Saint Paul, MN Lost Male Cat, Chris Is Missing

Diane W.

2 months ago

This is a compilation of advice from different sources: . If cat is an indoor cat she or he should be very near still and hiding in fear. • Look under bushes, under porch and under deck including any small place they can crawl into. • Go out at dark with a flashlight and search. •• Leave Point of Escape open with a can of smelly food inside for reentry. • Get a night vision motion detector video camera that sends notifications to your cell phone. (This is how a pet owner knew her cat was outside her home. She had it aimed outside at each door along with the humane trap). The camera brand she used was Arlo. • Some have found downloading a Cat Meowing App and playing it, draws out the cat. • Follow tips that are provided below too. 🐾📌 Please Take Our Tips: Put a pile of unlaundered clothing, bedsheets , pillowcases and socks on your lawn...and hang some from your fence/bushes. Leave bowls of smelly food out - tuna/sardines, rotisserie or Kentucky fried chicken SCENT IS EVERYTHING! FLIERS MUST GO UP ASAP TO GET SIGHTINGS. Every pole/tree/neighbors stoops/porches. Offer reward. Give fliers to mailman, UPS drivers, fed ex drivers, etc. Local supermarket, dry cleaners, drug store should have a flier. Call local precinct and report the cat as lost. Ditto for shelters. You must visit shelters - the person on the phone doesn't know every pet brought in. Delegate to friends so that you get the posters up ASAP! Go out searching, especially when it's dark and quiet - early AM and later in evening. Carry tuna and heated Kentucky Fried Chicken for scent. Bring a bag of treats to shake when you call out cat’s name and then stop and listen for faint meowing. (We've recently reunited cats that were stuck in neighbor's sheds/garages!) Look under bushes, in/behind sheds, or neighbor's porches with flashlight. It'll make the cat's eyes glow so you can spot it. Don't drive around! If your cat is an indoor only cat, it hasn't travelled more than 2-4 blocks away. Look on your neighbor's properties. This is from a study that was done on lost cats: • Cats are very different from dogs when panicked. They are territorial and your cat’s territory was inside of your home. Once a cat is transplanted into unfamiliar territory, fear sets in and it seeks shelter because it is afraid. They panic immediately and look to hide usually near the escape point or within a 5-house radius of their home where they've never been before. Cats that are afraid (and cats that are injured) will seek areas of concealment such as under a deck, under a house, under a porch, or in heavy brush and they will not meow! Panicked cats hide in silence. Silence is their only protective measure from predators. They can stay concealed for days, sometimes weeks. Just because you don’t see or hear your cat DOES NOT mean he or she is not right there, hiding in fear from the loud noises, etc. they will not meow. Meowing would give up their location to a predator. Their behavior has nothing to do with whether the cat loves you, whether it recognizes your voice, or whether it can smell you–it has everything to do with the fact that a frightened cat will hide in silence. • The Threshold Factor: Many of these cats initially hide in silence, but eventually break cover and meow, return to their home or the escape point (window or door), or finally enter a humane trap. While some cats take only hours or a few days to reach their threshold, many others take several days (typically ten to twelve days) before they break cover. We suspect the threshold is reached due to their thirst. • In an attempt to capture your cat, use humane traps in your yard or in your neighbor’s yard where your cat is likely hiding in fear. (traps must be monitored 24/7, Never set up a trap and leave it unattended). If he chases a laser light try that. One owner was able to get their cat to run into the house by using a laser pointer. Get catnip out. Someone got their cat to come home by opening the catnip. Ask neighbors to open any sheds, rvs, garages, etc. leave them open for a bit with no one around. Cat can hide inside then be too afraid to run out when someone is around. Some successful methods. Go out on your porch or in your yard at “night” (cats feel much safer then) and speak “calmly” and normally (phone conversation for example) so your cat can hear your voice. Do this for a 15 to 30 minutes every night. Bring a food/treat bag to shake every once in a while too if your cat is familiar with that sound. Most lost cats (especially indoor cats) are close and hiding, so you are trying to create a safe and inviting reason for them to come to you. Be silent for brief periods to listen for soft meows. Do not call out their name because they do not want attention drawn to them when fearful. Bring out family scents such as dirty t-shirts, dirty bedding, fur from resident cats or fur combed from a cat tree (smells familiar to your cat that won’t attract off-leash animals that could chase your cat away). It can take days to draw them out so do this every night. *If safe to do*, leave the patio door or window that they escaped from open. Cats often try to return home by the same route that they left. Prop a chair or ladder under a window if it’s very high. ****Take a flashlight and check any areas/enclosures in the area where they might be trapped- a shed, garage, under a deck, inside a storage pod, on roofs etc. Look for eye shine from the flashlight in dark spaces, under bushes, up in trees. Cats are nearly invisible when hiding. *If someone has found your cat, flyers (with a good photo) will provide the necessary information for them to get your kitty back to you. Give to neighbors, local vets, postal carriers and businesses. Put up a poster in your yard too. *Rewards have not proven to help and may result in false leads. If you must, do not post an amount. * Put a large legible poster in your yard or on your door (if an apt or condo) with the same info in case someone is out looking for the owner. If you are in an apt or condo, tell your manager in case someone contacts them. *Check your local shelters, rescues and safe shelters frequently and as soon as possible. *Post on all local facebook lost and found sites, community trade sites and neighborhood sites such as nextdoor. *Notify your microchip company that your cat is missing and verify that your contact info is up to date. *Put a baby monitor by your entrances and keep the volume up on the receiver at night. If your cat comes home and scratches or cries at the door you will hear him/her. Note: Lost cats stay very close for a long time if there are no threats.

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Eden P.

2 months 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 sfuls 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: • Pet FBI: https://petfbi.org • Pawboost - www.pawboost.com �• lovelost https://lost.petcolove.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwvqeUBhCBARIsAOdt45Y2eIVCw7vS8ozWUKuJfWLP3L9WHXu41AT3P_mLdzvkD6Ny9A4wbC4aAq07EALw_wcB • MN Lost/Found Cats Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/273805289790701/ • Lost Cats Minnesota: https://www.facebook.com/LostCatsMinnesota/ • The Animal Humane Society: www.animalhumanesociety.org phone 952-435-7738 • 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.

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Lizzie B.

2 months ago

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 💪🏼 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 site helped them find their pet - don't click on site. All BS scammers. 🙏❤️💪🏼