El Cajon, CA Lost Cat, Steven Is Missing

Comments on this Facebook alert

Judith W.

6 days ago

Do not put out a soiled cat litterbox or scatter soiled litter. That can attract a coyote or aggressive neighborhood tomcat. Information from Kat Albrecht, missing pet rescue expert, Missinganimalresponse.com

Judith W.

6 days ago

PET SCAMMERS Pet Scammers may contact you. They particularly appear when a reward is offered. Some will tell you they have your pet, some that they can locate them and others they can get your pet back to you. THEY DON’T AND THEY CAN’T! What they want is your money. Someone once commented on ND that someone who cares about animals is going to try to return a missing pet to their owner as best and as soon as they can, not make it into a financial transaction. If anyone requires you send any money to get your pet back; like reward money, money to get your pet back if no reward money offered, money for food, toys, treats, and/or money for surgery (may even send a fake itemized list of surgery needed for prepayment) to an untraceable pay site like Venmo, Pay Pal, Apple Pay etc., or a cash app, that’s a RED FLAG. Nationwide pet scam that has various versions and has been very successful. Pet scammer tells missing pet they are a real vet or a real facility, like the Humane Society. A real name and possibly a real phone number appear on the phone screen or in an email, called doxxing. They will report your pet has been brought in injured and needs immediate surgery and prepayment is required. They may also offer to send a “fake” invoice…and if you say yes, will do so. Some places don't do surgery and if they do, they don’t use pay sites for payment. Another RED FLAG, that a payment is required to be sent to an untraceable pay site. Here are some recent reports. 1. Telling an owner they have the pet when they don’t and demanding money, see above. Require a photo or video of the caller and your pet (selfie) or of your pet…even if they have told you your pet is in surgery. (A pet scammer won’t have a photo as they don’t have your pet but you can check out their reaction when you ask for it.) But be aware AI, Artificial Intelligence, can alter an original photo or video so check closely. One person on ND reported getting a lot of these calls and when she requested a photo, the scammers hung up. If they tell you they can’t get you a photo, like their phone screen is cracked, there’s about a 0% chance they have your pet. Be suspicious! 2. They will ask the owner for their Google 6 digit telephone number or ask the owner to create one and give it to them. Having that number can cause the scammer to have access to personal accounts and do financial and other damage. Don’t do it! 3. Demand microchip number and if your pet not microchipped, please get that done when pet back and if microchipped, notify the microchip company. Pet Scammers don’t want to reveal the microchip number when asked because they don’t have it. Request if the photos that you have put out onto sites doesn’t have the whole body, like the tail, ask them to describe it, how cat moves, how tail moves, how cat meows, anything unusual that they do or sound like? And any other things, like behaviors…but these things are just filling in the blanks, real photos/videos, Face Time and microchip numbers are more important. 4. New next door scam started beginning of Sept. 2026. A fake scammer will comment and recommend a fake missing pet drone tracking company. Sometimes scammer will say the company found their missing pet. Link goes to a fake FB page. Nothing legitimate on the page. Just a bunch of photos or videos from other sources. Some are scammers from overseas. Report to ND administration to help get rid of them. Click on the 3 dots to the right of the commenter’s name and choose “report." 5. Will tell owner they know the location of the missing pet and will tell them for money. Demand photo. If they tell you they can’t provide one because where the pet is it is hiding and moves too fast for a photo, you will have to trust your gut on this one. Or schedule a live FaceTime session with them where they show your cat on the screen, let you talk to it, have them turn the cat around so you can see all sides. Whatever you want to do. If they make an excuse that they can’t do a FaceTime or anything like that, you need to think long and hard about sending them money. Talk to friends and family after you are contacted before you consider doing anything, see what they think, scam or not, particularly sending money. These pet scammers know owners of missing pets are vulnerable to scams, desperate to bring their pet home. These probably aren’t the only pet scams, just the ones I have heard about or people have told me about. There have been owners of lost pets who have reported that they have received fake reports of their missing pet’s condition. There are also cruel people who call and say terrible things about their pet. When your cat has returned, consider getting them a GPS pet tracker. Pet owners of indoor only and indoor/outdoor pets get them. They are reasonably priced and are great for peace of mind. They attach to your pet’s collar and sync to your phone. Some have a monthly subscription. Amazon has a bunch of them. Read the buyer reviews of those that you are interested in. 2 people on ND who volunteer for pet rescues have posted their rescues loan out Tractiv brand GPS pet trackers to their volunteers for their fosters. They are large in size for a small cat so if doesn’t work can seek a similar one. Not an Apple Air Tag. They aren't as precise as a GPS tracker. They don’t work in open fields or neighborhoods where there are no Apple devices as they bounce off of them. So a lost cat can be out there wearing an active AirTag but will never be found this way because there are no other Apple devices nearby for the Air tag to bounce off of, notifying you her area, not an exact spot. You can teach your cat clicker training so that they will return, like out of hiding, for a treat when the clicker is used and for many other behaviors. Cats like to learn tricks. Clickers are available online or at pet stores. Use online training videos. Clicker training can include “come” which will help if they have escaped to the outside. “Stay” in which the cat is trained to stay on a mat away from the door so they don’t run out the door. Treats are always important in clicker training and both kittens and adult cats can be clicker trained. There are collars available on Amazon that contact information can be embroidered into them before purchase. I have written my missing/found/and sighted pet guides to help people. I got the information from research, experience and communicating with people on ND that had first hand experiences to share.

Judith W.

6 days ago

Hi Sorry Steven was lost. You didn't write if Steven is all indoors or indoor/outdoor. This is my indoor only missing cat guide. The main difference between an indoor only missing cat and an indoor/outdoor cat is an indoor/outdoor cat doesn't return because they can't, either temporarily or permanently, so an active search is needed. I saw this post on Next Door where someone shared it. I hope you find him soon. IF you do, please update this post. It’s a template so there may things you have or have not done or don't need to. It includes pet scammer information. Please keep us posted. Generally, indoor only cats don't go far, not at first, unless they are scared out of the area. They deep hide, won’t make a sound, you have to actively search for them. Use a flash lite to search for eye shine. In every hole, in every bush, under foundation, up trees. May come out in the silence of the night or just before dawn. Can be out then, start calling their name and listening for a response. While walking the neighborhood doing a physical search, shaking a treat box of the cat’s favorites and/or sing a song you sing to them. Or softly calling them out with a nickname you have for them. Can do in the middle of the quiet night or near dawn too. Ask neighbors to check their cameras and their yards, repeatedly. Or maybe they will let you in to search. Leave them flyers with cat’s photo and your contact information. Post signs. Can put out food and water, high up in case their are coyotes around. They are all over San Diego County, day and night, another reason an active search is needed. Check regularly the shelters. Can put out used bedding. Not the litter box, it can attract predators. Hello Ariana, I hope you find your missing cat soon. Commenters on here are giving you lots of good information. Here is some from my Missing Indoor Cat Guide. The rain may make a few changes like keeping a cat hiding for longer than it normally would and delay coming out even if hungry or thirsty. Make and post signs using bright neon poster board and black marker. Board comes in 22”x 28” and can be cut down in size. Search and post on online neighborhood sites besides this one and missing/found/pet sites. Next Door has a missing pet group. Pawboost.com is a free popular site to search and post on. Facebook has a bunch of sites, including, Lost & Found Pets of San Diego County and Lost and Found Animals in San Diego County. Ring allows people with missing pets that don’t have Ring devices to post on their app. Keep up with checking them, multiple times per day, including here on Next Door. Posts scroll down fast. Repost on a schedule you create. There are some other sites. Direct Mail me if you have any questions about what I wrote. Consider setting up a humane trap, and if so, ASAP. Some shelters loan them out. They are also available online and at stores like Tractor Supply. Around $50.00. Getting from a store is faster than online, unless you have Amazon Prime. Sprinkle flour around to look for paw prints, only if ground is dry and will remain dry. Keep trap out of sun and rain. Can wrap it in cat’s scented bedding. Check trap periodically, remove any critters caught and reset. Make sure a coyote or bobcat isn’t hovering around trap if they are in your area. Renew food and water periodically. Consider setting up an wildlife or trail camera in conjunction with a trap, unless you have a yard security camera that can see the trap. These cameras start at around $40 online at Amazon. There is information about posting trail and wildlife cameras and also setting up humane traps on Missinganimalresponse.com. And other online sites. Important *. Set up a yard security camera so you can see the wildlife, like your missing pet and/or predators that go in and out as you can’t be looking at your yard 24/7. You may also see your cat. And you won’t need a trail or wildlife camera if your security camera has your humane trap in view. Sometimes leaving a window or door open can bring a lost cat back inside. Cats have jumped back through the window they jumped out of, even days and weeks later. And cats have come back through a first floor window or door they didn’t exit from. Place a chair below the screenless open window. Place treat on the chair and on the window sill. Can place cat’s used bedding or yours or your family’s over back of chair. If not, leave a door open a little if you can, like a patio door. Otherwise, your home may be a closed up box to them and when they may return, look for an entrance and if don’t find it may not be able to hang around as area unsafe and flee and you will never know they were there and missed your chance to get them back into your home to safety. Your security is paramount, so don’t leave entrances open if you can’t keep your area secure. Don’t put you or your property at risk.

Marcy N.

1 week ago

Contact Humane Society, Rescue Agencies, Animal Control, Homeless Camps, Babs Fry free dog rescuer for advice 619-249-2221.

Kevin M.

1 week ago

Go around late at night calling them with food and flashlight to catch their eyes. Check around your neighborhood under houses and in small places where they may hide. Put stuff out that has yours and their scent on it. Mainly their litter box and sprinkle their used litter around the yard as they'll recognize the smell and it'll deter other animals from coming around. Hang flyers around for people to see. Check shelters and vets daily. Update chip info if they have a chip and its has not been update since a move. Ask neighbors to check in their garages incase they ended up trapped in one and to check their cameras in case they appeared on them to get a sense of direction they could be. I pray you get your baby back safe and soon.

Susie G.

1 week ago

shared ❤️🙏

Zachary Y.

1 week ago

Praying!!!