Glennie B.
3 weeks ago
I help with lost pet recovery for both cats and dogs. Please follow all tips asap! We use these in Wake County, NC and other areas in lost cat rescue.
INDOOR ONLY CATS: Your furbaby will probably be in hiding for several days (could be as long as 12-14 days) and most likely will not go more than a 5-8 house radius from your house, which could include an adjacent neighborhood.
INDOOR/OUTDOOR CATS: Indoor outdoor cats generally are curious and can end up stuck in some place such as a crawlspace, garage, shed, etc. We recommend making a flyer and going door-to-door in his normal territory which usually is about 5 to 8 houses from home and asking
people if you can check or they
can check those areas with a flashlight. We've had cats' owners go on vacation and they get stuck in the garage also.
FOOD STATION: Leave food (warmed canned tuna (in oil, not water), warmed canned sardines (in oil, not water) warmed canned mackerel, and warmed deboned rotisserie chicken - a buffet and a bowl of water outside close to where he got out. Warmed stinky food that will attract him!
GARAGE: You can leave the garage door cracked open and put food in there to help lure your cat.
OWNER SCENT ITEMS: Leave a scent item of yours next to the food station - such as "unwashed" socks, tee shirts, pillow cases - anything with your scent or scent of the owner. Also, put scent items of yours in the upper branches of bushes, fences, trees close to the point of escape to help lure him closer to home.
SCENT TRAIL: This is a VERY important step! Two options: (1) Buy either canned sardines/tuna/mackerel and mix the strained juice with water in a spray bottle. You will need to strain the juice so that clumps of food don't clog the sprayer.
(2) Or mix chicken broth and water in a spray bottle. I recommend this one.
Whichever option you use, make sure not to add too much water because you don't want to dilute the scent too much!
Set the spray setting to 'stream' and spray the upper branches of trees and bushes close to the point of escape outward in a wagon wheel pattern. The wind should carry the scent to help attract your cat.
Spray the juice mixture in the wagon wheel pattern every 2 days.
CROCKPOT: Put chicken or fatty meat in the crockpot and cook on the porch or crack the garage door and cook in garage to lure furbaby closer to home.
https://www.missinganimalresponse.com/lost-cat-behavior/?fbclid=IwAR2uK75W86MhC99aaH2zUVnM6LOUtMShZ2hMESAdzyUNAlOldYbetHYGdRM
SEARCHING: He may not answer if you call him since he is in panic/survival mode. Be consistent in your efforts and don't give up! Sometimes it takes awhile to find a lost cat...
Look very carefully under decks, sheds, porches, cars, etc. at your house and neighbors - ANY place he could hide. Ask your neighbors to check their security cameras!
Go out at night when the neighborhood is quiet and shine a flashlight into the bushes, etc. and look for the reflection of his eyes.
https://petfbi.org/why-you-may-need-to-trap-your-own-lost-cat/
CAT SCENT ITEMS: **** Do this ASAP!! *** Gather any items that have his/her scent on them. Place each item in a separate zip lock bag and put all the bags into the freezer. Doing this saves his scent in case you need to hire a pet tracker to help. Balynda Brown is an excellent tracker in Raleigh, NC. Her dog, Bravo, is outstanding.
Please contact her asap since a pet's scent is extremely hard to track after 14 days. Her number is 919-418-7953 and she can consult with you via the phone and/or be hired to scent track with her dog, Bravo.
https://bravok911.com/
She is awesome and provides excellent advice. Follow her directions exactly!!!
SIGNS AND FLYERS: Not everyone uses social media. Signs are extremely important to get the word out about your lost dog! Put neon colored signs at major intersections close to your neighborhood and on stop signs/street signs that are at your neighborhood exits. Use large posterboad sheets from Dollar Tree to make large signs for major intersections so people driving can read the signs.
Also, create flyers that you can hand out to neighbors, mail carriers, UPS driver, etc.
FACEBOOK COMMUNITY PAGE: Consider setting up a FB Community page for your furbaby. You can specify certain zip codes to which you can run ads. FB users in those zip codes will see the ads. The ads don't cost very much.
FOR MICROCHIPPED CATS: Please contact the microchip company and make sure your contact info is current and report your pet as missing.
