Homestead, FL Lost Female Cat, Gatubela Is Missing

Facebook Community Response

Rosa B.

6 days ago

Paula Valentino thank you so much for your response, We are looking around place, but nothing

Rosa B.

6 days ago

Diana EllisThank you so much for your advice and for taking the time to help. Gatubela is mostly an outdoor cat, but she spends a lot of time inside our home as well. She has her own bed inside, eats all her meals here, and every night she comes inside to sleep. Sometimes she also stays indoors for four or more hours during the day. She has been living this way for almost a year and knows the neighborhood very well. She always comes when we call her, so it is very unusual that she hasn’t returned. That’s why we’re afraid she may have become trapped somewhere, such as in a garage, shed, or another enclosed space. We’ve already asked our neighbors to check their properties, but so far we haven’t found her. Thank you again for your kindness and any additional advice you can offer. We truly appreciate your help.

Toni G.

1 week ago

check 24petconnect and Urgent Dogs and Cats of Miami and Miami Dade Community Cats

Paula V.

1 week ago

Dark gray brown and white cat with dark spot on nose lost If you have lost a cat read my first long paragraph. If you found one, Please read the last paragraph The only way a lost cat can find its way home is with its nose. Immediately anything with the cat's scent on it and anything that stinks of you like your smelly socks something that you sweated in overnight and your stinky sneakers even your dirty clothes and your underwear! Cats usually stay within a five house radius of their own home for up to a week sleeping in the bushes and coming out at dusk Dawn and late at night. These are good times to take walks shaking the treat bag and calling for them. Cats can smell up to a whole mile away. So do that immediately and also put this on nextdoor. com and the other lost and found pet sites. Go on those sites looking at pics of found cats too. There might be a match.They tend to come home late at night or early in the morning so if you can keep a window cracked or a door cracked so at least you hear them. Good luck IF YOU HAVE FOUND A CAT: Please post this on all the lost and found pet pages in your county as well as all the neighborhood pages. Look on those pages just look at the photos try to make a match to someone that lost this cat. Any vet will check for a chip for free. In the meantime please give food and water to the kitty and shelter if you can.

Donna C.

1 week ago

Scent drag trails all over your yard with clothes, blankets, towels, socks etc ASAP. I used to admin a few Lost/Found Cat pages. Put items of clothes, blankets, gym bag outside with both your scents on them ideally in the spot of exit/escape. Empty the contents of your vacuum cleaner bag or canister outside (it will have familiar scents). Check your & neighbor’s swimming pools, sheds, garages, porches, decks, dry docked boats, under crawl spaces, & in abandoned or empty homes (especially ones up 4 sale - could’ve gone in during a showing or open house), and look in bushes & up in trees & roof lines with a flashlight. Their eyes will glow when you shine the light on them. Check with delivery companies (parcel, furniture, moving companies etc) that may have been in your neighborhood. Cats are curious and have been known to jump in delivery trucks when doors are left open during deliveries. They will also seek warmth in wheel wells & automobile engines when the temperatures get cooler. If you have a drone with camera, use it to scan the neighborhood, yards, wooded areas. Contact local vets, animal shelters, & animal control. Post pics on all social media pages relevant to town where cat went missing. Inform your postman/woman delivering your mail & give them a flyer. Put a sign on your mailbox if possible. Ask your favorite pizza place to include fliers with their pizza boxes. Keep calling your cat around your neighborhood as often as you can especially early morning and at dusk when it’s quieter so they’ll hear your familiar voice & know they’re close to home. Shake food & treat bag, tap can opener on can of food when you search. Some cats will seek out food supply from fast food chains & restaurant & hotel dumpsters. Check those dumpsters in your area as well as surrounding areas. If you’re not absolutely sure he/she got out: Check behind appliances, in dresser drawers, in closets, shelving, cabinets, boxes, storage bins, luggage/suit cases, holes in walls, attics, basements, crawl spaces & rafters in ceiling; check your mattresses & the lining of your sofas, recliners, & upholstered furniture. From Stella Dan Montuori (Dog & Drone lost pet search): Find nearest water source and make a trail home don’t just leave stuff on porch. Dragging a blanket or clothes on the ground leaves a constant scent trail. Cut blanket or clothes into strips 3” by 12”inches and hang so bottom is touching or close to touching ground.Leave every 20 yards or so a teaspoon of kitty litter every 20/30 yards works also. I did this and cat showed up 1 hr later to the surprise of her skeptical owner .I always use cameras and never had a predator follow kitty litter. From rescuer Julia Toomey: Keep calling, your cat is most likely nearby even if he doesn't come to your calls, they can hear you. They are just scared. Don't stop calling them every day around the clock. Put litter box out so their scent is around (caution in suburbs where predators may be attracted). Talk to neighbors and inform them of his situation. Tell them to call you right away if they see him. Even though they are your cat, once outside they become very scared and may not come to you. Call a rescue group ASAP to see if they can let you borrow a trap. Leave then water and food unless you are trapping him, then the food goes in the trap. Do not act frantic or stressed around them or when you call them, they will pick up on your stress and it will make things worse and they may not come to you. If you see him act as calmly as you can, act like nothing is going on, like your weeding the ground or something and let him come to you and then grab him. Cats will chase a laser toy & is a great way to lead them safely indoors. The more you chase him the more he will run, it's in a cats nature. Just use soft tones with him and he will eventually come to you, be patient. He may not come out until it's dark. You could also leave your door open and see if he will run in but don't stand by the door, it will make him more hesitant. Right now he is in fight or flight mode because he is outside so be gentle. I would definitely call a rescue group RIGHT AWAY so they can help you and also give you advice. Don't wait too long, time is of the essence and you don't want him to leave the area, then things get difficult. If time elapses and he is still not home, make lots of flyers and leave them on peoples doors in a 2 mile radius around where the cat got lost from. These are your best chances for getting your cat back but you have to act quickly. *Tips for trapping* Do not set trap overnight where it can’t be monitored!! Use smelly fish like mackerel or tuna in oil. KFC works well, boneless of course. Cover top & sides of trap (not front where cat enters or back where it can impede traps performance) with a blanket or towel (one that has scent on it if available). Feed outside of trap to get cat used to it, then feed inside trap WITHOUT setting it, then feed inside trap and set once you see cat going in to eat*

Diana E.

1 week ago

Gatubela is a beautiful dilute tricolor cat (white cat with orange and gray markings) — I’m sorry she is lost. Did Gatubela escape a fence, enclosure, or the home, or is she allowed to roam freely? Her familiarity with the environment will dictate how to find her. Escaped indoor cats usually hide close by but are too frightened to return or respond when called; while a cat that knows her way around may have become stuck somewhere and needs help getting home. I have recovered many lost cats and assisted others so if you tell me about Gatubela I can provide complete instructions that may help. Please understand an escaped cat will be fearful and hide close to home so if you search, TIPTOE SILENTLY during the DAYTIME ONLY (no calling or shaking treats) or do just the right things and she may emerge when it's dark and quiet to sneak back inside. This usually happens within the first few nights so until I hear back from you please implement this strategy if Gatubela got out accidentally: tonight (crack open your fence gate or enclosure door, if applicable, then) lay a familiar blanket or worn teeshirt flat on the doorstep where she got out (don't use a litter box, bed, trap, or anything conspicuous) along with a bowl of food. Call her softly to provide a familiar sound and direction (she won't come on command) then watch from inside (DO NOT GO BACK OUTSIDE OVERNIGHT!) and if you see Gatubela approach and settle on the food be careful not to startle her. Slowly and quietly provide a clear path inside and she may put an end to the crisis herself. If you can't wait up set an alarm and watch again just before sunrise -- it's a popular time. Also, although some will suggest putting out kitty's litter box, experts say DON’T DO IT. I've never used one in all the times I've been successful recovering a lost cat. Please read this to learn more about why it's neither necessary nor recommended: https://www.facebook.com/notes/lost-cats-georgia/why-we-dont-recommend-putting-your-lost-cats-litter-box-outside/1101245526665296/

View Full Discussion on Facebook