Belmont, CA Lost Male Cat, Waffles Is Missing

HappyCatLady .

4 months ago

🐱💖💖🙏 Dear Guardian. DON’T LOSE HOPE. Scared cats are the stealthiest of hiders and those that get STUCK will often not meow so their human must take action in various ways in order to cover ALL possibilities, daily/nightly until kitty is found. Lost cat 'Sophie' was reunited after being lost for 6 weeks! Cats remain near they don't leave. They just hide in survival mode doing their best to survive. Sophie's guardian trapped her using a humane trap the night after she was spotted eating wet food on the camera her guardian's had aimed (mini blink camera $30 on amazon) Those who search and FLYER and talk to neighbors and go out at night, use a motion activated camera aimed at food etc - tend to FIND their kitty...though sometimes it can take much longer than we want. 🐱💖Lost Cat ‘Clementine’ was finally spotted after 29 days 1.5 yards away! A neighbor we flyered and spoke to 2 weeks earlier spotted kitty in her backyard. We ended up having to use a humane trap to trap her because she remained in survival mode and was too fearful to come forward to her human (2 days later Clementine was back to ‘normal’ purry self). Lost cat ‘Lina’ of 2 weeks was spotted returning home (video footage in backyard) but was too scared to come inside - the owner had to coax her for hours and hours for 2 nights. Without having a camera aimed at food she would NEVER have guessed her kitty was still in her backyard - HIDING! 🐱💖Lost Calico cat ‘Kittie’ was spotted after 4 weeks in a neighbor’s yard who we flyered so they called us. She had escaped out the front door leading to a busy street and must have found a way into the backyards 1 block away..this is why FLYERING at least 1 block beyond your block is KEY. Once she was sighted on this neighbor’s RING camera, we kept leaving food at the same time every day around 6pm and got her coming to the food. We then set a humane trap and watched the trap using a baby monitor to make sure we didn’t trap neighbor cats. The point of this is to continue taking action every day/night. Cats remain near - they do NOT go far from home....Continue to call for kitty - ESPECIALLY from sunset to sunrise..set your alarm for 11pm, 2am, 5am ...walk around the block very slowly and calmly call for kitty ...Lost cat “SQUIRREL” was found after 13 nights of his guardian searching at night with a flashlight (kitty ‘squirrel’ got out from the street front and mostly cement on those blocks) During they day they went door to door finding out who had RING cameras and 7 days in, a neighbor spotted ‘squirrel’ cat walking by on camera at 2am...this gave them the extra boost of hope and they continued to search 11pm-2am. Try everything. Some cats will hide for a good 10 days until extreme HUNGER forces them out…sometimes only at night. And often cats get stuck in a garage while that neighbor is Out of town for over a week! Go back and talk to any neighbor who wasn’t home before… 🐯 If your neighborhood isn't already plastered with flyers , PRINT more flyers and add or replace flyers - IMPORTANT: knock on neighbors doors AGAIN and REMIND them that your sweet kitty is still missing and ask them to check around especially at night especially..ask neighbors with RING cameras to check the footage in case kitty is spotted...whatever you do, do NOT lost hope...keep searching and spreading the word with your neighbors door to door - they need to be reminded kitty is still out there and many many cats are found long after they are lost - we are still early in this… 🐯 FEEDING STATION WITH CAMERA **IMPORTANT** PLACE A CAMERA (motion activated with night vision) aimed at WET food in bowl every day and night. ( you can buy amazon) ..OFTEN cats remain near but are in such survival mode - they will even act scared of their human's voice and won't come inside and need to be coaxed...Lost cat 'Luna' was spotted on camera after being 'lost' for several weeks, her human was shocked to learn Luna was visiting the backyard regularly late night and would come back inside (she was leaving the backdoor open for her) We thought she was stuck at a neighbors which happens all the time...and it was the help of the camera which helped her human learn about the different cats that would visit and other animals...she eventually spotted her 'live' in her backyard (she did a stake out just inside with a baby monitor) and was able to Trap her using a humane trap. 💥💥BUY Camera: Mini Blink wifi camera $35 : https://a.co/ihc7BSy If wet / dewy weather get INDOOR/OUTDOOR: https://a.co/d/0rWAq3j IF NO WIFI: Wildlife/Trail camera (battery operated) check footage manually daily https://a.co/d/gWTQ4wq , requires 8 AA lithium batteries (buy extra) and a micro SD memory card: https://a.co/d/44AXvel 🐯PER 'The Community Cats podcast episode - taking action right away and consistently is KEY....and along with late night/early morning calling out etc is getting permission from each neighbor near you to physically go into their yards to search and call for kitty (by yourself) to search under porches and anywhere they can possibly hide! Studies have proven 🐯Indoor cats remain near HIDING IN SILENCE and are mostly found within a few houses away from escape point and outdoor/indoor cats mostly within a 1 block radius...indoor cats that area scared remain near and in hiding until threshhold of hunger will make them come out of hiding to look for food though they will still continue to hide from humans...so it's important for their human to search daily/nightly and not to give up no matter what. They mentioned that sometimes when cats aren't coming back they may be ill and need medical attention so taking action to actively search in neighbors property is so important They also say that cat owners give up way too soon and cats end up at the shelter months down the road by getting trapped by a caring person - and those cats are NOT reclaimed because guardians stop checking the shelters... 🐯 GAIN ACCESS TO NEIGHBORS YARDS: Knock on your neighbors doors in ALL directions to ask for permission to check yards and around the premises so YOU can call for kitty today and tonight and early morning...scared cats will NOT come forward right away and they are excellent hiders! You have to keep trying this and explain to neighbors that cats protect themselves by hiding - even from their guardian - until THEY feel safe to come forward.... 🐯 Check your local animal shelter in person every 4 days🙏🙏they don’t always show all their 'processed' cats online… For SAN FRANCISCO ACC call them first as they have a new policy of NOT accepting ‘healthy’ found cats…though sometimes they do! FOUND cats: SFACC https://www.sfanimalcare.org/stray-found-cats/ 🐯 Make sure kitty’s MICROCHIP information is up-to-date. Call to report kitty Lost. If you don’t have the microchip number, check with your vet and/or place of adoption. In addition to updating wherever your cat’s chip was originally registered (or even if you don’t remember where you originally registered the chip), register your cat at the free Found Animals chip registry, https://www.foundanimals.org/microchip-registry/owners and the free pet chip registry, https://www.freepetchipregistry.com/ with your current contact information in order to increase the chances that if your cat is picked up, they can contact you. (I say increase the chances because sadly there are multiple databases for different chips and they are not all interconnected.) 🐯With LOVE - damia (www.happycatlady com)🐱💖🙏

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HappyCatLady .

4 months ago

💓 MAKE 2-3 HUGE NEON SIGNS and /or a BILLBOARD To increase the chances that a neighbors calls for any possible sighting 💓 NEON POSTERS r In front of your home and near a busy intersection everyone tends to drive by in your neighborhood. the guardian of lost cat ‘Claude’ created 2 of these HUGE NEON POSTERS - 1 was placed in front of her residence and the other was placed at the nearest busy intersection...a neighbor noticed the poster and then spotted kitty a few days later and called the guardian. 💓 BILLBOARD Make a HUGE BillBoard using a TARP, duct tape and Blown up photo of kitty (kinkos or fedex) - to tie up either by freeway entrance or exit or if not near freeeway then at the busiest intersection near you to ensure everyone in the neighborhood is aware to call you upon sighting. 💓 Tip: Print 16”x20” of clear full body photo of your cat (crop the photo to remove as much background so it’s just your cat) Fedex Print stores charges $11 for one color copy, available overnight. Cut out your cat and glue/tape to each huge neon sign and for the Billboard

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HappyCatLady .

4 months ago

💖🐱I'm so sorry you haven't found your sweet kitty YET. RIGHT NOW it's still early and quiet - Go out the 'escape' door and CALL For kitty in a calm NORMAL voice(no stress in your voice) ...keep calling CALMLY and if kitty likes the sound of crinkling a treat bag or opening a can or the sound of a toy, try that...call for your kitty for 30 minutes straight in one spot sitting down..calm calm …repeat LATE TONIGHT and take action today 🙏 💖🐱Dear guardian...sending this message with only LOVE in my heart...please do not rely on folks seeing this post online from your neighborhood or actual block - You must let your neighbors know kitty is missing with FLYERS and no better way than to post around your neighborhood and the best way is going door to door talking to your neighbors whoever is home and leaving a FLYER with those who are not home (TAPE A FLYER DIRECTLY ONTO THE FRONT DOOR using painter’s tape / won’t harm).! Even if a neighbor sees kitty outside they will assume kitty is indoor/outdoor and ok - not lost or missing - unless they are notified! ONLINE posts only gets to those actively looking at lost/found pets which is very limited. The exact neighbors you want to reach are right there near you - if you haven't gone door to door with flyers and posted up flyers on every street corner and mid street - I would highly suggest doing this TODAY. Also, in case KITTY is stuck/trapped you want the flyers to ask folks to check crawl spaces under homes, storage units, bats etc.. (Templates found on www.happycatlady.com or as me to help create for you (free) Check FOUND cats online at your local shelters; if they don't have online website with lost cats posted daily then call them and/or visit especially if your cat is friendly with strangers as he could also be picked up and brought there (or kept at someones house). The point is to cover ALL Possibilities. https://www.missinganimalresponse.com/lost-cat-behavior/ 🐱 Lost cat 'PRETO'- was found 1 week later - trapped in a garage, inside a HOLE going under the garage. His guardians each night would walk around very slowly calling for him in a CALM, NORMAL voice. They crinkled his treat bag and kept calling calmly. He finally meowed after 7 nights - after the 400th call!!! 🐱 LOST cat ‘Squirrel’ was found on night 13 hiding disorientated inside the front stair deck of a neighbor’s home. The guardians had shined a flashlight there every night and this time ‘Squirrel’ was there! He did not meow when his guardian’s called… 🐱Lost cat ‘Hugo’ indoor/outdoor was found 2 backyards away after several nights, a bit confused and disorientated. 🐱Lost cat ‘Blue’’ was spotted by a neighbor who I had spoken to in person and given a flyer. 🐱Lost cat ‘Bella’ was spotted by a neighbor and called because he saw a FLYER on the lamppost. 💜Cover all possibilities; FLYER Door to door, talk to your neighbors. Post up flyers, Search and call for kitty at night in a calm voice..Stay strong. Don’t give up! 🐱💜🙏 🐱Call for your kitty in a CALM voice (no stress in your voice at all) during the day and MOST IMPORTANTLY at night / early morning before dawn when it's dark + quiet - Sit down and gently call for your kitty remaining in the same spot for 5 minutes..be patient…And leave a way for kitty to get back inside (porch light off at night) Check the shelters online daily (or call if they don’t post) and in person every 4 or 5 days - not all cats are shown online at all shelters…FIND OUT. 🐱RING CAMERAS: ASK NEIGHBORS to check their CAMERA and if they can add a ‘RING’ missing cat alert 🐱 BUY A WIFI CAMERA AND AIM it to the WET food you leave by the escape point - so you will receive MOVEMENT notifications on your phone and to check footage to see if you cat is eating late night and is hiding when you call fo rkitty . IN SO Many cases we would have NEVER known that lost kitty was SO close, HIDING if it weren't for using a camera - some cats in survival mode WILL HIDE FROM EVEN YOU! because kitty is scared in the new environment and trying to survive from predators (or perceived predators). I try to convince everyone to use a camera as a powerful tool in case your cat is AT ALL SHY. If you spot kitty on camera eating the WET food you leave out AM and PM and continues to hide from you, THEN you will need to RENT/BORROW a HUMANE TRAP …watch youtube videos on HOW TO TRAP- I have some excellent links on happycatlady.com or text me and I’ll send to you. 🐱We were able to trap a lost cat that got outside of at a cat sitters house ...the guardian thought the cat was GONE...I said NO, the cat is scared and will remain within ear shot even though there wasn't any place to hide (cement front yards) ....at night the cat would return every few days - caught on a camera I set up pointed at the food - it took a few nights to trap the cat - he had to be hungry enough to go all the way into the trap (I placed a trail of a couple of dollups of wet food at the entrance and midway the trap leading to the 'strip plate' and dish of food at the far end. 🐱Lost cat Apollo was spotted on a neighbor's RING camera after being lost for over a month - Replace flyers - talk to neighbors again - Continue to leave wet food and water out and get a camera pointed at the food. Last week we set up a camera outside and inside the crawlspace/bat and we caught lost cat 'Deet' eating at 2am ! We kept feeding and placed a TRAP next to he food after a few nights. Kitty was SO SKITTISH it took a few days as we placed food inside the trap partially (with the trap NOT set) just to get kitty used to going further inside the trap without the door shutting. I used a camera to get footage to know what time kitty would eat...the owner was SHOCKED that she was in the bat fora several weeks and that she would not come or make a sound when her human called for her. Yes, Sometimes cats will just continue to hide in complete survival mode so the only way to get them is to trap them and in order to do this - the best thing is to get kitty eating at a certain time first so then you actually trap when you're ready to do a STAKEOUT for several hours...watching the set trap from a distance making sure no other animal gets near it. The point here is that we don't know if Kitty is hiding VERY near trying to survive on whatever kitty can eat...or if she's stuck at a neighbor's property unable to get back. HUNGER always wins and at some point kitty (if not stuck) will be spotted by a neighbor - but they need to have your flyer and KNOW to call you and take a photo of kitty...so today and tomorrow knock on your neighbors doors asking folks to check their RING cameras and check around at night...BUY a camera today. Buy 2 if you're not sure which side she escaped from and point to wet food and water. This tool has helped me find SO many lost cats that were presumed dead or GONE. THEY HIDE AND HIDE and we need camera to spot them and then TRAP safetly. 🐱 Print MORE flyers to post around your neighborhood on every lampposts (both sides) and distribute door to door to every single residence around your block and across the street... Sending you LOVE, HOPE and determination… damia foti 650-339-6619 www.happycatlady.com 650-339-6619 My Happy Cat lady Facebook page reviews: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069298915817&sk=reviews 💥💥BUY Camera: Mini Blink wifi camera $35 : https://a.co/ihc7BSy If wet / dewy weather get INDOOR/OUTDOOR: https://a.co/d/0rWAq3j REUNITED LOST CAT EXAMPLES (and why you must cover all possibilities!) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m6gjYB1cx_girwYJ_3cx8K_4-WIVKGsq/view?usp=sharing

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Mary A.

4 months ago

If he is an outdoor kitty but is in a new area, he will behave like an indoor only cat when outside! He will more than likely be hiding very nearby where he was last seen. The good news is cats cats are territorial and are almost always found you just need to look everywhere! Look with a flashlight even during the day. Put out dirty laundry and other familiar scents outside ASAP with water and bedding. Look quietly under bushes, decks, porches and cars with a flashlight even during the day . Look for him anywhere he could hunker down and hide in or under. Put flyers on neighbors porches asking them to check their property throughly for anywhere he could be hiding in case he slipped out of your yard. Look inside sheds and garages too. Post on Nextdoor and file a lost report with the shelter . Hope you find your kitty soon . Just don’t stop looking everywhere . Our daughters cat slipped out of her new house and hid almost two weeks until we saw her on security cameras. Every time she opened the door her cat would flee! We finally set a humane cat trap near her porch and and monitored it from a distance with a security camera and caught her within a few hours. So leave the porch light. If he continues to hide, set the trap in the early morning hours. Do not leave food out at all! Hoping you will find him , just don’t stop looking. If he is microchipped, file a lost report with the microchip company too and make sure contact info is current

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HappyCatLady .

4 months ago

💖🙏Dear guardian, please do not depend on ONLINE as the main way of finding kitty -- you want to cover all possibilities. In person searching and flyering and talking to neighbors and aiming camera at wet food by escape point consistently - is KEY💖🙏 💖🙏Your KITTY will remain VERY NEAR 💖🙏 Just because you don’t see or hear kitty does NOT mean kitty is not VERY near…I am emphasizing this so you don't go searching 10 blocks away or get mislead by any false sightings - without a photo to prove it’s your kitty. Continue calling kitty CALMLY in your NORMAL voice from early mornings and late night. Cats can sense stress in your voice and will hide if they sense it. Some scared cats will continue to hide and come forward when no one is around - to get to the WET food and water you leave AM + PM in bowls by kitty’s escape point. If kitty got out from the back then leave food and water by escape door left open 5” and talk to your neighbors to gain access to their yards. If kitty got out from front street and you have a garage, leave garage door open 5" with food and water just inside and kitty’s bedding way deep inside the garage - FAR AWAY FROM the food (food = predators, bedding = safety) AIM a WIFI camera at the food to receive movement notifications in case kitty comes to the food LATE NIGHT but then leaves again...then you WILL HAVE TO USE A HUMANE TRAP to trap her...rent or borrow a trap and watch youtube videos on how to successfully trap your cat🙏 🐯 INDOOR cats will remain VERY NEAR TO escape point in a hiding spot in SILENCE and may come forward during the day though most come forward after dark until morning(when it’s quiet). MOST indoor cats are found within 1-5 houses away! - many times kitty is hiding within the property, under the porch, in storage area. Scared cats are the stealthiest of hiders...this Is how they survive - Be patient and continue taking action. 🐯🐯Lost cat 'Tazzy' was found under the guardian's own house after 3 weeks! He has fully recovered at home thank goodness - he was hiding in silence but they spotted the reflection of his eyes using a flashlight at night! 🐯 INDOOR + INDOOR/OUTDOOR cats are typically found (hiding or stuck) within a block - depending on their ‘territory’. Lost cat 'HUGO" was found 2 backyards away disoriented after 7 nights ...his guardian Ann was losing hope calling for him late night and early morning and on night 7 at 11pm he meowed back!! This is why it's important to be consistent in searching and calling for Kitty in all the different ways ...in person...Flyering...checking Ring cameras...placing a camera in front of food and water you in case kitty is stuck and gets released on his own (example shed or garage door is opened releasing kitty)) Every cat is different. Be patience + determined 🐯And UNLESS your kitty is SUPER FRIENDLY to TOTAL strangers, the likelihood of kitty getting picked up and brought to animal care & control is just not reality ..at least not for a long while (though check online daily and in person once a week to cover all possibilities..shy or skittish cats often have to be humanely trapped. Happy to talk to you about that. 🐯Call calmly from the ESCAPE POINT AT NIGHT when it’s quiet & your voice will travel. call for kitty as you walk around your street (don’t go far) ...listen closely for meows in garage (if kitty got out from the front).Calmly call for kitty as you walk back the entire time - you don’t want kitty to follow your voice AWAY from home. 💥FLYERS WORK!!💥 Print 150+ ASAP 🐯PRINT OUT A GOOGLE MAP OF YOUR BLOCK with the address #s showing and take notes as you go DOOR TO DOOR telling your neighbors about your missing kitty. Take notes which residences you speak to and those NOT home so you can try back later. Return to those addresses if no one is home. The neighbors that aren’t home now COULD have a laundry room or storage that they closed just before leaving town - and your kitty got closed inside! 🐯POST UP FLYERS on both sides of LAMP POSTS - all around your block and and across the street to start . Place FLYERS inside a ‘CLEAR SHEET PROTECTOR’ with the opening facing down - so the flyers don’t get ruined by weather. Buy ALOT of packing tape, blue painter’s tape and 1 bright color DUCT tape in case the packing tape doesn’t stick (wet poles) If the lampposts on your block are wood ( not metal), then use a STAPLE GUN. 🐯 PRINT MINIFLYER (or use full page flyers) to go door to door and knock on doors - if no answer then TAPE the flyer directly onto the front door (Using painter's tape - won't harm) or if no access after ringing doors then tape directly on the side of mailbox so it can't be missed. Keep track each residence you talk to and those not home so you can try to talk to them later - your cat could be in their crawl space not meowing so this is why I try to talk to everyone within 1-2 blocks working outward 🐯 ASK NEIGHBORS to check RING CAMERA and add a missing cat alert! TALKING to neighbors will get them to check garages, sheds, crawl spaces anywhere kitty could be hiding or stuck . Tell them kitty is in survival mode and if they spot kitty - TAKE A PHOTO and CALL and not approach kitty. For those not home, use that blue painters tape to adhere a FLYER ( top and bottom) directly on their front door (won't damage) or folded and taped next to their mail boxes. 🐯You can print FLYERS at a FEDEX print stores (and submit the order online for pick up or just go there) You can buy those “clear sheet protectors”, painters tape (for taping to front doors) and clear packing tape and Duct too! 🐯Sometimes you must check the same location more than ONCE!...see example from kitty guardian who checked 3 times the same yard and finally found her kitty! ...https://drive.google.com/file/d/10I_aHnjJ9rX6rYbGi6v7AWUTJVqggIxD/view?usp=sharing 🐯APARTMENT BUILDINGS: KNOCK + Ring on bells and talk to folks and/or at least get inside so you can leave a flyer in front of each door or tape a FLYER to every front door (use painter’s tape) If you cannot get inside a building then tape 1 flyer per mailbox directly onto the top and bottom of EACH mail box to ensure everyone is informed! 🐯Cover all possibilities. Spreading the word IN PERSON and online is Critical in spotting kitty. Ask neighbors in person and on flyers to take a photo if they think they see your kitty instead of approaching and to call/text you. Talking to neighbors dramatically increases the chances of your cat being spotted or discovered stuck..it engages people to care and to actively search 🐯MAILBOXES EXAMPLE _ FLYERING https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pQTHFCYD-D1Txo0u8cCbqjxYN4s8eOaL/view?usp=sharing 🐯DON’T GIVE UP! Every day I get texts from cat guardians who found their cat stuck in a shed, under a neighbor’s garage, on a roof, inside a storage space etc…or that a neighbor heard a meow in their yard AT NIGHT. Every cat reacts differently. We must be patient. Getting the eyes of your neighbors is KEY. 🐯 Make sure kitty's microchip is current. Remain positive and determined!. 💖🙏 damia foti (www.happycatlady.com) 💖🙏 650-339-6619