My heart goes out to you. I have been through it myself. Here are some tips I've put together over years of working with rescue.
* Don't wait for him/her to come home. Yes, he/she may do that, but most cats are scared and go hiding in small places, mostly close to home, a few houses or a block away. (They can go a few miles if chased or desperate, mostly in desperation looking for water and food.) They hide under cars, decks, patios, porches, in sheds, drain pipes, stairs, window wells, garages, bushes, woods, up trees, roofs, etc. Walk around calling their name, shaking a treat bag or favorite toy with bell. Carry smelly food to encourage them if scared and hiding. Listen very, very carefully for low meows. Use a flashlight to catch and reflect their eyes. A good time to go looking is twilight and very early morning/pre-dawn, when it’s quiet and calm so they may feel safer to come out and it’s also feeding time.
* Talk to and alert everyone you know and that lives in your vicinity, as well as local businesses. Notify and check with animal control/shelters/humane societies and local veterinary offices. Post on and check lost sites, such as Lost Cats of Wisconsin (file your report there to create your free flyer and a post on Pet FBI ), Nextdoor, various community FB pages, Craig's List. Post flyers on corners/posts, in front of your home, and with neighbors, businesses, and anyone in the vicinity.
* Put out a carrier or something right outside your door for shelter and safety. Place clothing/blankets with a familiar scent, yours and/or theirs, inside or nearby.
* Searching, go out a few blocks, then back close, then out farther and back close. You may miss the cat or the cat may move or may not be meowing. Repeat over and over, looking carefully on the ground for paw prints and for places they might hide.
* If you have a garage, leave open with smelly food favorites, water, clothing/blankets with familiar scent, their old litter box in garage. If you have a family dog who is close to the cat, give the dog something with the cat’s scent and then a treat; and then go walking around, watching your dog very carefully. You can even do this with another cat close to home, if you have a cat harness and leash.
* Get or borrow a humane live animal trap and set it up with tuna or some other smelly cat food. Be sure to check it frequently. But in extreme weather, do not set it unless you can monitor it constantly and bring in immediately if caught.
* And never stop looking! Never give up! Too many give up too soon. It may take weeks or more before you find and/or someone turns in your cat to an animal shelter.
Make sure to contact and also GO IN PERSON to your local shelter/humane society to look at all of the cats they have there. Don’t rely on just pictures or the person answering the phone to have all updated info on who they have there. They do their best, but you need to check in person on a regular basis.Read More
No matter how long your kitty has been gone, stay vigilant with all lost cat protocols and advice - kitty may have been taken in by a well meaning person and could be very near - keep posters and flyers fresh and communications current with local animal control, vets, and rescues for new leads - keep the faith 💪🏼
Use whatever is applicable in the following for your situation:
Extra strength prayers your kitty is safe nearby (cats usually stay in the vicinity) and home very very soon - put their food and warm shelter outside your door in a protected area and/or in your garage - diligently canvas the area and local businesses with large colorful posters and flyers - contact local animal control, vets, and rescues for any possible leads - cross post on neighborhood/community FB pages for further reach - cats are superior survivalists - stay vigilant in searching and don’t lose hope 🙏🏻❤️💪🏼
P.s. Beware of scammers saying they have found your kitty and to message them your contact information. And also how an Instagram/FB site helped them find their pet - don't click on site. All BS scammers. 🙏❤️💪🏼Read More
🚔 Lost and found pets should be reported to the local police department and humane society that holds the contract for legal stray holds. They maintain a listing of all such animals in an effort to reunite pets with their families.
🤫 Indoor and displaced outdoor cats stay VERY close but they are hiding in silence. Usually IN or UNDER something.
First Steps:
🛋️ Please confirm first that they aren’t accidentally locked in somewhere in the house - bedframes, dressers, closets, drawers, garage, bat.
🏡🏡 Check with immediate neighbors to physically check in garages and sheds and under porches, decks, covered patio furniture and fire pits. Check in trees.
🐈 Lost Cat Behavior:
The cat will circle back to the exit point if it feels safe or when released from a trapped situation. Place cameras and attractants near the exit point.
🚫Do not put the litterbox outside (it’s a myth) it will attract neighborhood tomcats that can chase a lost cat out of its territory.
🍲Feeding Station - Monitored Camera - Live Trap Method
If you can get a camera like an Amazon Blink outdoor, Arlo, or even an inexpensive WIFI camera place it near the exit point with a feeding station. Use dry food as well as wet smelly food your cat likes. 🍗Chicken seems to be a good attractant. Most cats circle back to their exit point to try and get back.
🎥Monitor camera to confirm sightings. If you see it come to the exit point then the next step is to either prop it open (door, window) to allow it to enter back in (if able to) or setup a covered humane trap. Please always monitor the trap while set and place a blanket over the trap when a cat has been trapped to allow it to calm down before moving the trap.
🏠Garage Method:
Leave your garage door open about 6” with a bed and place for them to circle back to. Do not set out a used litterbox. Do leave out food at a height the cat can hop up to easily. Off the floor to avoid critters.
❤️Next Steps:
Shoot me a message here or at NorthPaw Cat Finders. I live in Green Bay and help to reunite lost/found cats. I do not charge people to advise on lost cat recovery.
Any new pet added within 2 miles of your location will be automatically shared to your Nextdoor feed.
The post will automatically update when a pet is reunited.
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