Oakland, CA Lost Male Cat, Hillbilly Is Missing

HappyCatLady .

2 months ago

💜🐱I’m so sorry kitty is still missing. Please do Not lose hope or stop taking action. Lost cat ‘Ninja’ was found within the block after 71 days of us searching for him! He was 6 houses away after 71 days! 💜🐱Lost Cat 'Secret' was found after 26 nights - he was around the corner in the ceiling of a worker's room who saw a posted flyer!💜🐱Lost Cat 'Sneaky" was reunited after 113 nights! 💜🐱 'Lost cat Alan' on Pawboost was reunited after 129 days! His guardians wouldn’t give up and didn’t stop searching …a neighbor spotted ALAN - a neighbor they had spoken to while going door to door - it was the 3rd time they had done the rounds reminding neighbors their kitty was still missing💜🐱 Don't give up. Keep taking action. Post up more flyers Make GIANT SIGNS...Don’t give up the search 💜🐱 🐱PRINT more flyers to post up on lampposts 1-6 blocks out in all directions and replace the ones on your block if the old ones are worn .... put new flyers in the "clear sheet protectors" with the opening facing down so they last …(previous post shows example - you can buy at fedex print store, target, staples or amazon) 🐱TALK TO YOUR NEIGHBORS AGAIN - yes going door to door to remind your dear neighbors that your cat is still missing and you are needing their help to spot kitty more than ever - people have short memories - they DO need to be reminded. Talk to dog walkers on your street - they are outside at all times and have helped me spot lost kitties I was helping with many times....It's never a waste of time talking to neighbors ..the more eyes you have the better...ask them to take a photo and call text you any hour of the night - and not to approach Kitty or they might scare him. 🐱CONTINUE TO CALL FOR KITTY at night and early mornings (sunset to sunrise) .set your alarm for 1am, 3am 5am and call calmly with stinky wet food...walk around the block and call for kitty as you walk BACK LEADING HOME ...NOT leading AWAY from home. 💜💜PLACE A CAMERA 💜💜motion activated (with night vision ideally) - pointed at bowl with wet food (and water) near outside the door and review camera footage daily - you can't believe how many times a cat will return home and has no way of getting back inside and/or the owners stops going out at night so the cat disappears back into the night...or the cat just remains outside even with the door slightly open (in a survival mode) This has happened recently in multiple cases where a guardian catches their cat on camera after weeks of no sightings …then they either end up going out during the same time every night or they end having to humanely trap their cat because kitty kept running away from the owner. (once back inside the survival mode turns off and they are back to being purry cozy kitty) Place wet food out with a camera (that will snap images or video upon movement) you may see other cats, raccoons and other creatures eat the food..that's ok...keep refilling the WET food as he may turn up one of these nights - I’ve done this many times and always SO happy I did because the camera gives the hope you need! (raccoons LOVE dry cat food so wet food is better) you can buy motion sensor camera on amazon over night - connect to wifi...OR a wild life camera with playback feature (battery operated - no wifi needed) . 🐱Once kitty is spotted on camera or by your neighbor then you can sent a HUMANE CAT TRAP - which must be monitored every single second it is ‘set’. You can RENT a trap from the SPCA or borrow a trap - ask folks on Nextdoor (cat owners group) if anyone has a trap you can borrow (If you live in SF I have one to lend you) Sometimes cats are caught on camera eating and NOT coming inside even when the guardian has left the door open..some cats stay in a kind of survival mode (like a switch was flipped) which helps them survive but sometimes gets in the way with them returning inside on their own. It could take days/weeks to get them on camera but once they find this source of food they will return…and some nights it will be different cats or raccoons…they all watch each other from afar…once caught on camera you can set a trap and monitor it from a distance making sure you don’t trap another creature. 💥💥BUY Camera: Mini Blink WIFI camera $35 : https://a.co/ihc7BSy OR WYZE WIFI Indoor/Outdoor Camera $29: https://a.co/d/4assVvK (insert a Micro SD Memory Card to record movement: https://a.co/d/44AXvel) IF NO WIFI: Wildlife/Trail camera (battery operated) check footage manually daily https://a.co/d/gWTQ4wq , requires 8 AA lithium batteries (buy extra) + Micro SD Memory Cards: https://a.co/d/44AXvel 💜💜 VISIT IN PERSON 💜💜the shelter’s closest to you every 5 days (FOR San Francisco ACC it’s best to check 24petconnect.com and their website and CALL to ask if ALL their FOUND cats are showing on their website. Some cats will end up at your animal shelter and some will never show up - we just don’t know how LUCK plays out so this is why you must COVER ALL POSSIBILITIES.There are SO many FOUND cats brought in every single day. Some are not shown online this is why you have to physically go in and check for yourself. MANY lost cats are reunited long after a month. Many cats end up at a shelter after their guardian has unfortunately stopped checking and that is just heartbreaking. 🐱Talk to your neighbors, update flyers, call for kitty at night, leave food and water out and get a camera to check footage every day. ⭐️POSTCARD Delivery service; ANOTHER $OPTION ⭐️to help spread the news in your neighborhood to the closest 1000 residents: https://lostpetcards.com/ The guardian of Lost cat 'Leila' used this service and a few days slater a neighbor 2 blocks received the postcard and contacted her because her cat had been visiting her backyard and she was feeding her - ‘Leila’ has been reunited with her loving human!! https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2530343453770639&id=697221290416207 This is a family owned company who will send a Lost Cat Postcard (with photo and info) to the closest 1000 residents from where kitty escaped - this is an extremely efficient way to make sure your neighbors are aware your cat is missing - and your contact info is readily available if they spot kitty. I've used this service 3 times so far and always happy I did . It’s pricey but worth it. I paid for this mailing service for a cat already missing for weeks after getting lost the same day kitty was rehomed and I needed to spread the word to neighbors as quickly as possible as I came onto the case late - weeks after kitty was already missing. Someone spotted her after a week, because he received a postcard!. We received several calls …some were false sightings so it’s important to include on the postcard “Please take a photo and call if you THINK you see my cat..(Please do not approach kitty - call me!) The other 2 times I used the service I received sightings within 2 weeks, one kitty was found within the block (and I’d already flyered door to door on the block) The way it works is you submit a form online https://lostpetcards.com/ then they will email you asking to confirm informatino, then they will send you a draft postcard and show you the zone that USPS will cover based on original location (they’ll show you on a map) 2 days later POSTCARDS will be delivered to the nearest 1000 neighbors, including apts and businesses (1000 is the minimum) at the cost is $650 – be sure to include much of the same wording asking neighbors to check garages, sheds, crawl spaces, trees etc and offering a reward for a PHOTO of your kitty - similar wording to the FLYER TEMPLATES you can download below (www.happycatlady.com). 💜🐱🙏 Stay strong, stay determined🙌 Don’t let anyone tell you to give up! 🙏 Damia Foti🐱🙏💖 650-339-6619 www.HappyCatLady.com

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HappyCatLady .

2 months ago

💖🐱Dear guardian 💖🐱 glad you are not giving up 🙏 Continue to take action in person. Cover all possibilities… 'Lost cat' JiJi was found after missing for 4 MONTHS! Cats will remain for months and months doing their best to survive. 1. CONTINUE leaving wet food and fresh water bowl at sunset where kitty escaped/exit point - lost cats search for a food source - you must be a consistent food source even if you're feeding other lost/stray hungry cats. Continue to use your motion activated wifi camera pointed at WET food and water bowl replenished nightly. If you don't have a camera aimed 2. I emplore you to buy one (the $35 mini blink on amazon works great) So many cases guardians were ready to give up then they finally put the camera out there (whether wifi to your phone or a WILD LIFE camera with batteries no wifi) and after some days / weeks they will Spot their cat eating on camera - after being gone for weeks or months. .Spotting kitty eating the food on camera changes everything - then we know the next step is to use a humane TRAP to capture their cat because kitty is in survival mode, HIDING from all humans - even from the guardian they love. 3. REPLACE worn out flyers that are posted on both sides of LAMP POSTS around your block and POST UP FLYERS on both sides of lamppost SEVERAL blocks out in ALL directions from your residence (or where kitty escaped from). 4. I encourage you to talk to your neighbors AGAIN in person to remind them your kitty is still missing and that you need their help to keep an eye out. 5. Deliver updated FLYERS to every single residence every apt within every building starting with your block and expanding outward several blocks in all directions. Tape the flyer directly onto front doors or down the side of mailboxes neatly folder and use painter's tape (won't harm) Every day I get texts from people who find their cats while calling /searching at night long after a month. 6. Continue to call for your cat at night / early morning … make any noise kitty is familiar with whether it's keys jingling or treat bag crinkles or simply your calm voice ...it may seem hopeless to do this but I am telling you everything you do helps! 7. Check nearby shelters ONLINE DAILY and IN PERSON weekly (some cats are NOT posted online at the shelters!) Cats are survivors and once back home, they return to being cozy. FLYERS all over the neighborhood and going door to door to talk to neighbors is KEY in spreading the word to the exact people who COULD spot kitty! 8. ADDING AT LEAST 1 HUGE NEON POSTER in front of your residence is highly encouraged in order to get a possible sighting. A BILLBOARD even better! Sending you LOVE, HOPE and unwavering DETERMINATION 🐱🙏💖 damia The biggest mistake I have learned in the last 5 years finding lost cats is people thinking the cat is getting taken care of somewhere when the cat is doing it's best to survive and they stop taking action..no more flyering..no huge posters. no talking to neighbors again..they stop searching at night .. you must do the opposite! Your sweet kitty needs to be spotted and the best way is to lure with wet food and get another neighbor to do the same - must have a camera aimed or you won't know who is eating the food. Even cats that have been with their guardian 15 years WILL HIDE FROM EVERYONE ..Lost cat Tommy was found after 4 months - the guardians finally started aiming a camera at the wet food they were leaving out every AM and PM and finally spotted her a week later then trapped her using a humane trap I lent. Other folks Created BILLBOARDS using vinyl and tape and huge photos of their cat - and kept FLYERING 1 block at a time…kept talking to neighbors on each street getting more than 1 person to check RING cameras and leave wet food and water out AND THAT - was what ultimately got their cat spotted . Don't give up. I’m so sorry for all the stress and worry...kitty is out there..needs your consistent action sending this message with only love in my heart - damia

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HappyCatLady .

3 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 or they find themselves in another yard and unable to get back .... 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. ASK NEIGHBORS TO CHECK RING CAMERAS💜💜💜💜 🐯 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 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 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.... 🐯 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 .

3 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 .

3 months ago

💖🐱I'm so sorry you haven't found your sweet kitty YET. RIGHT NOW it's still early and quiet - Go out and call for kitty in a calm NORMAL voice(no stress in your voice) ...keep calling CALMLY as you walk around slowly listening 🙏 💖🐱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. 🐱 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. 🐱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. 🐱 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