Misty C.
4 days ago
Brittany Nicole I don't know if I gave you this information yet or not but I don't think I have:
I am an expert on how to find escaped indoor only and displaced cats..I've helped many find their cat by giving them this info and I have also helped with physical searches whether the owners are present or not! The info is long but vital!
ESCAPED INDOOR CAT BEHAVIORS AND BEST METHOD TO FIND THEM
The good news is that an escaped cat is most likely not lost at all!
When an indoor cat escapes outside, they often enter "Survival Mode" where they hide in silence (even when they hear the calls of their family) and often only come out at night. This behavior can make it seem like they have vanished and zero sightings for a week or longer are not uncommon. Sadly many people give up assuming that their cat is no longer around. However, if you use effective search methods, the recovery rate for lost indoor cats is high (60-80%).
DO:
START NOW
Locate the escape point. From their your cat would have darted to the left or to the right and hid in the first best spot he finds. Experts say cats will follow the direction of the wind.
*😿*♥️ THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO IS PHYSICALLY SEARCH ON FOOT AT NIGHT WITH BRIGHT FLASHLIGHTS!😸💙
THE REASON NIGHT SEARCHES ARE THE MOST EFFECTIVE-
In the first days and weeks an escaped cat is most likely hiding in silence very close to home. Even if you think your cat will come even meow when you call, think again. A very high percentage of escaped cats hide in silence. This is a natural instinctive protective measure.
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! Meowing would give up their location to a predator. This makes finding them during the day difficult and sometimes impossible.
Thus, the reason night searches with BRIGHT flashlights is the most effective, is because a light shining in a cats eyes hiding in the dark makes their eyes glow, revealing their hiding spot!
Take the flashlight and look slowly and methodically under and in bushes, porches and under and up and under, cars.
Simply bending over and looking under cars, porches, bushes etc is not good enough! You need to look low, in every even remotely possible hiding spot. You will have to get on your knees or even your belly while shining the flashlight slowly scanning the area. Your Cat may be under a car but you won't see them if you just bend over and look because they often go up towards the engine and off of the ground.
Remember, because kitty is terrified, you will likely have to physically go in/under wherever he or she is to retrieve them.
The physical search for an escaped cat needs to focus within your immediate neighborhood!
In a study of found escaped indoor only cats, 90% were found within a one block radius on a neighbor's property and most of those were within a 2-5 house range from home. Very few cats are found blocks or miles away!
Cats will go anywhere from a few days, several days or even a few weeks without food due to their fear!
😽 IF YOU HAVEN'T FOUND YOUR CAT AFTER 10 to 14 DAYS MAKE YOUR SEARCH TIME BETWEEN 2AM AND SUNRISE!
"THE THRESHOLD FACTOR"
This is when escaped cats reach their threshold of being so hungry and thirsty that they will come out of hiding in search for food and water.
Do not wait around waiting for them to get to this point thinking your cat will come home when they reach this point..Remember, it could take days or even two weeks, some longer and dehydration or a predator could find them and take them.
When cats reach their threshold and come out to search for food, they come out BETWEEN 2 AM AND SUNRISE. This is because it is the quietest time in a 24 hours period, so cats have a little less fear, that is, if they're really hungry, the more apt they are to come out of hiding during this time. Sadly, this is also the most common time for coyotes to go hunting but our poor lost kitties don't know this.. This is why it is imperative to not skip a night or searching.
It is also wise to get at least one trail cam. If possible, leave the door or window cracked where your cat escaped. Trail cams are useful because then you know if your cat is coming around when you are asleep or if they are not coming around. Sometimes a trap is useful, especially if you see on the cam your cat is still around. Never just leave a trap and go to bed. You must check it every half hour. You may catch another animal, possibly a wild animal.
DON'T:
*DON'T search for her farther than a 3-4 house radius the first 10-14 days unless You live in an area where there are not many hiding places close by .You will be wasting time that needs to be spent looking close not farther than that.
*DON'T go driving around the neighborhood looking-you won't find her hiding place this way.
*DON'T Put their litter box out.. This is a myth it brings your escaped indoor only kitty home. She is hiding nearby and doesn't need a scent to lure him home. Coyotes smell it and think a kitty snack is nearby. You put your cats life in danger and all cats outside. It also attracts neighborhood feral cats who are VERY territorial. Two things can happen. The feral cat can spray or get their scent on the litter box and your cat will never come near when they smell another cat. The feral cat can then smell your cat's hiding place and attack him
*DON'T think that she must be gone for good and it is a waste of time to continue looking! Many owners think that because they didn't see their cat when looking, that it means the cat is gone and not there and they stop looking. Cats are very sed at hiding and can contort their bodies to fit in the smallest places!
THE NUMBER ONE MISTAKE OWNERS MAKE IS THINKING THE CAT IS GONE FOREVER BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T FIND THEIR CAT IN THE DAY OR SEE THEM AT NIGHT AND THEY GIVE UP THE PHYSICAL SEARCH TOO SOON!
DO:
Make flyers with pics then tape to BIG FLORESCENT POSTER BOARD with big bold writing and hang them around the neighborhood. Post missing cat ads with his pic on Pawboost, Humane Society, Facebook groups like Multnomah County missing dogs and cats, and two places on Craigslist under Community Pets and Community Lost and Found check the found cats on those sites as well. You can check this site for found cats DAILY because they only keep cats 3 days:
https://www.multcopets.org/found-reports?found%5B0%5D=species%3ACat (and post lost ads with kitty's pic there too
And
https://www.dovelewis.org/community/found-pets
There will be a lot of people with good intentions giving you the wrong advice. This is because to find an INDOOR ONLY cat that got outside, you've got to learn the behavior patterns of an Indoor only kitty that got outside which is very different than a lost indoor/outdoor cat or dog.
For instance, most people don't know that escaped indoor only cats and outdoor access cats that are in new territory become terrified and hide in silence.
Because of this,
DO NOT SIT AT HOME HOPING YOUR CAT WILL COME BACK OR THAT SOMEONE WILL FIND AND RETURN HER! So much can happen to them in a blink of an eye!
If you need help with searching at night or anything please don't hesitate to ask me! I have bright flashlights and am willing to help with night searches.
