Paula V.
2 years ago
This is long but worth the read. It's a combo of my cut and paste comment along with another that is great. FINDING INDOOR ONLY CATS WHO ARE LOST
(Provided by animal rescue — hope it helps) -- put up fliers with his photo and contact info as not everyone checks the internet.
Indoor only cats rarely travel far - they seek an immediate hiding place (under a deck or porch, under brush, in a garage or shed) and hunker down out of fear. Immediately start searching around your house as well as your neighbor’s houses with a flashlight (get on your hands and knees and shine the light under decks etc) - shake a treat bag and call it’s name and listen for a possible soft meow. (they are too scared to come out)
They can stay in this spot for weeks! Indoor only cats RARELY come out during the day - they only come out after dark and into the wee hours of the morning. Be sure to check the surrounding trees as cats are often chased up trees and will sit up there for days and days….
What we have had great success with is this: Open your door throughout the night and call it’s name - often they will come running back in! Sit outside on your deck/porch and walk around your property and call it’s name during the night… and the number one thing that seems to be working is to leave the door ajar for it to get back in during the middle of the night! (Lock all your other pets away for the night!) Most cats have been coming in on their own between 2-4 am! Put all their smelly stuff (see below) near the door outside and inside as well as food!
Hang LOST posters immediately and give one to every neighbor as too many people just assume when they see a cat that it is a stray - if they know you are looking for your cat they will be extra vigilant and want to help. Ask them to take a photo of any cats they see in your area –sometimes people think it is your cat but it is not.
Cats have an amazing sense of smell - put its litter box, bedding, your dirty clothes/shoes, and a tiny bit of strong smelling wet cat food outside to attract your cat. You can trail their dirty litter from their box around your property line….we just heard of a tip of blowing a fan out the house window so that your house smells waft through the outside air to attract them back.
Set a Humane trap (like a Hav-A-Heart wire trap) bait it with smelly cat food….this is sometimes the ONLY way to catch a scared indoor only cat AND IT WORKS!
DO NOT GIVE UP! It could take days, weeks or months but your cat is out there and you must keep up the search and spread the word with posters, speaking with neighbors, social media etc!The only way a lost cat can find its way home on its own is with its NOSE. It's important to put the DIRTY LITTER BOX OUTSIDE immediately, along with an opened can of cat food or tuna. Cats not only know their own scent, but they know yours too! Put anything that "stinks of you" outside, like an article of clothing you sweated or slept in, and your smelliest sneakers opened up. Cats can smell up to 1 whole mile away from their house so do this now! Cats usually stay within a 5-house radius of their own home for the first week or so, coming out mostly at dusk and dawn; so if you can, take walks during those times of the day shaking the treat bag, calling out, and bring a flashlight so you can see eyes in the bushes! Knock on your neighbor's doors and alert them. Put a sign with cat's face in your yard that says LOST CAT REWARD. Put on nextdoor.com in the area the cat got out (your neighborhood?) and if you can, leave the garage opened enough for cat to get in and if not chipped, get the cat chipped and register the chip. Keep an extra eye out (and ear) late at night, from 10:00pm on when it quiets down outside and there's less activity. Take a walk, call out. Another thing, if you have security cameras, check them. Or if your neighbors have them, ask to see them. Also check the FB lost and found pages in your area and look at all the PHOTOS. Sometimes people post found pets as well. Good luck! Also you might want to visit the shelters at some point soon if possible and do walkthroughs and ps. I did not read where he is chipped but if he is call the chip company make sure info is updated.
