Bernice M.
4 years ago
FINDING INDOOR ONLY CATS WHO ARE LOST
First open up all the doors/drawers in your house including kitchen/bathroom n even your bedroom dressers. Cats/kittens are really good at hiding and some will not make a sound.
Indoor only cats rarely travel far - they seek an immediate hiding place (under a deck or porch, under brush, in a garage or shed) and hunker down out of fear. Immediately start searching around your house as well as your neighbor’s houses with a flashlight (get on your hands and knees and shine the light under decks etc) - shake a treat bag and call it’s name and listen for a possible soft meow. (they are too scared to come out) ASK YOUR NEIGHBORS TO OPEN GARAGES AND SHEDS TO SEE IF THE CAT GOT LOCKED INSIDE.
They can stay in this spot for weeks! Indoor only cats RARELY come out during the day - they only come out after dark and into the wee hours of the morning. Be sure to check the surrounding trees as cats are often chased up trees and will sit up there for days and days….
What we have had great success with is this: Open your door throughout the night and call it’s name - often they will come running back in!Sit outside on your deck/porch and walk around your property and call it’s name during the night… and the number one thing that seems to be working is to leave the door ajar for it to get back in during the middle of the night! (Lock all your other pets away for the night!) Most cats have been coming in on their own between 2-4 am! Put all their smelly stuff (see below) near the door outside and inside as well as food!
Cats have an amazing sense of smell - bedding, your dirty clothes/shoes, and a tiny bit of strong smelling wet cat food outside to attract your cat. We just heard of a tip of blowing a fan out the house window so that your house smells waft through the outside air to attract them back. Some people don’t agree w the litter putting dirty litter box out - if you live in an area with wild animals close by maybe skip that part.
Set a Humane trap (like a Hav-A-Heart wire trap) bait it with smelly cat food….this is sometimes the ONLY way to catch a scared indoor only cat AND IT WORKS! Please if you put a trap out you have to check on it frequently especially in extreme weather.
Hang LOST posters immediately and give one to every neighbor as too many people just assume when they see a cat that it is a stray - if they know you are looking for your cat they will be extra vigilant and want to help. Ask them to take a photo of any cats they see in your area –sometimes people think it is your cat but it is not. Put REWARD on the poster but not an amount.
Immediately contact your Animal Control Officer and provide photos/description. Also contact local shelters, rescue groups and Vet offices. Post on Facebook on both local, county, & state pages (i.e. “Lost & Found Pets) also put on Pawboost Alert and Nextdoor.com. Don’t just call shelters go to them. If your pet is not micro chipped please do so right away.
DO NOT GIVE UP! It could take days, weeks or months but your cat is out there and you must keep up the search and spread the word with posters, speaking with neighbors, social media etc!
