Diane W.
12 months ago
This is a compilation of advice from different sources:
. If cat is an indoor cat she or he should be very near still and hiding in fear.
⢠Look under bushes, under porch and under deck including any small place they can crawl into.
⢠Go out at dark with a flashlight and search.
â˘â˘ Leave Point of Escape open with a can of smelly food inside for reentry.
⢠Get a night vision motion detector video camera that sends notifications to your cell phone. (This is how a pet owner knew her cat was outside her home. She had it aimed outside at each door along with the humane trap). The camera brand she used was Arlo.
⢠Some have found downloading a Cat Meowing App and playing it, draws out the cat.
⢠Follow tips that are provided below too.
đžđ Please Take Our Tips:
Put a pile of unlaundered clothing, bedsheets , pillowcases and socks on your lawn...and hang some from your fence/bushes.
Leave bowls of smelly food out - tuna/sardines, rotisserie or Kentucky fried chicken
SCENT IS EVERYTHING!
FLIERS MUST GO UP ASAP TO GET SIGHTINGS. Every pole/tree/neighbors stoops/porches. Offer reward. Give fliers to mailman, UPS drivers, fed ex drivers, etc.
Local supermarket, dry cleaners, drug store should have a flier.
Call local precinct and report the cat as lost.
Ditto for shelters. You must visit shelters - the person on the phone doesn't know every pet brought in.
Delegate to friends so that you get the posters up ASAP!
Go out searching, especially when it's dark and quiet - early AM and later in evening.
Carry tuna and heated Kentucky Fried Chicken for scent.
Bring a bag of treats to shake when you call out catâs name and then stop and listen for faint meowing. (We've recently reunited cats that were stuck in neighbor's sheds/garages!)
Look under bushes, in/behind sheds, or neighbor's porches with flashlight. It'll make the cat's eyes glow so you can spot it.
Don't drive around! If your cat is an indoor only cat, it hasn't travelled more than 2-4 blocks away. Look on your neighbor's properties.
This is from a study that was done on lost cats:
⢠Cats are very different from dogs when panicked. They are territorial and your catâs territory was inside of your home. Once a cat is transplanted into unfamiliar territory, fear sets in and it seeks shelter because it is afraid. They panic immediately and look to hide usually near the escape point or within a 5-house radius of their home where they've never been before. Cats that are afraid (and cats that are injured) will seek areas of concealment such as under a deck, under a house, under a porch, or in heavy brush and they will not meow! Panicked cats hide in silence. Silence is their only protective measure from predators. They can stay concealed for days, sometimes weeks.
Just because you donât see or hear your cat DOES NOT mean he or she is not right there, hiding in fear from the loud noises, etc. they will not meow. Meowing would give up their location to a predator. Their behavior has nothing to do with whether the cat loves you, whether it recognizes your voice, or whether it can smell youâit has everything to do with the fact that a frightened cat will hide in silence.
⢠The Threshold Factor: Many of these cats initially hide in silence, but eventually break cover and meow, return to their home or the escape point (window or door), or finally enter a humane trap. While some cats take only hours or a few days to reach their threshold, many others take several days (typically ten to twelve days) before they break cover. We suspect the threshold is reached due to their thirst.
⢠In an attempt to capture your cat, use humane traps in your yard or in your neighborâs yard where your cat is likely hiding in fear. (traps must be monitored 24/7, Never set up a trap and leave it unattended).
If he chases a laser light try that. One owner was able to get their cat to run into the house by using a laser pointer.
Get catnip out. Someone got their cat to come home by opening the catnip.
Ask neighbors to open any sheds, rvs, garages, etc. leave them open for a bit with no one around. Cat can hide inside then be too afraid to run out when someone is around.
Some successful methods. Go out on your porch or in your yard at ânightâ (cats feel much safer then) and speak âcalmlyâ and normally (phone conversation for example) so your cat can hear your voice. Do this for a 15 to 30 minutes every night. Bring a food/treat bag to shake every once in a
while too if your cat is familiar with that sound. Most lost cats (especially indoor cats) are close and hiding, so you are trying to create a safe and inviting reason for them to come to you. Be silent for brief periods to listen for soft meows. Do not call out their name because they do not want attention drawn to them when fearful. Bring out family scents such as dirty t-shirts, dirty bedding, fur from resident cats or fur combed from a cat tree (smells familiar to your cat that wonât attract off-leash animals that could chase your cat away). It can take days to draw them out so do this every night.
*If safe to do*, leave the patio door or window that they escaped from open. Cats often try to return home by the same route that they left. Prop a chair or ladder under a window if itâs very high.
****Take a flashlight and check any areas/enclosures in the area where they might be trapped- a shed, garage, under a deck, inside a storage pod, on roofs etc. Look for eye shine from the flashlight in dark spaces, under bushes, up in trees. Cats are nearly invisible when hiding.
*If someone has found your cat, flyers (with a good photo) will provide the necessary information for them to get your kitty back to you. Give to neighbors, local vets, postal carriers and businesses. Put up a poster in your yard too.
*Rewards have not proven to help and may result in false leads. If you must, do not post an amount.
* Put a large legible poster in your yard or on your door (if an apt or condo) with the same info in case someone is out looking for the owner. If you are in an apt or condo, tell your manager in case someone contacts them.
*Check your local shelters, rescues and safe shelters frequently and as soon as possible.
*Post on all local facebook lost and found sites, community trade sites and neighborhood sites such as nextdoor.
*Notify your microchip company that your cat is missing and verify that your contact info is up to date.
*Put a baby monitor by your entrances and keep the volume up on the receiver at night. If your cat comes home and scratches or cries at the door you will hear him/her.
Note: Lost cats stay very close for a long time if there are no threats.
