Burke, VA Lost Male Cat, Sbowball Is Missing

Comments on this Facebook alert

Annie A.

7 days ago

Tips on Finding Cats Check everywhere inside & outside the house. They can get into very small and unusual places - holes under cabinets, inside ceilings if there are tiles, closets, food cabinets, drain pipes inside and outside the home, crawl spaces under stairs, etc. Cats have even been found inside couches. The cat may be hiding somewhere to stay warm. Check under cars. Cats may even hide inside someone’s car engine. Ask neighbors to check in their garages or under decks and around patios or porches - any space a cat could hide. Cats have been known to jump onto the back of trucks and delivery vans and have been found in other cities (thanks to microchip confirmation). Check a wider area and multiple shelters. They tend to get stuck in sheds or other people’s garages. Also, look up in trees and look down in landscaping and drainage pipes. Bring a bag of cat treats or a noisy toy he might be able to recognize the sound. Someone else found his cat by playing friendly cat sounds from his phone or playing the sounds from another pet that may be familiar or walking around with a another pet the lost pet may recognize. Leave smelly socks or dirty laundry near home entrances and at feeding stations so they can recognize your scent. This seems to work best. This will help the pet to stay in one area. Try using a laser pointer at night to lure the cat out as well. Cats are more active at night check the neighborhood at night as well. They tend not to go far unless they got into a car somehow or someone took them. The sardines or mackerel fish scent can help lead them back home if you create a trail of food leading back to your home. Create an outdoor cat shelter with with straw not hay. Towels and fabrics do not retain heat in cold weather. An insulated box with straw is best. Find local cat trappers and trackers who can help you set up a humane trap near home as well. Animal rescue groups or shelters usually know someone or can loan one. 🚸 Flyers & intersection signs work!

Annie A.

7 days ago

📷 View photo on Facebook

Annie A.

7 days ago

If you have not done so already: • File reports online with several area animal shelters in a wider area (ask how often the report needs to be renewed). If you do not check often and the pet has been at the shelter for more than 7-10 days, they could find anew home for the pet (varies by location). Check shelters in person because mistakes happen and not all stray pets are posted online or mistakes are made in descriptions. •Check strays and found pets section on animal shelter websites and Facebook pages daily. Go in person to check shelters. Some websites are not updated and many pets have been found by checking in person. • File a free initial report with PawBoost (dot) com — Once you get to the pricing page, you can stop. The free Pawboost alert has already been created. Check your emails for messages from people who may have found or seen your pet. • Upload photos to Lost. (dot) PetcoLove (dot) org for facial recognition software to help match it to photos of found pets • Make a post on NextDoor & Neighbors by Ring (free neighborhood apps), and • If the pet is a microchipped, check that your contact info is up to date and file a lost pet report with the microchip company. 🚸 Flyers & intersection signs work! • Post flyers around the area since some people are not on social media (large posters work even better), notify delivery drivers/postal workers who are in the area frequently and ask neighbors to check their Ring cameras and security cameras footage. Put DO NOT CHASE on flyers and posters. ‼️ People may chase pets into traffic where they could get hit by cars or get further lost. You have a better chance of the pet staying in the area when people are reminded not to chase pets but just to call if the pet is seen. Some people tape a poster to the sides of their cars to increase awareness of their lost pet. ⚠️Beware that some scammers may try to contact you pretending to be pet finders or pretending to have found your pet and may ask you to contact them on other social media. There are some legitimate pet finders, though. Feel free to ask if you’re not sure if they are legitimate. Prayers for a fast reunion!

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Melissa D.

1 week ago

Use a flashlight 🔦- even in the daytime and look in and under everything in your yard and nearby like under decks shrubs and in sewer drains. The light can show them hiding by their eye reflection. Have neighbors check sheds and garages. Put their water out and food bowl 🥣 Feed him/her at the scheduled times and call loudly to them. Worn tshirts or fabrics like pillow cases near or just beyond the borders of your property call help orient them. (Cats cover their business well to avoid alerting enemies to their presence. Even though some recommend putting the litter box outside? There’s a possibility it could make them more skittish or afraid!) A trail cam can help tell if he’s sneaking around in middle of the night. Check any cat colonies/feeding stations nearby. Put up posters so neighbors know who he/she is. Check and post on Pawboost Nextdoor and Ring app. Really hope they are home safe asap!

PattiCarol F.

1 week ago

If you have a shed or garage or enclosed porch, prop open the door overnight and put unwashed laundry inside. He may go in overnight. Don't put food in there because it may attract other critters. Leave a window or door open to your home after dark. He may come in. Please borrow a trap from your local shelter and set it up ASAP. Sending prayers.🙏

Robert S.

1 week ago

O snow ball

Kay M.

1 week ago

📷 View photo on Facebook

Suzan S.

1 week ago

Put an article of clothing with your scent on it on your porch close to where he got out. Cats have a wonderful sense of smell and will come to those items. Leave a window cracked nearby so that you can hear him. Cats usually don’t go more than a few houses in any direction, so post pictures around the neighborhood and on doors. Ask neighbors to keep an eye out and to check garages and sheds. Cats hide, usually fairly close by. They tend to come out after dark, so look for him then. Call and rattle a treat can if he likes those. If you put food out, stay close by, because it will also attract other animals that might scare him away. Don't leave it out very long. Also, go in person to shelters and vets' offices, and leave a picture and phone number there. I hope you find him!