegal.
I do not recommend placing a lost cat's litter box outside. The urine/feces scent could attract aggressive cats into the yard where a missing cat could be hiding. Cats are territorial, and when an indoor-only cat escapes outdoors, that cat is often hiding within the territory of another (outside) neighborhood cat. Dirty cat litter can attract community "tomcats" (intact male cats) or other territorial neighborhood cats. These territorial cats are put into defense mode when they detect the pheromones from another cat's urine and feces, causing them to be ready to fight. These cats are more likely to challenge and chase the lost (displaced) cat from his/her hiding place, making a recovery more difficult.
