Biggin Hill, England Lost Male Cat, Gizmo Is Missing

Facebook Community Response

Bruno F.

5 months ago

Try here IFound app

Maggie M.

5 months ago

Safe soon return my lovely bless 😊🤞

Julia A.

5 months ago

MISSING CATS. Please make sure you do EVERYTHING on this list ❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌❌ Leave FAMILIAR smells outside, spread used litter around your garden front and back (cats can smell this from a mile away) Trainers,, Insoles,, Slippers,Socks, Stinky cat blanket, unwashed clothes of yours all pegged on washing line and refresh if raining CONSIDER WHY THEY ARE MISSING A CAT USED TO GOING OUTSIDE: something has happened to interrupt the cat’s behaviour of coming home. Cats are territorial and do not just run away from home. Something will have spooked the cat and it has bolted out of its familiar territory and ended up in a garden it has never been in before. Cats just hide mostly when scared. They don’t just wander around. 1. A SOUND - Cats have extremely acute hearing and are naturally terrified of loud noises such as thunder, a car horn, a dog barking, a refuse lorry coming down the road emptying bins, fireworks etc The younger the cat the more easily they are scared by noises and bolt. 2. A LOCAL BOLD and DOMINANT CAT – will size up to a more timid cat to exert control over the territory. 3. An UN-NEUTERED MALE CAT will scare off all local cats in his endless searching over miles seeking a female. His instinct is to dominate in all territories and intimidate and fight with all local cats. INDOOR ONLY cat who has escaped is very different, it will be MUCH CLOSER to home in the first hiding space it can find. It will be terrified finding itself suddenly outside. It will hide immediately very nearby but too panicked to respond to being called. A cat NEW TO AN AREA through moving house or being re-homed will also find being outside frightening and will hide away • 75% of lost are found within 500 metres (1/3 of a mile) of their home (or escape point). Indoor only cats were closest to home often up to 10 houses distance. INDOOR CATS will stay very close by hiding it is important that they have access to be able to get back in the house or a shed with bedding and food and water CONTACT Vets within 20 mile radius, if microchipped advise company they may supply you with free posters *check details are up to date* KNOCK ON DOORS 200M radius of home ask if YOU can do the search of garden and outbuildings and garage look in/under behind everything lots of cats are trapped and will not come out for strangers Search Google maps where in 200m area can a cat hide or visit buildings warehouses graveyards, businesses shops building sites play areas search and poster these areas A lot of cats are eventually found within 2/3 streets away from home CHECK in Gardens/under Decking/Outbuildings under Cars Hedges up Trees Between Houses Sheds etc Cats can get wedged there and frightened cats do not make a sound Check if any neighbours have Ring Doorbell or CCTV so you get an idea of times and direction your cat went Check if any Vacant properties, have they managed to get shut in DELIVERIES If you or neighbours have had any deliveries has cat got into van? Call the company, ask them to check and where their next stop was. Check that area SEARCH late at night Early morning proven best time 3-4am it is a time of night cats feel safe and will hear you, only call and shake treats when walking back towards home so as to not drive further away Take a torch to shine on you, this also shows up their eyes. take something familiar to shake, biscuits, toy with a bell SIT in your garden in the early hours when quiet and open a tin of something smelly sardines, tuna put house light on sit and call softly and wait they may hear you and smell food ALSO He/she may be trapped, remember not everyone is on the internet, post flyers through ALL neighbours doors …when posting flyers through doors ask people to really search in sheds, garages, summerhouses etc and behind crates, pallets, boxes, anything stashed against the walls. WARN them a frightened cat may keep still and quiet and not dash out when the door is opened Are there clumps of brambles or scrub nearby where cat maybe stuck? Call when quiet and wait for a response RENOVATIONS OR BUILDING DEVELOPMENTS nearby Ask the site foreman or someone there to check onsite and in homes cats have been found under floorboards and trapped in part and unfinished houses CREATE some posters with picture detailed description when and area/road missing from and phone number but NOT actual address Put through doors and posters up near to schools, nurseries, Drs surgeries and Surrounding roads 200m to start with CONTACT local council to see if they have picked up cat from roadside better to know councils should keep records of cats picked up SOCIAL Media your timeline/Groups/Pages make sure your cat is visible to Everyone & remember not everyone uses social media ADVERTS POSTERS and FLYERS are a MUST ALSO contact ALL vets, pet shops etc Local ANIMAL WELFARE Groups etc Never give up, cats have returned after years of being missing 🤞🏻

Lydia T.

5 months ago

Stressful! Please be open to many possibilities. Research indicates many 'lost' cats are hiding (or locked in / trapped, prevented from returning home), frightened (especially if chased or injured), possibly disoriented, within about 500 metres from where lost (less for indoor cats). Some cats fear making a noise, in case it attracts predators, so might not respond to your calls. They can squeeze into the tightest crevices (sometimes become wedged in), why very thorough searches are required. I am aware of 100's of situations where a cat was accidentally locked in / trapped somewhere (eg in a neighbours shed, garage, holiday home, roof, crawl-space under a home / industrial building). Most somehow survived (eg by eating insects), many others didn't. 😞 Please thoroughly search through sheds, garages, under houses / buildings, bats, decks, neighbours' bins, skips, bushes, between tall walls and fences, roof and wall cavities, on top of rooves, in trees, vacant homes / buildings (even neighbours on holidays), construction / storage areas, etc. Ask neighbours to check cctv cameras. Don't trust neighbours to search!!! (Or at least not as thoroughly as you. Some don't search at all). Best ask permission to search yourself, or go with neighbour. If neighbours are unco-operative, suggest you might involve police to do a welfare check and to keep the peace. Alternatively, offer a reward for unco-operative / uncaring neighbours. 😞 Call down drains (with strong smelling food). If you can lift the grate and enter the drain, even better. (One cat found 500 metres, another 3km away in drain). And /or create a temporary, stable ramp (eg with rolled towels or a branch of wood) from inside to outside of the drain & leave strong food outside overnight. 10pm - 5am walks with strong smelling food (eg Whiskas sardines, salmon & meat flavours, or hot BBQ chicken) and a torch. When no cars: call calmly, stop, listen, wait. Leave a door open if safe, with strong smelling food (eg Whiskas cat food meat and fish flavour, sardines, BBQ chicken) inside & out overnight, near exit point. Also, in / near other possible hiding places / where might be trapped. If food eaten, set up a sensor wildlife camera to ensure it is your cat. Next night, try waiting nearby with food and a carrier ... Or if safe, gradually move the food into your yard / home and close door from behind (while cat is eating). As a last resort (lots can go wrong), place a humane cat trap on level ground, in a safe, discreet location. Google how to use safely, monitor closely. (Do not leave a trap unattended! Some people release distressed cats, or steal the trap with cat in it! Remain nearby). Put a towel over trap, to keep cat calm. Don't open until safe at home. Posters with reward high on telegraph poles / noticeboards. Leaflets (pay postman). Vets, pounds and animal welfare organisations, regularly with photo. If has escaped a new home (within a month of a move): begin an intense, comprehensive search asap & leave food out / doors open, starting close to the new home, spreading outwards, unpredictable what might do next: One cat travelled 26km to previous address, arrived 6 weeks after lost. Another found 500 metres away from where lost, 7 months later. Do all advised at old address ... Most cats need to be locked in for 3+ weeks to bond to a new home, otherwise sooner or later might try to head back to previous home / territory. Most cats are escape artists until bonded to a new home! (eg breaking through mosquito netting and forcing sliding doors / windows open. Use dowell to limit opening more than 2cm). Spray bottle near door. Preferably not in a room with the door leading to outside. (Better a room, with a couple of doors closed , before reaching an exit door). Cannot stress enough to be extra vigilant !! New / timid cats & kittens are prone to hiding / getting stuck under / behind / in, furniture. So also check in / behind / under drawers, wardrobes, low lounges / beds, recliner chairs (don't move leg rest until double-checked), behind fridges, washing machines & dryers. (Always check inside before using, cats have in these :-( ). Be extra careful moving furniture! Behind / under kitchen cupboards & rangehoods, or any other spaces. Do all of the above many times (in case your cat moves around). Track down where any vehicles (eg tradies / removalist vans) which puss might have entered, call the driver to ask where travelled to. Check cctv cameras & do all of the above there. 😞 🙏 Please consider keeping your precious cat indoors and / or invest in a very secure cat enclosure, or catio. (Research has found it adds 10+ years to average age of cats. Safer for cats and wildlife). 🙏 Not all vets are aware: microchips can migrate.(One cat's microchip recently located in arm pit!). Ideally, vets to do an extra thorough, all over body scan. (Don't solely rely on microchip).🙏 Be aware of dodgy scams or people offering to find, or claiming to have found, your cat. Seek independent evidence eg ask for photos or distinguishing features, do reviews, etc, before providing personal details or money). Don't give up searching (some cats found weeks, months, years later) ... 🙏

Liz R.

5 months ago

Hope and prayers for a safe return

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