Portland, OR Lost Female Cat, Sagwa Is Missing

Facebook Community Response

Joe G.

10 months ago

Isaac Lee call me!!!

Joe G.

10 months ago

Ashley Nielsen

Ginny G.

10 months ago

https://youtu.be/g2eCoC63B9I

Ginny G.

10 months ago

Here are some tips from a person with a lot of cat rescue experience... They are almost always hiding nearby (especially if they are an escaped indoor cat) or they are trapped (especially if they normally go outside) and you’ll need to be out actively searching and flyering door to door. Escaped cats often go into survival mode and do not respond to food, being called, being approached, etc. I’ve been involved in countless searches for escaped foster cats (almost all successful), and these are my top tips: 1. If you don’t have other pets, or can lock them securely in another room, leave the door or window they escaped from open(or one close by or that they are familiar with). If they are hiding nearby they may dart back inside when they get a chance. Our rescue’s last 2 escaped cats that were still hiding nearby both rescued themselves this way, and ran back inside up to12 hours after escaping, and a kitty adopted from us was recovered this way after almost a month outside. In addition to searching, flyering and trapping efforts her owners had built a ramp to the second floor window she originally escaped from and called her and put food out constantly. But cats can’t do that if they get up their nerve to dart back to where they escaped, but find the door or window closed. 2. Look multiple times daily, thinking like a scared cat while searching. Look under steps, in holes and bushes, look down into window wells and grated drains/openings they could have squeezed through to jump down into a hiding place and now can’t get back out of - low hiding spots are where most cats hide, and usually within a few blocks of home (often just a block if they escaped and are scared). Night and very early morning is quieter and you’re more likely to hear your cat, and your flashlight can illuminate eyes in deep hiding places. So go out at all different hours. Ask neighbors to check garages/sheds and areas of their property you can’t access, and ask them for permission to repeatedly check their backyards/under their porches at different times of day and night during your daily searches (you don’t want to have to knock and ask permission every time). 3. Make flyers that have a 24 hr call/text number and deliver door to door in a several block radius to get the entire community watching for them. A million times more effective than streetpole flyers. However you’ll still need to put up streetpole flyers out to 1km radius (in plastic folders, opening facing down), to quickly cover the whole area - that’s the max most escaped cats roam. If the lost kitty is used to going outdoors, be sure to include a request for people to check their garages and sheds, since it’s common for them to get accidentally locked inside when they are exploring. 4. Put out food and water to keep them near home if they are nearby (put it out in the early morning and take away in the evening. You don't want to attract predators at night. 5. Despite well meaning advice, please DON’T put the litterbox outside, we all used to do that but new research shows it attracts predators like coyotes and can attract rival cats that will drive your cat away. Put out things that smell like them, like favorite bedding or put out an unwashed shirt of yours. 6. Most importantly try to stay positive and don’t give up - I’ve been part of many successful cat searches that took well over a month, and the average search and re-trapping effort (since they are in survival mode and usually can’t be approached/picked up) is at least a few weeks! Most people give up searching way too soon, or worse hardly search at all, expecting a scared or trapped cat to come home on its own and wait to be let in or allow their owner to pick them up to bring them back inside. In our rescue’s experience that hardly ever happens beyond the first day, and active search efforts are needed to help your kitty get back inside. Another more recent technique that’s working well is also asking everyone nearby if they have a doorbell camera, and if they do asking them to check it for sightings, and to let you know if they have seen or see your kitty in future. 7. Report you cat as missing with a picture at your local Humane Society or Animal Control in case someone files a found cat report for your cat. Go there often to look in-person (especially at Animal Control. Also report your cat as missing on the Lost My Kitty website. This site can help contact local police and rescue agencies for you. Below is a great resource to learn more about the different ways that different types of escaped cats act, and how it should affect your search techniques: https://www.missinganimalresponse.com/lost-cat-behavior/ Best wishes on finding your cat. ❤️

Ginny G.

10 months ago

https://www.missinganimalresponse.com/lost-cat-behavior

Ginny G.

10 months ago

Once an indoor (or outdoor) cat is lost they will hunker down and stay hidden. She is hopefully still close by and staying hunkered down. The best times to look for her are late at night and early morning hours when it’s dark and quiet outside. Only one or two people looking and no small children. The main thing is calmness and soft voices when looking for her. Take a flashlight and gently call for her and watch for her eye shine. You can also gently shake a bag of cat food or treats if she knows that sound. Check in trees, on rooftops, fencetops, under bushes, cars, porches, decks, check your garage really well and any sheds or outbuildings and especially ask your neighbors to do the same. She may be stuck in someone's shed or garage. If safe to do so, leave a door/garage door/window cracked open so she can get back inside during the night. I've heard of a number of cats that just come back in on their own if the door is cracked open for them. You can put a scent item outside that she will recognize but another cat or predator won’t (blanket, cat bed, clothing). Litter boxes and food can attract coyotes and other cats so don't put those out. They will keep your kitty away. Report her as missing at your local Humane Society and/or Animal Control and go there often to look for her. Also report her as missing on the Lost My Kitty website. They can help contact local vets and rescue agencies for you. These tips are good for indoor/outdoor cats too. Best wishes on finding your kitty. ❤️

Tom F.

10 months ago

Shared

Linda L.

10 months ago

Prayers for a safe return 🙏

Zachary Y.

10 months ago

Praying!!!

Linda R.

10 months ago

Act fast. Time is of the essence. Get outside ASAP and STAY out for as long as you can; as OFTEN as you can. Search in ALL directions from your home. Calmly call for or talk to him; so he doesn't hear the anxiety in your voice and stay hidden. Go door to door. Talk to everyone or leave a note on every door. Post on Nextdoor website, on your immediate neighborhood's FB chat group, and even on your area's FB Buy Nothing group. #graycat

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