Knoxville, TN Lost Male Cat, Samson Is Missing

Facebook Community Response

Lori O.

2 months ago

I can’t stress enough how you need to look with a bright flashlight in the dead of night to find him and stay persistent till you do. Cats usually don’t go further than 2-3 houses away even after weeks and months. So look close by. Here are a list of tips besides the most important one. I'm so sorry about your baby.🥺💔 Most cats stay close to home so it is critical to stay as proactive, and persistent, as possible. ●Crack your garage door or leave a porch door open where they got out so it can get inside. Cats return at night when you're sleeping so you miss them. This also ensures if your cat was chased away, it can sneak back inside when it can. ●Check everywhere outside even in drain pipes and drains, in logs, under bushes and cars, up in trees and anywhere it's collar could get hung. Use a BRIGHT flashlight after dark as it will make your cat's eyes glow and very easy to spot through bushes or under things. Much easier than daytime searching when they are hunkered down and hiding in plain sight. They won’t respond to your call. They are scared even of you. ●Check under your house and your neighbor's houses, in sheds, garages, bats, etc. ●Indoor-only or new to the area lost cats tend to not recognize their owners outside because it is a different environment and they are scared. Sit outside every single day especially in the morning and at dusk/night so your cat can get used to you being there. ●Put food in a plastic container with a lid and periodically shake it and call your cat's name. ●Print flyers with their picture for neighbors and businesses in the area. ●Put picture posters in public areas, like on street signs and in your front yard, and offer some type of reward, if you can. ●Put the reward amount on the flyers and posters. A reward will incite people to intentionally be on the lookout for your cat or to return it to you. ●Work with a cat rescue to immediately set a cat trap or you can purchase one at Tractor Supply, Home Depot or on Amazon and set it yourself. You will need to monitor the trap(s) so cat isn’t left stuck inside and vulnerable to other animals. Put human tuna in the back of the trap so they will go in enough for door to close behind them. Cover trap with your dirty towels or sheets with your smell. ●Post on the Ring app, Nextdoor app and Pawboost and visit pet rescues/shelters in person regularly to see if someone has found your cat and/or has taken it to one. Give them a flyer and report your cat as missing. ●Consistently visit rescues and shelters. They only hold a cat 3 to 5 days without a microchip before putting it up for adoption, and only for 7 days with a microchip. Even if the cat has a microchip, the chip can float and be missed by the scanner. ●Set notification alerts for the Facebook lost and found pets groups in case someone has found your cat. - buy small cameras to put outside for $10-15. The camera will alert you when movement is spotted. Monitor especially between midnight and 5 am. (Sorry) - Consider a recording of your voice outside your home and also their and your smell….(bed) cats can smell up to a mile away. - Where cats get out of the house/car is where they go back too when trying to get back inside your home. Even where they escape out of a car. They go back to that spot. - Stay persistent or you won’t get your cat back. Persistence pays off. No one loves your cat like you do! Your cat needs you to find them and bring them back to you and your loving home! - won’t get your cat back. Persistence pays off. No one loves your cat like you do!

Annette B.

2 months ago

Go out early morning or after dark and quietly call your cat....chances are you cat is scared and hiding....take a flashlight ...if your cat doesn't come to you, shine it around to see if it catches it's eyes...under bushes and in the trees. Put a BIG, COLORFUL sign at the last place seen so people know where your cat belongs if they spot him or her…ask your neighbors to check sheds, crawl spaces and garages. Go to your local shelters every day or 2 to look for yourself…please don't depend on a phone call. The person you speak to may not be aware that your pet might have been turned in. If possible, leave your door or window open a crack while you're home.

Annette B.

2 months ago

Be sure to GO to your LOCAL SHELTERS with a photo and report your pet lost (your pet may have been taken to a shelter that is not the closest one to you). They have a board for both lost and found pets. Many finders take pets they find to them. Remember, NOT EVERYONE is on Social Media. There's some excellent advice on Missing Animal Response Network on Facebook as well as their website. Additional advice can be found on the website under the drop down menu labeled lost pet help.

Annette B.

2 months ago

Give flyers to the local vet offices and mail carriers too!! Missing Animal Response Network has excellent advice on what to do when your pet goes missing. The section about NEON signs is a must but all of the tips will also help you in your efforts to find your pet. Try putting a large lost sign at the last place seen (someone else may have seen something). Also check on Craigslist under pets lost/found.

Annette B.

2 months ago

Try posting on the local Nextdoor app (if possible), lost. petcolove. org and watching Craigslist.🤞 Also try putting out unwashed laundry and some stinky shoes at the last place seen with you nearby and hopefully your pet will smell it's way back to you. DO NOT PUT YOUR PET'S BEDDING OR LITTER BOX OUT because it can attract predators where your scent will scare predators off but still attract your pet. If it comes down to it, try renting or borrowing a trap from the shelter... Put something in the trap that your kitty cannot refuse. Putting up cameras may help too. BEWARE of scammers saying they found your pet and want you to email them or send them a code. They will also tell you to text or connect through Instagram to a certain group that helped them find their pet. DON'T do it! It's a scam. Also, be wary of calls from shelters. There is a scam, copying shelter's phone numbers and saying that your animal is there and needs emergency treatment and to send money.

Dale H.

2 months ago

Sure hope you find him

Anita J.

2 months ago

Please help me find my baby, Samson! He has been missing for 5 days! He is chipped and may be skiddish.

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