San Ramon, CA Lost Male Cat, Louie Is Missing

Lauren E.

2 months ago

I lost my kitty Nicholas at an Irvine apt complex 15 years ago. At that time I could find no information on how to find him. After I found him, after three days, I put these tips together to help others find their lost babies. TIPS TO FIND YOUR CAT: 1. Kitties usually stay close by their home, they hide in a bush or some small dark place and just sit and wait. Even if you call them, they may not come because they are freaked out and scared. 2. A cat's world is centered around scents. They will not be familiar with the outdoor scents because they have never been there before. To help them smell their way home, put things outside that smell like home, like you. A used towel, dirty shirt, dirty shoes. Leave the items out and sit with the door open as much as possible. If the kitty comes back in the door just remain calm and talk to the kitty normal until you can close the door behind him. 3. Do not put food out, you will attract other animals that may keep your cat away. You can walk around with smelly food or shaking treats, but don't leave it outside. 4. Walk around the neighborhood calling your kitty normally. Don't use a panicked voice, it will scare the kitty more. Best to only have people whose voice your kitty would normally come to. They will not come to a kind stranger helping you search. The kitty will catch your scent and hear your voice, and follow it back to your house. Most cats are within 200 cat yards. Which means if there is a fence, you couldn't get over, you would go around, but the cat could go right over. So keep that in mind when checking out 200 yards. 5. Pass out fliers to neighbors and talk to everyone, especially kids and dog walkers. It is a great idea to offer kids $20 if they find your cat and can tell you where he is. Kids love money and a challenge. 6. Check closed garages. Listen for meows when you call. 7. Use a flashlight under bushes and dark places, even during the day. The light will reflect off their eyes. This is how I found Nicholas, in a bush I walked by at least 20 times and didn't see him until I used the flashlight. 8. Sleep with the windows open, you may hear them crying at night. Lost kitties feel safest coming out late at night-early morning. 9. Check the shelter every day. 10. If your lost cat has a cat friend at home, take the cat or dog you have at home out in a secure carrier or on a leash and walk around with him or sit with him outside. Hopefully the other lost cat will hear and smell him. Dogs are good at finding lost cats. 11. Social Media - Facebook, Nextdoor, CraigsList, and PawBoost Lost & Found. 12. Vets have told me that indoor kitties that get lost are too scared to come out of hiding, even for food. It could be at least 10 days before your kitty gets hungry enough to come out of his safe hiding spot, so don't give up too soon. Once kitties do come out they will make a big circle around the area trying to find something that smells like home. So the more you walk out from your house and back, like a wagon wheel formation, the more your scent out there for kitty to follow when he gets brave. 13. If you have a garage, leave it cracked open, kitty may find his way back in. 14. Be careful of scammers. There are terrible people out there that pretend they have your cat but can never find time to meet up with you to return the cat. They are trying to make you frantic to give them money.

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Valerie C.

2 months ago

I hope Louis is home soon 🙏🏼 A person shared with me that they recovered their lost cat after 3 nights of using Step 2, from the suggestions below. Another owner of a lost cat posted that after 4 days she found her cat, trapped in a neighbor’s garage. (12. a. — below} And just recently I saw an owner had put their cat’s bed and kitty litter box outside. Their cat came back home after 3 days. It might have been thanks to the bed and the kitty litter box. Here are suggestions from Pet MD. Maybe you’ve thought of or tried some of these ideas already but I’ll share them all here just in case there’s something new you haven’t thought of. Finding a Lost Cat: Here are a few tips to help you find a missing cat and bring him home safely: 1. Take a large cardboard box and flip it over. Cut a cat sized hole in the side and place it outdoors with some soft bedding inside. Weight the bottom down and make this a safe place your cat can return to. Place water nearby. 2. The best time to search for a lost cat is when the world is asleep. The best time-frame is around 2:00 a.m. Go out with a flashlight and food. You can take a few cans of cat food with you, stand out in the open and pop the cans, or shake a treat jar. You will be surprised how the sound can travel in the quiet of the morning, and oftentimes your cat will appear within minutes of the first can being opened. Enterprising cat owners have also recorded the sound of their can openers opening a tin of food, and played the tape over and over while looking for their lost cat. 3. Make up fliers. Include a picture of your cat and offer a reward as incentive. Post these fliers in grocery stores, at vet offices, feed stores, anywhere you can. Post them at eye level. DO NOT stuff them in mailboxes. You can get into trouble for doing this. Walk your neighborhood with these fliers, put them on telephone poles, and talk to the kids of the neighborhood, the paper boy the UPS driver, the mailman anyone who walks your neighborhood. 4. Call the local papers and place a lost cat ad. Call the local radio stations, many of them will run free air spots for lost critters. Call your vet and let the staff know your cat is missing. Tack up a flier at all the vets in your area, and take one over to any rescue shelters nearby. If you have recently moved and brought the cat with you, check out your old address as well. 5. Locate a Havahart trap and set it in a safe place near your home. [My local shelter has loaned these traps in the past, with a deposit.] You may trap another cat, or perhaps a possum or even a skunk (depending on where you live) but you might also trap your cat. 6. If you see a dead animal on the road near your home, remove it with a shovel and take it to the side of the road. There have been instances where domestic cats will become curious about road and go out to investigate, only to become fatalities themselves. 7. Keep a list of everything you do to find your missing cat. Get on cat boards and ask for ideas if nothing seems to be working. Businesses such as Pet-Detective-dot-com and Sherlockbones-dot-com have great tips on their websites and are available for hire or advice. 8. Check your newspaper for the lost and found ads daily. 9. When you can work outside putter in your garden. Or just sit out near your home, talk in a soft voice, sing, or chatter so if your cat is close she will hear you. If she has a canine friend, bring the dog outside, or take the dog for a walk around the neighborhood to see if the cat will come out and join you. 10. Check the trees on your property. 11. Make a map of where you place your posters and or fliers. Check every 3 days to be sure they are still there. Keep tape, pushpins or thumbtacks, black felt markers and white poster board in your car, so you can make up any that might go missing. 12. Go door-to-door with a photo of your cat. Talk to all the inhabitants of the house, kids especially. Past experience has shown that little girls make the best finders of lost cats..... 12. a. 🐈 My own addition to this suggestion... ✅... I’ve been seeing stories of cats reunited with owners after they were found trapped in a neighbor’s garage. 13. Keep the hope alive. There are countless stories of people who have lost cats for long periods of time, only to have the animal show up at their door one day. . Reason to hope. .

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Karen H.

2 months ago

Love his mustache!!

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Edna M.

2 months ago

TIPS TO HELP FIND YOUR LOST CAT: - Check the house thoroughly as they sometimes hide in the house in unexpected places. -Check underneath your cars, in the car engine area, wheel wells and around the bumpers. -Ask neighbors all around you to check garages and sheds as they can sneak in undetected. - Put his/her uncleaned bedding and a piece of your unwashed clothing outside the last door he/she exited the house from. - Hang flyers with his/her picture and post all over your neighborhood & surrounding areas. - Take the flyers door to door asking if anyone has seen him/her. -Walk your neighborhood calling his/her name and listening as he/she may be hiding in the bushes or under something. - Take a flyer to the shelter. - Put a sign in your yard with his/her picture stating he/she is missing. - Check the shelters in person. - Review shelter's found reports. - File a lost report with the shelters. - Post on lostmykitty.com, helpinglostpets.com, petharbor.com, nextdoor.com, Craig's List. - Check found reports at the shelter and on the websites mentioned above. https://www.facebook.com/1191469901/posts/10219412579203789?sfns=mo IF YOUR INDOOR CAT GOES OUTSIDE: Indoor only cats and limited outdoor access cats never go far. They go into survival mode and hide in silence. They will not always respond to you, most don’t. 3 AM is the best time to find a missing indoor only cat. This is the time they become most active and responsive. Place some dirty socks and pillow cases outside. Your scent will attract your kitty. If you have a garage place the items near the garage door and crack the door enough for him to get in. DO NOT leave food or litter box outside, it can attract predators and aggressive Tom cats. 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 weeks to find a missing indoor only cat. Use a flashlight as late at night as you can to look in trees, under cars and in bushes. Try to look for the glow of his eyes. Survival mode last 5 to 14 days. Once their hunger gets to a maximum they snap out of it but this is a dangerous time because they come out of hiding. Make mini flyers and hand them out to your neighbors. Most people don't pay attention to posted flyers. It's VERY VERY important that you look for him as late at night as you can. If you have other cats, watch them. If they are spending a lot of time looking out a certain window, that’s a good indication the missing cat is in that area. Wildlife and motion activated cameras are also helpful. What To Do If Your Indoor Cat Gets Outside For an indoor cat that has never traveled outdoors, it’s very scary to think about your cat going missing. Cats are naturally skittish by nature, so an indoor cat that gets lost outdoors is typically terrified and doesn’t have the first clue where to go or what to do. Often times a cat’s curiosity will get the best of them, and that open door that looks too tempting to resist can equal disaster after your indoor cat quickly finds themselves lost and all alone. Here are some helpful tips to follow if your indoor cat gets outside, and we hope by following these you can get them home sooner rather than later. Check The Outside Areas Around Your Home In A Calm Manner This one probably goes without saying, but if a cat find themselves outside, the first place you should think to look is in the bushes around your home should you have any. Remember: even though it might have seemed like the best idea ever, you’re curious kitty probably realized it was a bold–not to mention dangerous–move once they did it. Your cat knows they are safest when they are with you, even if they didn’t realize it until they found themselves outdoors. This is why retreating in the bushes where they are hidden from plain sight is the best place to start looking. Do your best to remain calm despite the alarming situation. Yelling or shouting their name or calling for them at the top of your lungs will only prove to scare your already frightened cat even more. Try your best to use the tone of voice you would should you be calling them just as you would if they were inside your home. Important: In case you didn’t already know, cats are crepuscular creatures–meaning that they are most active at dawn and at dusk. In the wild, this is when cats will do their hunting. Try searching for your cat during these times of the day to increase your chances of finding them. Get That Food Bag And Some Strong Smelling Canned/Wet Food You may attract all the cats in the neighborhood by doing this, but one of those cats just might be yours if you’re lucky! Get that food bag out and shake it, open a can of canned cat food (the fishier the better!) and start stirring it up outdoors while sweetly calling for your cat. Hopefully they are hungry and come running at the tempting aromas of their favorite food! Put Your Scent Outside — Hopefully This Will Help To Bring Them Home Cats have a strong sense of smell. Take an article of clothing you’ve worn, or perhaps a blanket that you’ve used recently and set it outside. This scent may trigger him/her to come back home should they catch a whiff of it. Another good idea is to set their litter box outside near the door. An indoor cat that is not familiar with the outdoors might be hesitant on doing her business outside without her usual privacy. It might seem like a longshot, but nothing is too out of the ordinary when it comes to getting your indoor cat back inside safely. Let Others Know Your Indoor Cat is Lost In the event that your indoor cat that has gotten out is not nearby, you’ll need to alert others in your area that your cat is lost. You can do this by posting signs around your area with a photo and detailed information about your cat. The next step would be to tell your neighbors who live on your street. Visit Your Local Shelters If your cat is microchipped, there is a much greater chance of them getting their happy ending with you. Any time a shelter receives a lost cat, they will scan for a microchip. (Vet offices also do this for animals that come into their care that are brought in.) Should your cat be chipped, you will be alerted via the contact info listed on their records. It’s always important to make sure that your cat has the correct and current information on their microchip record. If your cat is not microchipped, it’s still important to go in and check your shelters for your last cat. Most cats turned in have a short waiting period before they are deemed adoptable; you don’t want to miss your opportunity to reunite with your lost cat. Also, if your cat is microchipped, you can set an alert on their profile, allowing shelters and rescues to know that they are missing. This key step might help them to get home sooner should your indoor cat go missing. https://coleandmarmalade.com/2019/01/31/what-to-do-if-your-indoor-cat-gets-outside/