Reston, VA Lost Male Cat, Melo Is Missing

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Melissa D.

5 hours ago

Here are some more general checklist items to try— the flashlight helped me find my cat more than once… since they often freak out and hide when outside. 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!

Melissa D.

5 hours ago

Sharing in Reston area!

Paxie W.

9 hours ago

I am not an expert, but after ours went briefly missing I have a few tips to share. 🐈‍⬛✔️ Look in storm drains. Bend down and look, dont assume they can hear you calling for them. Even if you are next to it calling out, they may not hear. 🐈‍⬛✔️ Walk the surrounding areas during quite times of the day, especially in late at night and early mornings. Take treats to shake or cans of food to tap. Cats are most likely to be active and venturing out of hiding during those times. Cats are naturally more active during dusk and dawn, and may be less likely to be seen during the day. Additionally, many cats will attempt to return home within the first week, often in the middle of the night. 🐈‍⬛✔️ Don't put out their litter, but do put out a load of your laundry. Your baby knows your scent. Litter might attract territorial aggressive strays or ferals that might fight or chase away your baby. They won't care about your laundry though. 🐈‍⬛✔️ Tell your neighbors. Ask the delivery people, garbage & recycling people to keep an eye out. 🐈‍⬛✔️ Notify the microchip company and make sure they are still in their system 🐈‍⬛✔️ Use free online sources like Canva to make flyers to put up. 🐈‍⬛✔️ Contact the local shelters to alert them. They will check the pets that came in and will be on the look out for yours when new ones come in. They also have resources/suggestions, and can loan you traps. **if you use a trap, check it often as raccoons will injure trapped cats. Do not leave it alone over night. ⚠️ Set your alarm to wake up to check it 🐈‍⬛✔️ Contact the vets in the surrounding area. Someone might take your pet in to see if they have a chip. Leave your info with them just in case someone does. 🐈‍⬛✔️Reach out to local rescues to alert them. 🐈‍⬛✔️ Register them on websites like Petco Lost Love and PawBoost. One will create a flyer for you to print out and both can be used to share on social media. 🐈‍⬛✔️ Check out websites like 24PetConnection , nextdoor neighbors, and the shelters periodically to see if they have been listed as found. 🐈‍⬛✔️ Don't give up.

Jessica P.

9 hours ago

Other tips from a fellow foster/trapper/volunteer with an animal rescue group: Hi, I'm sorry about your lost kitty. Some tips to employ right away help get her/him back: - Look on Pawboost.com to see if someone posted a FOUND listing. If not, - Create a free posting of your kitty on Pawboost.com with good photos and as much information as you have about where/when s/ he went missing. They'll create a proxy email for you to avoid spammers/phishers. - Create free flyers from Pawboost that you can print and post ALL around your neighborhood. This is very important! - Join the Ring doorbell products online community (you don’t need a Ring product yourself to in order to join) and post about your missing cat. Ask your neighbors to check their footage in front and back and to quietly check their backyards. - Contact Fairfax (animalservices@fairfaxcounty.gov) and Loudoun county (https://www.loudoun.gov/ 545/Lost-Found-Pets) animal shelters in case someone has turned him/her in and file a LOST CAT report. Share your photos with them and GO IN PERSON to check if your cat is there. The staff doesn't always have time to do a thorough check among the cats in house. - Start walking around your neighborhood after dusk with a flashlight, slowly and quietly, looking under bushes and decks, in open garages, calling for him/her and then listening for him/her to respond. You can bring food with you, but most cats are too scared to come immediately to the smell of food. - Tap on car bumpers or hoods as you walk; some cats find shelter in wheel wells or under a warm engine. Tapping can often scare a kitty out from under a car. - If you do spot him/her, call somebody to bring a carrier over with the food in it to try and attract him/her; do not try to pull him/her out from under a bush or garage or wherever you find him/her. Most cats will withdraw further because they're scared. - Last thing, put something that smells like you on your porch. Cats will be attracted back to a familiar smell and this may be a good way to get him/her to come back on her own. Chances are high that s/he's only within one street of your house if s/he lives indoors normally. Best of luck to you and I hope you get him/her back very soon.

Melo is Missing in Reston, VA

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Melo is Missing in Reston, VA

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