Sterling, VA Lost Male Cat, Melon Is Missing

Facebook Community Response

Jessica P.

13 hours ago

Some immediate actions to take and what worked for us to find our lost cat who was missing for over two months: Please check in and around your house - even “doors no one has opened today” or places your cat “could never get into” including closets, bedrooms, behind/in walls, attics, garages, up in trees, etc.. Go out at night with a strong-beamed flashlight to look for eye shine and call out softly for your cat. Also ask your neighbors to check garages, attics, cellars, window wells, etc.. Is he/she microchipped? If so, report them lost with the microchip company (and make sure your contact information is correct!). If anyone scans it, you will be notified. Also contact (and visit in person!!) all rescues, all animal shelters, and all vets in the immediate and the surrounding areas to give them: - the microchip number - pictures from different angles Here are some local VA shelters’ contact info: - Fairfax County - https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/animalservices/lostandfoundpets/filereport - Loudoun County - https://www.loudoun.gov/545/Lost-Found-Pets - Prince William County - https://www.pwcva.gov/department/animal-services/report-lost-and-found-pets/ Make flyers and hand them out to everyone you can; not everyone is on social media. Also post flyers around the area. Ask for people to report sightings so you can narrow down the search. (This is what worked for us - we posted flyers and 1-2 weeks later posted flyers again in a wider area; found our lost cat after almost 2 months because someone had been seeing the cat and then contacted us after seeing a flyer from the second posting of flyers. We then set up a trap at the sighting location and checked it every 1-2 hours. Finally trapped him 3 days after setting the trap.) Post on social media: - Bring Ace Home - PawBoost - Petco LoveLost - Local lost pet pages - Neighbors (free app by Ring; you don’t need to have a Ring product) - Nextdoor Rescues in the area should also be able to lend you a humane trap. Make sure you check it every 1-2 hours and don’t leave it overnight (unless you can keep checking it every 1-2 hours). Raccoons can seriously injure a trapped cat. Put food and water down at your home every day and have a camera on the feeding station. Good luck ❤️

Jessica P.

13 hours ago

Would you please add the nearest intersection and or landmark where he was lost from or last seen?

Ariana M.

14 hours ago

Praying for his safe return

Jennifer R.

14 hours ago

Try these tips: Indoor cats that get outside usually stay close but they will hide b/c they get scared of the new sounds and textures outside. Check all hiding places (under decks/porches, sheds, bushes, parked cars, up in trees, in storm drains or other exposed pipes). Ask your neighbors to check those areas of their yards and to open their sheds/garages in case the cat went in unseen and got locked in. Post flyers in your neighborhood b/c not everyone uses fb or knows about these lost/found pet sites. File a report with your local shelter and give them a picture so if someone brings in your cat they will be able to more quickly reunite you. Go in person and ask to see all the cats. Do not rely on staff to visualize your cat the same way you do. Do not rely strictly on pictures posted on their website in case the site is not up-to-date or not all-inclusive. Cats will come out at night to search for food so put a dish of smelly cat food outside near the door the cat most likely went out. You can also try going out at night with a flashlight to see if you can get the reflection of the light in its eyes. Shared and prayingFollow these tips...they work :) Owners of lost cats on the lost and found pet pages have said that these tips work, especially numbers 1, 3 and 5: 1. Put wet/smelly food out in the evening. Pick it up during the day or if you notice it's attracting strays. 2. Put a trail of dirty litter from the box all along the edge of your yard and along trees and bush lines close by and along side any chin trails. Do not out the entire litter box outside. 3. Put out an unwashed article of your clothing or a dirty sheet/towel/t-shirt. You can also make "scent strips" from these items and place them in trails leading to your door. 4. Go out in the evening with a flashlight and look under porches, sheds, etc. 5. You can make chum trails leading to your door by using a can of canned tuna in water (no oil) or canned cat food and a gallon of warm water. Shake well and sprinkle in trails leading to your door. 6. Your cat will be most active between dusk and dawn. Trying shaking a bag of treats and softly calling your cat's name while searching with a flashlight to catch the reflection of your cat's eyes. 7. Get fliers up right away with phone numbe r asking for sightings right away and ask neighbors to check garages, etc. 8. File a lost report with the appropriate shelter and visit *in person* often. Most cats do not go far, especially those that are not used to spending time outdoors. Every 2 seconds a pet is lost..MICROCH IP!! ! I

Mint S.

14 hours ago

Extra photo of him 🥹