Lakewood, CA Lost Male Cat, Cosmo Is Missing

Facebook Community Response

Meredith K.

7 months ago

If s/he is not accustomed to being outside, s/he is probably close to where s/he got out. Most indoor only cats don't go more than about a 5 to 6 house radius from where they got out. S/he is probably hunkered down, hiding somewhere close by. Search low and high, go search the bushes at night with a flashlight and look for her/his eyes. Ask neighbors to look in their garages and sheds. Go out very late at night or very very early morning, stand in one place near where s/he got out and call her/his name in a calm voice. Don't put out the litter box, it will draw predators. You can put out her/his favorite bed, blanket, toy, or your worn clothing. You can also rent a humane trap, set and bait it with her/his favorite food and put your used bed sheets over it. Don't put out a trap unless there has been a confirmed sighting of the cat. NEVER LEAVE THE TRAP UNATTENDED. Be sure to check it every every 30 minutes or so. Post everywhere you can (Pawboost, Lost & Found Pets pages for your city & county, Nextdoor, the Buzz page for your city) and be sure to put up flyers in the neighborhood, and in everyones' mailboxes or under door mats, in the several block radius. Not everyone is on social media. Also check your local animal shelters to see if s/he was found and turned in as a stray. Many of them have websites with photos of the cats. If they have a deceased pets page, check there too. There won't be photos. The color, & age will be listed, as well as city & nearest cross streets. I hope you find her/him safe and sound really soon

Meredith K.

7 months ago

Has the cat definitely been sighted outside? If you don't have a confirmed sighting outside, or the cat was not seen leaving the house, it might be inside somewhere. Cats hide when they are not feeling well or are scared, or there has been some big change in the house. Look in every closet, cupboard, drawer, chair, sofa, box springs, washer and dryer, dishwasher, fridge, anywhere the cat could hide. When I had adopted one of my cats, he got up into the sleeper sofa & hid. Took me almost 24 hours to find him. My friend's black cat hid in a kitchen cupboard, way in the back behind some big pots. It took nearly 4 days to find her. So if you do not have confirmation of the cat being seen outside or seen escaping, thoroughly check the house. Good luck. Hope kitty is found safe and sound.

Lydia T.

7 months ago

Re your lost cat: Stressful! Please be open to many possibilities. Research indicates most 'lost' cats are hiding / trapped, scared (especially if chased or injured), possibly disoriented, within 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 get become wedged in), why very thorough searches are required. Please search thoroughly through sheds, garages, crawl spaces under houses / buildings, bats, decks, in drains, bins, skips, 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. (Might be hiding, locked in / trapped somewhere, surviving on insects, etc). Don't trust neighbours to search!!! (Or at least not as thoroughly as you. Some don't search at all. Cats have been found dead / half dead too late, because neighbours "forgot" / did not bother). You are more likely to do the thorough search required. (Best ask permission to search yourself, or go with your neighbour). Call down drains with strong smelling food. If you can lift the grate and enter the drain, even better. (One cat recently found 500 metres away, down a drain). And /or create a temporary, stable ramp (eg with a branch of wood) from inside to outside of the drain, call down & 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. (Cats eyes will glow with a torch). Leave a door open if safe, with food inside. Leave strong smelling food and water out overnight, near exit point and possible hiding places / where might be trapped. If food eaten, set up a sensor camera to ensure it is your cat. Next night & as a last resort, a 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). Posters high on telegraph poles, etc and leaflets (pay postman). CCTV cameras. (A reward is more likely to motivate effort :-(). Vets, pounds and animal welfare organisations, regularly with photo. Do all at previous address, if puss recently moved home. (One cat recently travelled 26km to previous address, arrived 6 weeks after lost. Another found 500 metres away from where lost, 7 months later). Most cats need to be locked in for 3+ weeks to bond to a new home, otherwise sooner or later might try o head back to previous home or territory. Most cats are escape artists until bonded to new home! (eg breaking through mosquito netting and forcing sliding doors / windows open). 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 where warm, washing machines & dryers (always check inside before using, cats jave in these :-( ). Be extra careful moving furniture! Behind / under kitchen cupboards & rangehoods, or any other spaces where might be trapped. 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, where travelled to, call the driver where went to, check cctv cameras & do same there. 😞 🙏 (See Find Booboo page: determined owner perservered for 7+ months before found her skinny cat). 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). 🙏 In Australia, two microchip organisations have gone bust, which means microchips won't show up if scanned! (There should be class action legal accountability, as these organisations never informed their customers, or passed on microchip details to other functioning microchip organisations). Please check that your microchip details are correct, up to date and currently registered with an active organisation and / or check with your vet and local council. 🙏 Also, not all vets are aware: microchips can migrate.(One cat's microchip recently located in arm pit!). Request an extra thorough, all over body scan 🙏 (Be aware of dodgy scams claiming to find or rescue your cat. Seek independent reviews before engaging / providing personal details or money). Don't give up searching ... 🙏

Lisa M.

7 months ago

https://youtu.be/g2eCoC63B9I?si=HDkfwe1Q1M0GnJS2

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