Santa Ana, CA Lost Male Cat, Chase Is Missing

Facebook Community Response

Meredith K.

7 months ago

If s/he is not accustomed to being outside, s/he is probably close to where s/he got out. Most indoor only cats don't go more than about a 5 to 6 house radius from where they got out. S/he is probably hunkered down, hiding somewhere close by. Search low and high, go search the bushes at night with a flashlight and look for her/his eyes. Ask neighbors to look in their garages and sheds. Go out very late at night or very very early morning, stand in one place near where s/he got out and call her/his name in a calm voice. Don't put out the litter box, it will draw predators. You can put out her/his favorite bed, blanket, toy, or your worn clothing. You can also rent a humane trap, set and bait it with her/his favorite food and put your used bed sheets over it. Don't put out a trap unless there has been a confirmed sighting of the cat. NEVER LEAVE THE TRAP UNATTENDED. Be sure to check it every every 30 minutes or so. Post everywhere you can (Pawboost, Lost & Found Pets pages for your city & county, Nextdoor, the Buzz page for your city) and be sure to put up flyers in the neighborhood, and in everyones' mailboxes or under door mats, in the several block radius. Not everyone is on social media. Also check your local animal shelters to see if s/he was found and turned in as a stray. Many of them have websites with photos of the cats. If they have a deceased pets page, check there too. There won't be photos. The color, & age will be listed, as well as city & nearest cross streets. I hope you find her/him safe and sound really soon

Meredith K.

7 months ago

Has the cat definitely been sighted outside? If you don't have a confirmed sighting outside, or the cat was not seen leaving the house, it might be inside somewhere. Cats hide when they are not feeling well or are scared, or there has been some big change in the house. Look in every closet, cupboard, drawer, chair, sofa, box springs, washer and dryer, dishwasher, fridge, anywhere the cat could hide. When I had adopted one of my cats, he got up into the sleeper sofa & hid. Took me almost 24 hours to find him. My friend's black cat hid in a kitchen cupboard, way in the back behind some big pots. It took nearly 4 days to find her. So if you do not have confirmation of the cat being seen outside or seen escaping, thoroughly check the house. Good luck. Hope kitty is found safe and sound.

Lauren E.

7 months ago

I lost my kitty Nicholas at an Irvine apt complex 15 years ago. At that time I could find no information on how to find him. Luckily I found him three days later. I put these tips together to help others find their lost babies. TIPS TO FIND YOUR CAT: 1. Kitties usually stay close by their home, they hide in a bush or some small dark place and just sit and wait. Even if you call them, they may not come because they are freaked out and scared. 2. A cat's world is centered around scents. They will not be familiar with the outdoor scents because they have never been there before. To help them smell their way home, put things outside that smell like home, like you. A used towel, dirty shirt, dirty shoes, the litter box. Leave the items out and sit with the door open as much as possible. If the kitty comes back in the door just remain calm and talk to the kitty normal until you can close the door behind him. 3. Do not put food out, you will attract other animals that may keep your cat away. You can walk around with smelly food or shaking treats, but don't leave it outside. 4. Walk around the neighborhood calling your kitty normally. Don't use a panicked voice, it will scare the kitty more. Best to only have people whose voice your kitty would normally come to. They will not come to a kind stranger helping you search. The kitty will catch your scent and hear your voice, and follow it back to your house. Most cats are within 200 cat yards. Which means if there is a fence, you couldn't get over, you would go around, but the cat could go right over. So keep that in mind when checking out 200 yards. 5. Pass out fliers to neighbors and talk to everyone, especially kids and dog walkers. It is a great idea to offer kids $20 if they find your cat and can tell you where he is. Kids love money and a challenge. 6. Check closed garages. Listen for meows when you call. 7. Use a flashlight under bushes and dark places, even during the day. The light will reflect off their eyes. This is how I found Nicholas, in a bush I walked by at least 20 times and didn't see him until I used the flashlight. 8. Sleep with the windows open, you may hear them crying at night. Lost kitties feel safest coming out late at night-early morning. 9. Check the shelter every day. 10. If your lost cat has a cat friend at home, take the cat or dog you have at home out in a secure carrier or on a leash and walk around with him or sit with him outside. Hopefully the other lost cat will hear and smell him. Dogs are good at finding lost cats. 11. Social Media - Facebook, Nextdoor, CraigsList, and PawBoost Lost & Found. 12. Vets have told me that indoor kitties that get lost are too scared to come out of hiding, even for food. It could be at least 10 days before your kitty gets hungry enough to come out of his safe hiding spot, so don't give up too soon. Once kitties do come out they will make a big circle around the area trying to find something that smells like home. So the more you walk out from your house and back, like a wagon wheel formation, the more your scent out there for kitty to follow when he gets brave. 13. If you have a garage, leave it cracked open, kitty may find his way back in. 14. Be careful of scammers. There are terrible people out there that pretend they have your cat but can never find time to meet up with you to return the cat. They are trying to make you frantic to give them money. 15. Check trees too, just found my cat 20 feet up a tree, couldn't get down. 16. Check inside, cabinets, closets, behind books. We have found cats sitting behind books on shelves, sleeping inside clothes in the closet, and in a hole in the wall behind a wall unit. 17. You can purchase a Havahart cat safe trap from Amazon. Watch the video on how to use it. Do not leave it unattended because you don’t want to try and release an angry raccoon. If you watch for a distance you can chase off wild critters. Have a plan if you catch another cat. This other cat may be keeping your cat away. So hopefully your shelter will take him. Maybe he is lost too and you saved him. Or maybe he is a stray and having a check up at the shelter will benefit him, and give your cat a chance to come home if this cat was keeping him away.

Tammra D.

7 months ago

Post on FOUND AND LOST PAWS IN SANTA ANA!!

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